Frightfest preview: V/H/S Simon Fitzjohn July 31, 2012 Features, Film4 Frightfest 1985 I think it’s fair to say that as Frightfest rolls around each year, a couple of films usually garner the most interest, or have secured the best buzz as the fright flicks roll into London. Last year it was very much all about Kill List, which although it did not reach the box office heights it probably deserved, certainly delivered the goods as far as critics and genre audiences were concerned. This year V/H/S probably slips into that spot, an anthology movie that got tremendous word of mouth after screening at Sundance. The premise is a simple one, and one that follows the ‘found footage’ format that has served horror so well over recent years. A group of sleazy misfits are hired to break into a house and locate a rare VHS tape – for reasons unknown. Turns out though they stumble across six tapes, each of which contains a tale more gruesome and twisted than the last. Naturally they watch them all, setting off a chain of horrific stories for the viewer. As if that doesn’t sound intriguing enough, expectations are off the chart when you realise the six shorts come courtesy of some of the best minds in modern horror – namely Adam Wingard, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg and Ti West. Consider us excited for this one……… V/H/S screens at Frightfest on Friday, August 24.
