Movie Review: V/H/S/Beyond

When the original found-footage anthology film V/H/S premiered 12 years ago I don’t think anyone would have expected it to spawn a franchise, but here we are with the 7th movie in the series, V/H/S/Beyond, making its debut and surprisingly proving that there is still a lot of life left in the concept. This time around, instead of zeroing in on a specific year as the last 3 entries did, the producers have instead chosen to focus on sci-fi horror and the result, though still a little uneven, is easily the best entry in the series since the second.

The wraparound segment by documentary filmmaker Jay Cheel is presented as a nonfiction story in which a group of experts are ultimately asked to analyze a piece of footage that purportedly shows an extraterrestrial encounter. It looks and feels like a legitimate History Channel program, even featuring genuine authorities portraying themselves, like writer and speaker Mitch Horowitz and special effects team Corridor Digital. Despite the air of authenticity it pulls off and how well it ties the theme together, it doesn’t really go anywhere interesting and is one of the weaker parts of the overall film.

The first full segment, “Stork”, follows a special police unit named W.A.R.D.E.N. which is assembling in preparation for a nighttime raid on a home suspected to be involved in a recent string of infant abductions. When they arrive, it becomes apparent that this isn’t an ordinary crime ring as events quickly take a supernatural turn. Chaos ensues but they continue to push further into the dilapidated house, getting closer and closer to the truth of what’s going on. The writing and directing team of Jordan Downey and Kevin Stewart push their segment into high gear pretty quickly. Fast paced and frenetic but easy to follow, the team keep viewers on their toes and build up a great deal of suspense as the insanity continues to escalate. This series has seen 2 other segments fleshed out into full-length features and this one is screaming to get the same treatment.

In the franchise’s first visit to India, director Virat Pal and co-screenwriter Evan Dickson take us to Mumbai, where we follow a pair of paparazzi who have been granted a way onto the set of Bollywood sensation Tara’s (Namrata Sheth) latest movie. Inside, they discover that the star is actually a robot being treated as a slave. When she breaks out of her masters’ control she goes on a killing spree through the studio. It can occasionally be hard to see what’s going on in this one, but it’s still entertainingly bonkers and features a surprisingly catchy and well-produced song and dance number.

“Live and Let Dive” by director Justin Martinez with cowriter Ben Turner is the best part of the movie and ranks among the franchise’s best segments overall. Despite his fear of heights, Zach’s (Bobby Slaski) friends take him skydiving for his 30th birthday. As they are preparing to jump, they spot a UFO in the sky being chased by several fighter jets. The pilot decides that they will need to turn back immediately, but things quickly begin to go wrong and before you know it, they are all freefalling back towards Earth. While the characters initially come off as kind of annoying, once the action kicks in it becomes a moot point. Mixing an alien invasion with one of the world’s most common fears is a genius move that only serves to heighten the tension and allows for some truly striking sequences. One of the founding members of filmmaking team Radio Silence, here Martinez shows that he is more than capable of handling a production on his own, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.

Next up, actor Justin Long teams up with his brother Christian Long behind the camera to tell the story of an animal rights activist group investigating a suspicious doggy daycare. What they discover is far worse than they could have imagined. This wound up being my other least favorite part of the movie, but possibly more due to its feeling out of place among the other segments than anything to do with its individual quality. Injecting a heavy dose of gonzo humor into the proceedings, viewed on its own it’s an imaginatively disturbing little film that earns more than a few incredulous chuckles, but it doesn’t quite fit with the other stories, at least not in this position in the lineup.

The final segment before the conclusion of the wraparound story is “Stowaway”, written by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher) and directed by his wife, actress Kate Siegel, who frequently appears in his productions. Here we follow Halley (Alanah Pearce), a young woman who has left her husband and child behind in order to trek into the Mojave desert in the hopes of documenting an extraterrestrial encounter. She comes across as kind of an idiot (intentionally I think), and through a series of increasingly poor decisions finds herself trapped inside an otherworldly craft. As this is a horror film, you can deduce that things go poorly for her from there. This is a fairly sedate segment, especially when compared to everything that came before it, but Halley’s fate is tragic and disturbing. This one can also be difficult to clearly see, probably to keep the special effects budget down, and it might have been better positioned before the other more hyperactive shorts, but its core idea is smart and it should linger with viewers.

All in all, V/H/S/Beyond is a strong lineup. None of the entries are flat-out duds and some rank among the series’ best. The idea of zeroing in on a specific horror subgenre is a good one that lends itself to many more potential sequels to come (V/H/S/Haunted anyone?). As long as you have a strong stomach, there is a lot to enjoy here. ★★★★