V/H/S Viral – Gorgeous Vortex Impressions
Just in time for Fashion Week, the release of the third installment of the V/H/S series walks the Blu-ray runway today, modeling four new installments that move the terror trilogy into the internet age – but another reason to watch is the inclusion of a “hidden track” from Todd Lincoln (The Apparition) entitled “Gorgeous Vortex.” Set in a fashion-forward future, the “hidden track” is revealed inside the chapters of the full feature, adding a layer of discovery to the DVD format, an idea also found in CDs like NIN’s Broken and Jack White’s Ultra LP record Lazaretto.
Lincoln’s phantom entry was always intended to be revealed in this way, making “Gorgeous Vortex” an artsy addition to a kind of VHS: Viral bootleg that Collective Digital Studios and Bloody Disgusting always intended to release. Certainly, for fans of abstract horror and jarring, indelible images, “Gorgeous Vortex” is a welcome addition to the VHS catalogue.
Beginning with static, a kidnapped and bound blonde murmurs for help behind a gag. What follows are stark images of an ominous building and a far away laboratory where real life Victoria’s Secret model Jayden Robinson is taken away to. Told in short blasts of tormented images of various women, there is also a group of faceless minions that seem to oversee the abuse in some sort of futuristic landscape. Some of the most memorable images feature a high-heeled leg sticking out of a traffic barrel on the side of a highway and a moment where Robinson stares at a vending machine filled with designer shoes and beauty products once owned by the victims we see splashed on the screen in murky close-ups.
These grainy images contrast with the overall polished look of “Gorgeous Vortex” and may just appear in order to fit within the VHS theme of the entire series. Who is filming this? It’s a point-of-view aspect that doesn’t really have a place other than to disturb and throw in a Lynchian Lost Highway vibe. The bizarre, monstrous ending does enough, however, to supply some very welcomed head-scratching.
The world of “Gorgeous Vortex” also expands to its titular website, which promises more content soon, and the music featured in the segment by Joseph Bishara, which can be found here.
The vapid models, whether bound and discarded or eerily posed, never speak while they’re on screen, but fortunately, Gorgeous Vortex does all the talking for them.
V/H/S: Viral features segments from directors Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes, Extraterrestrial), Marcel Sarmiento (ABCs of Death segment “D is for Dogfight”), Gregg Bishop (The Other Side, Dance of the Dead, The Birds of Anger), Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Resolution, Spring, Wrecked), along with Todd Lincoln (The Apparition).
Gary Binkow and Brad Miska produced for Collective Digital Studio and Bloody Disgusting, marking their third collaboration with Magnet on the V/H/S films.
Synopsis:
A police chase after a deranged ice cream truck has captivated the attention of the greater Los Angeles area. Dozens of fame—obsessed teens flock to the streets with their video cameras and camera phones, hell—bent on capturing the next viral video. But there is something far more sinister occurring in the streets of L.A. than a simple police chase. A resounding effect is created onto all those obsessed with capturing salacious footage for no other purpose than to amuse or titillate. Soon the discovery becomes that they themselves are the stars of the next video, one where they face their own death.
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