Recently got to see Hi 8 and I really enjoyed it. The whole VHS boom currently happening in fan circles escapes me in some ways. I do love the box art on those old VHS titles, but the quality is terrible and I cannot justify paying 80 dollars for an old tape that probably won't play much longer. Hi-8 was born out of a love for the time when VHS ruled the world, when distributors really needed product. So much that the majors and the minor studios could not keep up. So something strange happened... the fans got some cameras and started making films themselves! This resulted in the Shot On Video boom of the late 80s that lasted about 10 years before it all went to hell and VHS went the way of the Dinosaurs.
This anthology brings together some of the big names of the Shot On Video boom. It also brings in some newer guys who were inspired by the original Shot on Video directors. The end result is entertaining, though not 100% satisfying, with a few missed opportunities. Lets get the good out of the way first, the segments by Ron Bonk, Todd Sheets and Tim Ritter and all excellent no matter the format. Ron Bonk's segment had me laughing out loud, for all the right reasons, while still having some gory fun and a few scares. It plays with genre rules in a fun way, while staying true to them. Todd Sheets has been truly been making the most of his comeback. After a serious battle for his health, Todd has bounced back and his segment was the surprise of the whole film for me. Incredibly well made, with a riveting story crammed into 8 minutes or so. Out of everyone represented I can see perhaps the most artistic growth in this segment. It hits all the right buttons and seems like it could have been at home in Creepshow. Tim Ritter's segment is twisted, gory and the sleaziest of the 3. It tosses what we know about serial killer films on it's head and has a great time doing it. Not as over the top as Killing Spree, but it works hard to entertain. Just make sure the kiddies are in bed.
The segment by Brad Sykes is truly well made and intriguing until the last 5 minutes, and I have to admit, I got lost. I won't give any spoilers, but the end just did not make sense to me and failed to wrap up the story in a cohesive way. There's a segment by Tony Masiello that was inspired by the SOV films of yesterday, even using the names of directors like Sheets, Bookwalter, etc. I enjoyed it very much and you could tell Tony went to some effort to recreate the lighting and overall "vibe" of those early VHS movies. Donald Farmer has done better work than this but it is still amusing... I only wish that nagging girl would have gotten what she deserved. I had never heard much about Marcus Koch or Chris Seaver and their segments were very interesting to me for that reason.
Marcus has a group of people trapped in a garage during what I assume is some kind of alien outbreak or invasion or something and it would work a bit better with a stronger cast, but as it is, I enjoyed it for it's energy and the end is a riot. Chris Seaver created the one segment that I just didn't really grasp. While many in the audience laughed out loud, and one or two jokes even made me chuckle, the feeling I got was that it was a wasted effort. Not much story, it may have all been improvised, and the theme of rape for humor was lost on me and the friends I was with. It also was the least polished of the work on display, with bad sound and camera-work. maybe it was intentional, but it just didn't fit with the rest.
It's a bit uneven, like most anthologies made today, but I sure liked it a hell of a lot better than VHS, VHS 2 and that over-rated ABCs of Death mess. I recommend it for people feeling adventurous, for fans of the glory days of VHS gore and for people looking for a truly independent film experience that doesn't suck!
