V/H/S Blu-ray Review

VHS Blu-ray ReviewAfter what feels like a lifetime of “found footage” films coming out left and right and none of them every really blowing me away, I personally was over the trend. What more could someone do with it? Where else could it go that wouldn’t just seem redundant? Thankfully, a handful of creative minds were thinking the same thing. Their answer was V/H/S.

What helps V/H/S set itself apart from your average found footage horror film is the premise. Instead of following one particular story, V/H/S is an anthology. None of the different tales connect, but they do have a running theme: horrific murders and mutilations that have been committed to VHS tapes.


How this premise works is rooted in the “wraparound” story, if you will, titled “Tape 56.” The movie kicks off with footage of a group of teenage delinquents, getting kicks by forcing girls to flash themselves and then selling said tapes online. An older guy they are hanging with insists that he has a plan that will make them way more money than they are currently making. All they have to do is break into a house and steal a particular VHS tape.

The plot is set. The teens break into the house and discover a room with stacks of TV’s and a dead male body in a recliner. As most of the group scopes out the house for the elusive VHS tape, one of them stays behind in the TV room, finds a tape, puts it in the VCR and presses play.

And this is how the different stories come about. Each one is a different VHS tape, created by different creative and acting teams, representing a multitude of horror themes. There are monsters (Amateur Night), killers (Second Honeymoon), ghosts (10/31/98), Aliens (The Sick Thing that Happened to Emily When She was Younger), and slashers (Tuesday the 17th).

VHS Blu-ray Review

Each tape varies in length and brutality, but also varies in how they were recorded. Amateur Night features glasses that have a hidden camera in them. The Sick Thing… uses a Skype conversation between two people to tell its story; rather effectively I might add. In between each tape the film shows a bit more of the original group as they begin to dwindle one by one.

Personally, I love V/H/S. I think that it has some very clever moments and is genuinely attempting to do something most modern horror has forgotten about: being scary. Of course, with each segment being directed, produced and acted by different groups of people, there’s obviously going to be a certain bit of unevenness to the proceedings. Some stories feel fleshed out just enough, while others feel like they could have benefited from a little bit more time or background info.

High-Def Presentation

As far as picture quality, is a tough one to grade. Not only is the film “found footage,” but the way each story varies from Digital cameras to old school tape camcorders to Skype conversations and hidden camera glasses. Add in effects, natural and digital, to enhance the “wear” of the tapes, thus creating a look that is all over the place, yet still manages to feel uniform. Despite the varying film methods, V/H/S is presented in a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encode that does offer a great deal of detail, all things considered. Colors are often muted, usually to reflect the “source material.”

The audio end of things is actually pretty impressive. With a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 mix, V/H/S sounds far better than you’d ever imagine. Despite the use of camcorders and various other devices to capture the picture, this audio track takes full advantage of the 5.1 mix from start to finish. Now, it does have moments of cracks or hissing, but these are artificial to add realism to the footage that’s on screen at the time. The surrounds get used quite nicely covering ambient noise and sounds, but most everything else is focused dead center. Obviously not something that would be reference quality, and I’m sure some would complain about the mix not being accurate to what’s filmed, but all in all it’s a great track.

VHS Blu-ray Review

Beyond the Feature

V/H/S arrives on Blu-ray with a fairly substantial amount of special features, all presented in HD, rounding out the disc. Most notably is a Cast and Crew Commentary featuring just about everyone involved, save for Ti West. Everyone involved obviously had a blast working on their respective segments and it shows in their rapport. While a very entertaining commentary track, it is a tad lacking in any of the actual making of processes. That is merely a small gripe as a lot of the behind the scenes and creative info is covered in the Interviews with Cast and Crew that are also included. There are also some alternate scenes, concept art and photo galleries rounding out a solid features package.

The following is a complete list of all included special features

  • Cast and Crew Commentary
  • Alternate Ending – 10/31/98 (HD, 2 min)
  • More Tuesday the 17th (HD, 3 min)
  • Amateur Night Balloon Night (HD, 4 min)
  • Webcam Interviews (HD, 14 min)
  • Cast and Crew Interviews (HD, 29 min)
  • AXS TV: A Look at V/H/S (HD, 5 min)
  • Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery (HD)
  • Conceptual Design Gallery – Lily (HD)
  • Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 min)
  • Also from Magnolia Home Entertainment (HD, 9 min)

V/H/S has proved to have been one of the most polarizing films amongst horror fans in 2012. Despite my enjoyment of it, it definitely has its fair share of unevenness, which is bound to happen with so many different hands involved in it. Still, I feel like the film is far superior to most of the Hollywood Horror dreck plaguing cinema’s across the nation, and really does have something to say. It uses the age old horror trope of an anthology along with the modern trope of found footage and manages to make both seem fresh and valid. Complimenting the film is a movie accurate video and audio presentation and a nice collection of special features to give the people who love the film a little bit more insight into the film and its many creative hands.

– Matt Hardeman

Shop for V/H/S on Blu-ray for a discounted price at Amazon.com (December 4, 2012 release date).

VHS Blu-ray Review

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