V/H/S/Beyond

As expected, V/H/S/Beyond had a bunch of pretty good segments, one that was completely silly (but still well done for that flavor), and at least one that was absolutely excellent (that one will vary depending on what you like in your found footage fare).

I’ve come to really look forward to the (now) yearly V/H/S/ iteration. It’s a generally good anthology series of films that are solidly in the “found footage” genre. That’s a genre that’s really easy to mess up… but, year after year, most of the segments of this series land pretty solidly.

Of this year’s five tales (and wrap-around narrative), there was definitely one that was a little on the silly and really stretching the sensibility of the format sides of things. I thoroughly enjoyed all the rest, and, for what it was, the wrap-around.

Let’s look at each one.

Abduction/Adduction

The wrap-around narrative is all about aliens and UFO/UAP evidence. Of course I like that. Heck, they even got some people who talk about stuff like that to be part of it… and used some of the actual footage that’s been released by the Pentagon.

It’s not a bad setup, and has a good enough stinger at the end, but I think it mostly feels like it goes nowhere most of the time between the other segments. Definitely not the worst wrap-around of the V/H/S series, but not exactly what I’d call “compelling” on its own like some others have been.

Stork

This one was, for all intents and purposes, “SWAT Team Bodycam Theater”… and it isn’t the first time we’ve seen that flavor of footage in the series.

Of course it’s tense and confusing, especially when they’re cutting among a bunch of different bodycams and the handheld the obligatory new guy has been given to carry. But that kind of chaos really works well at building the feel of the segment.

That “feel” is paid off big time with the “WTF” encounter at the end.

Apparently this story is based on a piece of art that was making the rounds online and I’m pretty sure I saw it at some point. Definitely nightmare fuel.

Also, some impressive little bits of world-building in this segment that I’d love to see come back up in future iterations/segments.

Dream Girl

Dream Girl is a wild Bollywood nightmare.

There’s a dance number, faces and arms ripped off, and just very well done general mayhem.

Not a whole lot of story, but still some good character work. A solid segment.

Also some creative use of the fact that a lot of it takes place on a film set, where there would be various cameras running in various formats and quality levels. So there’s an excuse for there being some pretty polished looking shots in a found footage bit.

Live and Let Dive

A bunch of people you may very well want to see dead are on a skydiving drip when their plane collides with a flying saucer.

There’s a lot of just running around and screaming in this one, once you get past all the insufferable banal banter and most of the characters we first meet are out of the picture.

Very interesting creature design, even if I can’t being to imagine why any creature would evolve like that… let alone what they actually wanted. Or, really, what, exactly, happened at the end.

Another solid segment.

Fur Babies

This is the kind of silly one, but also solidly in the body horror department.

Eventually.

It takes a little too long to get there and the characters aren’t really great or likeable… so, their fates aren’t a big deal.

Also, no aliens in this one, just some crazy science experiments going on.

Justin Long was one of the writers and the director of this… he may still be working through issues acquired during Tusk.

This segment also pushes the sensibility of the found footage format a bit too far. How we get some of these shots is… not sensible in any framing context.

Definitely my least favorite of the batch… there’s always (at least) one.

Stowaway

Just by the set of names involved in this one, it becomes my top pick for this iteration.

Written by Mike Flanagan, who’s work I absolutely love. Directed by Kate Siegel, in her directorial debut and who I’ve loved in everything I’ve seen her act in (she also grew up around where I live now). Starring Alanah Pearce, who I’ve been watching talk about video games and things on YouTube for a while now.. and who also shows up in games I play every now and then.

This definitely ends in body horror territory, but starts out and spends most of its time ruminating on the obsessive nature of the main character and what she’s already left behind before she has no chance to turn back.

Wrap Up

I love well-done found footage stuff. I can usually count on V/H/S to provide at least some and this iteration definitely delivered.

Of course, neither the general genre nor some of the individual stories may be things that are to everyone’s tastes, but if you’re not outright made ill (in a bad way) by the ever-jostling camera and some buckets of blood here and there, check this one out.

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Kier Duros

I spend way too much time watching stuff on screens. Long ago, that was just TV and movies. Now that’s various bits of video on the Internet and streaming platforms. Once upon a time, I could even keep up with everything being produced.