As someone who has followed the V/H/S series with great curiosity since its first film and excitedly written about its initial trilogy, I want to reiterate what I’ve stated in all my reviews: I would watch the V/H/S series indefinitely if it were to continue forever. However, my consistent critique remains unchanged since the series transitioned to Shudder. What made V/H/S compelling was its foundation on technology and gore-driven horror. Unfortunately, as the series has progressed, it has begun to lose its technological core. V/H/S Beyond continues this new trend. While I sensed a slight dip in quality in the last two films, Beyond has returned to the pace I was seeking. With the exception of the final short, “Stowaway,” I watched all of the segments with complete attention and enjoyment. Especially given that the film came at just the right time as I’m preparing a documentary about aliens—it was the cherry on top.
Now, as always, I’d like to briefly discuss each of the short films.
Directed by Jordan Downey and inspired by Oleg Vdovenko’s artwork, Stork kicks off with a bang and sets the tone from the very start. The short film, which is easily the best of the bunch, follows a police squad hunting a creature during a house raid. But to keep the story engaging, the film conceals the squad’s identity, making us experience the revelations as if we’re seeing everything for the first time along with them. After an initial briefing introducing the characters, the team storms into a house teeming with mindless beings they can’t quite understand, systematically clearing everything in their path. Beyond the thrilling action scenes, the film’s visual design is incredibly striking, set in a dilapidated, grimy environment that would trigger the dust allergies of someone like me. The creatures’ designs are equally impressive, especially the blue-eyed figure tending to a baby upstairs—a clear standout. However, just when the film reaches the attic, it throws a curveball by introducing a final boss I never expected. Although the boss, resembling Big Bird from The Muppet Show, managed to make me laugh, it also completely undid the film’s carefully built-up tension. Despite losing its horror elements by the end, the film as a whole is an excellent piece of work. In my view, it has earned its place in future V/H/S installments, or perhaps, in a solo film by Jordan Downey.
Directed by Virat Pal, Dream Girl left my mind in a whirlwind with its mix of Hindi and English, yet it remains one of the shorts closest to the original V/H/S theme. The film spirals into chaos when the lead actress of a Bollywood film, who has been hiding her face from everyone, sheds her façade and reveals the Terminator lurking underneath. One of the elements that makes the V/H/S series so captivating is its ability to terrify without explanation. Dream Girl follows this path perfectly, telling the story of a robot who, without any reason or motivation, decides to kill everyone after receiving a compliment. The gore is expertly done, creating total chaos. For someone like me, who enjoys watching people desperately flee for their lives on screen, the film was a highly satisfying spectacle.
Directed by Justin Martinez, Live and Let Dive is, at first glance, the least captivating short film compared to the others. From the beginning, we can easily predict what will happen: the plane will crash, and people will die. It’s pretty obvious. Or maybe I just thought I was too clever—because writers Ben Turner and Justin Martinez managed to surprise me. Although I knew the theme involved aliens, I didn’t expect a massive UFO to appear right beneath the parachute team’s tiny aircraft. The film’s adrenaline skyrockets when jet pilots pass right under their plane, leaving the team in utter shock as they try to comprehend what they’re seeing. The fact that the film doesn’t stop at the fall is its greatest strength. The chase in the orange grove after the crash is even more thrilling than the chaos in the sky. The team’s fight for survival in this seemingly endless grove, reminiscent of Kubrick’s maze-like hotel, where the exit is unclear, combined with being hunted down by aliens, filled the film with action and tension. Although I wasn’t a fan of the cliché alien abduction at the end, overall, it was an enjoyable, Hardcore Henry-style piece of work.
Fur Babies, directed by Christian Long and the ever-charming Justin Long, is a bizarre short film that successfully echoes the perverse nature of the original trilogy. It wasn’t surprising to see Justin Long in the director’s chair. The film centers around a maniac who preys on foolish people, turning them into her literal dogs, and is built on the foundation of its characters’ stupidity. There isn’t much to dissect here. Thanks to Libby Letlow’s outstanding performance, the film manages to convey the perverse nature of the story with full force. The success of the narrative lies entirely in Libby Letlow’s wild eyes. Lastly, my favorite part of the film was the shadows behind the curtain. When combined with the low-quality VHS footage, the bizarre imagery waiting behind the curtain becomes twice as effective.
Stowaway, Kate Siegel’s directorial debut, is unfortunately the weakest film of the series. While the excitement of Siegel stepping into directing and the presence of Alanah Pearce piqued my interest, the result fell far short of my expectations. The film starts off well, questioning the existence of aliens, but the space station and regeneration-themed technology that the character later encounters failed to captivate me. Additionally, a character who begins by questioning everything suddenly finds herself at the edge of a spaceship, throwing herself inside without hesitation, and with no real mystery in the film, it became difficult to remain engaged. I feel ashamed to write something negative about Kate Siegel, so I’ll lay the blame on Mike Flanagan, who wrote the story. That being said, the concept of the technology struggling to regenerate the human body and resulting in a grotesque creation is interesting, but it’s not compelling enough to carry the entire story.
Lastly, Abduction, directed by Jay Cheel, which we watch in fragmented parts, focuses on the very subject of the documentary I’m working on: Have we really been visited by aliens? The decrease in alien sightings with the invention of advanced cameras, and the fact that the few that exist are in 3GP quality, still leave a lingering “what if?” in the minds of skeptical people. When diving deeper into the subject—whether through Project Blue Book or Passport to Magonia—the idea that we’ve never actually been visited seems more likely. However, since we need to spice up our mundane lives with “what if” stories, aliens continue to captivate us. The short film debates whether all existing footage could be VFX, focusing on one particular piece of footage that causes uncertainty. Though it’s not an impressive short, it caught my attention because it aligns with my research, and it’s easy to say the video in question is indeed a visual effect.
In conclusion… I can say V/H/S Beyond is the second-best film made since the series transitioned to Shudder. Although V/H/S/94 still holds its top spot, Beyond entertained me with its action-packed treatment of its subjects and themes. The fact that it coincided with my research on aliens made it all the more engaging. While I was deeply disappointed that Kate Siegel’s film turned out weak, overall, the film ranks among the most successful horror releases of the year. Considering that many high-quality horror films have been made this year, the presence of V/H/S Beyond adds extra richness to the landscape.
Cast & Crew
director: Jordan Downey, Justin Long, Christian Long, Kate Siegel, Virat Pal, Justin Martinez, Jay Cheel
writers: Justin Long, Mike Flanagan, Christian Long, Virat Pal, Evan Dickson, Jordan Downey, Kevin Stewart, Ben Turner
USA | 2024 | 114 MINUTES |