History Film / VHS

* ADogNamedDog: '''SiREN''', reveals Lily is a "Lilith". True to the original filmmakers' intent; despite many viewers' assuptions, she never was intended to be either a succubus or anything from actual mythology.

* Yandere: ''SiREN'' reveals [[spoiler: Lily to be this - she isn't a succubus, doesn't kill through sex, and really doesn't appreciate people trying to kill her mate.]]

* MythologyGag: In SiREN, the SinisterMinister who stumbles upon Lily's summoning refers to the summoners as amateurs.

* FanDisservice: Bare breasts, buttocks, and male and female genitalia. All featured during disturbing pseudo-rape sequences or murders. In particular, there's Lily in "Amateur Night", whom we get to see, fully nude, going down on a guy...[[spoiler:''after'' having turned into a monster]]. [[spoiler:She's actually quite hurt that he's terrified rather than aroused.]] One of the last shots in "Second Honeymoon" is [[spoiler:Stephanie, in her bra, making out with her PsychoLesbian lover... while there is blood all over the latter's hands. ''Sam's'' blood]].

In 2016, a feature length film based on the concept introduced in "Amateur Night", ''SiREN'', was released, with Hannah Fierman [[RoleReprisal reprising her role]] as [[ADayInTheLimelight Lily]].

A group of hoodlums are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape. Upon arriving, they discover the dead body of the owner and stacks of videotapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vhs-poster_510_3635.jpg]]'''''V/H/S''''' is a 2012 FoundFootage {{anthology}} film directed by Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn [=McQuaid=], Joe Swanberg, and Radio Silence.

* CameraAbuse: [[spoiler:Every story ends with the camera operator murdered, and in a few the camera definitely gets destroyed (leading one to wonder how the old man got the tapes). In "Tuesday the 17th" a splash of blood ends up on the camera and remains there for the rest of the segment.]]

* DullSurprise: James in "The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger". Justified due to the fact that [[spoiler:he's in league with the aliens.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:James from "The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger" who prevents the children from killing Emily. Possibly subverted in that he may have been doing it for the sake of avoiding unnecessary police attention. But he does show a degree of care for her.]]

* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Last we see of Clint from "Amateur Night", poor guys being carried off somewhere by Lily, screaming the entire time.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In "Second Honeymoon", Stephanie and Sam use an electronic fortune-telling machine, and by the end of the segment, both of their fortunes come true in a twisted way: [[spoiler: Sam gets a fortune about someone close to him not being trustworthy, and ends up betrayed and murdered by his wife. Stephanie gets one about having a happy reunion with someone, and she and her girlfriend leave together as {{Karma Houdini}}s]]
** The main characters in "10/31/98" have to stop at a railroad crossing on the way to the party. On the return trip, [[spoiler:the possessed woman they tried to rescue makes the car stall in the middle of the same railroad crossing, causing them to be hit by the oncoming train.]]
*** They also tease one another about [[spoiler:people reaching out of the walls]] when they start to explore the house, and the guy dressed as a teddy bear nanny-cam finds the same torn-up teddy bear in two different rooms.
** The dead pig found by the characters in "Tuesday the 17th" [[spoiler:has its intestine draped over the ground, just like what happens to Wendy at the end]].
*** [[spoiler: Wendy's comment that the Glitch could be in two places at once. A few minutes later, she succeeds in killing the Glitch... only to be attacked and killed by a second Glitch a few moments later.]]
*** Samantha's offer to show Spider "something really disgusting" is this considering [[spoiler: the Glitch throws a knife through the back of her head moments later]], bordering on TemptingFate.

* FreezeFrameBonus: In "Amateur Night", right as Clint approaches Lily and Shane to talk Shane out of having sex with her, [[spoiler: there are two long bruises on either side of her spine, foreshadowing her wings coming out at the end to carry Clint off]].
** There are also a number of ''very'' brief glimpses of her following them into the club, then eying Clint from afar before she approaches him. And after they arrive at the hotel room, it's shown twice that [[spoiler: her tongue is ''black'' - once when she licks Clint's cheek, and the second when she roars at Patrick's attempt to interrupt her]].

* InterfaceScrew: Strongest in "Tuesday the 17th" as the killer's presence always makes the picture begin to break up, but ultimately used in all of them since non-professional footage almost always includes lag, freezing and pixelization. Noticeable as well in "The Sick Thing that Happened to Emily When She Was Younger" as they're using video chat, which is notorious for "cubing out". So naturally, it happens to Emily's image a couple of times.
** As one reviewer pointed out, the directors used this to their advantage by timing (probable) cuts with when the cassetes glitch, making it far more seamless than it otherwise would be.

* TheLoinsSleepTonight: A completely justified version in "Amateur Night", since [[spoiler: Clint's left arm ''just'' suffered a compound fracture while trying to flee from Lily, who tries to initiate a blowjob while coated in the blood of his friends]].
** [[spoiler: To make no mention of those rows of sharp teeth that could snip his member in a blink, among other [[BodyHorror body horrors]]]].

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler: In "10/31/98" the four main characters interrupt an exorcism and "save" the possessed girl, allowing her to go free and kill them all.]]
** Given that [[spoiler: they came upon 4 men chanting something weird, surrounding a chained-up girl while one of them held a knife]], conclusion-jumping is pretty understandable.

* NoNameGiven: The killer in "Tuesday the 17th", referred to in the credits simply as, "[[CameraScrew The Glitch]]".
** Similarly, the [[spoiler:aliens]] in "The Sick Thing That Happened To Emily When She Was Younger".
* NothingIsScarier: Invoked here and there, but really, much of what happens has no explanation, or very sparse. Even in "Tape 56" the thugs aren't sure what they're looking for, or whose house this is. It's implied they don't even know who hired them. And we have no idea how or why [[spoiler:the dead old man comes BackFromTheDead]].

* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sober Man]]: In "Amateur Night", Clint is the only one who notices something's... off with Lily. Quite ironic given that he's ''also'' the one she's most interested in.

* [[spoiler: AlienAbduction]]: Strongly implied to be the cause of the events in "The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger", coupled with [[spoiler: FaceFullOfAlienWingWong, given that James removes what looks to be a fetus from Emily's torso, just below the ribs]].

* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead]]: The dead man found by the group in "Tape 56", though we don't learn how.

* [[spoiler: FakingTheDead: The old man in "Tape 56" constantly disappears from his seat, only to show up in the same spot after disposing of the body of whoever was left alone with him]].

* [[spoiler:PsychoLesbian]]: The "twist" of "Second Honeymoon" is that [[spoiler:the stalker and the wife are in fact lovers who plotted to murder the latter's husband.]]

* CryForTheDevil: A more literal example than most, as it seems [[spoiler: that Lily, a succubus in disguise, was quite sincere about liking Clint, and actually seems to be ''suppressing'' her tendencies to pair up with him. Then Lisa passes out, and Lily gives into her tendencies when Shane presses the issue]]. The portion in the stairwell is what underscores this most.

* HornyDevils: Lily, the girl from "Amateur Night", is a succubus-type creature.

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Wendy from "Tuesday the 17th" gets gutted by the killer after manipulating her friends into coming up to the mountain as bait to try and capture him.]] "Amateur Night" ends with [[spoiler:two of the guys killed by Lily and one being carried away by her; it's vague what happens to him afterward, but you know it isn't going to be pleasant.]]

** To make no mention of those rows of sharp teeth that could snip his member in a blink, among other [[BodyHorror body horrors]].
* MeaningfulName: Lily from "Amateur Night" has a name that sounds similar to (and is sometimes used as a diminutive form of) Lilith, which happens to be the name of a mythological succubus.

* TwistedAnkle: In a surprising [[JustForPun twist]], it happens twice to ''male'' horror movie protagonists. Both [[spoiler: Clint in "Amateur Night" and Gary in "Tape 56"]] took a tumble down the stairs running away from the villain in their respective segments.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: The first thing [[spoiler:Lily]] does before she [[spoiler:goes on a rampage and abducts Clint to do who knows what to him]]? Sit in a corner and ''cry'' because he's not attracted to her. You almost forget that she's [[spoiler:evil]], at least until her sobs turn into [[spoiler:demonic growls]]...

A sequel titled ''[[{{Film/VHS2}} V/H/S/2 ]]'' was made in 2013, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. It features shorts from Gareth Evans & Timo Tjahjanto, Eduardo Sanchez & Gregg Hale, Jason Eisener, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett. Watch the teaser trailer [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38OOLoymvYQ here.]] A second sequel entitled [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3704538/?ref_=nv_sr_3 V/H/S: Viral]] is scheduled for release October 23, 2014.

** To make no mention of those rows of sharp teeth that could snip his member in a blink, among other [[BodyHorror body horros]].

** To make no mention of those rows of sharp teeth that could snip his member in a blink, among other BodyHorrors.

* CrapsackWorld: If indeed all the tapes, including the ones from the sequel(s?) take place in the same world then everybody is screwed. You have malevolent [[spoiler:aliens]], ghosts, monster/ghost/demons that look like digital glitches, succubus, an insane cult that brought a rampaging demon into the world and what looks like a ZombieApocalypse, an evil corporation (or at least a neglectful one), and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking psycho lesbians.]]

* LetsSplitUpGang: While it's mostly averted, the protagonists in "Tape 56" fall into this with predictable results.

A sequel titled ''[[{{Film/VHS2}} V/H/S/2 ]]'' was made in 2013, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. It features shorts from Gareth Evans & Timo Tjahjanto, Eduardo Sanchez & Gregg Hale, Jason Eisener, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett. Watch the teaser trailer [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38OOLoymvYQ here.]]

* OhCrap: Wendy in "Tuesday The 17th" when she realizes [[spoiler:the Glitch has used OffscreenTeleportation to escape her carefully constructed trap]].