‘Everything that we thought we knew is called into question…’
The scattershot nature of horror anthology movies inevitably means that they are hit and miss. The V/H/S franchise has become a horror staple, with a new entry dropping every October between 2012 and 2014 and then again between 2021 and 2024. The premise is simple. Four of five different horror directors assemble to each offer a horror short contained within a wraparound story. As with many films in the franchise, 2024’s V/H/S/Beyond is more hit than miss…
The ‘Beyond’ in the title is a reference to outer space, and it is this theme that ties this latest entry together. The wraparound story on this occasion is a faux documentary about extraterrestrial life that concerns several mysterious videotapes that purport to provide proof of alien intervention on Earth. Jordan Downey’s Stork, about a slew of missing babies, is suitably horrifying and grotesque, Virat Pal’s Dream Girl, concerning a famous popstar hiding her true identity, is less successful, Justin Matrinez provides Live and Let Dive about a skydiving expedition gone wrong, Justin and Christian Long deliver a truly gnarly tale about a doggy daycare centre (influenced by Long’s own turn in Kevin Smith’s Tusk) and husband and wife duo Kate Siegel and Mike Flanagan offer Stowaway, a trippy and psychedelic journey into the outer reaches of interdimensional travel.
While none of the entries here are flawless, there are moments of greatness dotted throughout. I’ve never found aliens onscreen to be particularly frightening, but the thing that turns up at the end of Stork is pure nightmare fuel, and I never wish to speak of it ever again, thank you very much. Similarly, the opening scene of Live and Let Dive has ensured that I will never go skydiving, and the conclusion to Stowaway is pretty upsetting also. The problem with this particular entry in the franchise is that it’s too long. While it’s admirable for the producers to provide a voice to as many budding horror directors as possible, five short films plus a wraparound story is too long for a film of this ilk.
The V/H/S franchise continues to be maddeningly inconsistent, but at its best, it lends a platform to some of horror’s most exciting new directors whilst also containing moments of real terror. It’s a Halloween tradition that I look forward to every year.
