V/H/S 2 (2013)

“V/H/S 2” is a vastly superior film when compared to the first anthology. This movie isn’t perfect but it was enjoyable and had a stronger connecting story. A typical problem with P.O.V films are the moments when the person filming the violent, intense events instead of running for their lives…or at least dropping the camera so they can actually get away. This happens more than once in this collection but there are some moments in the stories where it makes perfect sense!

The connecting story is about a couple of private investigators who are hired to find out what happened to a missing college student. They go to his house and find a room with a laptop and various VHS tapes. The girlfriend stays and watches clips from the laptop which shows the missing boy as well as a couple of the tapes while her boyfriend searches the rest of the house (sounds familiar, right???). It turns out that the missing student wants to star in his own VHS tape and has plans for the two investigators.

The first story line is about a man who suffered a horrible eye accident and has his eye replaced. As a part of a clinical study, the artificial eye is recording everything that he sees. But now he starts to see ghosts and soon a girl who had her hearing fixed by the same clinic goes to his house and explains that she can hear the ghosts. She wants to help him but ends up dying and the more he sees, the more aggressive the visions become.

The second story line, directed by Eduardo Sanchez (director of “The Blair Witch Project”), is about a man who loves to ride his bike through a large local park. One day while riding, he comes across a girl who is acting strangely. She’s strange because she’s a zombie and she bites him. He tries to ride away but soon the infection takes over and he falls to the ground. Soon two other bicyclists come and find him on the ground just as he fully turns into a zombie. He injures them and they turn. The three of them, along with other zombies in the park, walk upon a family birthday party in progress. The zombies attack, the children scream as parents are torn asunder or try to drive away with the kids. Some party people have guns and begin fighting back. The bike rider sees himself in a mirror as well as gets a phone call from his wife. With the last bits of humanity left within, he shoots himself in the head. The event was recorded by a camera that was strapped to his bike helmet.

The third story is about a documentary team filming a suicide cult in Indonesia who claims that it’s time to be reborn. The film crew goes to the cult’s compound and witnesses all sorts of disturbing behavior. The crew becomes split up right when the “moment of truth” occurs and they watch or suffer the results.

The fourth and final story line is also the weakest and least interesting in the anthology, which is about a group of kids at a sleep over and an older sister and her boyfriend who become targets of an alien abduction.

"Phase 1 Clinical Trials"

 "A Ride in the Park"

"Safe Haven"

"Slumber Party Alien Abduction"