V/H/S/2

V/H/S/2 ranks among those rare anthology films that rely on certainty rather than on a mix of newcomers and renowned established filmmakers. The originators of the project were dissatisfied with the basic stylistic requirement, which consists in filming from the first-person perspective and thematising the recording medium, as was the case in the preceding “VHS” horror-movie format. It is apparent that the next criterion for the individual filmmakers was that their contributions should also be entertaining and have an imaginative or innovative concept. Paradoxically, this setup further escalates the competition between the individual segments, as the strengths of the individual filmmakers are made apparent in their degree of imaginativeness. The biggest fiasco is the overarching narrative, which is hindered by the fact that it should provide some kind of framework for the otherwise entirely unrelated and fundamentally different segments. But the idea that the other segments are VHS tapes played by private detectives in the apartment of a deranged student fascinated by recordings of death as they investigate his disappearance doesn’t make much sense. It is an extremely absurd notion that someone transferred the segments shot on miniature digital cameras and portable HD cameras to the old VHS format. Due to the fragmented nature of the narrative, which is interrupted by the other segments, the filmmakers could do nothing more than exploit the unpleasant atmosphere and rely on scares. The first coherent segment, by the emerging directing star Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett, co-screenwriter of Wingard’s recent feature-length films, is a bizarre variation on The Eye, which gets extra credit due to its humour and ridiculously literal grasp of the “first-person” concept. This is followed by a segment from the creators of The Blair Witch Project that finally takes the camera out of the hands of protagonists facing various monsters on the opposite side of the barricade. Though it’s not anything groundbreaking, it is a perfect treat as a humorous gore show with a single idea that sets it apart. The absolute highlight of the anthology is the third stand-alone segment by Timo Tjahjanto, one-half the Thanatos promising Indonesian duo The Mo Brothers, and Gareth Huw Evans, director of The Raid. Starting out as a news report about a fanatical cult led by a deviant, their story proves to be an ingenious game played with viewer expectations. Furthermore, it is the only segment in the whole anthology that doesn’t use the presence of cameras as merely a formalistic quirk or as a means of enhancing the scares, but instead as a narrative device. And thanks to the fact that there is a full range of lenses instead of just one camera, the filmmakers have the possibility to work more with the pacing and suspense. Evans clearly shows here that even if he runs out of ideas for action and fight movies, his creative abilities will definitely not be exhausted. The last part is simply just a superb exercise in camerawork and setting up the mis-en-scén that shows off the staging skills of Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun), but it doesn’t offer anything more tangible than formalistically refined chaos. (02/08/2013) (less) (more)