V/H/S/2

Wow, what a contrast this film is with the first one! Most found-footage films I've seen have always had me wondering why the hell the people in the films are bothering to carry video cameras around and record the events that are unfolding around them as they run for their lives, this one is different, every use of a camera has been cleverly thought out and explained, from a camera mounted on a mountain bikers helmet to a documentary crew with button cameras, and even a bionic prosthetic eye, the intelligence that the film makers put it into this has made this into one of the best ff films I've had the pleasure of watching.

In comparison to the first V/H/S film I thought this one was a whole lot more mature, the stories were more believable and well written, the excellent sequence from a zombies perspective was hilarious and gory and by far my favourite, I'm not sure if it was meant to be funny, but if it was it worked brilliantly.

In V/H/S 1 there wasn't much said about the video tapes, only that they were found, someone wanted them and that they contained some pretty freaky stuff, this time I think the film makers have realised that they could have a gold mine hiding within the urban legend of the tapes, and have started to play on this legend a little more, and I think if they continue down the path they have ahead of them, expanding on the legend, keeping the intelligent use of cameras and smart reasons behind the tapes discovery for each film, then they could have a franchise as successful as the Saw franchise.

Here's hoping! More reviews at http://stuarthine.worpress.com

V/H/S 2 manages to fix the faults of the first. It's shorter and takes the grungy, exploitative snuff film tone of V/H/S and adds more excitement and humor. The quality of the shorts this time around are much more consistent, but they are still a mixed bag. The first short "Phase I: Clinical Trials" is average at best, but it mixed in a bit of humor which I liked. "A Ride in the Park" was fantastic and incredibly unique in it's use of the first person POV. It was my favorite of the four segments. "Safe Haven" is a close second with countless WTF moments. I would have loved a feature length version of this one. The weakest entry was the last, "Slumber Party Alien Abduction". It ineffectively used loud noises and bright lights to generate scares and it just didn't work for me. The wrap around story "Tape 49" was good, but I liked the ambiguity of the first films "Tape 56" better. V/H/S 2 added fun to the series and I hope these films continue.

There is one amazing segment of VHS 2 that has to do with a Cult. It is frenetic, gory, has a great story and makes the most of the "found footage" format. If the rest of the film had lived up to this one sequence, we would have had something special. It's better than Part One in most aspects, though I did like a few moments in that film.

Timo Tjahjanto really blew me away - his segment is imaginative and has some real shocks crammed into it's short running time. Some of the camera work is a bit too shaky as people run around, but I was able to get around that due to the intensity of the story. Out of the remaining short films, we get a return to full on Shaky Cam with Edwardo Sanchez (Blair Witch Project). Truthfully, Edwardo has ALWAYS got to shake the camera like he's in a runaway car or something. He seems to think this is a STYLE. I must argue the point. True artists do not need to shake a camera like a fool to get an image to move someone. Argento, Carpenter, Bava. Masters of the art. Dean Cundy would never run around like a fool, shaking his camera at every object he can find, disregarding the basic rules of directing at will, and no real professional should allow camera-work like this. What an artistic stretch for Edwardo. Next time just throw the damned thing on the ground and drag it around with a rope.

There are a few other sparks. Jason Eisener makes the most of his segment by having some real fun with it and throwing in an Alien Invasion that is both scary and funny. And I really enjoyed the basic idea and most of the execution of Adam Wingard's segment. Still, too damned much shaking here.

I am not sure I understand it really - why so much shaking in these "Found Footage" atrocities? I mean, the old camcorder videos that my family made at Holidays and on Vacation never looked like this. Grandpa tried to keep the camera still. I never actually have seen a home movie like these. Not even on old Super 8. Have you? Eyestrain central. For part 3, maybe they can just go to an old amusement park and give us a POV of the rides or jump out of a plane while filming. At least there'll be a legitimate reason for it being so damned shaky. I think I'd rather watch "HI-8" again.

I liked the original and this one surprised me. While not every story was top notch one stands out as original and had great direction.

Tape 1-Phase 1 Clinical Trials, This was a decent Ghost Story but was not very memorable. Did have a few scares and was fun to watch.6/10

Tape 2-A Ride In The Park, This one was fun and creative. Wasn't scary but I did like the set up and actually seeing the perspective of a Zombie was real cool. It has a lot of gore and while I don't really like zombies this one was nice to watch. 7/10.

Tape 3-Safe Haven, This is the best out of the bunch. Details an investigative team going into a religious cult and the outcome is insane and over the top. Has the best pacing and while there aren't many jump scares, it really manages to creep you out the whole time through. Also it is directed by the Mo Brothers who also did the ABC's Of Death letter L which was one of the best on that horror movie and did Macabre which I will link my review to that movie in the end. 9/10

Tape 4-Alien Abduction, Most people consider this the weakest of the bunch but Tape 1 was the weakest in my opinion. This has a nice set up and the effects are good for a short. Wasn't creepy like Safe Haven but it kept me interested in till the end. 8/10

Tape 49- The main story about two private investigators watching the tapes in a house where their looking for a kid from the first VHS. It was OK and while not the best story, it did give us a reason for watching the tapes which is nice. 6/10

Overall this movie gets a 7/10. Safe Haven was great and I never knew it was by the Mo Brothers in till I watched Macabre. That was great knowing that. My link to Macabre and my review. http://imdb.com/title/tt1447791/reviews-16

Check out my review for that movie as it is my surprise of the year for 2013. If you liked the first VHS then you will like this one. I find this one to be a little better and more creative. Not sure if they will do a third one but I would be open to it.

~I want to start off by saying that V/H/S 2 is a huge step up from its predecessor. It delivers more chills, thrills, action, and what we enjoy most...FUN! I was completely thrown off when I first watched this movie. I didn't know it was going to be so insane. ~For the people who haven't seen the first V/H/S, basically the movies are about a bunch of 'found-footage' short horror stories played through VHS tapes by people in a house. While they are watching these VHS tapes, something spooky is also going on in the house as well that stretches through the whole movie giving you updates on what's happening in the between changing of tapes. Now let's get to the tapes which is the main focus of this film. I won't give super spoilers, but i'll just give brief description of each tape.

TAPE 1 - "Phase 1 Clinical Trials" This ghost story tape is the only one that made me jump a bunch of times. It will be the jump scare tape and that's what it heavily focuses on in scaring you. I enjoyed it for it's jump scares, but there is a questionable scene in there that doesn't make any sense, but luckily, I, a horror movie fanatic, knows that you aren't suppose to take horror movies that seriously or think SUPER deep about it. This one gets a... 8/10 (generous)

TAPE 2 - "A Ride in the Park" Ever wanted to see through the eyes of a zombie? Well this is your lucky short. This is a pretty cool zombie short. It could have been just a little bit better, but it is still pretty good thanks to a few awesome scenes in it. This one gets a... 7/10

TAPE 3 - "Safe Haven" This insane short is definitely the best out of the bunch. It is completely insane, bizarre, violent, and fun at the same time. Easily the most craziest, but enjoyable short I have ever experienced. If you see this film, make sure you watch this tape. It's long, but the crazy ending is worth it. This one gets a... 9.5/10

TAPE 4 - "Slumber Party Alien Abduction" Well, the title of the tape speaks for itself. This short gets pretty fun and intense, but the most noticeable aspect about this tape, is the unique way that it's filmed. The camera is actually attached to the back of a dog, so we see what the dog sees and I had to give a big thumbs up for that. It's pretty creative and actually works out well enough. This tape will have you wondering what the f**k is going on but keep you thoroughly entertained. This one gets a... 8/10

Wrap Around Tape/Frame Narrative - "Tape 49" As I said before, this is the story that plays on while the tapes are being watched. Two private investigators are searching for a missing college boy. They break into his house, search for him a little, then start to watch the tapes (which are the horror shorts) that he has. This story had a pretty clever twist in it that leads up to it's ending (which ends the whole film). This one gets a... 7/10

OVERALL - 8/10. It's fun, has some scares, is over-the-top violent and insane, and a lot better than the first one. V/H/S 1 fans will LOVE V/H/S 2 and horror fans will love this as well.