Sundance filmgoer faints at midnight screening of horror anthology V/H/S

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

This news brief is meant more to admire than inform…take note.

During a midnight screening at Sundance last night, a movie patron apparently fainted upon sight of the first grisly sequence in V/H/S…the new anthological horror yarn from directors Ti West, Adam Wingard, David Bruckner and Glenn McQuaid. Embarrassed, the man was averse to leaving the premise once awoken, but with his girlfriend’s pleads, took some time out before coming back to meet the directors. Word is another audience member was treated for nausea some 20 minutes later.

Given any other genre, this would not be a good sign. But with IFC Midnight snatching up THE INCIDENT at Toronto last year…minutes after two audience members passed out…the effect could actually prove beneficial to the sale of the title. No deal for V/H/S/ has been struck yet, but I’m willing to bet distribution is found before the festival ends. Just a hunch.

In case you’ve forgotten: V/H/S is about a group of misfits hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house to acquire a rare VHS tape, and discover more found footage than they bargained for.

V/H/S star Jas Sams