The trailer below still carries the original title “S-VHS”, rather than the exciting new title V/H/S 2. It looks like at least one segment underwent a name change, too, but right now, check out the first teaser trailer below in HD. It manages to look more for than the trailer for the original movie. That one also managed to give away several jump moments –actually, over half of them–including the best reveal and one of the biggest jumps in the movie, and I hope when the first theatrical trailer gets released for this sequel, they give less away. Anyway…
The official Magnet Releasing page for V/H/S 2 can be found right here, and has a nice big ol’ photo of the creepy Indonesian guy with symbols carved into his flesh from the segment “Safe Haven” – the tale from Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto (AKA the makers of The Raid: Redemption) that is getting the most positive buzz right now for knocking it right out of the fucking park.*
Also from Timo Tjahjanto and Gareth Huw Evans’ “Safe Haven”
From the aforementioned Official Site:
Inside a darkened house looms a column of TVs littered with VHS tapes, a pagan shrine to forgotten analog gods. The screens crackle and pop endlessly with monochrome vistas of static—white noise permeating the brain and fogging concentration. But you must fight the urge to relax: this is no mere movie night. Those obsolete spools contain more than just magnetic tape. They are imprinted with the very soul of evil.
BLLEEEEAAAAAARRRGGH!
Even the ad copy is better-written and more exciting than the original! They’re off to a great start (now they just need to make the site a little more user-friendly for those of us with laptops, and fix a couple of their typos). Check this link for a great review that I ‘re-blogged’.
Oh, we WILL.
* to be clear, we mean that “Safe Haven” knocks it out of the park, but while we’re on the subject, The Raid: Redemption sure knocked it out of the fucking park too.
Oooookay. Now that I’ve read several reviews, I want to see this sequel just for the Indonesian segment (“Safe Haven”) that comes from the makers of The Raid: Redemption (which I loved so much I could barely still during). Add horror, gore, what one reviewer called “EC Comics – like” rand batshit-crazy in? DEAL! Take a wild guess as to which segment the “featured image” from this post is from.
I found V/H/S to be uneven (and I totally agree with Drew Taylor about the misogynism; almost every male character was an asshole, and that the whole tone of certain segments dripped of hatred, which was one of my main complaints about the movie as a whole, especially that exceptionally sloppy wrap-around), but …when a piece worked… it fucking worked.
So far, from what I’ve read, everyone agrees that S-VHS is more intense, tighter, scarier, and gorier. That might not mean a bunch when the writer couldn’t stand the first one, but it’s still a recommendation to me!
Sundance Review: ‘S-VHS‘ Is An Uneven, Occasionally Thrilling Sequel To The Horror Anthology
Last year, the indie horror anthology “V/H/S” was released and promised to be chock full of truly in-your-face terror – these were fearless directors, given complete creative freedom, and squeezed together under a tight, blood-soaked package. Of course, the promise of “V/H/S” and the actual movie itself were quite different, and while there were certainly some gems (including entries by Ti West and Joe Swanberg that blurred the line between mumblecore and horror even further), most of them were overlong and uninvolving and (worse yet) reinforced some of the worst traits in the horror genre, including an undercurrent of ugly misogyny that was knotted through almost every section.Well, the conceit seemed too irresistible to leave alone and this year we have “S-VHS” making its grand debut at the Sundance Film Festival
Wait wait whoa whoa whoa! Give me a chance to explain.
A little over 24 hours ago I discovered a movie that’ll be released in October from Magnet Releasing, called The ABCs of Death. Hold up, is that as sick as I think it sounds? Why YES. I read the description from the twisted but very entertaining, and even addictive, official site for the movie…
Twenty-six directors. Twenty-six ways to die. The ABC’s OF DEATH is perhaps the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived with productions spanning fifteen countries and featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world’s leading talents in contemporary genre film. Inspired by children’s educational books, the motion picture is composed of twenty-six individual chapters, each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving death.
Provocative, shocking, funny and ultimately confrontational, THE ABC’s OF DEATH is the definitive vision of modern horror diversity. Drafthouse Films, Magnet Pictures and Timpson Films are proud to present this alphabetical arsenal of destruction orchestrated by what Fangoria calls “a stunning roll call of some of the most exciting names in horror across the world.”
They are not fucking around, trust me. The trailer alone was the goriest trailer I’ve seen in over a year. Maybe more, I’ll add it at the end of this post, so you have plenty of warning NOT to watch it if you’re eating something, are easily offended, and can’t stand violent trailers. Even I was saying, out loud, ” Jesus fucking Christ!!” at higher than normal volume for when my husband is trying to get some sleep next to me. I’m surprised my husband slept through my reaction.
Don’t take the adjective ‘disturbing’ lightly! Oh, and several YouTube comments strongly advised “Do not watch if you’re high“. I didn’t feel the slightest urge to test this theory out, but I’m still 100% sure it’s great advice. This is hands down the goriest claymation short I’ve ever seen…
So there’s that. Then I read about their contest for the letter “T”. It was an open call for short horror films lasting less than five minutes, the prize being the short getting to be included in this fucked-up anthology, with plenty of cool directors attached –the winner would be the 26th director. I am really sorry I missed voting on there, even the entries that I thought would be more appropriately titled, “T is for Torture Porn” had good production values, good effects, and it was clear that the directors took pains to craft the best short film they could. I have a dozen or so more entries I’m either going to post or include in a playlist on You Tube. There are a few ones less worth your while than other ones; I’ll try to limit my playlist to the ten best, entertaining, most effective ones (okay, maybe twenty, but no more), not necessarily all of them. If by some miracle I can exercise enough self-control to keep it down to ten, I’ll post ’em here for you to watch.
I also watched maybe… pffffft …15-20 entries in a row, which did not have a beneficial effect on my sleep cycle. I had nightmares not about any of the images in the movie, or the movie itself, and I can only half-remember said nightmares. You may be familiar with those. I do remember it was one of those dreams that was so stressful and/or wretched that I made a deliberate, and successful effort to say, OK, this is horrible, I think I’ll wake up now. Even going without enough sleep I can live with, since it’s better than this God-awful dream. Unless you need to stay awake and can’t find coffee, I recommend NOT watching ten of the contest entries in a row after dark.
You Tube description : Very disturbing, not for children. Humorously creepy clay-mation horror that tells the story of a little boy who is a bit uncomfortable about using the toilet.
Don’t take that disturbing part too lightly! Oh, and “Do not watch if you’re high,” several YouTube comments advised. I didn’t feel the slightest urge to test this theory out, but I’m pretty sure it’s great advice. This is the goriest claymation short I have ever seen. Even though there were DOZENS of entries, at least half of them out-standing, the below short is the one than won the contest call to be included in the movie. I assume the claymation gave them an angle–as well as it should, since it probably took a long, looong time and hard work to create, then execute the concept. I’ll share some of the finest coming up.
OK, you have NOW BEEN WARNED! Plus if this is too gruesome for you, DEFINITELY don’t watch the seriouslyRed Band gore-fest trailer that I’ll post last.
Nasty little twist at the end, too, that really nails it shut!
Here’s the goriest trailer I’ve seen in years. I think the last real jaw-dropper was a trailer for “Summer Massacre,” but I’m not 100% sure that’s an actual feature film that has now been completed. Again, don’t say I didn’t warn you! BEWARE …unless you’re a gore fan, or curious. VERY NSFW!
Well, I warned you! More shorts from the contest entries coming soon!
HORROR BOOM 