V/H/S is the latest release to capitalize on the found-footage craze.  The anthology film is structured around a group of criminals who are hired to break in to a desolate house and retrieve a mysterious videotape.  When they arrive at the house they find the owner dead in his recliner, facing a stack of TVs and a massive pile of videotapes.  In order to locate the correct video they begin watching the tapes one by one, each being a segment in the film.  These shorts include new interpretations on a monster, a masked stalker, a killer in the woods, a ghost story and some good ol’ Satanists; effectively providing a snapshot of the horror genre.  V/H/S is directed by Adam Wingard, Ti West, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg, Glenn McQuaid and newcomers Radio Silence.

During the press conference for the film, I was able to sit down for a one on one phone interview with David Bruckner, writer/director of the segment “Amateur Night”.  During the interview we discussed the inspiration behind the creature in the film, what affect the found footage format has on audiences, and the challenges attached to working in that format.  In addition, we also talked about what we could expect from a sequel to The Signal, how digital has shaped him as a filmmaker, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for the full interview.

Magnolia followed up on the red band trailer for the horror anthology V/H/S with a green band trailer that is theoretically approved for all audiences.  Even with the friendlier green color, it is still too scary for me.  I can never see this, but based on our reviews from Sundance and SXSW, V/H/S is worth seeking out if you are more comfortable with the horror genre.

Ti West, Joe Swanberg, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Adam Wingard, and Glenn McQuaid teamed up to direct V/H/S. The movie premieres on VOD August 31 before it hits theaters on October 5.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

Magnolia has released a red band trailer for the horror anthology V/H/S.  The premise centers on a group of petty criminals who find a cache of VHS tapes: “As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.”  I had weeks of nightmares based on the videotape footage in The Ring, so this looks terrifying.  I cannot see this.  Based on our reviews from Sundance and SXSW, V/H/S is worth a watch if you can handle it.

Ti West, Joe Swanberg, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Adam Wingard, and Glenn McQuaid teamed up to direct V/H/S. The movie premieres on VOD August 31 before it hits theaters on October 5.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

Back when V/H/S (which, for brevity and sanity’s sake, we’re going to call VHS from here on out) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, the word on the street was that directors Ti West, Joe Swanberg, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Adam Wingard, and Glenn McQuaid had crafted one helluva found-footage horror anthology:  reports had audience members vomiting in their seats, people fainting out of sheer terror, massive rounds of applause when the credits rolled, and so on.  And so, it was with great anticipation that I decided to check out one of the film’s midnight screenings during this year’s SXSW Film Festival.  Did the film live up to the hype?  Find out after the jump.

I’ve written before about how anthology movies get on my nerves, and how they trample my nerves when the overarching narrative relies on coincidence to bring the characters together.  However, I’m not opposed to having a consistent theme running throughout (provided the subtext isn’t “we’re all connected”; I’m looking at you, 360).  The horror anthology V/H/S doesn’t bother with narrative or themes beyond “girls are not to be trusted”, “guys have way too much testosterone”, and “videotaping fun gatherings will inevitably lead to a gruesome death.”  Even the truly shared aspect—that all of the shorts look like they were shot on VHS—is undermined by not doing anything more than cast all of the stories in the found-footage mold.  Despite its lack of depth, the film is a standard mixed bag anthology, but most of the items in V/H/S‘ bag are pretty fun.

Going into the final three days of Sundance 2012, a horror title had yet to be acquired. All that changed with the Magnolia Pictures pick up of domestic rights to V/H/S for $1 million plus. Other gets included the Rough House Pictures presentation of The Comedy and National Geographic’s documentary acquisition for TV, Chasing Ice. Check out the details here:

• V/H/S is a found footage horror anthology about petty thugs tasked with searching a ramshackle house for a VHS tape which holds horrific recordings. V/H/S will have a pre-theatrical on-demand release on Magnolia’s Ultra VOD, with the theatrical release to follow after 30 days.
• The Comedy, directed by Rick Alverson and starring Tim Heidecker, will be presented by Danny McBride’s Rough House Pictures. The dark comedy follows Swanson (Heidecker) after he inherits his father’s estate and stumbles into reckless situations in hopes of freeing him from his desensitization.
• Climate-change documentary Chasing Ice by Jeff Orlowski follows photographer James Balog as he sets up time-lapse cameras on glaciers to document Earth’s melting ice. Film is also from Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, the award-winning producer of The Cove.

Hit the jump for more on each project.