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V/H/SMovie Reviews
Horror thriller about a group of petty criminals hired by a mysterious client to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere. Cast:Joe Swanberg, Adam Wingard, Sophia Takal, Kate Lyn Sheil, Calvin Reeder, Lane HughesDirector:Adam Wingard, Glenn McQuaidRelease Date:October 5, 2012DVD Release:December 4, 2012From:MagnoliaRating:RLength:1 hr. 55 min.
V/H/S played in key cities to fair reviews. • Tirdad Derakhshani wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...rough-hewn, uneven... The first two pieces are outstanding... [but] no one should be expected to endure 115 minutes of this nonsense." • And Kevin C. Johnson wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...hardcore horror lovers will soak up the gruesome morsels." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "...an example of the found-footage genre at its least compelling.... What's the point? None of the segments is particularly compelling.... it's way too much of a muchness."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 10/05/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "The shortness of the episodes disallows any meaningful character development or narrative progression. There's also a distinct lack of tension and suspense."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,065 words, 10/05/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: WEAK "...crammed side by side, the crass similarities among these randy videocam obsessives make it a relief when most of them finally meet satisfyingly bloody ends."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 10/05/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Anthologies are risky. For every high point, there's often a misstep to match. But this indie compilation has enough inventive chills to interest any horror fan."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 130 words, 10/05/12
Sara Stewart, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "What starts out as unpromising shaky-cam antics quickly turns dark and compelling... puts the majority of today's mainstream 'scary' movies to shame..."(See all of Sara Stewart's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 144 words, 10/05/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "...an example of the found-footage genre at its least compelling.... What's the point? None of the segments is particularly compelling.... it's way too much of a muchness."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 483 words, 10/05/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "The stylistic consistencies between the segments only draw attention to the inconsistencies in performance... bad acting quickly undermines the 'authenticity'..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 10/03/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The format dictates the plots, with unsuspecting camera-toting yahoos blundering into a series of awful situations... but there's enough variety in the different 'tapes'..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 10/25/12
KEY CITIES (9 Reviews)
Sean O'Connell, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...loses all luster through some shoddy execution.... low-budget production values are masked by unwatchable shaky-cam techniques. The acting proves equally rough..."(See all of Sean O'Connell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 479 words, 10/05/12
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...rough-hewn, uneven... The first two pieces are outstanding... [but] no one should be expected to endure 115 minutes of this nonsense."(See all of Tirdad Derakhshani's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 10/05/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...hit-and-miss... Some of the entries are too crude or preposterous to be truly scary despite oodles of gore. But the best in show have their compelling moments."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 195 words, 10/05/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...no matter how savage, evil or sadistic the killer, the victims almost always come off as bigger jerks. That can't be intentional."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 10/19/12
Ethan Gilsdorf, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Each of the shorts must ramp up its own suspense machine in a mere 20 minutes... en masse, it can't generate the necessary suspense to truly get under your skin."(See all of Ethan Gilsdorf's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 10/05/12
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Six directing teams strive for creativity, with entries that are violent, creepy, depraved and almost always satisfying."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 10/05/12
Kevin C. Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Unsettlingly raw for the casual horror fan... 'V/H/S' won't make many press the play button. But hardcore horror lovers will soak up the gruesome morsels."(See all of Kevin C. Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 341 words, 10/05/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "The stylistic consistencies between the segments only draw attention to the inconsistencies in performance... bad acting quickly undermines the 'authenticity'..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 10/03/12
Mack Rawden, Cinema Blend: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...unnerving, terrifying and creepy... It invades privacies, manipulates the audience and even demands sympathy for terrible people. It's vicious, and it's damn good."(See all of Mack Rawden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 649 words, 10/04/12
Alexandra Cavallo, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...freaky and tense as all hell... let it be said that, when the directors succeed, some of the footage makes 'The Ring' look like a Disney flick."(See all of Alexandra Cavallo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 10/04/12
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "An anthology of found-footage horror shorts made by a bunch of dudes who, though they unmistakably love their genre of choice, are scarcely masters of it..."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 611 words, 09/29/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The format dictates the plots, with unsuspecting camera-toting yahoos blundering into a series of awful situations... but there's enough variety in the different 'tapes'..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 10/25/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: WEAK "...crammed side by side, the crass similarities among these randy videocam obsessives make it a relief when most of them finally meet satisfyingly bloody ends."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 10/05/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...an ingenious hybrid: part Godardian art film, part abstract video experiment, part sleazy shocker, and all self-castigating... pulls several neat twists..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 684 words, 10/03/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Omnibus feature brings energy and diverse story ideas to the subgenre... [but] the segments vary in quality and the whole overstays its welcome at nearly two hours."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 01/27/12
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...sticks to its indie roots, featuring a compilation of shorts wrapped into a framing film.... Refreshingly, 'V/H/S' promises no more than it delivers, a plus with genre fare."(See all of Justin Lowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 01/27/12
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: WEAK "...crammed side by side, the crass similarities among these randy videocam obsessives make it a relief when most of them finally meet satisfyingly bloody ends."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 10/05/12
19.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
V/H/S's reviews are separated by an average 19.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Coverage:V/H/S's reviews cover 23.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 10,700 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 428 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 10 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
V/H/S's reviews on average broke 10 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is V/H/S's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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