V/H/S 2

Contrary to the popular opinion I'm going to against the majority and say that V/H/S 2 is so ridiculously amateur and unscary it makes the first entry feel like a masterpiece. All of the fun and thrills seem to be sucked away from the franchise and we're left wondering what the point of a part two was.

What's up? V/H/S 2 has the same set-up as the original. Several people break into a house that they shouldn't be in. While doing so they view several peculiar and creepy videotapes that make them wondering what the hell they're watching and if they are the only ones in the house where they are watching them. This time there is four stories; the first about an eye surgery gone wrong, the second about an uneventful bike ride in the park turning into a life-changing experience, the third about a cult and all of their sadistic rituals, the fourth about a sleepover ending in an alien attack.

What's good? V/H/S 2 starts out strong. The video about the eye surgery gone wrong is a blast. The effects of what the eye allows the main character to see are great, it's an interesting idea especially when compared to some of the bland messes to come, and the whole thing just gives off a Twilight Zone-ish feel which can never fail.

The third story is also great, the one about the cult named Paradise Gates. At times it feels like you're watching a documentary of Hell. Just when you think the short film can't get even wackier or more sinister it will prove you wrong. And what I really appreciated in this entry is how the terror starts early even before the monsters come out to play, thanks to some effectively ominous performances and a dreadful (in the good way) location.

What the fuck? What really is depressing about V/H/S 2 is right after the good story a bad one immediately follows. The second story about the zombies in the park is ridiculous. There's no point or method to the madness, it's not scary, it's not clever or funny, the makeup looks poor and it takes forever to end.

Though it's not nearly as awful, the story about the alien slumber party feels really lackluster as well. It's hard to tell what's going on due to a strange decision of filming this entry through the dog's perspective, you can't really see anything except yourself getting a migraine, and the ending leaves you speechless.

The wrap-up scene with the characters discovering the tape feels incomplete as well. You're left with more questions then answers about the missing character whose house is being raided by the detectives and the ending scene is completely ridiculous.

Overall: V/H/S 2 feels terribly unneccessary and unsatisfying. A good portion of the material is pointless, bland, blah. V/H/S 2 is the equivalence of watching a tape's good moments so many times that they eventually feel skipped over, leaving you with the leftover scenes that you wish were erased instead.

1/4