‘V/H/S/Beyond’ Review (Shudder)
Written by Jordan Downey, Kevin Stewart, Virat Pal, Evan Dickson, Justin Martinez, Benjamin A. Turner, Christian and Justin Long, Mike Flanagan | Directed by Jay Cheel, Jordan Downey, Virat Pal, Justin Martinez, Christian and Justin Long, Kate Siegel
The seventh instalment in the long-running found footage franchise, V/H/S/Beyond, sees the series change its focus somewhat, from straight forward horror to a science fiction/horror hybrid. While it doesn’t quite follow Jason and the Leprechaun into space, most of the segments do involve aliens or other sci-fi elements.
Directed by Jay Cheel (Cursed Films, Helltown) the film’s wraparound “Abduction, Adduction” begins that trend as Mitch Horowitz, host of Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction, hosts an investigation of a pair of VHS tapes allegedly found at a flea market, and said to be proof of alien visitation.
That segues into “Stork”, directed by Jordan Downey (The Head Hunter, ThanksKilling) who co-wrote it with Kevin Stewart (An Occurrence at Chihuahua City, Craw Lake) based on artwork by Oleg Vdovenko. The plot is simple, a group of police officers, part of a unit called W.A.R.D.E.N., track the kidnapper of several infants to an abandoned house. They go in after them, only to be attacked by what appears to be zombies, including one with a chainsaw, but the real horror awaits them in the attic.
The characters here are pretty much interchangeable, and it’s all shot from the perspective of their bodycams, making it feel like you’re watching someone play a first-person shooter. It’s enjoyable and gets V/H/S/Beyond off to a good start, but it’s also quite forgettable as well.
Next up is a segment from India, “Dream Girl”, directed by Virat Pal (Facelift, The Bells) and co-written by Pal and Evan Dickson (Totem, Paisley). A pair of paparazzi are desperate to get some footage of the hottest new star in Bollywood. But when one of them sneaks into her trailer, they unwittingly set off events leading to a bloodbath.
Way too much of the segment is taken up by a music video, which may appeal to some viewers, but really did nothing for me. The rampage that the segment ends on features some impressive gore, but it feels a bit too derivative of Carrie to be fully successful. It’s watchable, but nothing more.
Justin Martinez (Woman in the Book, Southbound) and co-writer Benjamin A. Turner (Star Show) give us V/H/S/Beyond’s third story “Live and Let Dive” about a plane full of skydivers that crashes into a UFO. Captured from the perspective of a Go Pro on one of the diver’s helmets, it’s a fast-paced, but pretty much plotless exercise in POV filming as the survivors of the crash then have to deal with aliens on the ground.
Surprisingly, this is, apart from Hex, the only genre film I can think of that incorporates skydiving as a major plot element. Once again, the real stars are the effects, with several bloody deaths and some creepy non-humanoid aliens.
“Fur Babies”, the one segment of V/H/S/Beyond that doesn’t venture into sci-fi territory, is next. Written and directed by Christian and Justin Long, who’ve collaborated on several projects, including Lady of the Manor and Trump Baby. A group of animal rights activists try to get proof that the owner of Doggy Dream Home kennel is not the animal lover she portrays herself as. Of course, they’re right, and it doesn’t end well for them.
This one just felt very familiar, the animal right activist plot itself is far from fresh. And what they find, I won’t spoil it, although a few other reviews have, but if you’re familiar with Justin Long’s work as an actor you’ll probably see it coming a mile away.
The final segment, “Stowaways” is the directorial debut of actress Kate Siegel, and she’s working from a script written by her husband Mike Flanagan (The Fall of the House of Usher, Absentia). It’s a much slower paced story about a reporter, or maybe she’s a YouTuber, it isn’t made very clear, trying to film proof of UFO activity in the Mojave Desert.
It’s more dependent on interesting visuals than blood and action, which makes it feel a little out of place among the other segments. Despite that, it is an interesting take on a familiar plot. And it’s less sensational approach does make it a suitable lead in to the final piece of “Abduction, Adduction” which is anticlimactic to say the least.
Overall, V/H/S/Beyond is a decent anthology. While the segments are uneven in entertainment value, none of them are actually boring, And even the lesser segments have some excellent effects to make them more tolerable. It’s worth watching even if you’re not a huge fan of anthology and/or found footage films.
*** 3/5
V/H/S/Beyond is currently available on Shudder.
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