V/H/S - Cult Laboratories

“Grade A terrifying. One of the scariest movies in recent memory.”

Found Footage Classics: Cannibal Holocaust

3rd Jan. 2013

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V/H/S is a new twist on the well established found footage horror genre. Unlike its forebears, it weaves short films into an anthology format, adding a new twist to the style.

Over the next week, head back to the V/H/S fanhub as we visit some classic movies that helped to define the genre, kicking off with Ruggero Deodato's extreme classic, Cannibal Holocaust.

Using a film-within-film format that weaves a rescue mission with footage shot by a corrupt and sadistic western documentary crew, who come to a nutritious end at the hands of the local headhunters, its raw veracity and commitment to total revulsion set a benchmark for horror movies.

Taking its cue from exploitative Italian Mondo documentaries - where rumours circulated about producers baiting locals and paying militias to kill prisoners for the camera - it birthed a new genre and, justified criticisms about animal cruelty aside, remains a cornerstone of the found footage style.

Read about another movie that set the scene for V/H/S tomorrow…

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“Grade A terrifying. One of the scariest movies in recent memory.”

The classic anthology horror movie is given a contemporary and brilliantly visceral spin by some of the hottest new directors working in the genre today.

Key talent:

Director Adam Wingard (You’re Next; A Horrible Way To Die), David Bruckner (The Signal), Glenn McQuaid (I Sell The Dead), Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes The Stairs) and Ti West (The Innkeepers; Cabin Fever 2: Spring Break; The House Of The Devil).

Synopsis

A small group of misfit friends and petty crooks are hired by a mysterious man to break into a derelict suburban house with the sole purpose of finding and stealing a rare videotape. Their only clue to identifying the tape in question is, “You’ll know it when you see it.”

However, on arrival at the house they soon realize the job isn’t as straightforward as they imagined. In one room they discover the lifeless body of a middle-aged man sitting in an armchair, facing a wall of television sets and a stack of VHS cassettes. A similar bounty of tapes is found in the basement, none of which bears any obvious markings to suggest it is the prize they are seeking. As they search through the tapes, playing them in turn, they are treated to a succession of graphic and apparently genuine video recordings, each one more shocking and bizarre than the last.