Remember VHS tapes? That chunky, grey plastic. The fuzzy picture. That satisfying clunk when you slotted one into the VCR. Ah, nostalgia. So, V H S. The anthology horror movie. It’s got some serious buzz. People say it’s a gem. A must-see. And, yeah, it’s pretty good. It really is. But is it great? That’s where I get a little… hesitant. Like a kid picking at their broccoli. It’s there, it’s vaguely vegetable-shaped, but something’s missing.
Let’s be real, anthology films are a gamble. You get a few hits, maybe a few misses. It’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. And V H S definitely serves up some treats. The found footage style. That grainy, home video feel. It totally works. It makes things feel real. Like you’re stumbling onto something you shouldn’t see. That’s the magic, right?
The first segment, for example. The one with the weird cult stuff. Pretty creepy. It sets a mood. You’re thinking, “Okay, this is gonna be intense.” And then there’s the segment with the ghost in the house. Classic horror trope. But they do it well. It’s got jump scares that actually make you jump. And the pacing? Spot on. You’re leaning forward, eyes glued to the screen. You’re invested. You’re scared.
But then… there’s the rest. And this is where my unpopular opinion rears its slightly dusty head. It’s like going to a buffet. You fill your plate with all sorts of goodies. You take a bite of that amazing pasta. Then you try that delicious chicken. And then… you hit the lukewarm mystery casserole. And you’re like, “Hmm. Maybe I should have just stuck with the pasta.”
The overarching story, the one that ties all the segments together. It’s… fine. It’s the glue. It holds things in place. But it doesn’t exactly sing. It’s more of a gentle hum. You’ve got these guys, breaking into houses, filming things. And they find these VHS tapes. It’s the setup. It’s necessary. But it doesn’t really add much to the horror. It’s just… there. Like the static between channels.
And some of the individual stories. They’re good, yeah. But are they memorable? Truly unforgettable? I walked away from V H S feeling entertained, sure. I got a few good scares. But I didn’t have that “OMG, I need to tell everyone about this!” feeling. That feeling you get after watching something truly groundbreaking. Something that sticks with you. Like a stubborn stain on a white shirt.
“It’s like a really good mixtape. Some absolute bangers. But a couple of filler tracks you skip over.”
Maybe it’s the found footage itself. After a while, it can feel a bit… samey. You get used to the shaky camera. The amateurish editing. It loses some of its shock value. It becomes the norm. And when the stories themselves don’t quite reach the same heights as the initial promise, that’s when the cracks start to show. You start to wish for a bit more polish. A bit more… cinematic flair.
It's not that the segments are bad. Not at all. They have their moments. The creativity is definitely there. The effort is evident. But for me, the sum of the parts doesn’t quite add up to something truly extraordinary. It’s like building a LEGO castle. You’ve got some awesome bricks. Some really cool windows. But then you’ve got a bunch of basic grey ones that just fill up space. They don’t really add anything to the overall grandeur.
I know, I know. This is probably a scorching take. A hot take so hot it needs its own air conditioning unit. But I’m just being honest. V H S is a fun ride. It’s a good horror movie. It delivers on its promise of some spooky anthology goodness. But great? I don’t know. It feels like it’s on the cusp. So close. Like it’s got one foot in the door of awesomeness, but the other foot is still firmly planted in the realm of “pretty darn good.”
Perhaps I’m being too harsh. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Or maybe, just maybe, this is one of those movies that’s just shy of greatness. It’s like a really good joke that you laugh at, but you don’t howl with laughter. It’s a solid chuckle. A knowing smile. And that’s okay. It really is. But I can’t help but wonder… what if? What if they’d just tweaked that one story a bit more? What if the framing narrative had been a little more compelling? Then, maybe, just maybe, V H S would have been in a whole different league. But for now, it’s a great way to spend an hour and a half. Just… not the greatest.
