"The Death of VHS, The Birth of VHS Collecting"

Despite what naysayers might say, the VHS is not dead.  Despite the fact that you cannot buy newer films on VHS (although this is changing), the VHS is not dead.  You may not be able to walk into your local Walmart or Best Buy and pick up a VCR player (you’ll have to go to Ebay or Amazon for that) but the VHS is still not as dead as say the LaserDisc or HD DVD.  In fact, since the DVD and Bluray Disc have taken over the mainstream market the VHS has thrived in the collector and secondary markets.  The reason for this is that despite the fact that there are hundreds of films released every year on DVD and BD, most of these are contemporary films leaving many of the films from earlier cinema days left unreleased except for on VHS.

I came across this discrepancy of unreleased older films by way of the Horror Hound magazine column “The Video Invasion: Remembering the VHS Boom!” and Fangoria magazine’s column “Dead Format” not to mention the magazine Video WatchDog which focuses a huge portion of its pages on classic films just finally reaching DVD and BD.  I was never one for keeping my VHS collection once I became 100% immersed in DVD (and now BD) so I sold my over 500 tape collection for pennies.  Boy did I make a mistake.

A little background on the secondary VHS market.  There are two types of collectors for the VHS secondary market.  The first type collect films that have yet to be released to DVD or BD (which includes, at this time of writing, the comedies BIG SHOTS and PARAMEDICS and the horror films HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and POPCORN, to name a few).  Many of these films have no foreseeable release date on either DVD or BD so a VHS copy is the only one that is available.  The second type of collector is one that collects special editions of films such as the much coveted “Clamshell” and “Big Box” films (so-called because the box was larger than the average VHS release to give it more prominence on the video store shelf) or the rare film released as Letterbox/Widescreen on VHS (a rare feat left mostly for high profile studio films).  Needless to say that there are still a lot of films on VHS that have yet to be released on DVD or BD which makes collecting them on VHS the only alternative.  It should also be noted that films which have received limited release on DVD & BD have also been huge collectable items on the VHS market (such as WATCHERS and FRIGHT NIGHT PART 2 and MAID TO ORDER and SPACE RAIDERS, to name a few) because their DVDs can claim a price tag of $50 to $100 on the secondary market.

Seeing that some of my favorite films may never make it to DVD or BD any time soon I’ve decided to go into VHS collecting but my goal is to get films that I can’t find on VHS (or refuse to pay $50 to $100 for the DVD version).  My first purchase was the great crime thriller AMSTERDAMNED (1988) which is still an excellent thriller that has yet to see DVD release.  I must make a confession.  This wasn’t the first VHS film in my collection.  That honor goes to my special edition version of the 1933 KING KONG (because the box “roars” when you press a button on King Kong and the button still works after all these years) and my Anchor Bay special digitally remastered edition or HORROR HOTEL (two of my all time favorite classic films).  I quickly added VHS copies of Alex De La Iglesia’s THE DAY OF THE BEAST (1995), of which I now own an import DVD version, and Volume 1 of THE FEARMAKERS (2007) series.  These are minor editions to my VHS collecting but I do have the “bug” now.

I’ve got a huge appreciation for classic and foreign films (which is not surprising that THE DAY OF THE BEAST and AMSTERDAMNED being among my first acquisitions) and since there are only so many films I can purchase on import DVD I’ve decided to go to the next best thing which is the VHS.  I’ve already made purchases of the films TRANSMUTATIONS (1985), which is inspired by a story by Clive Barker, THE GUARDIAN (1990), a film that is OOP on DVD and expensive on the secondary market, HORRIBLE HORROR: THE BEST & WORST HORROR & SCI-FI (1986) (hosted by Zacherley), STEPHEN KING’S WORLD OF HORROR (1986), and THE KISS (1988).    Some other films that I hope to get on VHS soon include RAWHEAD REX(1986), also based on a Clive Barker story and OOP on DVD, BIG SHOTS (1987), THE TOMB (1986), WATCHERS I & II (1988 & 1990, respectfully), PARAMEDICS (1988), WILLARD (1971) and its sequel BEN (1972), THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS (1996), and SLAUGHTERHOUSE ROCK (1988), to name a few.

I find looking for older films on VHS an interesting hobby especially in regards to films I remember growing up with which are unavailable to own on DVD or BD.  Finding them on Ebay or Amazon can be expensive but I’ve now taken to finding them in “used” book stores which still carry VHS tapes and are much cheaper than on the web (since these places don’t know the goldmine that they are sitting on).

To give you an idea of how much these films on VHS can run I will go through a few of some of the ones I am looking to someday purchase (unless of course they make it to DVD or BD first).  Prices range depending on condition on VHS and box:

*RAWHEAD REX - VHS -$9-90; DVD (OOP) - $50-90

*BIG SHOTS – VHS - $12-$50; DVD – (Warner Bros. Archive only) - $25-30

*FRIGHT NIGHT PART 2 – VHS - $9-$50; DVD (OOP) - $40-$125

*SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT PART 1 - VHS - $30-$90; DVD (OOP) - $19-$120

*SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT PART II – VHS - $12-$100; DVD (OOP/Only Available with Part 1) - $40-$130

*WATCHERS - VHS - $9-$30; DVD (OOP/sold with Part II) - $35-$120

*WILLARD – VHS - $14-$75; DVD – NO OFFICIAL RELEASE

*BEN - VHS - $14-$80; DVD – NO OFFICIAL RELEASE

*William Friedkin’s THE GUARDIAN (1990) – VHS -$9-$30; DVD (OOP) - $30-40

Now, none of this may convince you to go out there right now and start collecting VHS tapes but I do hope that you come to realize that there are many films which have yet to see DVD and BD and even if they have (such as FRIGHT NIGHT PART 2 and SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT) sometimes they are too expensive for the casual buyer.  A VHS copy is an alternative.  And even if you only want to know more about the business of VHS collecting the articles in Horror Hound and Fangoria are a good starting point (as most of the more expensive VHS tapes are cult horror films or obscure comedies and genre films). 

Despite the fact that there are many older films being released yearly (as studios are now beginning to understand that there is an audience for the more obscure films) for the first time on DVD and BD there is no harm in continuing to build (or start) your own VHS collection like I have.  Eventually, I hope that all films will be made available on DVD or BD (such as the cult films INTRUDER and TWINS OF EVIL making their simultaneous BD/DVD combo début, the former as a “Director’s Cut”).  I don’t really foresee all of my choice films making their DVD or BD début any time soon (a good time for WILLARD and BEN would have been when the remake was released several years ago) nor do I see a huge demand for the re-release of OOP DVDs (such as FRIGHT NIGHT PART 2 or WATCHERS) but we can dream and until that dream comes true I’ll still have my VHS copy.

Film Review: HORRIBLE HORROR Hosted By Zacherley

If you like horror show hosts than the name Zacherley will mean something to you.  I’ve known of Zacherley for many years but had never actually seen him at work until now with the feature Horrible Horror.  The film is a best & worst of clips anthology depicting scenes from approximately fifty classic films.

Zacherley is an old and wise…man who lives in a crypt with his faithful assistant Igor (whom you always hear but never see) but at the beginning of the film Zacherley is being forced to abandon his crypt but he wants to leave his audience by showing them clips from a few of his most trusted friends (both good and bad).  The film is not only filled with clips from films but also trailers.    

For a “clips” movie the real treat is when Zacherley interrupts with his “puns” and “witticisms” which is why anyone would even bother with these types of films.  Zacherley doesn’t just comment on the films but he entertains you (more so than the clips from the films that you are shown).  Therein is the only good thing about the film.  The clips that he’s decided to show border on being so obscure that even the most seasoned horror and sci-fi fan may not have even seen them.  I sure didn’t and the fact that there are no indicators from which film the clips came from makes keeping up with the film a tad hard.

Directed by David Bergman the film is best when it focuses on Zacherley and a more organized arrangement of the clips would have been helpful.  Modern audiences will probably see the film as badly dated but those with an appreciation for horror show hosts will find this an unexpected find.

Film Review: Stephen King’s WORLD OF HORROR

This 45 minute special on Stephen King, one of the most famous horror novelist whose countless stories have been adapted to film, is sparse on its overall impact on the films on the writer himself while it focuses on the films which have had the most provide impact on the way in which he sees horror.  Stephen King’s World of Horror doesn’t exactly delve into the many films that have been made from the author’s many stories but instead focuses mostly on two of the most famous short films made from his works which is “Boogie Man” and “The Woman in the Room.”  Neither film is of any great importance other than the later having been written and directed by future King film specialist Frank Darabont (who adapted King’s The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist).

The film contains several people of note in the horror genre such as Tom Savini, John Carpenter, and Clive Barker, among many others but other than some cursory remarks about King’s work these interviews really just focus on the horror genre in general and not King’s influence on the genre.  A good portion of the second act of the film has to do with this approach before returning focus to King himself.

The film suffers from the fact that it never talks about the films most famous from his work such as Carrie, Cujo, Firestarter, Creepshow (despite the fact that Savini does mention King’s starring role in the film) or even his own directorial efforts on Maximum Overdrive.   The film is at its strongest when King is speaking but loses its punch when others take the focus away from King and his films (and this is supposed to be a film about the world of Stephen King).  This being said, the film actually has very little to offer in the way of introducing the films of King to any audience much less King’s other work.  The film is simply a way in which audiences get to hear a few stories from King’s own mouth.  The film has very little to offer audiences who aren’t already King fans.

Film Review: THE GUARDIAN (1990)

Few of director William Friedkin’s films are as infamous as his adaption of Dan Greenburg’s novel The Nanny which became his film The Guardian (1990).  Like Friedkin’s most famous film The Exorcist, The Guardian delves into parental responsibility in a modern world where both parents work outside the home and find themselves relying on a nanny to help manage their home and take care of their newborn child. 

Dwier Brown and Carey Lowell play the parents of a newborn child who hire Camilla (Jenny Seagrove) to take care of their child when they are away. Everything seems to be normal but the husband soon notices small peculiarities with Camilla and her growing attachment to his child.  It’s not long before the couple begin to realize that Camilla is keeping secrets and has some very nefarious plans for their child when he has reached the right age.

Friedkin’s film is polished and suspenseful and very effective it’s first two thirds but tends to fall apart during the last third of the film when it is revealed that Camilla is a druid who sacrifices newborns to her God that lives within a tree in a forest.  The concept is questionable and despite the fact that it probably worked fine as a book Friedkin has a hard time making it believable to an audience.  It also doesn’t help that the whole druid aspect of the story is explained at the beginning of the film which lessens the possible thriller aspects of the story.  If there is no mystery, there is no suspense so many of the set pieces of the loose their impact especially in light of all the gore present in the film.

The film is not The Exorcist but it was a film that Friedkin  tried hard with (especially in a time in which the horror genre was dominated by films with excessive gore) and he did improve with his later film Bug.

Book Review: BROKEN MIRRORS/BROKEN MINDS: THE DARK DREAMS OF DARIO ARGENTO by Maitland McDonagh

There have been many books written about the “Italian Hitchcock” Dario Argento but none as in depth and interesting as Maitland McDonagh’s Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento which has resurfaced in a new Expanded Edition.  Most “normal” film goers know of Argento mostly as the so-called “Italian Hitchcock” by way of his giallo thrillers Deep Red (1976), The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970), and Tenebrae (1982) but horror fans know him best for his Susperia (1977), Inferno (1980), and Opera (1987).  His style is unlike any other director (in fact, his style is nothing like Alfred Hitchcock) and he rarely ever repeats himself instead seeking out new ways to terrorize his audiences which is probably why his more contemporary films have not been well received, such as The Phantom of the Opera (1998), The Card Player (), Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) or Giallo (2009).

McDonagh’s book delves deep into each of Argento’s film in an academic way breaking down each film and analyzing them not just in terms of their individual merits but as part of Argento’s overall filmography.  McDonagh has a writing style that masks what could have easily been another academic study into a book that even the most casual reader will be able to understand and enjoy which is probably why it has been such a popular book since its original publication.  Despite all the other books out there about Argento this is the one that is chiefly concerned with his films and therefore is a great doorway into understanding not only the films but the film maker himself in terms of his films.

For film enthusiasts this is a book that needs to be added to your library and book shelf.     Despite the fact that the book ends at covering Argento’s Trauma (1992) McDonagh’s new Introduction for the Expanded Edition allows for a unique look at all Argento’s films current.  Also contained within the book is an interview with Argento himself (from 1985) as well as a plethora of photos, posters, and other media to fill out the massive book.  If you want to know anything about Argento’s films you can’t do any better than this book.