All 6 segments in V/H/S/Beyond, ranked

The found footage horror anthology V / H / S / Next Is divided into six segments, but not all of them are as entertainingly terrifying as the rest. V / H / S / next is the seventh installment in the V/H/S franchise, and it is making a name for itself by focusing its horror on tales of extraterrestrial life and aliens. This means that the segments can range in scope from intergalactic travel to a single odd doggy daycare, and it also means that the film can be significantly different from segment to segment.

V / H / S / next has seven directors, although there are only six segments, as the segment “Fur babies“was co-directed by Christian and Justin Long. Each of the filmmakers has a very different approach to their short films, and the result is a varied and surprising anthology. V / H / S / Next Also has a massive cast, one that has changed significantly between segments. No movie has as much variety in tone, subject matter and style as V / H / S / Next Does, however, also have some variance in quality. Not all segments of the horror anthology were absolute hits, but they all offered something unique and terrifying.

6

Abduction/adduction

Abduction/Adduction is a strong frame story that suffers from its format

The first and last segment in V / H / S / Next“Abduction/adduction“, serves as the film’s frame-narrative and its connective tissue. Unfortunately, its role as a frame-narrative also holds it back. The story Abduction/adduction Presents is quite strong on its own: paranormal investigators examine found footage of a man whose house and body were invaded by an alien. The premise, however, isn’t strong enough to survive being broken into six separate parts, each one separated by entire short films.

Because it has to join all the other segments in V / H / S / Next, Abduction/adduction Doesn’t get the time it needs to shine. As soon as it starts to build tension and momentum for the mystery of the Farrington house, Abduction/adduction is interrupted by another segment. The real substance and scares of Abduction/adduction Don’t happen until the last minute of the movie, and by then, V / H / S / Next has already shown better examples of horror. If it was all together, the segment could have been a nice addition to the film.

Although its nature as a frame story certainly holds it back, Abduction/adduction Still does an admirable job of tying the rest of V / H / S / Next Together. It even manages to overcome the limitations of its location in the film and accomplish some very novel things. Abduction/adduction‘s presentation as a documentary serves as a fascinating meta-framework, and it does a lot to make the rest of the horror in the film feel unnervingly real.. all said, Abduction/adduction Is far from bad, but it was fairly easily overshadowed by better V / H / S / Next segments.

5

Fur babies

Fur Babies fails to follow V/H/S/Beyond’s alien theme and its body horror can’t make up for it

For the fully intact and uninterrupted segments in V / H / S / Next“Fur babies“Was the least impressive. Fur babies Seemingly abandoning the film’s focus on aliens entirely, it instead opts to follow an animal rights activist group and their clash with Becky (Libby Letlow), a psychotic dog shelter owner who transforms her enemies into canines both physically and psychologically.. however, Fur babies also deviated significantly from V / H / S / next‘s found footage style by including security cameras, hidden cameras and laptops, which is a fairly big change for the franchise.

Deviating from the topic and format of V / H / S / Next Would be forgivable, especially since Becky’s creations could be considered a different form of life and the different format still technically counts as found footage. Fur babiesHowever, did not do much to justify such changes. The body horror it conveys through Becky’s surgeries and abuse is extremely reminiscent of co-director Justin Long’s 2014 film TaskAnd it does not exceed its predecessor. Additionally, the rest of the camera angles detract from the segment’s horror by magnifying the dogs’ practical effects shortcomings and making it all feel a little fake.

Even though it is the least compelling of V / H / S / Nexts uninterrupted segments, Fur babies Still has some positives to offer. Libby Letlow was a very notable highlight, as her shifts between friendly pet lover and megalomaniac/abuser were absolutely seamless.. moreover, Fur babies Has a very clear sense of humor that does a lot to take the edge of its practical effect and inject a proper amount of absurdity into the situation. While it’s funny, Fur babies Also managed to achieve a good balance, where his humor did not take away from his body horror.

4

dream girl

Dream Girl’s setup hurts it, but the scares are worth the wait

“dream girl” Takes a liberal approach to both V / H / S / Nexts focus on aliens and its found footage format in the same way Fur babies Did, but it managed that approach better. dream girl Describes a pair of paparazzi photographers who discover that India’s hottest new star, Tara (Namrata Sheth), is actually a cyborg wearing a human face. The main issue that continues dream girl From being placed higher is its pacing. The entire first half of the segment is devoted to developing characters who really don’t have much to do but die.

luckily, dream girl Makes up for its slower pace with some big scares and thrills during Tara’s Rampage. There were some truly shocking moments (pun intended) after Tara decided she was going to take over the world, from her use of electricity to melting the manager’s face with her acidic vomit and gouging out Sonu’s eyes.. dream girl Also managed to avoid the temptation of becoming a simple slasher. The moments between kills, along with Namrata Sheth’s excellent delivery, really heightened the creepiness and suspense of the segment.

The scenes of violence – and Tara’s design – are also visually interesting and scary enough to justify abandoning the found footage format in favor of something that showed them better. In addition, some of dream girlIts focus on Arnab, Sonu and Tara can be forgiven since it helps deliver the segment’s messages about the price of fame and the abuse that is present in the film industry.. dream girl is probably one of V / H / S / NextThe most thematically sharp segments, even if it’s not the most consistently engaging.

3

Live and let dive

Live and let dive is extremely brutal and intense

Although dream girl Benefit from not allowing yourself to become a pure bloodbath,”Live and let dive“Benefited from gore leaning in the gore and brutality. Live and let dive Follows a group of friends whose skydiving trip is crashed by aliens who clearly took inspiration from John Carpenter The thing. While it’s a concept that’s been done countless times—unprepared people being hunted by monstrous aliens is hardly novel— Live and let dive Into the trap, the strangers and the violence let in fresh air.

The best example of how Live and let dive Taking its simple premise to a great conclusion is through the aliens it features. Although they are inspired by The thingThe strangers in Live and let dive are still very visually unique and terrifying in a distinctive way. often, Live and let dive Feels like a fully realized creature feature on par with A quiet place Or The descentBut it achieves this effect in a span of about 20 minutes. The segment’s aliens are not only visually distinctive, as they also include some interesting concepts that lend themselves perfectly to Live and let diveIt’s intense violence.

Pretty much everything the aliens were capable of was a masterclass in sheer horror. From electric rods that could peel the faces off skulls, to their gnarly heads that open up to pour out beams of light, the aliens were very capable of instilling fear. Even without the aliens, Live and let dives brutality is absolutely great. The carnage of the crash, like the discovery of Logan’s head wrapped in the parachute, was effective and amazing. Later, when Sachs was shot. Live and let dive Achieved the effect in such a way that it was extremely visceral and uncomfortable.

2

Stork

If Live and let dive reimagined his tired horror trope, then “Stork” Absolutely revolutionized an even more overdone cliché. on its surface, Stork is a simple zombie slasher that follows an elite squad tasked with taking out an entire house full of “brothers.” Stork It’s so much deeper than that, though, and it makes perfect use of the oversaturated zombie genre to get to some amazing plot points, like babies turning into birdlike monstrosities, zombies that don’t stay down once shot, and some truly disturbing imagery. . For all his experimentation, though, Stork Also delivers the best of the zombie genre: nearly constant action.

Stork Not only experiments with its genre, however, it also plays around with the idea of ​​found footage and its practical effects. Like other sections, Stork introduces alternative forms of footage, in this case body-cam footage of police officers, only it does it better than its contemporaries. The body-cam footage is superb at making the viewer feel closer and more involved in the action, and each advancing brooder feels like a real threat as a result. This is only complemented by the expert design of the brewers and the stork itself, which look like the perfect blend of sci-fi and horror.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of StorkHowever, is in the way it seems to unfold. The pacing problems of dream girl are nowhere to be found in Stork; The segment immediately gives viewers a reason to be engaged, and the action starts almost immediately after. Every break in the violence seems welcome, and it also slowly unravels an absolutely tantalizing mystery about not only the aliens but also the police who fight them. Stork is great, and the only reason it is not the best V / H / S / Next Has to offer is because another segment is quite nearly perfect.

1

Stowaway

Stowaway is an instant body and existential horror classic that perfectly uses V/H/S/Beyond’s format to its advantage.

The last self-contained segment in V / H / S / Nextwith the title “Stowaway,” is an absolutely phenomenal horror story. Stowaway Follows Halley (Alanah Pearce) as she investigates UFO sightings in the desert and eventually sneaks aboard their ship, only to be fundamentally transformed by the nano-machines inside that are programmed to heal other forms of life. This segment has a brilliant idea, and it executes on that premise almost perfectly. Everything about StowawayFrom its use of found footage, its pacing, its setup, its payoff, to its practical and visual effects, it is a masterclass in horror.

Although it is a little slower than segments like Stork Or Live and let dive, Stowaway Has such a colossal buildup and slow-burning realization of its true horror that it seems to be moving at nearly the speed of light. Every second of Haley’s journey, from getting to know her to getting to see what she becomes, perfectly leads viewers down a heart-racing path to some colossal body horror and existential dread.. Everything Stowaway Put together perfectly to create a scare that is so bone chilling and anxiety-inducing that it may very well stay with viewers for days.

Stowaway‘s ability to worm itself into a viewer’s mind and make a home there could legitimately make it a horror classic. Everything in StowawayFrom the way Halley sets up the length of light-speed travel, the health of the wires and nano machines, and her discovery that she is trapped, contributes to a skin-crawling realization. On top of that, the footage of Halley’s daughter being spliced ​​into her transformation makes Stowaway Incredibly thematically poignant, and adds a devastating tragedy to her story. Stowaway is the best segment in V / H / S / NextAnd it might be one of the best moments in horror this year.