It starts to rain and when they finally go to open the door it won't budge. Everything they try fails including smashing a window, it's like the rain won't let them leave.
They settle in and start exchanging messages with their neighbours but nobody has any telephone or Internet service so they've no idea what's going on.
Days turn to weeks and they start to realise there's something in the rain.
CW: embarrassing teen misogynistic language and death by power tools.
When he passes away suddenly and his son Bradley (Dylan O'Brien) takes over this is immediately canned and he gives the role to one of his golf bros in the Sales dept. He needs a "people person".
The company is relying Linda's expertise for a complicated business negotiation so she joins the crowd of executives on the company jet to Thailand. Bradley lured her on board with a 'second chance' at promotion but plans to let her go straight after this.
When the plane ditches and only Linda and an injured Bradley make it to a small tropical island her outdoorsy hobbies and obsession with the TV show Survivor puts her very much in charge.
No good will come of this.
CW: bloody violence, mutilation, bush tucker vileness
He's a bitter man and is trying to come to terms with things through therapy with Dr Kline (Renate Reinsve) but with little success.
The electrics in the store (where he also lives) are weird and when he goes down to check the breakers one night he sees light emanating through an impossibly thin discontinuity in an otherwise plain wall. When he starts looking for the source he literally falls through the wall as if it isn't there.
No good will come of this.
CW: weird as fuck
The young friends moan about work, go to bars and hang out in a standard "rubbish jobs in a boring town" kind of way.
Bear has a crush on the vivacious Nikki but in typical rubbish bloke fashion, can't bring himself to tell her.
One day he buys a novelty gift from a "new age" shop thinking to give it to Nikki. The One Wish Willow claims to give you one true wish if you snap it.
After a fumbled conversation with Nikki that he regrets, Bear snaps the One Wish Willow and asks that it makes her "love him more than anything in the fucking world".
No good will come of this.
CW: bloody violence, gore, mutilation, suicide, generally pitch black
Unable to find what she considers proper work she's signed to produce episodes for a sensationalist "conspiracy" podcast channel but is struggling to come up with material and might lose that job too.
Out of the blue she receives an anonymous email about people who have received strange 'bricks' that have odd effects on their life. Looking into it reveals a decades long pattern she starts to investigate.
No good will come of this.
It's dark and unsettling so they go downstairs, build a pillow/blanket fort and watch old Merry Melodies cartoons on VHS.
Things are not right. Fundamental things like doors and then the toilet simply disappear. There are whispers in the dark.
CW: children in peril, constant flickering lights
Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is less affected but suddenly receives a dream where she speaks to their mother in the past while she was at Camp Alpine Lake, a Christian youth resort in the mountains.
Convinced there are souls trapped there in some way related to The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), perhaps some earlier victims she resolves to sign up as a trainee youth leader there. Reluctantly Finn tags along.
No good will come of this.
CW: violence, suicide, lots of woo
Some while later, three of them are found dead and mutilated in a remote house along with some inconclusive but sinister footage. Main host Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn) and their second camera is never found.
Now twelve years later, Riley's older sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) who has never got over this, is working with a new team of true crime videographers making a documentary in the hope it will keep the search alive.
No good will come of this.
CW: implied sexual assault, suicide and a little violence
First on the agenda their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) followed by local blues legend Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo).
They're in a hurry and want to open that same night.
The previous night something else came to town that also loves music. No good will come of this.
CW: lots of violence and era appropriate racial slurs
This time it's a launch for DNA genealogy startup and the bag contains one of their testing kits. On a whim she submits it and hears back in a few days she's related to a wealthy English family. She meets up with the foppish Oliver (Hugh Skinner) who's been put in touch with her and he invites her to a big family wedding. With nothing much else going on in her life she accepts.
No good will come of this.
CW: mild jump scares and some bloodletting
The causeway offers the islanders protection from the Infected who have roamed the mainland the 28 years since the release of the rage virus and they live a tough if relatively safe pastoral life. European navies maintain strict quarantine: nobody is coming to help them so they must make do with what they have.
The island is small though and regular trips are made to the mainland for firewood and other supplies. Now Jamie has decided it's time for Spike's first trip down the causeway and his first kill.
No good will come of this.
CW: bloody violence
Immediately Indy knows something is wrong: the house is haunted by a dark entity that Indy can see but Todd can't.
CW: jump scares
No good will come of this.
CW: squishy body horror (quelle surprise)
The linking piece, "Diet Phantasma", is fun but a lot of the time I found myself looking at my phone in a "are we there yet" way. The surreal candy based piece "Fun Size" is the only one that's inventive. Partying twentysomethings breaking into the the wrong spooky location in "Ut Supra Sic Infra" is played most serious of the lot, to its benefit, and "Home Haunt" makes the most of the theme but "Coochie Coochie Coo" and "Kidprint" are tiresome as fuck and kind of offensive.
Is not the worst of the V/H/S anthologies but it's close to it 4/10.
Later that night as suddenly The Monkey whirrs into life their babysitter dies in a freak hibachi accident. Hal connects this directly with the death and comes to live in fear of the Monkey, which seems to change location when you're not paying attention. One day he tries to cut it up, only to find it back again.
After relentless bullying both by brother Bill and his classmates Hal turns the key again hoping it will kill his brother.
No good will come of this.
CW: violent bloody deaths of the squishy comedic variety
Now thirty days later with no sign of them angry parents, including Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), want to know just exactly what the now pariah Miss Gandy was teaching in that class.
Both Gandy and the sole remaining student, Alex have been questioned at length and no explanation, motive or connection has come to light.
Miss Gandy decides to try and investigate herself despite the warnings against this from affable Principal Marcus (Benedict Wong)
CW: bloody violence but very sparingly used
The resort is run by the creepy Herr König (Dan Stevens), who offers her a job at the reception which she jumps at thinking she can get some money together and run away.
Some of the resort guests behave oddly and she has a frightening experience with a woman who seems to chase her in the dark, so when a glamorous stranger offers her a ride to Paris she grabs money from the till and leaves.
No good will come of this.
He has expressly registered an interest in their faith and when he invites them in out of the rain, against protocol and their own misgivings they agree.
No good will come of this.
CW: some gore
Soon, Brion (Aaron Paul) arrives from the orbital station to find out why they've gone offline.
No good will come of this.
CW: gore, body horror