The original V/H/S didn't quite live up to its lofty promise of being an intense ode to short story style retro horror. While a few of its segments came close to fulfilling the potential of the set-up, the first attempt at this franchise was a let-down for the same reason so many other compilation movies are: sheer inconsistency. But the second outing for this horror series featured no such lull in quality. Each of the four segments managed to stand out on their own, with barely any overlap in gimmicks or themes keeping every short story feeling distinct and memorable over the course of the film. While some segments were indeed better than others, the gap in quality came nowhere near the underwhelming gulf found in the first film. So while that original movie might have soured the idea of an anthology of short stories like this for many fans of the genre, this second attempt stands as the perfect example of how this often maligned sub-genre can work perfectly when its done right.
