Flicks: V/H/S (2012)

V/H/S is a scarier version of Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch on steroids.

V/H/S (2012) is available today on-demand at iTunes two months before the limited theatrical release! V/H/S features six horror film directors' unique shorts dealing with the paranormal or supernatural. These shorts are told as found footage, on VHS cassettes, that a group of burglars find after being hired by an unknown party. This main arc is known as "Tape 56".

"Amateur Night" directed by Adam Wingard (director of the deranged Signal (2007)) a man who thrives in independent film-making communities and circles brings his short "Amateur Night". This chapter, titled "Amateur Night", according to Bruckner's interview at Creative Loafing, "is about a group of college-age dudes who on the final night of spring break decide to go out with a pair of spyglasses to try and trick some girls into making a porno without their knowledge. They find out that they're not the only sexual predators out that night." This chapter was entirely shot in Atlanta, GA.

Ti West (The Innkeepers (2012)) directs "Second Honeymoon," which centers on a young couple (fellow V/H/S director Joe Swanberg and actress Sophia Takal) whose trip takes some incredibly creepy turns as a mysterious stranger videotapes the sleeping couple in a seedy motel room.

Irish film-maker Glenn McQuaid (I Sell The Dead (2008) directs "Tuesday the 17th" - a Blair Witch themed short on steriods. This time the witch/killer is all too visible and, covered in a truly disturbed direction in VFX, hunts down a group of young people before being caught!

Actor and director Joe Swanberg 17-minute-long short, “The Sick Thing That Happened To Emily When She Was Younger” is the chilling story of a college student who turns to her long-distance medical school boyfriend when she begins to fear she is haunted by ghosts. The story is told through recorded Skype conversations.

The last director for V/H/S is actually four directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Justin Martinez, Chad Villella and Tyler Gillett who are collectively billed as Radio Silence. All four have paid their dues on dubious "popular" series for cable television and have now set out to create something critically successful with their short "10/31/98".

V/H/S was a critical success at both Sundance and SXSW in early 2012. The flick will screen on-demand at iTunes two months before the limited theatrical release starting August 30th. The film it will be in selected theaters on October 5th 2012.

References:
IMDB, V/H/S (2012)
Magnet Releasing, V/H/S
Movie Web, Ti West/VHS Interview
Facebook, V/H/S

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Flicks: Grave Encounters (2011)

Do you wanna see something really scary? Really? Press play. Once.

Horror movies posing as documentaries are nothing new in Hollywood. For the past two decades film makers have been eager to capitalize on utilizing this genre within a genre as horror masquerading as "found footage" (see REC, Quarantine, Blair Witch Project)^[0]. This is an accessible method of creating a sense of credibility then immediately bypassing the audience's ever-present skepticism.

This Vicious Brothers movie (funded by Tribeca Film) features Lance Preston (Sean Rogerson) and the crew of "Grave Encounters", a Ghost Hunters type of reality television show, who plan to shoot an episode inside the spooky ol' abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital.

"American horror films have become increasingly safe and predictable.... the genre isn't taken seriously anymore. Our intention was to take things back to a time when horror films didn't play by the rules."

- The Vicious Brothers.

Collingwood is reputedly a place where unexplained phenomena has been reported for years since it's closing. In the name of Must-See-TV the crew locks themselves inside the building for a night to begin a paranormal investigation by capturing everything on camera.

The production crew quickly realizes that the building is more than just haunted - it's alive - and it has no intention of ever letting them leave.

Notes:[0] = Film makers do this in order to get around traditional conventions that horror movies (Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street) get deeply mired in. As an unintended consequence of obeying genre dogma - so do horror movie audiences.

References:
IMDB, Grave Encounters (2011)
Vicious Brothers, Hard Line
Horror Movie Blog, Grave Robbers Inc.

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