“I think you watch too much TV.”
Jay Brown-The Critters
While I’m generally not a fan of found-footage films, the V/H/S anthology series has always stood out for me. Its earlier installments featured impressive direction and genuinely unsettling scares. With V/H/S Beyond, I was intrigued to see how this installment would hold up, especially with the mockumentary style and five unique segments. Rather than embracing this and presenting each of the segments with a setup and discussion, the film bounces around vaguely.
The first segment, “Stork,” written and directed by Jordan Downey, is by far the best of the film. Starting with this high-energy, blood-splattering short feels like a mistake. The bar is set so high, and it slowly falls after this. The “Stork” utilizes body camera footage and feels like a riff on Resident Evil. The style and intensity are insanely fun.
Segment two, “Dream Girl,” has a decent premise but slowly devolves into an annoying, shaky cam mess. The third segment, “Live and Let Dive,” is super intense and thrilling initially, but it becomes laughable once the monster is revealed. The fourth segment is the worst of all. “Fur Babies” was directed by Justin Long, and I applaud the attempt to hit a home run, but it doesn’t fit the overall theme of cosmic horror, and the setup and payoff are eye-rolling.
Lastly, “Stowaway” was written by Mike Flanagan and directed by Kate Siegel. I wanted to love this one, and there is a lot to like about it, but it ultimately falls short because it’s confined to this gimmick. I love Flanagan, and Siegel has a talented eye for direction, but too much is shoved into this narrative without the time to flesh out the meaning.
While V/H/S Beyond has some strong moments, particularly in the high-octane energy of “Stork,” the overall experience is uneven. The anthology’s reliance on a loosely connected mockumentary format results in a lack of cohesion, and as the segments progress, the film’s tension fizzles. Although some very talented people bring their unique styles to the table, the segments feel constrained by the found-footage structure, leaving their narratives underdeveloped. Fans of the series may find elements to enjoy, but the potential of each short is overshadowed by the anthology’s inability to maintain its initial momentum.
Rating: 3.5/10
