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VHS: Very Historic Subject or the Golden Days Gone for a Horror Enthusiest

So, remember this one contraption, which completely changed the face of cinema, by giving it a face lift and eventual competition, or even to some filmmakers, a way to gain a cult following and garnish themselves true masters of their trade?

These things were called Videocassette Recorders: mply place a plastic cassette, complete with film and, depending on what you're watching, grandiose images of your worst nightmare, and push the button with the arrow pointing east.

From there you can t comfortably in your own home, without the discomfort of ever... having... to leave... again...



There is something so primitive about have to rewind the masterpieces and pieces of shit we just watched that I almost forgot the convenience of not having to.

I miss having to buy a commentary on its own separate VHS tape.

I miss the bulkiness of the VHS tape, the need for more space at my local video store.

And to prepare for another topic of interest, I miss video stores!!Oh and by the way, for those unaware, this is what a VCR looks like...



It's strange, right when all the special edition, double VHS movies were being released, and commentaries aslo, DVDs began to pop up.

It took me a long time to really want to catch on to the movement of the DVD, and though I'm very glad and anticipate all of the special features that accompany films, I really miss the mplicity of watching a movie, rewinding, and then moving on...

I own that VHS edition of Halloween. It got it as a Christmas present in the late 90s. # 29477/40000. The case is sadly a little worn because it spent some time lost in a basement, but now it ts on a shelf displayed in my living room. If I were to sell it on Amazon, which I'm not, I would describe it as "Used - Very Good". I still have everything that came in it, right down the the tiny dab of rubber cement keeping the keychain stuck to the inner spine. Before the age of DVD, this special edition was pretty terrific.

Nice little feature in retrospect of a dearly missed medium. I, as well, miss the local video stores stocked with rows upon rows of titles and cover art that we just don't see anymore (mainly speaking of the horror genre of course). It was also pretty scarce to find a title with an "uncut" veron, which nowadays comes standard on almost every DVD release.

I'm still rockin' out the VCR on the top shelf of my entertainment center, although the picture quality on a plasma doesn't grab the grittiness like it did with the bulky tube tv's. We may not be able to slow down the advancements of technology, but that doesn't mean we can't still hold on to the essence of the good old days!

I parted with the majority of my VHS collection 2-3years ago it broke my heart £1000s spent collecting all those hard to find horror movies but I couldn't part with the most important part the sleeves where my true love of VHS was in the misleading art. I miss poking around strange backstreet video shops hunting for illuve films and then the actual happiness of finding a gem I haven't felt that nce I got a DVD player to me the experience of films has been watered down with DVDs and completly washed out nce I got the internet. I miss the old ways as a kid I dreamed of working in a video shop, sad I know but to me VHS had character and wasn't just a movie on a disc. By the way I couldn't part with my entire collection and still have some favourites and a few very early unrated VHS

Ti West's House of the Devil saw an amazing VHS release just a few years ago, complete with big plastic case, worn artwork, and a even the little "NEW RELEASE" logo on the cover. The back had no artwork, just a description and a warning. And you know what THAT always meant. ;)

I also own one of these. It was a great release.

I miss my copy of the special edition. I gave it away in my attempt to be a non-materialist. It would be nice to have now just to watch the added scenes.

Oh man!

it was a great time when we bought a VCR and hired several horror movies..I remember that I've seen Poltergeist 2 and 3, but had never seen the first one, because our videostore didn't have that one in there store..so eventually I became member of another videostore that did have Poltergeist and also Friday the 13th part 7 and Halloween 4. I used to love the cover art of the videoboxes..I drew the covers in a big drawingbook. I remember drawing the covers of Poltergeist, Parate, Halloween 4 and 5 and Jaws 3D. I still have a ( working) VCR and also all the videocassettes I collected way back when..even movies recorded off the televion ( Jaws The Revenge with alternate ending, Halloween II, The Dentist, Jason Takes manhattan ( the cut veron) Child's Play 2 and 3, wich we could copy with another VCR next to it. It was great to see the kind of grindhouse feeling when watching a video. That same feeling , to me, was what made Friday the 13th such a great movie..as with DVD's, it's sad that that feeling can not be remade or recaptured. But hey, that's what made the 80's and 90's very special for me. I'm very happy that DVD's have bonus features and commentary tracks. And one more thing...the video cover art still is much prettier than what DVD re-issues made of them. Friday the 13th cover art was much cooler and luring than the DVD veron have...alot of that stuff is not carefully put together..I think alot of people here can agree with me on that one.

Once again this is a nice topic, wich makes us think back at our roots as horrorfans and falling in love with it, all over again. I Love Horror!!!

Another thing I love is that now as an adult living in the age if DVD, Internet, and reissues, I can discover movies that I know only through VHS cover art. Didn't your video store have a few movies that you never rented, but you never forgot their covers? Sometimes I'll watch a movie on DVD or Netflix or something, and it's not until I see the original cover art that I realize it's a movie that I stared at for years a child, but for some reason never rented.

Yes, that film for me is 976-Evil.

For me it's Viting Hours, Demons, and Zombi 2.

Funny. I still have a VHS player. These things might become worthy antiques some day.

What is it, twenty years after something stops being made its a clasc? Or does just pertain to cars?

How many times did I watch and rewind STAR WARS as a kid, oohh man.... The first time I saw Halloween was in a darkened basement at a friend's house, on a nice new VHS, that day I was sold forever, slashers became my life. There's something about the old VIDEO rental that just doesn't ring true for dvd. I miss those old bulky, low definiton blocks of movie entertainment. though I don't miss all the damn rewinding, and the endless previews, although in some way I miss those too

Rewind! hahaha, yeah that was not always done when we rented a video.

As for the memories of video covers..I always stared at the box of Dark Tower..it was creepy but i still have never seen it. There was also a video cover of Jason goes to Hell, wich i only could hold in my hand, nce it was forbidden to hire horrormovies for a long time..I had a very bad experience at different schools, by classmates who really made my life a living hell, I had to be comitted at a children psychward for 3 years, because i was long it, and wanted to kill my classmates. Jason goes to Hell was the last Friday for that period to come out, but 5 years later I was ok, and hired both JGTH and Halloween VI....just wanted to share this little bit of information

Oh, another cover I remember is Re-animator 2. I watched it recently and did not like it one bit.