V/H/S Beyond review by Bobby Blakey
In 2012 Bloody Disgusting and producer Brad Miska unleashed the anthology found footage horror flick V/H/S. The film has since spawned numerous sequels with V/H/S/2, V/H/S: Viral, V/H/S/94 and V/H/S/99 as well as a spin-off features Siren and Kids vs. Aliens. Now the franchise is back once again with V/H/S Beyond featuring segments directed by Jay Cheel, Jordan Downey, Christian & Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal and Kate Siegel. Could this latest entry into the franchise bring something out of this world or is not worth the tape it’s on?
V/H/S Beyond follows six bloodcurdling tapes that unleash horror in a sci-fi inspired hellscape, pushing the boundaries of fear and suspense.
Much like the previous entries this film features a wrap around story, this time featuring a documentarian who mingles interviews with real-life UFO enthusiasts and skeptics, also throwing in passing mentions of highlights in the history of alleged abductions, plus clips from popular representations.
In the first story, “Stork”, a police unit gets together after having narrowed down the house amidst a string of baby disappearances. The unit find the dilapidated house and spot what appears to a shambling zombie-like person, but they appear to be indifferent to the appearance of a supernatural threat and bust into the house discovering a meteor that apparently crashed through the roof and deduce that whatever came out of it, resulted in the mystery of it all.
​
This story was fast paced and played up almost like a first-person shooter in a horror setting. It delivered everything you could want in the zombie genre with a creature feature twist that is fantastic in execution. It pulls no punches in the gore
department either that not only offers up a fun and violent entry into the franchise, but a perfect way to kick off of the chaos that is to come.
The next chapter, “Dream Girl”, follows native paparazzi who are given a tip to get footage of the latest Bollywood sensation Tara. They see Tara at her latest film and sneaks into her trailer. He hides when she returns with her manager who berates her. Arnab accidentally reveals himself when, while hiding in the closet, discovers what appears to be another face in a bowl. Arnab decides to be empathetic to Tara and tells her that she does not need to be pushed around.
​
This might be my least favorite of this film, but still offers up some great visuals and dive into social commentary that stands out. The power of celebrity and fame is terrifying enough but add the crazy fun secret this pop star holds, and it is a recipe for a bloody good time. Here effects were a little silly, but they were smart enough to keep the shots wild and at a distance so that it works more than it doesn’t.
In “Live and Let Die” Zach is celebrating his 30th birthday with his wife Jess, best friend Logan, and numerous other acquaintances, via skydiving. Just before they are ready to jump off, they spot a UFO and several fighter jets. An alien jumps onto the plane before it collides with the UFO, sending everyone falling towards an orange grove.
The initial set up for this one felt out of place and didn’t seem to fit in with what came before it.
Thankfully that is the perfect set up to the direction it goes. Seeing it all from your own perspective through Zach’s eyes makes it way more effective. It blends the terrors of not just the alien attack and fighting for your life, but also falling from the plane and one of the coolest endings of the entire film.
​
The fourth entry, “Fur Babies” follows, Becky who runs a supposed dog daycare center and keeps taxidermies of her past dogs. An animals rights activist group decide to investigate her home and sends members Stuart and Angela along with their leader Miles's dog, Pickles. Becky reveals the amenities of her home, but quickly sees through Stuart and Angela's ruse due to their incompetence.
​
This is probably my favorite of the film in its sheer weirdness. Justin Long and his brother Christian took on this one and clearly Long was inspired by his time in Tusk as this film has some similarities, but also its own thing all together and I am here for it. As a huge fan of Tusk, I loved the direction of this film and how they put their own spin on this idea keeping it familiar and original all at once.
​
The final entry, “Stowaway” follows Halley, a woman who is implied to have left her husband and child behind who is documenting her findings of possible extraterrestrial encounters in the Mojave Desert.
​
This was another one that at first, I wasn’t really connecting with, but as it moved forward became more and more compelling. The entire segment is predominantly just her doing VLOGs as she is making the documentary. The visuals throughout this segment, especially in her encounters are mesmerizing and delves deep into your senses through its look and sound. I loved hos this one ended and the slow build to its crazy ending.
​
The end cap of this film brings all the people back from the ongoing segments between each film to get the ending of it all and the crazy footage to end it all on the perfect note. I loved this latest entry and think it might be one of the best ones they have done to date. Hopefully they will keep letting the creativity fly every year and give us a new entry for years to come.
​
Check out V/H/S Beyond streaming now on Shudder.