The found footage horror anthologyV/H/S/Beyondis split into six segments, but not all of them are as entertainingly terrifying as the rest.V/H/S/Beyondis theseventh installment in theV/H/Sfranchise, and it makes a name for itself by focusing its horror on tales of extraterrestrial life and aliens. That means its segments can range in scope from intergalactic travel to a single, strange doggy daycare, and it also means the film can vary significantly from segment to segment.
V/H/S/Beyondhas seven directors, though there are only six segments, as the segment “Fur Babies” was co-directed by Christian and Justin Long. Each of the filmmakers took a very different approach to their short films, and the result is a varied and surprising anthology.V/H/S/Beyondalso had a massive cast, one that changed considerably between segments. Any movie that has as much variety in tone, subject, and style asV/H/S/Beyonddoes, however, also has some variance in quality. Not all the horror anthology’s segments were absolute hits, but they all did offer something unique and terrifying.
6Abduction/Adduction
Abduction/Adduction Is A Strong Frame Narrative That Suffers From Its Format
The first and last segment inV/H/S/Beyond, “Abduction/Adduction,” serves as the film’s frame narrative and its connective tissue. Unfortunately, its role as a frame narrative also holds it back.The storyAbduction/Adductionpresents is fairly strong on its own: paranormal investigators examining found footage of a man whose house and body were invaded by an alien. That premise, however, isn’t strong enough to survive being broken into six separate parts, each one separated by entire short films.
V/H/S/Beyondis available to stream on AMC+ and Shudder.
Because it has to connect all the other segments inV/H/S/Beyond,Abduction/Adductiondoesn’t get the time it needed to shine. As soon as it starts building up suspense and momentum for the mystery of the Farrington House,Abduction/Adductionis interrupted by another segment.The actual substance and scares ofAbduction/Adductiondon’t happen until the final minutes of the movie, and by then,V/H/S/Beyondhad already shown better examples of horror. If it had been kept all together, the segment could have been a fine addition to the film.
While its nature as a frame narrative certainly holds it back,Abduction/Adductionstill does an admirable job of tying the rest ofV/H/S/Beyondtogether. It even manages to overcome the limitations of its place in the film and accomplish some very novel things.Abduction/Adduction’s presentation as a documentary serves as a fascinating meta-framework, and it does a lot to make the rest of the horror in the film feel unnervingly real. All told,Abduction/Adductionis far from bad, but it was fairly easily outshone by betterV/H/S/Beyondsegments.
5Fur Babies
Fur Babies Fails To Follow V/H/S/Beyond’s Alien Theme & Its Body Horror Can’t Make Up For It
For the fully intact and uninterrupted segments inV/H/S/Beyond, “Fur Babies” was the least impressive.Fur Babiesseemingly abandoned the movie’s focus on aliens entirely, instead opting to follow an animal rights activist group and their clash with Becky (Libby Letlow), a psychotic dog shelter owner who transforms her enemies into canines both physically and psychologically. However,Fur Babiesalso deviated significantly fromV/H/S/Beyond’s found footage style by including security cameras, hidden cameras, and laptops, which is a fairly large change for the franchise.
Deviating from the theme and format ofV/H/S/Beyondwould be forgivable, especially since Becky’s creations could be considered a different form of life and the different format still technically counts as found footage.Fur Babies, however, didn’t do much to justify such changes.The body horror it presents through Becky’s surgeries and abuse is extremely reminiscent of co-director Justin Long’s 2014 filmTusk, and it doesn’t surpass its predecessor. Additionally, the surplus of camera angles detracts from the segment’s horror by magnifying the shortcomings of the dogs' practical effects and making it all feel a bit fake.
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Even though it’s the least compelling ofV/H/S/Beyond’s uninterrupted segments,Fur Babiesstill has some positives to offer.Libby Letlow was a very notable highlight, as her shifts between friendly pet lover and megalomaniac/abuser were absolutely seamless. Additionally,Fur Babieshas a very clear sense of humor that does a lot to take the edge off its practical effects and inject a proper amount of absurdity into the situation. While it is funny,Fur Babiesalso managed to strike a good balance, one where its humor didn’t detract from its body horror.
4Dream Girl
Dream Girl’s Setup Bogs It Down, But Its Scares Are Worth The Wait
“Dream Girl” takes a liberal approach to bothV/H/S/Beyond’s focus on aliens and its found footage format in the same wayFur Babiesdid, but it managed that approach better.Dream Girldepicts a pair of paparazzi photographers who discover that India’s hottest new star, Tara (Namrata Sheth), is actually a cyborg wearing a human face.The main issue that keepsDream Girlfrom being placed higher is its pacing. The entire first half of the segment is dedicated to developing characters who really don’t have much to do but die.
Luckily,Dream Girlmakes up for its slower pace with some great scares and thrills during Tara’s rampage.There were some truly shocking moments (pun intended) after Tara decided she would take over the world, from her use of electricity to melting the manager’s face with her acidic vomit and gouging out Sonu’s eyes.Dream Girlalso managed to avoid the temptation of becoming a simple slasher. The moments between kills, coupled with Namrata Sheth’s excellent delivery, really heightened the segment’s creepiness and suspense.
Dream Girl is probably one of V/H/S/Beyond’s most thematically poignant segments, even if it’s not the most consistently engaging.
Those scenes of violence - and Tara’s design - were also visually interesting and scary enough to justify abandoning the found footage format in favor of something that showed them off better.Additionally, some ofDream Girl’s focus on Arnab, Sonu, and Tara can be forgiven since it helps deliver the segment’s messages about the price of fame and the abuse that is present in the film industry.Dream Girlis probably one ofV/H/S/Beyond’s most thematically poignant segments, even if it’s not the most consistently engaging.
3Live And Let Dive
Live And Let Dive Is Thoroughly Brutal & Intense
ThoughDream Girlbenefited from not letting itself become a pure bloodbath, “Live and Let Dive” benefited from fully leaning into the gore and brutality.Live and Let Divefollows a group of friends whose skydiving trip is crashed by aliens that clearly took inspiration from John Carpenter’sThe Thing. While it is a concept that has been done countless times - unprepared people being hunted down by monstrous aliens is hardly novel -Live and Let Divebreathed fresh air into the trope, the alien, and the violence.
The best example of howLive and Let Divetook its simple premise to a great conclusion is through the aliens it features. Though they’re inspired byThe Thing, the aliens inLive and Let Diveare still very visually unique and terrifying in a distinctive way.Often,Live and Let Divefeels like a fully-realized creature feature on par withA Quiet PlaceorThe Descent, yet it achieves that effect in the span of about 20 minutes. The segment’s aliens aren’t just visually distinctive, though, as they also include some interesting concepts that lend themselves perfectly toLive and Let Dive’s intense violence.
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Almost everything the aliens were capable of was a masterclass in horror gore. From electric rods that could peel faces off skulls to their gnarly heads opening to pour out beams of light, the aliens were extremely capable of instilling fear.Even without the aliens,Live and Let Dive’s brutality is absolutely great. The carnage of the crash, like the reveal of Logan’s head wrapped in the parachute, was efficient and startling. Later, when Zach’s hand was shot off,Live and Let Diveaccomplished the effect in such a way that it was extremely visceral and uncomfortable.
2Stork
Stork Is A Great Reimagining Of Zombie Horror & Experiment With Found Footage
IfLive and Let Divereimagined its tired horror trope, then “Stork” absolutely revolutionized an even more overdone cliché.On its surface,Storkis a simple zombie slasher that follows an elite squad tasked with taking out an entire house full of “brooders.“Storkis so much deeper than that, though, and it perfectly uses the over saturated zombie genre to get to some startling plot points, like babies being turned into birdlike monstrosities, zombies that don’t stay down once shot, and some truly disturbing imagery. For all its experimentation, though,Storkalso delivers the best of the zombie genre: nearly constant action.
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Storknot only experiments with its genre, however, it also plays around with the idea of found footage and its practical effects.Like other segments,Storkintroduces alternative forms of footage, in this case, body-cam footage from police officers, only it does it better than its contemporaries. The body-cam footage is superb at making the viewer feel closer and more involved in the action, and every advancing brooder feels like a real threat as a result. That’s only complemented by the expert design of the brooders and the stork itself, which look like the perfect blend of sci-fi and horror.
Stork is tremendous, and the only reason it’s not the best V/H/S/Beyond has to offer is because another segment is quite nearly perfect.
Perhaps the greatest achievement ofStork, however, is in the way it seems to unfold.The pacing problems ofDream Girlare nowhere to be found inStork; the segment immediately gives viewers a reason to be engaged, and the action starts almost immediately after. Every break in the violence seems welcome, and it also slowly unravels an absolutely tantalizing mystery about not only the aliens but also the police who are fighting them.Storkis tremendous, and the only reason it’s not the bestV/H/S/Beyondhas to offer is because another segment is quite nearly perfect.
1Stowaway
Stowaway Is An Instant Body & Existential Horror Classic That Perfectly Uses V/H/S/Beyond’s Format To Its Advantage
The last self-contained segment inV/H/S/Beyond, titled “Stowaway,” is an absolutely phenomenal horror story.Stowawayfollows Halley (Alanah Pearce) as she investigates UFO sightings in the desert and eventually sneaks aboard their ship, only to be fundamentally transformed by the nano-machines inside that are programmed to heal other forms of life. The segment has a brilliant idea, and it executes upon that premise nearly perfectly. Everything aboutStowaway, from its use of found footage, its pacing, its setup, its payoff, to its practical and visual effects, is a masterclass in horror.
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Though it is a bit slower than segments likeStorkorLive and Let Dive,Stowawayhas such a tremendous buildup and slow-burn realization of its true horror that it seems to move at nearly the speed of light.Every second of Halley’s journey, from getting to know her to getting to see what she becomes, perfectly leads viewers down a heart-racing path to some tremendous body horror and existential dread. EverythingStowawaysets up ties together perfectly to create a scare that is so bone-chilling and anxiety-inducing that it could very well stay with viewers for days.
Stowaway is the best segment in V/H/S/Beyond, and it very well could be one of the best moments in horror this year.
Stowaway’s ability to worm itself into a viewer’s mind and make a home there could legitimately make it a horror classic.Everything inStowaway, from the way Halley sets up the length of light-speed travel, the sound of the wires and nano-machines, and her discovery that she’s trapped, contributes to a skin-crawling realization. On top of that, the footage of Halley’s daughter that is spliced into her transformation makesStowawayincredibly thematically poignant, and adds a devastating tragedy to her story.Stowawayis the best segment inV/H/S/Beyond, and it very well could be one of the best moments in horror this year.
V/H/S/Beyond
Cast
V/H/S/Beyond is the seventh entry in the long-running horror anthology series. V/H/S/Beyond is a collection of six different horror shorts with their own creative teams. Unlike other entries in the V/H/S franchise, V/H/S/Beyond focuses on horror that leans into sci-fi.
