Unless a horror movie is filled to the brim with sunshine and nudity, as was Piranha 3D, a summer release probably isn't the most viable option to get your audience in the right state of mind. But this isn't an essay on "How to Avoid Comparisons to Piranha 3D." It’s good news for horror fans.
V/H/S/2, the sequel to 2012's surprise hit found-footage horror anthology V/H/S, has June 6 set as the release day for the VOD version, according to The Hollywood Reporter,with a limited theatrical run opening for July 12, where it will hit 20 markets. The film, formerly called S-V/H/S, premiered successfully at the Sundance Film Festival this past January and screened at SXSW this past weekend.
The film will follow roughly the same format as the first film, which wrapped a loose narrative around a series of oddities found on a bunch of video cassettes. The segments have been cut down to five, though a couple of pair-ups raises the director count to seven. Returning from V/H/S are Adam Wingard (You’re Next), who wrote and directed the segment “Clinical Trials,” and Simon Barrett, writer of You’re Next and frequent collaborator of Wingard’s, with his “Tape 49” portion. Rounding out the list are Eduardo Sánchez The Blair Witch Project and Gregg Hale’s (FreakyLinks) “A Ride in the Park,” which was written by Jaime Nash (Lovely Molly), “Safe Haven,” which was written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre) and Gareth Evans (The Raid: Redemption), and finally Jason Eisener (Hobo With a Shotgun)with his fantastically titled “Alien Abduction Slumber Party.”
Adding this to The ABCs of Death, The Profane Exhibit, and a blood bucket full of straight-to-video releases, horror anthologies haven’t been this abundant since 1980s television. And though the found footage genre in general has been stretched thin, it’s still interesting to see groups of young talented directors showcasing their ideas in this way. It’s probably better than anything I’d find on the V/H/S tapes stored in my closet.
