V/H/S/Beyond – Movie Review
First Reaction – V/H/S/Beyond is a welcome addition to the V/H/S Franchise.
Where to Watch
V/H/S horror anthology, arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and digital 10 February courtesy of Acorn Media International.
Director: Jay Cheel, Jordan Downey, Christian Long, Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal, Kate Siegel
Writer: Evan Dickson, Jordan Downey, Mike Flanagan, Christian Long, Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal, Kevin Stewart, Benjamin A Turner, Oleg Vdovenko (Screenplay)
Plot: Six bloodcurdling tapes unleash horror in a sci-fi inspired hellscape, pushing the boundaries of fear and suspense.
Runtime: 1 Hour 54 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on V/H/S/Beyond
Abduction/Adduction (D. Jay Cheel)
Abduction/Adduction is our wrap around story following experts talking about potential alien involvement in everyday life. They step into introducing each story and how things spiralled into the situations we follow. This is a different approach because it is more about discussion whether the tapes could be real or not. (4/5)
Stork (D. Jordan Downey)
Stork follows a military unit investigating reported alien involvement in the area. They believe the threat is in one house and set out to eliminate it. However, once they enter the home, they come up against something they never expected leading to a brutal fight to survive.
The first story is an intense journey which takes us down a wild blood-splatter battle. It presents a chaotic start and a welcome warm-up to the first installment. Taking an unexpected turn early on and leaving us with a wild next step. (4/5)
Dream Girl (D. Virat Pal)
Dream Girl follows a movie fan who wants to meet his favorite Bollywood star. However, he sees her getting talked down to and tries to help her stand up for herself. Sadly, this leads to her true self going on a rampage across the studio, targeting anyone who has wronged her.
This is another brutal, blood-soaked entry into the series. It plays into stardom and its power over people. It shows how people’s inner monsters can create chaos around every corner in life. Sadly, this is a bit too similar to Stork and following straight up from it mostly leads us down the same path. However, it is still bonkers and chaotic, it’s more if you were expecting a different tone, this is more of the same. (4/5)
Live and Let Dive (D. Justin Martinez)
Live and Let Dive follows a group of friends preparing for a skydive, some have done it loads of times, others it is their first trip. However, they see a UFO following them and attack their plane. It leads them to a decision to jump or face the plane crashing.
This is a perfect type of short story, it takes a routine idea a puts a massive horror spin on it. Skydiving is already frightening enough, but adding in an alien attack throws everything open to more. It creates panic throughout and uncertainty about what is happening. (5/5)
Fur Babies (D. Christian Long, Justin Long)
Fur Babies follows a group of activists who believe a dog trainer is up to something much more sinister. They go undercover in her home to learn what she is up to. It looks like a normal home until they discover the truth about her home.
This is an entertaining horror, as it takes something which seems like a simple connection before turning into something far more sinister. It brings us a chilling idea and jumps on to something we have seen a couple of times before. (4/5)
Stowaway (D. Kate Siegel)
Stowaway follows a journalist trying to find a story about a small desert town who have experienced alien encounters. She hears a range of stories and tries to explain the chances of aliens being real. That is until she sees some lights and her investigation turns into a nightmare.
This is a much slower approach to the horror and is a welcome change of pace. It feels like it wants to use the time to build up a shocking moment instead of going for a blood-splatter concept. This uses more of the sci-fi elements and feels like the one story we could have seen even more too. (5/5)
Final Thoughts –V/H/S/Beyond is an excellent addition to the franchise.