“Rants & Ravings About Horror” - Week 5: “VHS Collecting For the Horror Fan”

Week 5: “VHS Collecting For the Horror Fan”

As we move ever so closer to an all-digital, world DVD and BD sells, for the most part, have dwindled year upon year except for maybe for us horror fans who continue to purchase Special Editions and Anniversary Editions of some of our favorite horror films.  Recently, a 30^th Anniversary Edition of Ghostbusters I & II was released to BD.  The entire Halloween series was released in a massive 15 disc BD collection not to mention the long awaited Clive Barker’s Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut and such companies as The Criterion Collection, Scream Factory, Shout Factory, Kino Video, and Blue Underground are among some of the more boutique distributors who cater to horror fans. 

But what about all the long forgotten horror gems still left unreleased either to DVD or BD?  For every new version of Army of Darkness re-released to DVD/BD there are ten Willard (1971), Ben (1972), Amsterdamned (1988), and Tobe Hooper’s Night Terrors (1993) which can only be found on VHS.  This is a reason why the VHS secondary market thrives to this day.  For every ten films newly released to DVD or BD there are still another 100 films yet to be released whether they be films like Bog (1983) or Peter Jackson’s Forgotten Silver (1995).  To make matters worse there are also the plethora of OOP films like Watchers (1988) or Fright Night Part 2 (1988) whose DVD on the secondary market can command upwards of $80 or more.  Instead of shelling out this crazy amount of money for a single film many horror fans have continued to purchase VHS copies of some of their favorite films (or the strange oddity relegated to the VHS dump bin).

I’m a huge collector of horror films both from some of my favorite directors and even more of the obscure horror films and documentary specials like Transmutations (1985) and Clive Barker: The Art of Horror (1992).  A lot of television specials made their way to VHS but have been completely forgotten since then like Dracula in the Movies () and Dean R. Koonz’ Whispers (1990) and Servants of Twilight (1991).

As I continue to research more forgotten horror films I try to search them out whether they are on DVD/BD or still languishing on VHS.  My VHS collection continues to grow year over year.  For me, searching out horror films that I either didn’t know about growing up or haven’t seen since I was a kid is a huge joy.  Every year my list gets longer and longer but I still manage to cross many off from time to time.  My VHS films share the same space on my shelf with all my other films.

Now, collecting VHS, like collecting anything else, can take up a lot of shelf space.  One of the great things about DVD and BD are that they take up so little space but VHS tapes look so much better on display.  Besides the regular VHS style boxes there are the Big Boxes and clam shell boxes and Special Widescreen Hard Cases that make VHS tapes more appealing.  My Widescreen, Hard-cased Dawn of the Dead (1978) makes a great visual companion on the shelf with its DVD cousin and the rest of my George A. Romero films (it sits with my VHS Widescreen Editions of NOTLD: 30^th Anniversary Edition and Season of the Witch).  My Special Edition of King Kong (1933) in a box that (still) roars when you press on Kong sits next to my Special Edition DVD Box Set (and the Peter Jackson remake).  Of great proud to me is my VHS screener copy of Rawhead Rex (1986), originally given to video stores to entice them to purchase more copies of the film for rental. 

On a non-horror film note I also have VHS copies of animation auteur Ralph Bakshi’s Coonskin (aka Streetfight - 1975) and the polarizing The Plague Dogs (1982).  Movies from all genres are still waiting legitimate DVD/BD release.  I’m always on the lookout for films from all genres that are hard to find.  Most of the films I find can usually be found on eBay or Amazon but collector editions of even VHS films can carry a hefty price tag.  I can still manage to find some used book stores and Goodwills that still have VHS tapes at cheaper prices (because they have no idea of what they may truly have gathering dust on their shelves).

VHS collecting is not for everyone.  The industry to moving to an all-digital world and pretty soon (unfortunately) both the DVD and BD collecting market may completely dry up which means that the VHS market will ultimately completely disappear and become extinct.  I don’t look forward to the day when I only have a large hard drive to look at rather than my large Big Boxes and Clam Shell VHS tapes and Special Edition DVD and BDs.

What about you?  

Film Review: SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT (1991)

The novels of Dean R. Koontz have amassed as big a cult following as Stephen King and like King many of his novels have been adapted to film with varying degrees of success.  Servants of Twilight (1991) is adapted from Koontz’ novel “Twilight” and stars Bruce Greenwood as Charlie Harrison, a private detective who is hired by Christine Scavello (Belinda Bauer) to protect her son Joey (Jarrett Lennon) from a fanatical cult that believes that he is the Anti-Christ reborn. 

As bodies keep piling up around Charlie he must decide how far he is willing to protect Christine and her son when everywhere they turn they are hounded and hunted down by the cult and their leader Grace Spivey (Grace Zabriskie) who knows there every turn.  As tension mounts, Charlie finds himself getting closer to Christine and he finds it harder to keep his perspective as Spivey and her followers will stop at nothing to kill Joey and anyone that gets in their way.

There is no real mystery to the film although the road trip chase film scenario works really well keeping the film following at a brisk pace and the tense and suspense high.  It there is any real problem with the film it is that the Twilight cult that Spivey runs comes off as fanatics and cartoonish but Zabriskie knows how t o play this up having come from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.  This film has actually aged better than some of the other Koontz adapted films and movies about the Anti-Christ (i.e. The Omen franchise and Rosemary’s Baby) usually age better than expected.

Film Review: WHISPERS (1990)

The novels of Dean R. Koontz are second to Stephen King in popularity as both authors continuously crank out new novels faster than any other horror author while still remaining on the New York Times best sellers list time and time again.  Unlike King though, the films based on Koontz’ novels have not endured or become as popular as King’s remaining minor cult classics like Phantoms (1998) or Watchers (1988) or completely forgotten like Servants of Twilight (1991) or Mr. Murder (1998).  The film Whispers (1990) is in the latter category. 

Hilary (Victoria Tennant) is being hounded by a stalker Bruno (Jean LeClerc) someone she interviewed for an article long ago.  The only problem is that when he shows up unexpectedly inside her apartment calling her from a different name then her own she panics and almost kills him.  Bruno flees and she calls the cops.  When the cops arrive it is only Tony (Chris Sarandon) that believes her as it appears that Bruno has an alibi so he couldn’t have been at Hilary’s house.  This puts Hilary in a strange mystery where she is unable to decide whether or not she was correct in that her stalker was indeed Bruno or not.  When Bruno appears again she doesn’t take any chances and he is killed when he tries to kill her.  Now with Bruno’s body to prove that she is correct the mystery seems to have been solved.  Then Bruno’s body disappears from the morgue and Hilary with the help of Tony decide to discover what is truly going on in this strange thriller.

Written by Anita Doohan and directed by Douglas Jackson Whispers makes for a descent thriller but doesn’t really offer anything new that you haven’t seen before.  Unfortunately, time has not been kind to this film and it comes off as being very dated but fans of Sarandon will be forgiven if they believe he is playing an extension of his Mike Norris character from Child’s Play (1988).  There’s not much special about the film and there isn’t much suspense or gore but if you’re squeamish about bugs then the end will truly put you on edge.