V/H/S/2 (A Bunch of Dudes)

[Rowland]

IMDb

[Rowland]

A considerable improvement over the original.

[Skitch]

A considerable improvement over the original.

I agree. The third story with the cult was the best, the fourth was also cool.

[Spun Lepton]

I also liked it better than the first. First story was the weakest. Second was the funniest. Third was the best, with an ending that made me laugh my head off. Fourth was fairly repetitive, but had a visceral quality I quite liked. Wrap around wasn't great, but it was an improvement over the original. At least this one has squelchy monsters.

[megladon8]

I actually thought this was a downgrade from the first.

I found they were severely limiting themselves with the found-footage schtick, here. I hope (though doubt it will happen) that further entries in the series will stray from that and make "real movies".

The Indonesian cult was easily the best of the bunch, and the rest were pretty throwaway. "Slumber Party Alien Abduction" was awful. "A Ride in the Park" was the most fun idea, which simultaneously led it to being the biggest disappointment of the bunch.

I feel like between the two movies we have a full-length film's worth of content - a sort of "greatest hits" compilation - but each film on its own is severely flawed.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Three-quarters of the way through. I had to stop last night after "Safe Haven," which is one of the best horror shorts I've ever seen. Words like "harrowing," "unbelievable," and "genius" are not out of order. Its sustained escalation from uneasiness to dread to outright insanity is incredible.

The ghost story one at the beginning was awfully predictable - not bad, just very rote. And I agree with Meg that the idea of the second one is better than its execution, although it was quick enough that I didn't have to to hate it. I just thought it was okay.

[Dukefrukem]

A considerable improvement over the original.

Yes! The book ends were not creepy. But that last story was pretty cool even if I couldn't figure out why a train horn was sounding every time the light turned on and why I couldn't figure out if they were LAKE people or ALIENs... I still don't really know (if I hadn't read the title of the short).

[Rowland]

Safe Haven > Amateur Night > Slumber Party Alien Abduction > A Ride in the Park > 10/31/98 > Phase I Clinical Trials > The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger > Second Honeymoon > Tuesday the 17th

Also, this film's wraparound material is superior to its predecessor, thanks to snappier pacing and a niftier twist, and I thought this came up with far more clever ways to take advantage of the found footage format.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I thought that alien abduction one was cute and simple in theory, but the conceit of strapping a go-pro to a dog made for some insufferably chaotic visuals. But I guess it wouldn't be Eisener if it didn't annoy the piss out of me at some point.

[Bosco B Thug]

That was kinda awesome, in a 3 starrish kinda way. 1st VHS was edgier, but this one was also intense with a more colorful, Creepshowish sense of showmanship. Even the wraparound is a nicer, more classically macabre, thus more satisfying pretense than VHS 1's willfully ungratifying Harmony Korine-informed wrap (Jason Eisener really pulled off some nice Korine-esque naturalism, though, with the beginning of 'Slumber Party').