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V/H/S/2 (2013) movie poster

Timeline

V/H/S/2 (2013) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2013 · 96 min · English
JustWatch #7,183 11
Directed by
Gareth Evans, Timo Tjahjanto, Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener, Eduardo Sánchez, Gregg Hale
Starring
Hannah Al Rashid, Adam Wingard, Fachry Albar, Hannah Hughes, Kelsy Abbott, Samantha Gracie

A couple discovers a collection of disturbing VHS tapes, each containing a separate and increasingly terrifying story. As they explore the tapes, they find themselves drawn into a series of gruesome events and unsettling narratives, all while searching for answers about a missing person and the origins of the tapes themselves.

Thriller Horror Cast, crew & box office
On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (14)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like V/H/S/2
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch V/H/S/2 (2013)

Where can you watch V/H/S/2? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on fuboTV, Philo and Hoopla: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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14 events in order · contains spoilers

V/H/S/2 Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of V/H/S/2 (2013) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Investigation Begins

    Private investigators Larry and Ayesha start their investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a young male college student. They enter his house and are struck by an unusual collection of television sets and VHS tapes.

    Where
    College Student's House

  2. Discovery of Tapes

    While exploring the house, they come across a laptop recording video footage in real time. Intrigued, Larry tells Ayesha to start watching the tapes, which he warns must be viewed in a particular order to have an effect.

    Where
    College Student's House

  3. First Tape: Phase I Clinical Trials

    Ayesha views the first tape, titled 'Phase I Clinical Trials,' which raises her suspicion about its authenticity. The story unfolds with a patient experiencing terrifying visions after a severe accident, signifying a descent into madness.

  4. Ayesha's Disturbance

    After watching another tape called 'A Ride in the Park,' Ayesha begins to feel unwell, experiencing a nosebleed and a terrible migraine. She requests that Larry fetch her medicine before watching the following tape, 'Safe Haven.'

    Where
    College Student's House

  5. A Terrifying Discovery

    When Larry returns, he is met with a horrific sight: Ayesha lies lifeless on the floor with a tape labeled 'WATCH' smeared in lipstick next to her. This shocking scene leads Larry to watch the tape and uncover a chilling truth.

    Where
    College Student's House

  6. Chilling Revelation

    The tape reveals the student discussing how the tapes manipulate the viewer's mind before taking his own life with a gun. Just when Larry thinks he has escaped the horror, the boy's corpse appears to come back to life and escape.

    Where
    College Student's House

  7. Ayesha's Transformation

    Ayesha suddenly revives in a grotesque undead form and attacks Larry. He must fight for his survival, leading to a frantic confrontation as he struggles against her monstrous nature.

    Where
    College Student's House

  8. Desperate Measures

    In a moment of despair, Larry manages to break Ayesha's neck in a final act of defense. However, his relief is short-lived, as he must continue to flee from the horrors within the house.

    Where
    College Student's House

  9. The Final Showdown

    As Larry escapes with the camera, he encounters the undead college student, which leads to a chilling climax. The struggle between life and death culminates in Larry's tragic demise.

    Where
    College Student's House

  10. Phase I Clinical Trials Visuals

    The first tape, 'Phase I Clinical Trials,' contains gripping visuals of a patient monitored by an experimental doctor. The reel showcases the fragility of sanity as the patient faces horrifying visions in the safety of his home.

  11. A Ride in the Park

    The second tape takes the audience on a frantic journey through a zombie apocalypse seen through the eyes of a cyclist. His well-meant attempts to assist a wounded woman lead to catastrophic consequences, showcasing sheer terror.

  12. Safe Haven

    The 'Safe Haven' tape unveils a sinister cult in Indonesia, conducting gruesome rituals and leading to demonic births. The chaos leaves behind a haunting image as only one man survives the horrific events.

    Where
    Indonesia

  13. Slumber Party Alien Abduction

    The final tape, 'Slumber Party Alien Abduction,' presents a seemingly innocent sleepover that swiftly turns into a terrifying encounter with extraterrestrial beings. The boys' attempts to escape end in tragedy, amplifying the fear of the unknown.

  14. Interconnected Horror

    Throughout these tapes, a tapestry of fear emerges, highlighting the interconnected narratives where each tale contributes to the overarching horror. The psychological impact leaves viewers questioning the limits of reality.

Last updated: November 03, 2024 at 15:11

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Timeline questions answered

V/H/S/2 Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of V/H/S/2 (2013): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why do the VHS tapes affect the people who watch them?

The tapes are described as having a specific order that must be followed 'to affect you.' When Ayesha watches them in sequence, she experiences physical symptoms like nosebleeds and migraines, ultimately dying and returning as an undead creature. The tape watched after Ayesha's death reveals that the student discovered the tapes manipulate the viewer's mind, which is why they have such a powerful psychological and physical impact on anyone who watches them.

Foreshadowing: The student warns that the tapes must be watched in the proper order before Ayesha begins viewing them.

  • vhs tapes
  • mind control
  • psychological horror
  • tape order
  • viewer effects
Q2

How does Ayesha become undead after watching the tapes?

After Ayesha watches multiple tapes, including 'Safe Haven,' she dies on the floor with a tape labeled 'WATCH' smeared in lipstick next to her. She then revives in a grotesque undead form and attacks Larry. The exact mechanism isn't fully explained, but it appears the tapes have a corrupting effect on viewers that continues even after death, turning them into hostile undead creatures.

Foreshadowing: Ayesha begins experiencing physical symptoms, nosebleeds and migraines, after watching the second tape, indicating the tapes are affecting her body and mind.

  • ayesha
  • undead
  • transformation
  • death
  • corpse reanimation
Q3

Why does the college student kill himself in the recording?

The laptop recording shows the college student discussing how the tapes manipulate the mind. He then dramatically takes his own life with a revolver. The tape suggests he either couldn't withstand the psychological effects of the tapes or chose to end his life to prevent further spread of the corrupted recordings. After his death, his corpse comes back to life with a disfigured lower jaw and escapes the room.

  • college student
  • suicide
  • recording
  • laptop
  • tape manipulation
Q4

What happens in the Phase I Clinical Trials tape?

This tape follows a patient who experiences terrifying visions after a severe accident. A doctor monitors the patient through a camera installed in his eye in an experimental setting. The man begins feeling a presence in his home, leading to a terrifying confrontation that reveals the fragility of sanity and reality. It represents a descent into madness triggered by the experimental procedure.

  • phase i clinical trials
  • patient
  • doctor
  • visions
  • experimental camera
Q5

What happens in A Ride in the Park tape?

A Ride in the Park shows a frantic ride through a zombie apocalypse via a GoPro attached to a cyclist's helmet. The cyclist attempts to help a bloodied woman, but this act sparks a catastrophic chain of events. His good intention leads to horrific consequences, turning what seems like a rescue attempt into a nightmare of gore and terror.

  • a ride in the park
  • cyclist
  • zombie apocalypse
  • go pro
  • bloodied woman
Q6

What happens in the Safe Haven tape?

Safe Haven takes place in Indonesia and reveals a sinister cult performing terrifying rituals. The rituals lead to demonic births and extreme chaos. The tape shows a gruesome outcome where only one man survives against a backdrop of chilling consequences, highlighting the cult's demonic activities and their deadly results.

  • safe haven
  • indonesia
  • cult
  • demonic births
  • rituals
  • survivor
Q7

What happens in Slumber Party Alien Abduction?

This tape shows a group of boys having a sleepover with their dog when extraterrestrial beings, known as 'greys', arrive. What begins as a whimsical encounter quickly turns into a terrifying extraterrestrial nightmare. The boys' attempts to escape result in tragic losses, with fatal encounters with the alien beings and haunting imagery of the unknown.

  • slumber party alien abduction
  • sleepover
  • boys
  • dog
  • greys
  • aliens
  • extraterrestrial
Q8

What happens to Larry at the end of the movie?

After Larry breaks Ayesha's neck to stop her undead attack, he flees with the camera through the house. He then encounters the undead college student, whose corpse came back to life with a disfigured lower jaw. The confrontation leads to Larry's tragic demise, making him the final victim of the house's horrors. Both protagonists ultimately die within the frame story.

Foreshadowing: The student's corpse comes back to life and escapes after Larry watches the final tape.

  • larry
  • death
  • final showdown
  • undead student
  • investigator fate
Q9

Why is it important to watch the VHS tapes in order?

Larry explicitly warns Ayesha that the tapes must be watched in the proper order 'to affect you.' This suggests the tapes are designed as a sequence where each tape builds upon the psychological effects of the previous one. Watching them out of order either diminishes their impact or prevents the intended manipulation of the viewer's mind.

Foreshadowing: The student left a warning about the tape order before disappearing.

  • tape order
  • sequence
  • warning
  • proper order
  • psychological effect
Q10

What happened to the missing college student?

The investigators discover the college student through his laptop recording. He had become obsessed with the VHS tapes and their mind-manipulating properties. After explaining how the tapes work on the recording, he takes his own life with a revolver. His body then reanimates as an undead creature with a disfigured jaw, escaping the room, explaining his disappearance but raising more horrifying questions.

  • missing student
  • disappearance
  • college student
  • laptop recording
  • reanimation

Movie threads

More Movies Like V/H/S/2, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes V/H/S/2 tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Found Footage Horror Anthologies like V/H/S/2

A collection of terrifying short stories connected by a sinister frame narrative. If you liked the segmented horror and found footage style of V/H/S/2, explore more movies like it. This section features similar horror anthologies and portmanteau films where multiple terrifying stories are linked together, often with a grim overarching plot.

  • anthology
  • disjointed
  • sinister
  • visceral
  • chaotic
  • gruesome
  • Tone: dark, unsettling
  • Pacing: variable, fast segments
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative structure is defined by its anthology format: a series of self-contained horror segments are discovered or presented within a larger, connecting storyline. The frame narrative often provides context or evolves into a horror story itself, while the individual segments explore distinct subgenres, from supernatural hauntings to gruesome creature features.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their unique structural approach to horror, offering a sampler of fears rather than a single narrative. They share a commitment to practical scares, varied pacing, and a meta-textual element where the act of watching or discovering the stories is part of the horror.

V/H/S movie poster

V/H/S

2012
V/H/S/99 movie poster

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V/H/S/Beyond movie poster

V/H/S/Beyond

2024
V/H/S/2 movie poster

V/H/S/2

2013
V/H/S/94 movie poster

V/H/S/94

2021
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V/H/S/85

2023
Terror in the Aisles movie poster

Terror in the Aisles

1984
All Hallows’ Eve movie poster

All Hallows’ Eve

2013

Reality-Breaking Psychological Horror Movies like V/H/S/2

Stories where perception shatters and the world becomes a hostile, unreliable nightmare. For viewers who enjoyed the psychological torment and reality-shattering terror in V/H/S/2. This thread collects movies with similar themes of alien abduction, demonic influence, and psychological collapse, where the very fabric of reality is the threat.

  • psychological
  • paranoid
  • disturbing
  • visceral
  • unreliable
  • cosmic horror
  • Tone: dark, paranoid, bleak
  • Pacing: variable, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows characters confronting phenomena that defy logical explanation, leading to a breakdown of their mental state and perception of the world. The conflict is often against intangible forces—demonic, alien, or psychological—that corrupt reality itself, creating a sense of profound paranoia and inescapable dread.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their focus on existential and psychological terror over simple physical threats. They share a bleak tone, high intensity, and themes that challenge the viewer's sense of safety and sanity, often using disorienting visuals and narratives to immerse the audience in the characters' horrific experiences.

Darkening Sky movie poster

Darkening Sky

2011
Alien Abduction movie poster

Alien Abduction

2014
Brain Dead movie poster

Brain Dead

1990
The Attic Expeditions movie poster

The Attic Expeditions

2001
Ghost Stories movie poster

Ghost Stories

2018
Night Skies movie poster

Night Skies

2007
Paranormal Xperience movie poster

Paranormal Xperience

2011
The Broken movie poster

The Broken

2008

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Every angle

V/H/S/2 (2013) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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