SMALLS GETS TANGLED UP IN V/H/S 2

If you've already read my review of V/H/S you already know that I was a huge fan of the first film. Now the mucho hyped sequel is out, and I went in with some pretty lofty expectations since just about everyone has been saying the sequel easily outshines the first. So, how did this second outing fare? Bear with me as I browse through the lost VHS tapes and give a rating to each.

First let's explore the main plot of the film, entitled Tape 49. The over-arching story this time around is that of a male/female amateur sleuth team that has been hired to find a missing person. They break into his house and find that it appears to be abandoned, inside it is a room full of discarded VHS tapes. The male sleuth decides to explore the rest of the house and leaves the female sleuth to wade thru the VHS tapes in the room. Naturally, we join her in her quest. The over-arching story is stronger this time around, and it has a satisfying ending to it unlike the previous film. It's also aided by a new element, apparently if the viewer watches these VHS tapes in the correct order it should have a certain effect on the person watching them. Personally, I prefer the over-arching story of the first VHS due purely to the cool mystery element it had going for it. However, Tape 49 is still the better of the two. 4 Stars

The first VHS our female sleuth pops in is called Phase 1 Clinical Trials. A man has injured one of his eyes, and so is given a brand new mechanical one that comes equipped with a camera inside it so that the company that built it can test the quality of it. Naturally, things go wrong as the recipient of the eye begins to see ghastly images that terrorize him. Yes, this film is essentially an update of the film The Eye. It does have quite a few scream-worthy moments in here (In fact, I think that this was the only segment I actually screamed in), however since I have seen The Eye the story of this one feels been-there, seen-that to me. I do like the idea of an eye camera, pretty cool, however this one still gets 2 stars from me.

The 2nd VHS we view is called A Ride in the Park. In this one we follow a biker as he is attacked by zombies, turn into one of them and proceeds to terrorize other park goers. It's an interesting premise that has some nice gore effects in it, and some parts of it do have a slightly comedic tone...however, it's really just a sequence of events, it's not scary, and there is zero plot. I'll give it 1.5 stars because it is a somewhat original idea, and it is entertaining however the lack of a plot or any real scares hurts this segment. It's a disappointment considering the directors of this segment helmed The Blair Witch Project.

The third VHS is called Safe Haven. A documentary crew has gained admission into a creepy cult facility, and films the goings-ons inside. Little do they know, they have arrived there on the day that the cult believes to be their salvation. Naturally, freaky shit goes down. It's a toss-up between this film and the last one for craziest, most bat-shit insane segment. This one is filled with gore, blood, and genuinely freaky shit. This segment was partly directed  by the great Gareth Evans, of The Raid: Redemption fame and luckily he does not disappoint. 3.5 Stars

The fourth and final VHS is called Slumber Party Alien Abduction. Mom and Dad leave their fancy lake house, entrusting it's safe-keeping to their kids. Of course, this is a stupid idea as the kids invite their friends and proceed to party it up. The fun doesn't last long as a whole slew of evil aliens land at the house and try to abduct the family and friends, messing with their heads along the way. This segment is super-fast paced insane fun, it never once lets up once it starts. It also helps that the kids here remind me of myself and the kind of chaos I would wreck with friends. This would probably be my favorite VHS in the whole bunch, is it any surprise since this segment is directed by Hobo With A Shotgun director Jason Eisner? Yeah, naturally he doesn't disappoint.. 4 Stars

Whereas VHS seemed to be focused on "pure" horror, VHS 2 is more so concerned with campy, super-gory, silly fun. It does have a few good scary parts to it, but this outing's main goal seems to be to show audiences an over-the-top, super-insane and off the rails good time. There's more blood, more gore, and more cameras (to a level where it seemed a bit much to be honest). There are significant less breasts in this one, and the nudity we do sample here seems forced and unnecessary.  While I do feel that I enjoyed VHS more and that it is the better film out of the two, VHS 2 still succeeds at its main goal (to be the craziest, most insane horror film of all time) and I'll be damned if I wasn't tempted to fist pump when it was over and that pounding rock score kicked in. I would gladly recommend it to any horror fan looking for a crazy, fun time.

3.5 STARS