V/H/S (film) - "it made audiences SICK"

[Neil]

- Two movie-goers treated by paramedics after witnessing graphic scenes
- Reported incident happened at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah
- Third woman had to leave cinema because she 'couldn't stand suspense'
- Film producers insist they had to call ambulances and it wasn't stage


The film, acquired by Magnolia Pictures for more than $1million, follows a group of petty criminals looking for a VHS tape in a remote and rundown house, only to find a trove of recorded nastiness.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094187/V-H-S-horror-movie-Sundance-Film-Festivals-graphic-scenes-audiences-SICK.html


http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117946940?refcatid=31

[bassman]

It's amazing how producers and studios are still able to get away with this kind of free promotion.

What's even worse is that people keep falling for it....

[Andy]

Havnt heard of this one, is it a straight to DVD or doing the theatrical rounds at the moment?

[MinionZombie]

I'm interested in checking it out - merely because of the VHS thing. :)

[shootemindehead]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094187/V-H-S-horror-movie-Sundance-Film-Festivals-graphic-scenes-audiences-SICK.html


http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117946940?refcatid=31

Ha...it's been a long time since thouse hoary old cliches were dragged out by horror movie promoters.

[Danny]

Ha...it's been a long time since thouse hoary old cliches were dragged out by horror movie promoters.

i know right? 'people sick' goes hand in hand with 'running from the theatre in terms of 'we dont think this film can ride on its own merit' desperation for marketing buzz.

If anything this turns me away from a flick. if troma doesnt need to rely on this nobody should in this day and age.

[Eyebiter]

This gimmick is old... really old. Surprised they didn't hand out barf bags or mention an "insurance policy" for theaters in case any patrons fainted due to fright.

[LouCipherr]

It's amazing how producers and studios are still able to get away with this kind of free promotion.

What's even worse is that people keep falling for it....

This. It's sad people fall for this stuff... but I guess there's a sucker born every minute, eh?

[MinionZombie]

This. It's sad people fall for this stuff... but I guess there's a sucker born every minute, eh?

And there's one down every back alley in every Red Light District - boom-boom! :p

[LouCipherr]

And there's one down every back alley in every Red Light District - boom-boom! :p

:lol:

touche', MZ... touche' indeed. :D

[MikePizzoff]

Havnt heard of this one, is it a straight to DVD or doing the theatrical rounds at the moment?

As Neil originally posted, this happened at Sundance.

While I know this is all a gimmick - it still has me interested.

[Purge]

All gimmicks aside, are there any unbiased reviews out there?

[Mike70]

Ha...it's been a long time since thouse hoary old cliches were dragged out by horror movie promoters.

sounds like william castle is back from the grave. i wonder what is next: an attempt at "the tingler" type theatre seats. hey, with 3D so big for the next 22 mins or so that would be a perfect combo.

[Sammich]

The only movie that I know of that disturbed people to the point of causing many to walk out at Cannes was Irreversible. I have seen more than my share of horror, crime scene photos, autopsy videos, etc, but that one scene from the movie made me cringe and I wanted it to end. Irreversible isn't some cinema verite or low quality indie film, but very well made.

[MikePizzoff]

The only movie that I know of that disturbed people to the point of causing many to walk out at Cannes was Irreversible. I have seen more than my share of horror, crime scene photos, autopsy videos, etc, but that one scene from the movie made me cringe and I wanted it to end. Irreversible isn't some cinema verite or low quality indie film, but very well made.

I've owned Irreversible for years now and have been too chicken shit to watch it.

[Purge]

The only movie that I know of that disturbed people to the point of causing many to walk out at Cannes was Irreversible. I have seen more than my share of horror, crime scene photos, autopsy videos, etc, but that one scene from the movie made me cringe and I wanted it to end.

Monica Belucci's rape scene in the subway tunnel, yes?

[Sammich]

Monica Belucci's rape scene in the subway tunnel, yes?

Yes, but the entire movie is centered around that incident and deleting or editing it down would ruin the film.

[Neil]

Praise from AICN - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/54287


At its high points, V/H/S is scary in a way that very few horror films ever achieve, and an incredibly fun ride for horror fans. I’m not exactly sure what the film says thematically, but who cares – sometimes you just want the shit scared out of you, and V/H/S does that incredibly well.

[MinionZombie]

Praise from AICN - http://www.aintitcool.com/node/54287

When it comes around on Sky Movies I'll be sure to give it a gander.

[MikePizzoff]

Any clue what the deal with this is? Is it gonna do the indie theater circuit or is it gonna be On Demand (or both)? OR is it getting a DVD (and hopefully VHS combo) release soon? I'm really anticipating this one.

-- -------- Post added at 11:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 PM ----------

Nevermind, looks like it's coming to On Demand on my birthday (Aug 31)! Theater circuit begins Oct 5. CAN'T WAIT.

The Cabin In The Woods will have to hold me over until then.

[slickwilly13]

I watched it last night. It was ok, but dragged on. The best story was "Amateur Night". I liked the character, Lily.

[MinionZombie]

I watched it last night. It was ok, but dragged on. The best story was "Amateur Night". I liked the character, Lily.

I watched it for the first time just a few days ago...

My thoughts:
http://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/quadruple-bill-mini-musings-tapes.html


V/H/S:
What's it about?
Anthology horror in which a group of burglars search for a specific videotape inside a creepy house where a dead guy sits before a stack of televisions and VCRs. Various gruesome and chilling tales ensue.
Who would I recognise in it?
Erm...
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The biggest problem with VHS is that the majority of the male characters are absolute arseholes at best, and flat-out misogynists at worst - within seconds we have no care whatsoever for the wraparound characters, so why should we give two hoots for their survival? Is the film itself misogynist though? No - while there is a propensity for female nudity, there's a fair amount of naked male flesh to boot, and the female characters tend to be smarter and wittier than their male counterparts.

What's also distracting is the whole VHS angle - this appears to be present day, and yet the wraparound gang of burglars use old VHS cameras to record their exploits (why not an everyday HD handycam, or even a mobile phone?) ... and what's more, why would a web chat end up recorded on a videotape? It's a bit distracting - but if you let that go, the grungy aesthetic works well - indeed, for aficionados of the VHS era, the familiar sounds of ejected tapes and VCR motors whirring provide a nostalgic thrill.

From a collection of directors - the biggest name of which is Ti West ("House of the Devil") - the quality of each vignette varies in terms of plot, dialogue, and presentation. There are moments of dunderheaded dialogue that come off as nothing short of amateurish and slap-dash, while at other times the characters feel entirely real (such as in Ti West's creepy 'Second Honeymoon' segment, or the final story in the movie concerning a merry band of partygoers experiencing a haunted house). At 112 minutes, it's probably one segment too-long - with the 'webcam' sequence being the one which is most awkwardly-placed ... it has inventive and chilling moments, but it stands out far too much from the rest of the film to feel cohesive.

All-in-all it's a mixed bag - there's some genuine chills, thrills, and creepy scares - but there's also some god-awful dialogue, wooden performances, and a somewhat clunky sense of pacing. The presentation is fantastic, as is the idea of a collective of horror filmmakers experimenting, and there are numerous about-turns that provide welcome surprises throughout ... far from perfect, but certainly memorable in spite of its flaws. Good.

[Neil]

^^ See what you think of no.2?

[MinionZombie]

^^ See what you think of no.2?

I'm looking forward to it - it seems like there's better talent behind the segments that make up the film, and I've read that some of the problems with the first have been addressed, so I'm definitely wanting to see it. Apparently it's released on 14th October in the UK on home video.

[EvilNed]

Yeah, I just watched this as well. I got all excited when I heard the second one was great.

This one, the first one that is, wasn't that good. The first and last stories were the only one worth mentioning. The others were pretty idiotic or just boring. I thought the "Second Honeymoon" one was really predicteable. That, and the one that came after it, the Friday the 13th one, were the lowest points. Number 4 started good, but meh.

Now both Film #1 and #5 started out a bit meh, but got way better. I like that.

[MinionZombie]

I liked the wraparound stuff, but did think it could have been handled a little better - you still kinda think 'well if they know it's not the tape they're after, why do they seemingly watch the whole thing?' :p

I think my favourite was the fifth film (where, mercifully, the partying dudes aren't a bunch of broseph skirt-rippers, and their dialogue feels entirely natural) - there was some really creepy and effective use of CGI in there, and I'm glad they didn't use the alternate ending to it (it's on the DVD, and it's a moronic ending that just undercuts that entire segment - so no wonder they went for the ending in the final film). "Tuesday the 17th" had a good baddie in it - "the glitch" - but beyond that it made little sense, and felt a bit cheap. The webcam sequence really stood out - in that it didn't feel cohesive whatsoever - plus the guy's total under-reaction to his girlfriend having sliced open her arm was eye-rollingly bad.

Yes, I know that he was a bad guy and knew it was aliens using her to get alien babies, and it was a tracker under her arm that he placed there - but at that point in the segment you don't know that, and indeed you'd think he'd want to be putting on a real show for her and for the benefit of keeping his surrupticious activities under wraps.

Ti West's segment - the 'Second Honeymoon' one - was a bit low-energy, but I quite liked it. It surprised me at its climax, and one bit felt really creepy. When the video camera is picked up and you discover there's a third person in the room with a knife.

Apparently some folks didn't like VHS2, but others loved it - it certainly seems like the quality of directors has taken a step up (for example, Eduardo Sanchez and Jason Eisener), and that they've also speeded the film up - it's shorter and each segment gets to the good stuff earlier apparently, although others argue that that diminishes your investment in the characters compared to the first film, but when in the first film many of the characters are mostly either misogynistic dudebros, or under-written chicks, then I don't know how far that counter-argument really goes.

Generally though I've heard that the sequel is better than the original - V/H/S is a cool flick generally, but it does have numerous flaws throughout, but then inversely it's got cool stuff throughout. I suppose with the first one they also had to figure out exactly what this potential series of films is to be, and of course as is the case with anthology flicks, not every piece is going to be golden, but equally you can end up with some quality nuggets.