Starring - Victoria Falls (Scare Bear, Showgirls 3: London Calling), Jennie Fox (The Sickhouse, The Scared of Death Society), and Jenny Lee (Showgirls 3: London Calling)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Press play...and pray"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (screener)
Rating (out of 5):
People from my generation, born between the late 70s and early 80s, grew up on 80s pop culture. They loved the music, watched the commercials, obsession over the movies and television, and played with the toys. This decade defined us as a whole. 80s horror and technology is iconic. The VHS and BETA tapes, slasher movies, the ma and pop video stores are what most of us picture when we reminisce about the 80s. People from this time period are now grow adults who aspire to become filmmakers of some caliber and attempt to capture that look and feel of 80s horror mor specifically the VHS. That is why the indie horror scene has so many horror throwbacks. Several years ago the horror anthology V/H/S was released and was met with mostly positive reviews. The film was so successful that is spawned two sequels and countless imitations with films like Analog Horror and the most recent Wild Eye release Video Killer. Anytime Wild Eye releases a film I have to see it. I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a copy my way. Thanks guys!
The film follows Amy who received a strange VHS. She is unaware of who sent it or what is on it but decides to record herself watching. What she finds is a strange, masked individual stalking several other clueless individuals just like herself with brief periods of the film broken up with animation of a young child injuring themselves. Amy is tasked with finding out who sent the video and praying that she can save those that she found on the tape.
I enjoyed V/H/S for the most part and some of the segments in the first sequel but I have no drive to see the third installment in the series. The films can be fun but they are nothing outstanding or redefining. I had only heard of Analog Horror when it was in the crowdfunding stage but I have no idea if it was completed or not but I'm sure it would be very similar to V/H/S. I was curious to see how Video Killer would play out. I can safely say it's nothing like V/H/S but that doesn't make it a good movie. The acting in this one is rough for the most part. The cast has a hard time establishing themselves as characters rather than just spitting out their lines. Most of the dialogue is not convincing and almost all of the scenes are awkward to watch. I don't know if it is direction or experience but something is lacking. The story for this one could have been something unique but there is not enough meat on the bone to make a feature length film. The story is promising but it moves at a snails pace and features some extremely confusing editing. It is hard to tell at times what is going on and where we are in the story. A more linear story and better editing would have helped this one out tremendously. Finally, the film is pretty uneventful in terms of blood and gore. We get a fun animation in some of the scenes but the overall film lacks on screen deaths and the effects associated with it. In terms of gore, this one is dry. Overall, Video Killer could have been the indie horror anthology we have been waiting for. Instead, it was chaotic, broken, and forgettable. Wild Eye has several amazing releases but this is not one of them. 
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