V/H/S/2 (2013) User Reviews

Better than the first because of Safe Haven

[andrewbarry6336 · 7/10 · 25 November 2013]

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.

A sequel which is much better than the original

[FunkyBoi32 · 7/10 · 29 May 2019]

V/H/S 2 is the sequal of V/H/S which is an anthology about people finding tapes, about otherworldly events. V/H/S 2 is an improvement over the first one, in basically every aspect. The stories and the events are more brutal and entertaining and some of them, are very great and absolute movie materials. The ending one is my favourite but the bicycle one with the zombies is also great. V/H/S 2 is bloody, gory and funny sometimes and it can give you chills while make you feel entertained. The whole tape thing is explained too, giving them some mystery element that there are several of them and some people just collect these. I really wanted V/H/S to be the next big thing, but the third one makes me so sad. It was really bad, compared to this.

All in all, V/H/S 2 is a great movie with great stories. I can recommend the first and the second one, but the third one is not that great.

An Improvement Over the First

[buchhol2 · 7/10 · 11 July 2013]

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.

Nice Sequel with Twists and Gore

[Michael_Elliott · 27 October 2013]

V/H/S/2 (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Gory sequel to the 2012 film has a pair of investigators breaking into an apartment where they find an assortment of videotapes. The first story involves a man who receives a mechanical eye transplant that soon allows him to see dead people. The second story has a biker with a camera on his helmet getting bit by a zombie and soon he turns into one. The third story takes place at a strange cult school where the leader is being interviewed when "it" happens. The fourth and final story deals with a group of boys who keep playing a prank on one's sister when something joins them. I enjoyed the first film in the series and this one here is actually a tad bit stronger thanks in large part to the first two stories. The majority of the camera work comes from the camera being placed on people head's and I must admit that this gave me a headache at times but I will give the filmmakers credit as this did allow some familiar stories to be told in new ways. This is especially true for the second story when we get the POV shots from the zombie as he goes searching for people to eat. This was a rather unique spin on the genre and it really worked. The first story was also quite good, although this mechanical eye thing left some logical issues. Still, the episode is a good one and features some nice ideas. The fourth episode is one I won't ruin but there's a nice little twist along the way and I think it manages to be quite ambitious. The third film is without question the weakest but it does contain some very twisted scenes and a high level of gore. V/H/S/2 has the same look of the first film as the quality is quite different from one story to the next but this gives the film its own unique feel. Fans of gore will also enjoy that there's plenty of that going on here and especially in the third story, which is a downright bloodbath and even the second one contains a lot of the red stuff. For the most part the performances were just fine and at 95-minutes the film goes by fairly quickly. V/H/S/2 is a nice little gem that has a few flaws but for the most part it works well and I look forward to future installments.

An improvement on the first VHS film!

[Mr_Shine74 · 7/10 · 21 June 2013]

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

Grisly as hell

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 21 September 2015]

V/H/S/ 2 is a modern-day horror anthology featuring eclectic talent from the directors of THE RAID and YOU'RE NEXT amongst others. As with many modern horror anthologies, the emphasis is on outright blood and gore over scares, although there are attempts here to frighten as well as repulse the viewer. There are four tales in all, as well as a mildly diverting wraparound story involving a creepy old house and a VHS collection. Most of the material is shot POV style, which I enjoyed as a fan of the 'found footage' genre.

The first tale is a simple riff on THE EYE, as a guy gets a new-fangled optic implant that restores his sight but has the unwanted side effect of allowing him to see spirits at the same time. I love the introduction of the deaf girl with her own twist and this is by far the scariest of the film, with some really jumpy moments. It's all predictable, but that's okay.

The second tale is about a cyclist with a Go Pro camera mounted on his helmet. His trip through the woods is interrupted by a zombie attack, and what we get here is unending gore and bloodshed, some of the most gruesome you'll see. It's all pretty distasteful actually, and more than a little pointless.

The third story is the Indonesian one, contributed by THE RAID director Gareth Evans; as a huge fan of his films, it was the one I was most looking forward to. Evans doesn't disappoint; this is as intense as his action films, and the madcap plot line involves a doomsday cult and the birth of the Antichrist. It's exceptionally gory, delightfully obscure, and without a doubt the highlight of the whole thing.

The fourth and final story is weak by comparison. It tells of an attack by extraterrestrials on a group of redneck characters, who are all really dumb, but there's way too much of the shaky cam here and little real meat to the storyline. The dog is the most interesting character and you can guess what happens to that. V/H/S/ 2 isn't bad at all for fans of gory horror, but aside from the Indonesian segment it's all rather familiar.

Review: V/H/S/2 (2013)

[TheDelusionist · 7/10 · 9 June 2013]

Like most anthologies I've seen, except for maybe Three… Extremes (2004) that is consistently good, these types of works tend to be pretty uneven. V/H/S/2 is no exception. Much like the first V/H/S (2012) the sequel features a rather basic "frame narrative", which involves people finding the infamous VHS tapes and playing them for us, the audience. Unlike the first film, the narrative here only gets interesting towards the conclusion, but ultimately ends up feeling rushed and a bit forced. The found footage angle is pretty much used in the same way, while inventing some new justifications for why there is a camera taping everything at all times.

The first short titled Clinical Trials is about a young man that gets an artificial eye implanted after having an accident. The new eye seems to be seeing more than he bargained for. Scary and intense, this first short directed by Adam Wingard is a good way to kick off the anthology.

Next up is A Ride in the Park directed by the guys that brought you The Blair Witch Project (1999). This short is about a guy getting attacked by zombies while riding his bike in the park. There's nothing special about this short. It feels uninspired and by the numbers. It's nothing you haven't seen before and the ending is as unimaginative and standard as you'd expect. For a brief moment there's a glimmer of hope the filmmakers might take a certain interesting direction, exploring if there's any humanity left in zombie, but sadly that never happens.

Moving on to my favorite short of the anthology, and what makes V/H/S/2 worth watching, is Safe Haven the segment directed by Timo Tjahjanto. The Indonesian director is surely one of the most interesting new voices working in horror today. Timo's tribute here is a story about a group of filmmakers trying to expose a crazy Indonesian cult leader. After agreeing to be interviewed in his lair the crew is lured inside what has to be the nuttiest place on earth. What happens is so insane and jarring you won't believe it's actually happening. If you don't try to make sense of it and just accept it, you'll have a good time. I highly recommend Timo's breakout debut feature Darah (2009) and his genius L is for Libido segment in The ABCs of Death (2012).

The last short, before concluding the mostly uninteresting frame narrative, is Slumber Party Alien Abduction directed by Jason Eisner from Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) fame. Basically the title perfectly resumes the story: Teenage kids get abducted by aliens. What the title doesn't tell you is how annoying these teenage kids are and how you want them to die, and not survive. The aliens, traditional Roswell Greys, fail to be scary. So does the loud and distracting sound design. Overall probably the worst segment of the lot, but maybe that's just because it comes right after the best.

All in all V/H/S/2 is better than V/H/S in that it tries to go for scares instead of "fun". The third short clearly stands out as the best, but for a die-hard found footage fanatic like myself there's some enjoyment and entertainment value in every short. It's also better than the first V/H/S, because there's less, but longer segments which allows for the story to be more fully developed. Presenting four different sub-genres is a smart move: The film is never repetitive and there's a little something to be appreciated for everyone.

Increased Gore, Decreased Creativity

[view_and_review · 3/10 · 2 January 2016]

V/H/S/2 is like the droves of other sequels that are forced and totally manufactured. In other words, they doctored up some daft reason for a part 2 to occur and made a movie.

V/H/S/2 actually happens at the venue of the first installment. This time two private eye types whose job it is to find and/or film people are looking for a lady's lost son. The male counterpart to this dumb duo says that the boy is at a particular house. I guess breaking and entering is a part of their job description because that's exactly what they do. "Oh, and since we're here, let's watch some of these unlabeled video tapes."

Yes, that's how it happened. Most people that break into any place want to get in and out as quickly as possible, especially since they're committing a crime. This terrible tandem did everything but buy soda and popcorn.

As for the videos: they lacked imagination as well. Plenty of gore (if I said gratuitous violence that would be putting it mildly), supernatural stuff, and some unexplained nudity. That's what I made of it all. Ultimately, it was a chance to mint money based upon the first movie.

An insane fun horror anthology. Deserves more attention

[coolsavon · 8/10 · 15 July 2013]

~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.

Okish

[alexandra_eyes · 6/10 · 6 April 2023]

I believe V/H/S built high expectations for the next movies. Seems like V/H/S/2 let some of us down...

If you are a gore fan, this movie is good for you.

If you are an alien, zombie fan, this movie is good for you.

What I found rather terrible is the agressive shaking of the camera, which really makes the phrase "More is not better" true. It gave me a headache trying to figure out some scenes.

Certainly V/H/S/2 is more gore-y visually than V/H/S and uses a variety of themes. But this movie was very generic with it's themes. My favorite one had to be the one with the cult, it seemed much more uncommon.

Now, I am not saying that this is a time-wasting movie..Not an remarkable one though, either. I expect more from the next movies.

Worse than the original and a complete waste of time.

[DakedoJones · 2/10 · 8 June 2013]

One night, my friends and I were discussing the V/H/S series, and one of them happened to mention thinking about streaming the sequel. Having seen the first one (and being left unsatisfied with it), I decided to check this one out so I could give her my opinion on it. I haven't been more repulsed and let down by a film.

To start, the story line outside of the tapes is pretty much the same as the first movie's. There couldn't be another way for someone to discover the tapes? There's still not a way to connect all the tape stories together? That aside, my biggest problem with the movie is that the horror is not smart. There's no real psychological manipulation or realistic monsters. It's all just jumpscares and blood splashing around, because some filmmakers are still under the impression that abrupt loud noises and bodily injuries are scary.

The detectives in this film discover four tapes. One guy gets an eye transplant that lets him see ghosts...the only thing cool about this one was the POV being just like a first-person view. He meets a woman with similar abilities, and then they have sex to techno music and that's never explained properly. The next tape is about a guy who gets turned into a zombie in the woods, then he eats some people, then they eat some people at a child's birthday party, then the guy kills himself. A pattern in these tapes is that a normal person encounters something weird, pokes it instead of fleeing, and then everybody dies. Every tape ends the same, so there's absolutely no element of fear from not knowing what to expect. What's to expect? Everybody's going to get murdered, just by a different monster.

The next tape, I was absolutely enthralled by for the first while...it focuses on a group of documentary filmmakers who enter a cult accused of child abuse. I was so hooked to this one, until the first jumpscare. Then it escalates into a bizarre series of events, starting with children drinking poison, to people turning into zombies, to a really bad goat suit bursting out of a woman half its size. I've never seen so much potential completely immolated halfway through.

The last tape at least had one funny bit where a group of kids burst in on a couple making out, but before I could even finish laughing, the Monster of the Day made a foghorn noise. (These aliens also looked like Slenderman with a cartoon alien's face, pincher hands, and chest hair.) This short features ten-year-olds saying the f-word, a child almost drowning, a preteen boy masturbating on screen, and a puppy falling from a great distance that dies slowly while gazing sadly into the camera. That wasn't clever, that was needlessly sick. The maker of this short was probably trying to assert how daring and edgy they were, but it just made me want to noogie them and shove their head in a toilet.

The main tape ended with a woman turning into the girl from The Ring and a guy had an obviously fake dislocated tongue. I've got nothing.

As a final film fart, the credits end with the same thing the first movie did...a choppy recap with obviously manmade glitches set to something that sounds like early 1990s punk rock. After that, the technical credits are a way creepier text-on-black set to tape hiss. As I thought after the first movie, you couldn't just keep up the creepy mood and use the black credits? You thought the obnoxious not- quite-dubstep really added something?

What a complete disappointment. There was so much feedback on the first movie that the filmmakers could have learned from in this instalment, but they just did the exact same thing before, with old and new faults. This is one of the top five worst movies I've ever seen. If you liked the first movie, don't watch this. If you didn't like the first movie, don't watch this. If your sense of horror and humour are completely distorted, watch this, and then make an appointment with your doctor.

Bigger, Better, Scarier, Funnier

[moviewizguy · 8/10 · 15 March 2013]

V/H/S/2 is one of those rare sequels that improves on the original in almost every way. Everything is bigger, funnier, bloodier, but also shorter, with one less segment compared to the last film. However, less is more when it comes to this sequel. From the four segments that are included in this anthology (excluding the wrap-around segment), two are excellent, one is good, and the "worst" one is pretty entertaining, providing a more consistent quality of shorts as opposed to the first. Although I enjoyed the first one greatly, I must admit it doesn't hold up as well on repeat viewings. Nevertheless, whether you enjoyed or hated the first film, V/H/S/2 is a clear improvement, fixing some of the major problems that were in V/H/S. In fact, some might be glad to know the misogyny that plagued the first film is toned down tremendously here. Additionally, the less you know going into this, the better, so I'll keep my reviews for each segment as vague and general as possible. They are shown in the following order:

1. The wrap-around segment: Unfortunately, this segment doesn't add much to the overall narrative that was established in V/H/S. Everything is still pretty vague as to what the tapes are and where they come from. However, it's better than the wrap-around from the first because the ball gets rolling much quicker to get to the tapes that we all paid to see. 6/10

2. A guy gets a robotic eye implant that allows him to see ghosts. Directed by the talented Adam Wingard, this is the "worst" of all the tapes that are shown, but it isn't bad. There's an obvious gimmick here in the way the POV is handled, evoking the style of "Enter the Void," blinks and all, but it's entertaining and fun to watch as everything unfolds. 6/10

3. A guy rides his bike in a forest until he comes across some zombies. Just when you think the zombie genre is out of ideas, this segment provides a nifty twist to the situation, which I will not reveal. Although the idea is better than the execution, the segment is funny and very enjoyable, with an ending that will surprise you. 7/10

4. As we get to the latter half of shorts, things go into full throttle. A group of reporters interview the leader of a cult when things suddenly go downhill. Directed by Gareth Evans ("The Raid") and Timo Tjahjanto, this is the best and the longest of the bunch, running about 30-40 minutes. To reveal anything about this segment is a sin, but I will say that it's one of the best horror shorts I've ever seen. The slow buildup and expert pacing allows time for the characters to grow before all hell breaks loose, and when I say that, I really mean it. What follows after cannot be described in mere words, but trust me when I say V/H/S/2 is worth seeing just for this segment. To say the least, my visceral reaction would be hilarious to see. I was dying. 9/10

5. While it's obvious to say this last segment won't top the previous segment, it's almost as good in a different way. A group of kids have a slumber party when it's interrupted by extraterrestrial beings. Filled with energy, humor, scares, and incredible suspense, it's the most fun segment to experience. I was legitimately scared. While the previous segment is filled with dread and a sense of impending doom, this segment is more lighthearted and will make anyone giddy in their seats. It's like "The Goonies" with aliens, and boy will it have your heart racing. 9/10

Overall, I enjoyed all the segments, although the last two are easily my favorites. I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack. It's clear the filmmakers are having fun and want to entertain the audience, and they've succeeded on that level. V/H/S/2 is a step up from the first, and if you just want to have a fun time in theaters, I highly recommend it.

They need to make an entire movie of just safe haven.

[bosimmons-70376 · 7/10 · 11 October 2021]

The third segment was by far the best. It was amazing, weird and shot really well.

8...And Then Down To A 2

[hbeeinc · 3/10 · 23 July 2014]

This started off so promising. I have visceral memories of the first V/H/S that still creep me out a little. I came by this because I really enjoyed Mark Sander in 7th Day. V/H/S 2 LOOKS great. The first "tape" brought back fond memories of the parent movie...except I couldn't stop wondering why, if the guy couldn't pay for his eye, did he live in such an expensive house all by himself? I buried my suspicions but I should have paid attention to them.

The Safe Haven segment cemented it. A great premise squandered for a lot of needless blood and gore. Well done and good-looking blood and gore, true - but still completely pointless. They missed an awesome opportunity to tread into the true horror of mass suicide for a quickie remake of Alien. You're not even set up for it. It's like an SNL sketch that ends abruptly and kills everything that came before.

The Slumber Party tape almost made me stop watching. The characters were so pretty, unlikable and foul that I was actually glad when they all died. It just meant they wouldn't cut in line in front of me at the supermarket or crash into my car because they were texting.

Watch the first one, for all it's flaws, over again and forget the sequel.

My head is still spinning long after I rewound VHS 2

[MayhemPaul · 2 January 2014]

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.

Slightly better than the first one

[KineticSeoul · 6/10 · 21 June 2013]

The first "V/H/S" is a good found footage horror anthology film that I personally enjoyed for the most part anyways. Despite few of the stories seemed a bit flat despite the other ones really nailing it. And like the first one this one has more of the cool camera tricks going for it. And it actually adds to the cool vibe to this film. For a low budget horror anthology film such as this one it could have even worked as a TV show like "Tales from the Crypt". But personally I thought it worked well in film form and actually made me look forward to the next installment. I mean it's not a great horror found footage horror anthology film out there or horror films in general. But it's entertaining and even amusing at times because of the clever camera work. The first "V/H/S" film had few really flat ones when it came to few of the stories found in the tapes. That isn't really the case with this one, basically all of it held my interest despite few being weaker than the other which is completely understandable. And the special effects are better this time around as well. But it just didn't feel all that raw compared to the first one and the rawness added to the originality that went away from the Hollywood movies. And some parts of this movie just didn't make any sense and I am not talking about the supernatural and other creepy elements. Despite few flaws this is a film that is most definitely worth a rent for horror fans.

6.8/10

Skip it and watch its predecessor, the original, and far better V/H/S--

[jswindter01 · 6/10 · 15 July 2014]

I'm just so disappointed! I absolutely loved V/H/S and it was not long after my seeing it that I learned that there was going to be a V/H/S 2. Needless to say I was excited and eager to see it, and well, today was the first time I'd had the opportunity to finally see part 2. I'd read all the many great, rave reviews which only furthered my excitement of seeing it. I'd also seen and read a few negative reviews that were varied in their reasons for not liking part 2, and for the most part I noted that it seemed to be coming from people who generally did not like the original. This led me to believe that they were simply not fans of this particular type of horror(as seen in VHS), rather than my taking it as any type indicator of the movie not being "good".

I obviously was quite psyched to finally get to see it today and my belief was at BEST it would be a bigger/better version of the original, and at the very LEAST it would be equal to the original, with similar, but different story lines.

Boy, how wrong was I in it not even being comparable to the original. In fact so drastically different(and not in a good/positive way) I would never have dreamed that this was even a "V/H/S" film coming to us from people involved in its predecessor.

It's the first time in a very long, long time that I have actually felt so disappointed, and let down over a movie. I obviously should have given more weight, and thought, to those who'd expressed such dislike for this sequel film, but I believe what's most confusing to me is that so many of the huge fans of the original, like myself, have given this sequel such rave reviews, heralding it as even better than the first, and outdoing the original.

No, fans, I am sorry to say but this sequel is not any of the above described in those rave reviews, but rather is of poor quality, quantity, and altogether unrecognizable as even being in the same category as its predecessor...And I hate having to say that because I am NOT one who bashes horror movies, or are overly harsh in my critiquing them. I'm a die hard horror fan and I love even some of the most lower-alphabet-grade of horror flicks! I give them praise and point out all the great about each/all of them. So, for me to have this opinion on this sequel is not only surprising to me, but is just a great disappointment all around where this movie's concerned.

I suppose this was bound to happen, but I certainly never thought it'd have been a "V/H/S" film that was to be the flick to deliver me such disappointment! I say skip it, and instead go watch the original, V/H/S, because without a doubt it delivers on every single level a horror movie should, and it does so in repeated viewings, and not just a single, one-time, first viewing type of way.

the GoPro generation, a superior sequel

[trashgang · 7/10 · 1 September 2013]

Today with all those mockumentaries and so-called paranormal stuff filmed on tape and tapes being found I'm close to get fed up with those kind of movies. But I was warned by the magazines specialized in horror that this was a must see. Sure, the producers claimed that it would be better than part 1 and that it all would be a gory ride and that you will be scared from the first minute and not like the Paranormal Activity franchise were you have to wait a long time before things go awry.

I was one of those who didn't like the original entry, V/H/S due some parts being rather boring like the episode with the Skype stuff. Starting of with V/H/S 2 I immediately was surprised by the full frontal nudity from a man and the close up of naked juggs. But from there on it was just a disappointment with the first episode. The only thing you wanted was that the strange girl visiting the house of the one with the cyborg eye would undress and see, talking about paranormal activity, that's exactly what she did. But after that it was just laughable with those ghosts appearing before the windows. I almost even stopped the whole flick, luckily I didn't.

Once the worst was over we move to the other episodes and from there on the gore and creepiness comes in. All filmed in the same style with the notorious GoPro camera's it all looked shaky and wobbly but it worked out fine due the gore slowly coming in with the second episode concerning zombies. I liked it but thought we were going downhill remembering V/H/S and was afraid to move further in episode 3, but what the hell was that. This was extremely gory and even creepy about some cult waiting for the devil to arrive. Excellent entry. The last episode is about some alien attack, not that bad at all.

This is surely an improvement towards the original. I gave it a 7 because the first entry was stupid and laughable otherwise I would rate it 8. Better directors (Eduardo Sanchez from Blair Witch Project) made this an excellent entry in the found footage generation and surely one to embrace.

Gore 3/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

V/H/S 2: More of the same disappointment

[jordan-allen1710 · 1/10 · 20 June 2013]

V/H/S 2 is mediocre horror at best. It feels to me like a rewrite of the first as it follows more or less the same pattern of attempted "Horror".

Let me start of by saying the i really enjoyed the the first tape, I felt it started the film well and gave me high hopes for what was to come. It outdone anything in the first film in the ways of horror and i actually felt fear (Something not obtained easily in this day and age of horror) Sadly though I had already made this same mistake with the first film.

The second segment seemed to take a very comedic twist, which from a horror film like this was unusual. Already i felt this film was on a slippery slope. I applauded the attempt at sympathy created towards the undead but this scene felt like something from Shaun of Dead not a Horror film.

The Third tape was probably the most interesting and certainly seemed like an idea that could and should be expanded on. This segment started off strong with the atmosphere being set with some reporters interviewing the leader of a cult, straight away i thought this may be the films saving grace until towards the end segment where bad acting, cosmetics/props and over the top story lines causes it to take a severe nose dive.

The final tape add anything additional to how i already felt about the film. Again poor cosmetics and props let this section down. The whole thing has a modern day take on "The Mcpherson tape" feel about it. Although even that having being filmed in the 80's looks better than this.

To sum up, I would not classify this film as horror. Each section is good in it's own right and each segment has the potential to be great if they were their own film but combined they make for a terrible film.

S-VHS Improves In Chills And Thrills

[godzillatokyos-o-s · 10/10 · 16 February 2013]

S-VHS is the follow up to last year's V/H/S, and features a new compilation of horror shorts from different directors. The main story is about two private investigators who are hired to find a missing college student. After breaking into his house, they find it empty, only with a pile of TV's and VHS tapes, which have "WATCH" written on them.

This movie is shorter than the first one, but it's for the best, and whereas the first had 6 tapes, this one has 5, but each of them are better than the one's from the original.

The tapes are shot in a POV style, and all of them include crazy things like aliens, zombies, demons, etc.

REVIEW OF THE TAPES (IN ORDER OF Appearance):

TAPE 47: Two investigators search for a missing student, and after breaking into his house, they start watching the VHS tapes that they find. The story still can't explain how the tapes ended up there, but you have to just forget about that, so it get's a 6/10

CLINICAL TRIALS: This short is about a man who has replaced his eye with a cyborg-robot eye, and, for quality measures, the company of the eye decides to record what it sees for "quality checks". Things go very, very wrong when the eye starts recording ghosts of people around the house. This tape relies on jump-scares and is fun and scary at the same time, and includes a good underwater scene, so it get's a 7/10

A RIDE IN THE PARK: This one is definitely the most innovating one and is about a biker that's riding his bicycle with a GoPro helmet, which has a camera. Soon, a zombie outbreak occurs and trying to rescue a woman, the biker gets bit and falls to the ground. He then "wakes up" and the rest of the tape is the zombie biker chasing and killing people, along with the rest of the horde. This one has a very cool scene where the biker storms a birthday party and starts biting the crap out of everyone, so it get's a good score of 8.5/10

SAFE HAVEN: Alright, so this is the tape that you payed to watch. It is about an Indonesian film crew who is shooting a documentary about a mysterious cult that lives in the country side. The cult leader allows them to record, and soon, s*** hits the fan. I'm not going to tell you much about this one, because you just have to see it for yourself, because not only is this tape the best in S-VHS AND V/H/S, as it's one of the best short, modern-horror films that has been made. You may be thinking that this is just my opinion, but if you go read the critics reviews, they all say the same. Safe Haven constantly makes you feel uncomfortable and disturbed, as through the film, more gore and hideous creatures are shown, including a monster than will be burnt into your brain for years. Safe Haven is the longest tape in S-VHS, running through 40 minutes, but it's definitely worth a watch, and it's probably the reason the Blu-Ray will be bought for. Safe Haven gets a 10/10

SLUMBER PARTY ALIEN ABDUCTION: Alright, if there was an Oscar for "Best Movie Title", this one would win. Not only is the title of this tape awesome, as the actual tape has some pretty spectacular scenes. SPAB is about a group of 13-year-old kids that are left alone with their big sister and her boyfriend at their lodge while their parents are gone for the day and night. This tape is the most spectacular. This tape is shot through a very uncommon way: the kids strap around a camera to their dog, and he records the kids doing things like building skate ramps and provoking their sister. Things go bad when creatures from outer space storm the lodge and everything gets noisy and crazy, with the creatures chasing the kids, while the dog is barking and going crazy. This one is easily the coolest and had the most "WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT?" moments, so it get's a 9/10

VERDICT:

S-VHS improves so much on the first one, not only on the quality of the tapes, as it removes most of the uninteresting stuff like the stupidity of some characters of the first movie. This is an anthology film, so character development can't be fully explored, but it's a good mix of adrenaline, fear and just pure fun, so make sure you watch this movie with a couple of friends, and not people that are snobs to this kind of films. You may think that I was overreacting with the "Safe Haven" segment, but trust me, I'm not. It is the best short horror film, and is the segment that you would think "Damn, I wish that was an actual feature film", so I'm pretty sure everyone will buy the movie just for that 40 minute film that's packed with scares, disturbing scenes and an incredible atmosphere that will make chills run through your spine.

S-VHS gets an incredible score of 8.5/10

Much Better Than The First

[Obradbrad · 7/10 · 6 August 2013]

V/H/S/2 was simply fantastic compared to the first. Each tape that went by had me on the edge of my seat with my jaw in my lap. Not only was the plot and storyline easier to follow, but the cinematography was much less shaky and therefore less nauseating.

When I originally saw the first V/H/S, really only the first tape kept me on my toes and excited me. It was also very difficult to follow since it was all so shaky. But in V/H/S/2, every single tape had me excited, scared, thrilled, and more. It wasn't nearly as shaky and so it was a lot easier to know what was actually going on. I'd recommend this movie to all horror fans who are looking for something that scares them but interests them greatly at the same time.

They killed the dog

[phenomynouss · 1/10 · 4 September 2023]

Usually it takes a few entries in a franchise before it starts going off the rails. V/H/S manages it in just one. For starters, the whole concept of VHS tapes seems to completely go out the window as most of these segments are not filmed on VHS tapes and have no reason to be transferred to VHS tapes. As well, the presence of certain modern-era cell phones means that the time period they're taking place in would be long after the end of VHS.

Not just a case of "VHS got old and people stopped using it" but almost all major companies that made blank VHS tapes had stopped by the time even the earliest of smartphones were starting to come out.

But even leaving that aside, these entries just aren't good at all. As well, the insane number of different camera angles and cuts means that each one had to have multiple people filming, all their camera footage collected, and edited together by someone onto a VHS tape of all formats.

Also, they killed the dog in one segment. 0 stars.

A Rarity: A Horror Sequel That Outdoes Its Predecessor in Every Way

[Simon_Says_Movies · 8/10 · 7 July 2013]

We've got a rarity, folks. More than 2012's solid horror short amalgamation V/H/S which was primarily an assault on our primal fears (and descended into emotional bleakness at times because of it) this follow-up, while still hitting the right nerves, is also funnier, more self aware, more emotionally potent, and unafraid to venture into the far reaches of the genre. Instead of just ghostly tales presented in the found footage format we get infinitely clever approaches to zombies, aliens, demons and, for good measure, spirits as well.

It is such a rarity because everything about V/H/S/2 is superior to the original even if I would have loved to see the veritable Ti West (who directed a segment as well as feature fare House of the Devil and The Innkeepers) return for another go I can't raise any other grudges. This sequel is leaner by a good 30 minutes, as I mentioned the segments are more varied in their sub genre, the framing story (i.e. the context as to why we're watching these vignettes) is scarier and lastly the film is more effective and as a whole because, simply put, the segments are aggregately stronger.

Also for round two, behind each story are better known directors, though of course notoriety isn't always an indication of talent, their experience behind the camera and in the genre is certainly on display. Returning for another go are Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard who contribute the wrap-around entry and Phase I Clinical Trials respectively, and are joined by Eduardo Sanchez and Gregg Hale (The Blair Witch Project) with A Ride in the Park, Gareth Evans (The Raid) with Safe Haven and lastly Jason Eisner (Hobo With a Shotgun) with the wonderfully titled Alien Abduction Slumber Party.

By far the two strongest stories are A Ride in the Park and Safe Haven. Though I may be biased, my personal favourite is the former. Why you ask? One word: zombies. With my affinity for the flesh chompers through the roof, any unique take on the genre wins my affection to an extent and when it is as fun, gory and bittersweet as A Ride in the Park my heart belongs to it indefinitely. This segment follows a mountain biker with a helmet cam running into a hoard of the undead, is subsequently bitten, and then gives birth to zombie vision (by far the best type of vision). The camera work, dark humour and understanding of the tragic, damned nature of these creatures gels to truly wonderful effect.

Safe Haven on the other hand is just balls-out insane, taking the kinetic blood letting of Evans' The Raid and blending it with the sensibilities of Rosemary's Baby and Martha Marcy May Marlene. When Evans isn't directing the hell out of his short, he's presenting us with some truly unsettling imagery before going all Cabin in the Woods and setting us down in a completely different place then when we started. One scene in particular that showcases his filmmaking prowess comes during a sequence involving a car crash. How anyone could pull off such a shot is beyond me but to do so with no budget is another achievement entirely.

The other two main segments aren't quite as strong but what they lack in sustained ingenuity they make up for in straight up efficiency. Phase I Clinical Trials is essentially a mechanized blend of The Eye though the scares are certainly present. There is a sense of déjà vu in how a number of the sequences unfurl but if they can still make you grip your own fingers, then something is going right. Alien Invasion Slumber Party is a fantastic exercise in the use of sound as a force of Greys terrorizes a group of teens at a lakehouse. Anybody versed in horror will be no stranger to how important sound and musical chords are (and how often they're abused) and their significance is literally amplified here. Eisner's contribution may not be as scary as some of the others, but its urgency and sense of dread make up for it.

I already iterated the upgrade that was the connecting material (featuring a pair of private investigators looking for a missing college student) though it suffers from the same inherent fault of that from the first film, that in having to break it up, tension is lost along the way. But far less then the original does it feel like a slog or burden – a watch-watcher while we wait for the next installment to begin.

Horror fans should ultimately love what V/H/S/2 is dishing out, if not for its startling competency for the fact it has something for everyone. Not only that it uses its found footage format not to pander to fans of the popular gimmick but to both enhance the experience and approach it as a barrier – one that needs to be overcome using creative means. This anthology is a blast from beginning to end and the rare sequel of any genre to recognize the shortcomings of the first and not only fix them but freshen everything else up as well.

Unexpextedly Good Sequel

[PsychoFluff · 7/10 · 4 August 2013]

I must admit I didn't expect this to be amazing. I really liked the first one, it was creepy, different & kept you on your toes. I thought this would fall flat on it's face to be honest, but it didn't. It stayed true to the first film & has kept it's viewers guessing with the intriguing back story. I don't agree with most other reviews that it is superior to the first. I thought there was far too much blood & guts in this one which wasn't necessarily needed, it detracted from the creepiness which was what made the first film so effective. I'm not sure whether this is supposed to be a sequel or a prequel but I hope there will be a V/H/S/3 to carry on with the back story, I just hope that this series of films doesn't turn into a gore-fest & lose it's spookiness like lot's of other horror series do. Gore is easy & lazy, it takes real imagination & talent to creep out your audience without the use of blood & guts.

Violence/Horror/Sex

[d_3434_d · 2/10 · 17 July 2013]

The first movie (V/H/S (2012)) was somewhat enjoyable. This one looks like an amateur fan made sequel by teenagers who haven't passed their puberty yet. So, clueless as how to made a professional movie, they have decided to overload the movie with gore and sex. There were some interesting ideas to be found in the movie but nothing is really ever done with those ideas. It's just gore and sex, especially sex. So there is nothing really much to say about this movie. If you are into gore or if you have liked the original and if you wouldn't mind a little bit of the same plus more gore and lots of sex, then this is the movie for you.