The V/H/S films suffer from the same problem most horror anthologies do. A wide range of horror talent comes together to do various iterations on a theme—in this case, found footage in the form of discovered VHS tapes that hold untold horrors—and there’s bound to be a few duds in the bunch. This problem has worsened with the rebooting of the franchise for Shudder under the stewardship of producer Josh Goldbloom, starting from V/H/S/94 to last year’s V/H/S/85.
With each new entry, the quality between segments swung wildly to the point where the franchise felt like it was once again running out of steam. To spice up the proceedings, V/H/S/Beyond adds a science-fiction theme into the mix. As novel as that is, V/H/S/Beyond succeeds for one reason: all the segments are great.
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Well, most of the segments are at least. The wraparound segment, a documentary/mockumentary hybrid directed by Jay Cheel on the fascination with alien phenomena, is amusing in that it feels like something that would be one of the trashier programs on The History Channel. As it goes on, the gimmick wears off, and it becomes clear that there’s nothing much under the hood other than a loose excuse to string together horror shorts. However, the shorts themselves contained within are good.
The first segment, “Stork,” is directed by Jordan Downey and written by Downey and Kevin Stewart. Pivoting back and forth between police body cams as a squadron rallies to follow a tip on some abducted children, “Stork” kicks V/H/S/Beyond with a bang. A police thriller that turns into an action-horror shoot ’em up, the energy is constantly at 11.
Our protagonists are distinct badasses. The creatures they’re pitted against remind of the Resident Evil franchise’s more ridiculous moments, and the choreography of the gunplay is tight and satisfying. There’s a feature spin-off waiting to happen here in “Stork.”
The second segment, “Dream Girl,” is directed by Virat Pal and written by Pal and Evan Dickson. The segment starts as a slow, Nightcrawler-esque look into the lives of a couple of scuzzy Bollywood paparazzi stalking their favorite pop idol. Once they uncover the pop idol’s true nature, the fun begins.
“Dream Girl” takes its time getting to a hard shift into tech-based sci-fi that feels like the unholy child of Carrie and The Terminator. Pal is fearless in how he keeps upping the terror of the situation, ultimately ending on a note that sends a heavy shiver down the spine.
Not to be outdone, the third segment, “Live and Let Die,” directed by Justin Martinez and written by Martinez and Ben Turner, is the best of the bunch. As a rowdy group of friends prepare to skydive, an alien invasion coincides with the moment of their jump. Sound anxiety-provoking? You don’t know the half of it.
Each moment, both on the ground and in the air, is a fight to survive. That survival aspect is intoxicatingly stressful to witness, and Martinez makes sure to have a lot of fun with the concept. By the time it was over, it felt as if a minute had passed. If there’s one V/H/S/Beyond short to check out, it’s this one.
Adding in a weirder flavor of horror, Justin Long and Christian Long write and direct the fourth segment, “Fur Babies.” The segment for the sickos, “Fur Babies,” follows a deranged doggy daycare owner who will make unwanted human guests obedient by bringing them down to their most animal nature.
Anything more spoiled about this segment would be a sin. It’s definitely on the same wavelength as Long’s more out-there horror projects like Tusk or Barbarian. The hilariously bizarre mixture of body horror and Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style lunacy won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but those in on the joke will have a blast.
The most anticipated segment of V/H/S/Beyond is its final one, “Stowaway,” directed by Kate Siegel and written by Mike Flanagan. This particular segment follows a documentarian who, through fuzzy VHS-style cinematography, the most authentic-looking in the package, discovers an alien spaceship and climbs aboard. What follows is a surreal, albeit understated, venture into the unknown.
Communicated mostly through its visuals, which are purposefully hard to make out at times, “Stowaway” inspires equal feelings of dread and wonder at the unknown. Easily, this is the most well-crafted of the V/H/S/Beyond segments, built to rewatch to decipher its more esoteric nature.
V/H/S/Beyond is the whole package. It’s not only “good for a V/H/S movie,” but it’s actually excellent on its own. Whether horror anthologies are your thing or not (they’re certainly not my favorite kind of horror films), there’s a sense of quality control across the board here that makes V/H/S/Beyond one of the few horror anthologies of late that’s an easy recommendation.
Call it the tweaking of the concept, coincidence, or a careful selection of filmmakers, but V/H/S/Beyond indicates that the series may have finally found the secret formula to make watching a collection of horror shorts feel like a holistic experience.
V/H/S/Beyond screened as part of Fantastic Fest 2024 and streams exclusively on Shudder on October 4, 2024.
