'V/H/S/Beyond' is an Out of This World Sci-fi Horror Anthology That Gets the Adrenaline Pumping

​Once you’re a handful of sequels into a franchise, it’s time to change up the formula, and that’s exactly the case with V/H/S/Beyond. The seventh film of the V/H/S anthology horror series, Beyond turns its attention to the skies for a collection of edge of your seat sci-fi tales of terror revolving around aliens, grotesque experimentation, and tech gone terribly wrong. While most of the entries feature less than engaging characters, that ultimately doesn’t matter much because each is so intense, so eye-popping and so goddamn fun that you’ll be too terrified to care.
 
One constant with the V/H/S franchise is that it always experiments with the wraparound story, giving viewers something a little different than the last. In the case of Beyond, “Cursed Films” creator Jay Cheel puts his documentarian skills to good use with “Abduction/Adduction”, a faux documentary exploring our concepts of aliens, as well as the eternal battle between skeptics and believers. Referencing things like Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds 1938 radio broadcast that caused mass panic, or how Whitley Streiber’s book, “Communion”, altered the way we viewed beings from outer space, Cheel cleverly sets up each tale with a wink and a nod towards what’s to come. Shot in a modern documentary style, this format may at first push away those viewers craving the V/H/S aesthetic that has played a role in the popularity of these films, but the conversation being had with the viewer is fascinating enough to quiet those concerns. Are aliens real? If so, why visit us here on Earth? V/H/S/Beyond says yes and to mess us the hell up.
 
Generally, the V/H/S films feature a wide array of well-established horror filmmakers. While there are still a couple included with Beyond, what makes this particular entry somewhat unique is a collection of either lesser knowns or actors taking their first crack at directing. Many of you probably watch Jordan Downey’s Thankskilling every Thanksgiving, and he kicks things off here with a rip-roaring entry entitled “Stork”. Justin Martinez returns to the franchise for the first time since the original with his utterly insane skydive from hell short, “Live and Let Die”. Actor Justin Long and Christian Long mark their first foray into the genre with “Fur Babies”, a tale that may remind some of you of Justin’s role in Tusk. Relative newcomer Virat Pal invites us into his techno-terror by way of Bollywood tale, “Dream Girl”, while actress Kate Siegel makes her directorial debut with a simultaneously tragic and utterly horrific story, “Stowaway” (written by husband Mike Flanagan, no less!). Every one of these filmmakers expresses a passionate understanding of the genre that should have fans excited for whatever each does in the future.

Of course, some entries are stronger than others, but one thing each manages to accomplish is in taking audiences on a wild ride through jaw-dropping nightmares. Downey’s entry comes as a welcome surprise, stepping a bit away from his more comedic roots and presenting a chaotic cops vs. monsters story that feels like you’re playing a round of Doom, blood-soaked chainsaw and all. Martinez offers perhaps the most intense experience with a tale that gives “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” a new meaning as we’re ripped from a plane with a group of skydivers and plummeting through the air in the midst of an alien invasion. The knock here is that characters generally come second to the intense horror being presented on-screen, with Pal’s “Dream Girl” and Siegel’s “Stowaway” the only two attempting to create more depth to their protagonists. Rather than focus on building an eerie atmosphere, many of these stories, for better and worse, toss viewers right into the nightmarish shocks and thrills. Still, all are a great time being scared, even if some are a little shallow on the storytelling front.
 
What doesn’t disappoint—and never does in the V/H/S franchise—are the creature effects. We’re given horrific monsters straight out of an X-files episode. An even more messed up twist on the creatures of The Island of Dr. Moreau. Murderous robots. Aliens that make little grey men look like little buddies. Magee Fx Inc. has handled the special effects for a few of these films now, and they once again impress with one eye-popping monster after another. Anyone who enjoys a good creature feature will get a kick out of the imaginative, slimy things crafted for Beyond. Gross. Gooey. Grotesque. V/H/S/Beyond posits that encounters with beings from outer space would be a lot more like Ridley Scott’s Alien than E.T. The film likely won’t change you from a skeptic to a believer or vice versa, but it will ensure that you think twice before ever venturing into space or tracking down a fallen UFO. And that’s before even getting into the grisly results of meeting such creatures. Faces are ripped off. Shudder-inducing surgeries are performed. And Siegel’s segment presents what is, in theory, one of the most terrible deaths ever imagined (I still haven’t recovered from its implications).
 
V/H/S/Beyond dips the tapes into an alien goo, transforming each segment into a thrilling descent into sci-fi-tinged conjurations from Hell. Not every entry offers much depth, but they don’t have to in the face of imaginative setups and practical creatures to die for. More than anything, Beyond proves that this franchise is far from worn out, opening up endless possibilities. What about V/H/S/Aquatic, or a V/H/S themed around Grimm’s fairytales? There are no limits. For as long as they keep making them, I’ll be there waiting to pop in whatever tapes are dug up next.

V/H/S/Beyond arrives on Shudder October 4th. 

By Matt Konopka