Horror Movie Assessment: Shudder’s Creepy V/H/S/Past

Whereas the V/H/S series has explored sci-fi horror prior to now, the seventh entry—this week’s V/H/S/Beyond—places a specific focus on the genre, unspooling a nightmarish array of shut encounters, robotic terrors, and mad scientists. There are a number of massive names behind the segments this time round (Justin Lengthy, Kate Siegel, Mike Flanagan), however the standout moments—you already know, those that make you gasp, scream, or really feel such as you’re gonna puke—are scattered evenly all through.

Not being tied to a selected 12 months means Past doesn’t should be strict about its stage of expertise; there’s nonetheless shaky-cam and grainy VHS, however we additionally get some digital-age developments: cell telephones, home-security doorbells, a GoPro, YouTube movies, police physique cams, and the like. The body story, Jay Cheel’s “Abduction/Adduction,” is crafted like a “mysteries of the unknown” documentary you would possibly bump into whereas performing some late-night scrolling, full with speaking heads and archival clips anchored round a central thriller involving aliens and (in fact) mysterious video tapes.

The opposite segments embody Jordan Downey’s “Stork,” a few rookie cop having a really unusual first evening together with his new unit; Virat Pal’s “Dream Lady,” which follows a paparazzi group as they uncover greater than anticipated whereas stalking Bollywood’s hottest new star; Justin Martinez’s “Stay and Let Dive,” a cautionary story for would-be skydivers; Christian Lengthy and Justin Lengthy’s “Fur Infants,” about animal-rights activists decided to bust the proprietor of a doggie daycare; and Kate Siegel’s “Stowaway,” written by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill Home), a few troubled girl hoping to DIY her personal UFO doc.

One of many perpetual delights of the V/H/S sequence—aside from its copious affection for gore and gross-out particular results—is its conceit that we’re watching probably the most thrilling elements of no matter found-footage tape is subsequent within the queue. There’s not a lot time for context or exposition; after a fast dose of suspense (we all know one thing terrible goes to occur; that is V/H/S, in any case), all hell breaks unfastened. Hardly ever has this set-up been so completely deployed than it’s in “Stay and Let Dive,” which greater than makes good on its killer premise each within the air and on the bottom. “Dream Lady” can be a captivating entry; not solely is it the primary V/H/S section made in India, it comprises a full-on Bollywood musical quantity, seen from the viewpoint of the set-crashing photographers.

It’s not typically that V/H/S motion pictures are singled out for his or her performances—many of the appearing tends to be of the operating and screaming selection—however Past has a few notables, together with Alanah Pearce because the awkward filmmaker in “Stowaway,” and particularly Libby Letlow in “Fur Infants,” whose pup-obsessed Becky has uncanny echoes of Annie Wilkes in Distress.

If general V/H/S/Past isn’t fairly one of the best of the franchise—final 12 months’s V/H/S/85 remains to be my prime choose, although V/H/S/2 is a detailed second—it’s general a stable entry, and proof but once more that there’s nonetheless an alarming quantity of inventive power to be mined from dirty, ugly video clips. Carry on the subsequent one!

V/H/S/Past hits Shudder October 4.

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