Now seven installments deep into this found-footage anthology franchise, the fact that the creative team behind the V/H/S series can still find interesting premises (with this latest outing going Beyond into the realm of sci-fi horror) and exciting filmmaking voices within the horror space to tell these stories only solidifies the fact that for horror-hounds, there is still a lot of brutal, bloody, scary and totally messed up stories ripe of the disturbingly fun picking.
Narratively constructed under the guise of an alien abduction, History Channel style documentary, V/H/S Beyond features five short found footage horror films all involving, in many ways, shapes and forms, creatures from “beyond”. A police raid seen through body cams, behind-the-scenes of Bollywood films, sky diving accidents, taxidermy dogs, and trippy UFO sightings while lost in the desert all serve as the unique, and for the most part, thrillingly entertaining, anthological stories, and a definite high point for the V/H/S franchise.
Writer and director Jay Cheel (Shudder’s Cursed Films) brings all the shorts together as digitised versions of old tapes that were purchased by a man in a flea market, sent to Cheel under the guise that they are proof of alien existence. The documentary interviews historians, filmmakers, and alien debunkers as they watch footage of a man who allegedly recorded himself at home watching these tapes, and mysteriously vanished not long after.
Even though this documentary narrative thread isn’t necessarily the main meal of the film, there are some truly interesting break downs of UFO’s and aliens in film history, and how the lines of what is truly real or fake footage of these events blur more and more as filmmaking technology becomes better. It’s also the finale of this documentary aspect of the film that features some of the creepiest imagery in the entire film, leaving an unsettling feeling lingering once the credits roll.
V/H/S Beyond kicks off it’s anthological outings with an explosive bang, as director Jordan Downey brings us Stork, which relentlessly depicts a police raid on a house in which they believe kidnapped babies from the town are being held, all through the body cams of the cops. The shotgun-racking masculinity of the police force who go into the abandoned, dilapidated building leads to a tense and thrilling action-horror short that features incredible prosthetics and an awesome Go-Pro shot attached to a chainsaw that Sam Raimi would be jealous that he hasn’t used in the Evil Dead films yet!
After taking stories overseas in V/H/S 2, it is very cool to see that director Virat Pal was able to make his short over in India, as two celebrity chasers accidentally make their way onto a Bollywood sound stage where the overworked and elusive main actress isn’t all who she seems. Blending Bollywood style cinematography into the found footage, and turning a film set into a horror-filled playground where lighting is used to really enhance the terror, Dream Girl is exciting and tense.
Live and Let Dive features arguably most exciting scene of the film, which depicts a group of skydivers whose plan collides mid-air with a UFO. The jovial set up of a group of friends recording birthday messages for their heights-fearing friend is soon disrupted when they initially see the UFO, before director Justin Martinez brilliantly depicts a terrifying and adrenaline spiking crash, featuring an iconic horror movie shot of blood shooting out of someone’s dismember leg stump as the throttle down towards the ground from thousands of feet.
When the group land, the true fight for survival begins when they are stalked in an orchard by A Quite Place-esque creature who rips and tears its way through those who survived the fall. It’s during these moments where the lower-budget cost of these films (which is quite common for horror films) is on show, as the creature effects look and feel a little rough and undercooked. But, if it’s the case of the budget going into how good the plane crash looked, then all could be forgiven.
With acting roles in legendary horror pics like Jeepers Creepers, Drag Me to Hell, Tusk, and 2022s Barbarian under his belt, it only makes sense that Justin Long would use those experiences to have a go behind the camera in the horror genre, teaming up with his brother, Christian Long, to co-direct Fur Babies, the grossest short in this film by far!
After discovering a strange taxidermist on YouTube, a group of animal activists sneak into her house as part of a militant sting operation to cancel her. But instead, the find something far more sinister and horrific in the basement. With obvious influences from Tusk and Barbarian, both conceptually and aesthetically, the Long brothers have crafted something that balances some really dark humour with incredibly disturbing creature work. As the reveals become more and more sickening, the prosthetic work becomes more impressive, as do the performances, especially of the leading taxidermy lady and her barking sidekick.
Rounding out the anthology is the directorial debut of Kate Siegel, who brings the story of Stowaway, from her husband and 21st century horror master, Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass), to life. Starring Alanah Pierce, the H.P. Lovecraft inspired, mind-melting trip of a film follows an amateur documentarian who is searching for alien life in the Mojave Desert after reports of abnormal lights in the sky and people disappearing.
However, when the documentarian believes she has found what she is looking for, a claustrophobic, kaleidoscopic, hallucinogenic ride begins, showcasing Siegel’s phenomenal eye for trippy visuals and off-putting imagery as a director. Stowaway lets you stew in the trip-like visuals for an unnerving amount of time, not once letting you look away from the transformation of space and even beings into disturbing images. The grainy, 4:3 style of film, often statically interrupted by electronic interference doesn’t just feel creepy, but also inserts an emotional backstory in a way that Mike Flanagan has truly mastered over his career.
V/H/S Beyond is an exciting addition to the franchise, arguably being the best accumulation of horror shorts since V/H/S 2. Each film feels unique, but never strays far away from what is promised by the initial set up – disturbing and entertaining alien-like stories. Whether it’s tension-filled, brutally violent, or just genuinely disturbing, all aspects of what makes horror fun are covered by the filmmakers of project, and only leads to more anticipation of what the V/H/S team can conjure up next!
V/H/S Beyond is streaming on Shudder and AMC+ from October 4.
