TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW from Write Brain TV!
VIDEO KALEIDOSCOPE is a special virtual one-night only screening that invites you to turn on, tune in, & drop-out for an all-out, all-night celebration with a VHSmorgasbord showcasing some of the best in shot-on-tape cinema!
This special virtual one-night only screening at the Write Brain Theater will beam you from your living room back in time, on a cosmic journey back to trace the story of one of the most monumental & mind-melting formats of all time… VHS!
With a cosmic & careful curation, Write Brain TV & Lunchmeat will take audiences on a rare odyssey through the kaleidoscopic lens of shot-on-video filmmaking. From the strange but true story of bootleg tapes battling against a Romanian regime, to the grimiest of 80’s heavy metal parking lots that helped make bootleg tape trading a way of life, this exploration will include documentaries, experimental films, & work from some of the best up-and-comers still utilizing the everyman format to challenge the language of cinema in a way only tape can!
With the high cost of film, VHS, Hi8, & other forms of tape were the format of the working class & artists without means, giving the power to anyone with a few bucks to conjure an image & become filmmakers. Whether it was a family member trying to capture a memory on celluloid, or a couple of friends coming together to make a horror film on a shoe-string budget, the VHS medium was a crucial element in turning anyone with a vision into an auteur.
VIDEO KALEIDOSCOPE invites you to explore the stories that only VHS can tell.
Join us for this one-night only screening on February 16th at 10pm EST. Tickets are available via Write Brain TV!
]]>Hey, Tapeheads! I’d like to introduce you to one of the best video stores in the country (until its closing in 2015, at least), Video Headquarters in Keene, New Hampshire. It wasn’t just an amazing physical video retailer. The other thing that made it so special was how this one video store and its owner, Ken McAleer, far outside the film hubs of Los Angeles and New York City, were able to support and benefit other independent video retailers around the country, and how their presence would clash directly with studios and larger chains.
Boasting a selection of over 42,000 titles spread across VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, and 3-D Blu-Ray formats, at the time of its closing, Video Headquarters was hardly matched in New England when it came to selection. The store was voted Video Retailer of the Year in 1997 by the VSDA (Video Software Dealers Association), honoring it as the best single independent video store in the country. The mastermind behind the operation, who saw it through until its final days, was its founder, Ken McAleer. Ken not only opened the store and steered the ship through its rise in prominence, he was also immensely important on the national level, helping bring independent video stores together to use strength in numbers and gain leverage against the dominant forces in the industry.
As part of that effort, Ken helped form and run the New England Buying Group, which pooled the resources of independent video stores in the region in order to get better pricing from studios and distributors. Together with other independent stores around the country, Ken and Video Headquarters also pushed class action lawsuits against studios for unfair business practices - and won!
The store had its grand opening on November 19, 1983 at its original location in the Riverside Plaza in Keene, New Hampshire. The brainchild of Ken and his college friend, Steve Mosca (who met at Amherst College in the late 1970s), Video Headquarters originally opened with just over 500 titles, split between VHS and Betamax.
Ken had recently left his position as a salesman at IBM to start the video store; after meeting so many people who were running their own businesses, he felt that he could do the same. The duo originally thought they would open a copy shop, but Mosca showed Ken a VCR, which planted the seed that a video rental store would be a better investment. The two chose Keene, New Hampshire, a town of 21,449 at that time, because the location was the shopping hub of the region. Nestled in the southwest corner of New Hampshire, Keene gets lots of shoppers from nearby Vermont and Massachusetts, who are looking to buy their wares in a tax-free state.
The store originally opened in a 2,500 square foot storefront, occupying half a building that had previously been a movie theater (the Plaza Cinema 2). When they first opened, the store didn’t occupy the entire storefront. They used a fake wall that helped to make it appear more filled to the brim, and every time they added a few hundred movies, they would move the wall back a bit further, to give themselves more space.
Eventually, as the business grew, they needed a larger storefront. They moved into a bigger location in the Riverside Plaza in 1986, by then boasting over 5,000 titles. This space allowed them to accommodate their growing collection, and it also provided more room for the home theater equipment they were also selling at the time (VHQ moved out of hardware around 1989 to focus solely on video rentals and sales).
While the Keene store was the flagship Video Headquarters location, they did open two other VHQ rental shops in the 1980s: one in the Nashua Mall Plaza in Nashua, NH, and another in Manchester, NH on South Willow Street (they also had a separate equipment service center in Manchester). They sold the two other video store locations, and the service center, around the same time that they decided to get out of hardware, consolidating everything into their Keene location.
In the early 1990s, Video Headquarters moved into its final home on West Street in Keene. This change was, as Ken McAleer would say himself, “Probably the best move we ever made.” When they moved into the West Street location, VHQ sported over 14,000 film titles, plus a large video game collection. That collection would grow to over 42,000 films (and an unknown amount of additional video games) by the time they closed more than 20 years later . Ken eventually took over as the sole owner of the store and ran it as the President until its final days.
While Video Headquarters was unrivaled in the region as a video superstore, it wasn’t without competition. Keene City Video was a cross town rival that was purchased by Blockbuster in the mid-90s pitting the single, independent store against the largest video chain in the country. Despite their prowess in the industry (and underhanded business practices), Blockbuster’s existence did little to affect VHQ. Even when the big chain attempted to get exclusive titles through studios, Video Headquarters circumvented their attempted monopoly and would pick those titles up themselves from other retailers and rent them to customers anyway. VHQ weathered the storm against Blockbuster for over 15 years until the Keene Blockbuster closed in 2010, five years before VHQ would eventually shut its doors.
When Ken made the decision to close in 2015, Video Headquarters was still a profitable video store. The issue was that their lease was up and renewing it in the same location had become too expensive. They would need to move to another location to remain profitable now that business had fallen off during the rise of streaming. Ken made a valiant effort, looking at many potential new locations for VHQ, but ultimately he decided that moving into the smaller space that would be required wouldn't be worth the effort to move. Ken decided it was time to retire and initiated a store closing sale, aimed to end when their lease expired.
Perhaps Ken McAleer and VHQ's greatest contributions were to the greater independent video retailer industry. As the business of video rentals became more consolidated and large corporations purchased the big chains, independent retailers began to feel the squeeze. There was often little that small, independent video retailers could do to compete with the capital behind the big video store chains.
The only opportunity for survival was for independent video retailers to band together to strengthen their position in the industry. While there were larger trade organizations, like the VSDA (Video Software Dealers Association - later to be known as the EMA (Entertainment Merchants Association)), independent video store associations popped up as well, like the IVRG (Independent Video Retailer Group). Ken served these groups in a number of capacities and on many of their committees throughout the years. He was on the executive board of the VSDA New England chapter and served on the board of the EMA from 2011-2013. He also served as Treasurer of the independent video retailers VSDA group for several years.
Ken was also a part of the mentoring program created by the VSDA in 2000, lending his expertise to other independent stores around the country. He traveled to Chicago in 2000 to visit stores, provide feedback on their operations, and offer advice on how to improve them. As much as he wanted Video Headquarters to succeed, Ken was also always focused on the greater business challenges facing his industry, and he wanted to be a resource for other independent retailers.
Ken also helped to create and run the New England Buying Group, which combined the buying power of smaller independent chains and individual stores. These smaller trade associations also pooled their resources to sue major Hollywood studios and Blockbuster for unfair business practices, because Blockbuster was receiving sweetheart deals on products from studios - deals that weren’t offered to independent retailers.
In 1998, Ken created videoretailer.com, with the goal of establishing an online buying group that would give independent video stores the same bulk buying advantage that the big chains enjoyed, while also establishing a site that would provide independent video stores with information about upcoming releases, program analysis, buying recommendations, and merchandising. While the online group buying element of the website didn’t pan out in the way that McAleer had hoped, videoretailer.com was still able to get discounted merchandise and promotional materials for stores, including action figures from Full Moon Toys. The site was so successful that it ended up being purchased by the VSDA in 2001.
Video Headquarters remained strong into the new millennium and Ken stated that the best years of the store (in terms of revenue) were 2004-2007, with the business falling off after that. Outlasting the local Blockbuster by five years, VHQ finally closed its doors on July 31st, 2015, after an incredibly successful closing sale in which almost everything (including the fixtures and signage) was sold. Today, Ken is enjoying retirement in Florida where he’s built a sailboat which embarked on its maiden voyage in 2020. The legacy of VHQ lives on through its former employees and customers (this author, in fact, has five VHQ shelves in his home to store his Blu-Rays and DVDs).
If you think this story is incredible, just wait until you see Palmer’s documentary on Video Headquarters, which further explores the fascinating and rich history of this legendary and influential video store.
EVERYTHING TO ENTERTAIN YOU: THE STORY OF VIDEO HEADQUARTERS comes back to videocassette exclusively from Lunchmeat on Saturday, March 2nd, 2024 at 12noon EST in our store!
Grab the slab and feed this historical home video document to your VCR. You’ll be glad you did.
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We’ll be pressing play at The Myers House NC in Hillsborough, North Carolina for a very special screening of the Halloween Horror Cult Classic JACK-O, projected on a big outdoor movie screen in the front yard of the house!
We’ll be joined by JACK-O special guests Patrick Moran (who played Jack-O-Lantern) & Catherine Walsh (who played The Witch, Vivian Machen). They will be signing autographs and doing a Q&A after the movie! THIS IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND GREET THESE AWESOME PEEPS!
And as an additional treat, JACK-O will be followed by the 1991 horror flick POPCORN! Saturday night at the movies, dudes!
*** Tickets to this event are by donation.***
CLICK THIS LINK TO RESERVE YOUR TICKETS!
Can’t wait to VHSee you there and get into the spooky season spirit!!
]]>KIM’S VIDEO screens at Tribeca on Tueseday, June 13 at 8:30 PM at Village East! You can grab your tickets HERE, and if you use the code LUNCHMEAT, you’ll receive 20% off your ticket!
MORE ON KIM’S VIDEO:
If you were a New Yorker with a taste for unconventional movies, you likely perused the aisles of Kim’s Video and Music. Its owner, Yongman Kim, became as much of a legend as the films he collected over the years. When the store meets an unexpected end, he strikes a deal with an Italian city’s government to preserve his vast film collection. However, that is far from the end of the story for Kim’s Video, as directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin find out.
This genre-bending documentary often feels too strange to be real, but it is (if you can believe it). From first-person confrontations with those in charge of preserving the collection to interviews with notable former employees, like director Alex Ross Perry, you’ll become engrossed in this fascinating story whether you’re nostalgic for or new to the world of Kim’s Video. If you’re looking for a true ode to the power of filmmaking, look no further: Redmon, Sabin, and Kim have what you need.––Jarod Neece
That’s JUNE 13 at 8:30 PM at Village East! Grab your tickets with THIS LINK, and use code LUNCHMEAT for 20% off!!
VIDEO STORES FOREVER.
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Relive the days of renting the most bizarre flicks you could find with friends and having the collective mind-melting experience of “What IS this?” with your fellow Tapeheads at The Mahoning Drive-In Theater!
Each film presented LIVE by Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher of The Found Footage Festival. They will serve up side-splitting segments from their Vol. 10 Tour & More!
If that wasn’t rewind-radical enough, we’ll also be welcoming Patty Mullen, star of FRANKENHOOKER and DOOM ASYLUM to meet fans and sell autographs and photos both nights! We proudly welcome her as Queen of VHS-Fest 7.
Aaaaand, you asked for Nasty. We Got Nasty! Larry Pine, MR. NASTY will be on site both days for an incredibly rare appearance!!
Each day will kick off with an early gate time and the legendary VHS FEST marketplace, our lot filled with dozens of vendors chock full of analog media, pop culture curiosities, and more! Applications available by request at VendMahoning@gmail.com (space limited).
Friday’s HOT rentals include:
DOOM ASYULUM (1987) - Where do you want to go with your friends to party and NOT be killed by a disfigured maniac? Not the DOOM ASYLUM! Staring guest of honor Patty Mullen!
WINTERBEAST (1992) – What could be the cause of a series of brutal killings around a cursed mountain lodge? Could it be the local Native American legend in the flesh? Could it be….the WINTERBEAST?
KILLER NERD (1991) – AMERICAN SPLENDOR’s Toby Radloff stars a deadly dweeb who has his pocket protector pushed too far in this bully-bashing bonanza of shot-on-video vengeance!
Saturday’s previously-viewed, guaranteed to play, shocking stack of slabs:
FRANKENHOOKER (1990) - Frank Henenlotter’s cult classic tale of a tragic lawnmower accident interrupting true love, and the patchwork prostitute that results in the titillatingly twisted title character, portrayed by our special guest, Patty Mullen!
AT DAWN THEY SLEEP (2000) – Drug dealers party with the wrong crowd and wind up blood-sucking vampires….THEN the demons show up!
THE BRAIN (1988) – Could a talk show host’s rabid home viewer following be due to his charisma, compelling content, or the GIANT ALIEN BRAIN CONTROLLING THEIR MINDS???
Gates open at 3pm for the Retro Vendor Market before sundown! General Tickets include Market & Films.
General Ticket: $12 (per person) - General+Extended Pass: $20 (per person)
All events are Rain or Shine. No refunds or transfers.]]>
TICKETS AVAILABLE WITH THIS LINK!
We’ll also be showing some choice snippets only available on this LEPRECHAUN screener tape from VIDMARK, which was made expressly for video stores! This event is a golden opportunity to see a 90s horror classic the rewind way!
TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FROM PLAZA THEATER!
Here’s the VHSchedule:
6PM: VHS Market in the lobby of the Plaza Theatre featuring a bunch of radical vendors! THE VHS MARKET IS FREE TO ATTEND!
8PM: Introduction with Josh Schafer of Lunchmeat hosted by Michael Myerz and LEPRECHAUN PROJECTED FROM VHS with bonus material!
GO FOR THE GOLD, TAPEHEADS! VHSEE YOU THERE! GET YOUR TICKETS!
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There may be no other commercial that's as synonymous with the video store era, or that made such an impression on the masses that saw it as this classic Blockbuster TV spot.
There was just so much going on. From the self-raising walls and the tapes that magically fill the shelves, to the customer who seems to drop in from the sky - the whole thing was sure to fill the average viewer with wonder and make them ask out loud: How did they do that!
We were lucky enough to speak with Bill D. Russell, the actor who played the dad at the center of this iconic advertisement, for a peek behind the scenes of its production.
Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with us! We’re super excited to learn more about this iconic commercial you were part of. Can you tell us how you became involved with the production? What were your responsibilities on this project?
My only part of the process was playing the dad in the commercial. Blockbuster Video's advertising company at the time was located in Kansas City. So they hired a Kansas City production company called third guy productions to set everything up.
The process of the pop up / slide in effect is pretty magical. How did you manage to have things slide into place, and have the titles pop up on the shelf, etc. And the shelves that seem to grow from the ground - how were these effects created?
The store for the commercial was made of a basic wooden construction, like a box van with the sides all folding down. When the walls come up in the commercial, it’s stage hands pulling ropes to get them in place, which of course meant they all had to pull in synchronicity, which didn’t always happen.
Can you tell us about the guy in the right hand portion of the screen that comes down from the sky? He integrates so seamlessly into the rest of the scene, was this effect complicated to create?
The guy who floats down to the counter was a professional stunt man attached to some sort of rig that he stepped away from. Nothing was done with any computer generated effects.
The internet cites this commercial as being released in 1992. Is that correct? When and where did you shoot this commercial?
1992 is correct. I was the only actor they brought in from Chicago. The rest of the talent was local. I can’t imagine there weren’t a lot of guys my age and type in Kansas City but sometimes it’s a status thing for them to be able to say oh, we brought in a comic actor from Chicago for this bit.
How long did the whole process to create the commercial take?
The process took a lot longer than they expected. If memory serves correctly, we spent three days on the set doing absolutely nothing while they tried to coordinate the special effects to work properly.
What were your feelings and thoughts creating the commercial? Thoughts about it now?
It was very exciting for me at the time because it was my first big commercial. I was happy it was for a brand that was well-known, but nobody expected this to be a commercial that would just linger on in cultural awareness for decades.
What are you doing now? Has creating this iconic Blockbuster Video commercial impacted your career in any way?
Yes, I’m happy to see it still having a life of its own even though of course I don’t make any money often. Lol. In itself no it hasn’t really impacted my career. Just a nice little piece of trivia.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I still do commercials, but my focus is primarily on film. Two movies I’m in recently started streaming on Tubi and another on Amazon Prime. One of them is Puppet Master: Doktor Death…
Created by by Andrew J. Austin (REDGUTS.COM), with the carpentry wizardry of Robbie Austin, and friends Jakrit and Elizabeth, the VHChess board took 9 months of labor, over 70 Barney VHS tapes, and some real tape-driven teamwork. And now, it’s a radical rewind-inclined reality. Check it out in action below.
We especially love this creative crew’s clever attention to detail. They chose an array of video titles that connect and honor the names of the play pieces. You can see the selection of tapes in the video below. With that move, we call checkmate.
Your move, Tapeheads!
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Its’ true: two things that you’ve probably never imagined mating are a VCR and toaster, but here we are, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it.
Behold, the VCR TOASTER!
To get to the beginning of this perplexing (but lovable) project, we’ll need to rewind all the way back to February of 2009 where it pops up on Geeky Gadgets. There isn’t much info there, but it does lead us to a page on Instructables where the creator of the VCR toaster starts out by telling us that this incredibly unnecessary but delightfully ridiculous tape player gone toaster was inspired by this particular scene from The Young Ones.
Man, we love The Young Ones.
As ludicrous as it may seem, (and it is) this VCR has truly been transformed into a fully functional toaster, and get this: it even emblazons the letters VHS on the bread.
You can watch a video of how it works below, and if you’re a fan of slow-motion replays, this video is basically pornography.
But how did they do this? Can you really make one of these at home? Amazingly, the entire process on how to create a VCR Toaster is all written out in step by step instructions and referential photos, with a good dose of self-awareness, which you have to appreciate.
Ultimately, this is insane, and we love it. We hope you found this unique rewind-inclined creation as amusing as we did. And to the creator of this thing, we here at Lunchmeat VHSalute you! Or perhaps more appropriately… you deserve a TOAST!
We couldn’t resist.
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TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW HERE: https://mahoningdrivein.ticketleap.com/90s-rewind/
MORE ON 90s REWIND:
It’s time to be kind and 90’s REWIND on October 14-15 with The Mahoning Drive-In Theater and Lunchmeat, as they present two nights of triple features designed to delight Generation Z!
It’s a radical roundup of video store favorites that were repeat rentals for 90s kids, with vendors and film introductions by the VHSNACKIN’ podcast!
Friday night kicks off with everyone’s favorite impish imaginary friend, with Phoebe Cates juggling life, a career, and the return of rambunctious Rik Mayall as DROP DEAD FRED (1991)!
Once you’ve put FRED to bed, don’t look under it, or you may find LITTLE MONSTERS (1990) underneath, just like Fred Savage did!
Just like our first two films, the characters in the third find NOTHING BUT TROUBLE (1991) when they get caught speeding in Valkenvania and find themselves trapped in a bizarre small town, filled with maniacal miscreants! Featuring Dan Ackroyd (who also wrote and directed), Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, John Candy, and Tupac Shakur!
Bring your appetite on Saturday night, as we’re serving up GOOD BURGER (1997)! Nickelodeon Films took Kenan & Kel off the small screen and onto the big with this workplace comedy about rival burger joints, featuring Sinbad and Abe Vigoda!
After two hours of fast food frolic, it’s off to exercise camp for the HEAVYWEIGHTS (1995), as they enter a summer bummer with fanatical fitness guru Ben Stiller, in this kid comedy co-written by Jud Apatow!
The evening ends with an aspirational tale of a lovable loser who’s paired with his classroom crush for a big dance at the Winter Ball. Will ANGUS (1995) go from zero to hero? Featuring James Van Der Beek, Kathy Bates, and George C. Scott!
It’s a 2-day rental not to be missed! No late fees, no membership required!
Come early and shop Hella Vendors, Get Jiggy to 90's Music, Bomb Themed Eats, Raffles + Merch that are All That & A Bag Of Chips..
EARLY General Gates at 4pm each night. Showtime at Sundown.
General Ticket: $10 (per person). General+Overnight: $20 (per person)
See MahoningDIT.com for FAQ.
All events are Rain or Shine. No refunds or transfers.
We’ll VHSee you at MAHONING DRIVE-IN THEATER on OCTOBER 14th and 15th for a TOTAL 90s NOSTALGIA OVERLOAD, TAPEHEADS! Don’t not make it due to lack of hustle!!
GRAB YOUR TICKETS HERE!
]]>VHS FEST 666 presses play on JULY 8th and 9th, 2022 at MAHONING DRIVE-IN THEATER in Lehighton, PA! Gates open each day at 4pm (come early for some hellacious pre-fest fun!), explore the 40+ vendors, meet fellow Tapeheads and rewind-inclined peeps and LET’S PARTY! Movies begin at VHSundown!
TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR BOTH NIGHTS! Grab them HERE!
Read on for the full line-up and show details! We can’t wait to raise some home video hell with you!
Get ready to clean your heads and jump in the rewinder: it’s time for Drive-In VHS FEST 666, cueing up a stack of scorchingly sinister slabs of malevolent mayhem for your Drive-In damnation!
Once again we rev up for a radical rewind as Lunchmeat and Saturn’s Core Audio & Video join forces with The Mahoning Drive-in Theater for the most VHxcellent weekend of helical scan sensations in the world, a gathering of Tapeheads and analog animals for two days of video store classics on the giant outdoor screen, played from vintage VHS tapes! Arrive early for a superstore of eclectic VHS, analog media and collectibles vendors, and GINGER LYNN in person, selling autographs and photos!
On Friday, July 8th we fire up the VCR and slip into a SCREAM DREAM (1989), wherein witchcraft wreaks bloody revenge upon raucous rollers and metal maniacs!
Then we eject for intermission and pop in the satanically saucy GIRLFRIEND FROM HELL (1989), a high school lass who’s filled with demonic sass!
While we rewind the tape, a short intermission will follow before we insert the night’s third feature, a duo of deadtime tales to help ensure a restless sleep, SATAN’S STORYBOOK (1989), featuring our guest of honor, Ginger Lynn!
The night concludes with a trip to the MAUSOLEUM (1983), a terrifying tape delving into the demented depths of demonic diddlery, resulting in rampant repulsive retribution!
Satanday night (July 9th) begins when we enroll you in the VICE ACADEMY (1989), going undercover with Ginger Lynn, to clean up the streets of L.A.!
After a quick tape swap, prepare for a bash to the 4-head, as we ride the macabre merry-go-round of THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND (1989) for some deep-dish demonic delights!
With the next slab pulled from the stack, we continue with the comedic creepy crawly creature carnage of GHOULIES II (1987), wherein the demonic little louts let loose at a soon-to-be-filled-with-a-lot-less amusement park!
As we give the racecar rewinder one last workout, our final flick of the night is the legendary Canadian heavy metal horror ROCK ‘N’ ROLL NIGHTMARE (1987), in which living He-Man rocker Jon Mikl Thor takes on the devil with the power of ROCK!
As an extra-special treat, Saturday night’s features will be hosted by those dark masters of ceremonies, Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher of The Found Footage Festival, presenting a diabolical deluge of satanic-themed video clips before each film!
It’s a 2-day rental not to be missed! Be kind and join your fellow videocassette cadets on a trip to hell and back on VHS, at the Drive-In. No late fees, no membership required!
Until then, Tapeheads: keep feeding that VCR and remember to REWIND… OR DIE! GRAB YOUR TICKETS NOW! We can’t wait to revel with you at the most bodacious rewind-inclined party in the world!
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Let’s rewind back to this very day in 1993, Tapeheads. Why today, you ask? Excellent question. Because on Tuesday, May 18th, 1993, midwest based supercenter chain Meijer opened their new megastore in Ontario, OH - and they marketed that launch with an ingenious VHSplash!
Meijer’s advertising team knew how to get into people’s line of sight, and it was via their VCR. The following 10 minute video isn’t just any old VHS tape: this video will change the way you shop for food, clothing, beauty supplies, and even the way you rent videos. The best part? After you’re done watching the video, it turns into a coupon to save YOU money at the Grand Opening. Press play on the video below, and away to Meijer we go!
As dated and cringey as the tape may appear to the modern eye at times, it's actually a rather brilliant ad campaign. Not only does this tape walk us through everything Meijer has to offer in a breezy, entertaining way, but it encourages us to watch closely so we can answer a quiz we're told is required for the $5 coupon (off any $25 purchase). All you have to do is return the tape to the video center quiz answers in hand, and you’re in on the deal. You might even want to rent a tape while you’re there (CA-CHING)! NOTE* The quiz was missing from this particular tape, so hopefully whoever originally owned this tape got the five bucks off!
It’s easy to imagine viewers rewinding back through the tape to nab the correct quiz answers, and watching the ads over and over in the process, saturating the viewers’ brains with the services and wares of this steadily approaching mega Meijer! What a clever and retrospectively cutting-edge slice of interactive marketing from the Meijer team.
And can we just say, Paul Eisenhower's performance is more entertaining than it has any right to be. Paul’s a boss, and though we can’t find any of his other work (or if it even exists), he’s obviously invested in this role. He endures a scene-stealing kiddo in a shopping cart repeatedly screaming “RACING CAR!” into his mic. He’s even denied a bite of another kid’s oversized donut (which we admit is pretty weird, Paul). Either way, Paul Eisenhower, we VHSalute you for making this whole video tour worthwhile for the casual, after-the-fact viewer.
Paul’s hosting heroics aside, there’s more to this video tour of the newest Meijer store. Tucked inside the slip, you’d find a booklet filled with 4 weeks of coupon savings, hundreds of FREE giveaways, and a line of copy promising the kiddies they’ll see their favorite costumed characters throughout the first week of opening.
Here’s a look at some of the pages inside the included pamphlet.
We don’t know if Arnie the Armour Hot Dog is any kid’s favorite costumed character, but we’d sure be glad to see him (and get some free hot dogs). Also, Twinkie the Kid and the Energizer Bunny, FTW. Man, now we really do want to go to this opening. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to, eh, Tapeheads? BRING BACK PEOPLE IN RIDICULOUS AND WEIRD COSTUMES.
This piece of advertising ephemera gives us a snapshot of early 90s consumer culture (along with product prices), and a glimpse at what would be considered highly creative advertising at the time. It’s fascinating to think about how this may have inspired current video ad trends, and how those tactics have diverged. No matter its influence or lack thereof, this is undoubtedly an obscure video experience anybody with a penchant for 90s nostalgia can appreciate.
Now don’t forget that butternut squash!
Special thanks to Matt R., our Videovore bud outta Ohio for sending us this tape many rewinds ago!
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On April 13th, 2022 legendary filmmaker, composer, and genre favorite John Carpenter announced he was selling off his entire VHS collection. The news was met with an abundance of awe and wild enthusiasm, and the limited number of 10-tape mystery boxes (which also came with a signed photo of Carpenter) were VHSnatched up like everyone was in fast forward. Even with an $80 price tag, it's easy to imagine why this sale caused such a fervent stir; few figures are as universally admired by horror and sci-fi collectors far and wide, and it's not every day that someone as influential in the field as John Carpenter publicly parts with something so closely associated with his craft. Ultimately, it’s an amazing rewind-inclined opportunity to own some of Carpenter’s VHS tapes.
Some of the boxes have since been posted up online, but we here at LUNCHMEAT wanted to dig a little deeper, and explore not just the content of the box, but the reaction of one lucky Tapehead who was able to grab some tapes pulled directly from John Carpenter’s VHShelf.
We caught up with fellow Videovore Matt aka @Matts_Mortuary on Instagram, and he was kind enough to detail his experience with one of the most improbable and incredible VHS grab bag buys of all-time…
Tell us a little about yourself and your Tapehead inclinations…
My name is Matt. I’m a Los Angeles-based writer, editor and filmmaker by day and a crazed horror-fanatic/Tapehead by night. I started rebuilding my tape collection back in 2015 when I strolled into the local goodwill and found a copy of Gremlins 2 - one of my favorite films of all time. After that I just started growing out my collection little by little. I was inspired to take my tape collecting to the next level when the Bearded Lady Mystic Museum in Burbank opened up their Slashback Video exhibit. Seeing all those spines and eye-catching vintage covers arranged so nicely together definitely got me to beef up my own shelves and expand the personal archive.
You were pretty quick on the draw for these – where did you see the post?
I saw the post on John Carpenter’s Instagram page which I follow pretty closely with post notifications, alerts etc. to make sure I never miss out on any local signing opportunities or random sale drops (such as this one).
What made you pull the trigger on these? Are you a big Carpenter fan?
Anything John Carpenter is a no-brainer for me. He’s absolutely my hero. I listen to his film scores while I work on a daily basis and I’ve watched and studied his filmography obsessively for the last several years. From his body of work to his personality, he’s just the coolest guy and a living legend. Truly the GOAT.
There was a lot of buzz about this sale and got a lot of traction online. What did it feel like to be an active participant in that excitement and what were your expectations on the purchase?
To be honest, I was surprised how much “buzz” I noticed about this sale post outside of my immediate bubble of like-minded Carpenter fanatics. I think it just goes to show how much VHS collecting has really taken off these last couple of years. I was obviously excited to receive the tapes, but I wasn’t crossing my fingers for any 80's horror mainstays.
I think the thing a lot of horror collectors may not realize about Mr. Carpenter is that a lot of his personal taste in film is derived from Howard Hawks movies, westerns and classic comedies. I knew when I ordered this I wasn’t going to receive a box of CHUD, Street Trash and Monster Squad. And frankly that’s good. It’s a little window into his interests and inspirations.
Did the tapes come with any sort of authenticity marker or anything of that sort? Was there any handwriting on any of the tapes? Or anything that sticks out for you?
There was no handwriting on the tapes but I did notice that a couple of them came from some sort of vintage “mail away” program like Sinister Cinema or “Chiller Theater Video.” To me the fact that they came from his personal web store and included a hand-signed photo is proof enough. I have plenty of Carpenter signatures in my collection and the one included with these was an exact match.
Now that you have the tapes and spent some time with them, how do you feel about it? Are you happy with what you got? Was the price worth it?
Heck yes! You have to think that an autograph alone is worth upwards of $40. And then on top of that, a couple of the tapes themselves had a bit of value. Plus, it was just fun to open the box. You’re paying for the grab bag experience and getting to own tapes from a legend. He also shared my photo of the tapes I received which was pretty awesome.
What’s your favorite tape(s) from the box? What was the most surprising or unexpected tape?
I personally think it’s very cool that I’m now the proud owner of John Carpenter’s copy of Robocop. That said, I think my favorite item from the pile was Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath. That’s an anthology film from the 60’s starring Boris Karloff which really paved the way for Creepshow, Body Bags and a lot of stuff which came after it. There’s some downright disturbing imagery in that film that still sticks with me to this day. Highly recommended.
What’s next for these tapes? You plan to watch them? Is it exciting to you that these tapes likely ran in John Carpenter’s VCR? Do you have any plans to display them in a VHSpecial way?
I’m definitely going to watch them. Probably prioritizing those “mail in” Chiller Theater flicks which I haven’t seen. It is exciting that John watched them. I wish he had a Letterboxd or something so I knew what he thought of them. Unsure how I’m going to display them yet but I do want to keep them separate from the piles of tapes I’ve gotten at [the] thrift.
Is there any other celeb or director you’d like to see do a VHS box like this?
Quentin Tarantino without question. I know for a fact that he bought out the entire inventory of the video store he used to work at (The Video Archives) and has a massive tape collection inside his house. I’m not sure he’d ever want to part with any pieces of his collection but I’d absolutely love to own one of his tapes someday. He’s right up there with Carpenter as one of my all-time favorite filmmakers and I go watch old movies at his New Beverly Theater on a weekly basis.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for spreading the VHS love! If people want to see more of the tapes in my collection they can find me at @Matts_Mortuary on Instagram.
Thanks for being here with us, Matt! We’re VHStoked to see you so happy with this stack of slabs from Carpenter’s archives! We do have to say, Black Sabbath does totally rule, and honestly, so does this whole VHScore. And, for real, what a story. What do you think, Tapeheads? Worth the price for the experience and the history attached to these home videos? VHShout it out in the comments and let us know!
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Every time we press play on a new day it feels like VHS aesthetic is gaining a bigger foothold into nearly every aspect of culture. Sometimes it's unexpected and mildly unbelievable (see Kylie Jenner's recent make-up line), or sometimes it feels a little random (these VHS playing cards) or just plain funny (like this plush dog toy, and there a few out there). But sometimes, it just makes perfect VHSense, as is the case with these rewind-inclined RPG accoutrements from 1985 Games.
A quick glance at the $67,000 and counting this project has raised on Kickstarter so far proves that there is a healthy market for VHS nostalgia in the tabletop gaming marketplace. As sexy as these sharp-edged resin dice appear, similarly eye-catching dice can be purchased at most comic book shops and gaming stores for a mere fraction of that price, which means the packaging is the major selling point for these $70 sets of resin. For many roleplaying game enthusiasts, their dice can be more than just a mechanic in a game, but an extension of their own personality. What better way for a Tapehead to VHSilently display their rewind rolling proclivities to the table than slapping down one of these small but mighty VHS styled slipcases at the start of a game.
It's no secret that a lot of RPG aesthetics derive from 80s media, which is when Dungeons and Dragons saw its first golden age, but as far as we know, this is the first set of dice to fully embrace VHS as it's main aesthetic. With a fanbase that's obviously rewind-ravenous, perhaps it's no surprise that the crowdfunding campaign is such a runaway success.
Where will VHS aesthetic show next? The way we VHSee it, and the way it's happening, probably the next place you look! ROLL OUT, TAPEHEADS!
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Video store nostalgia has been hitting a high note in the last few years. The Last Blockbuster arguably led the way by reminding Americans that video stores still exist, and rekindling our collective cultural love affair with them.
Well, how about a video store that fits on your mantle, or even better: a VHSpecial little place on your video shelf? We've previously praised the radical rewind-inclined miniature work of GLAZY UK, and Melissa Kay’s utterly amazing MK Video, but recently the work of Marina Totino caught our Videovore eye, and we couldn’t resist VHSharing it with you. Behold, Beyond Video…
Not to be confused with the real life video store called Beyond Video in Baltimore, MD, Marina's surreal video store is all about the details. From its lovingly weathered signage, and stray flyers, to the hand painted graffiti, and sculpted brick walls, it creates the impression that the store has a life and history all its own. You can even flick on the lights for an extra VHSurprise: peer inside to gaze upon the endless video store of your dreams!
Marina was kind enough to take time out of her day to tell us a little more about her incredible rewind-inclined creation and the process behind it.
Lunchmeat: Your miniatures demonstrate such striking attention to detail and they're often framed through interesting perspectives. Can you say a little about your creative background; how did you come into mini-sculpting?
Marina: I studied film production throughout college and university, and have worked professionally in the film industry for 5 years. I've always been fascinated with Surrealism and liminality, but oftentimes I would have trouble finding the right spaces to shoot. So I began creating spaces of my own that no one else could get to. I love creating spaces that don't exist, but feel as though someone may have just left them. We're all on the outside looking in on my own little world, I guess you could say.
What inspired you to create a video store? Is it based on any real world location or experience?
The video store isn't based on any real place, as none of my original pieces are. But it was definitely inspired by an experience. Going to the video store was one of my favourite activities while growing up in the 90's. I remember biking there on Friday nights after school, even if I didn't have enough money in my pocket for anything. I loved browsing the titles. I loved everything about it. The clerks were always pretentious jerks, and that made it all the more valuable to me. The reason I decided to make the mini video store endless on the inside was because I never wanted it to end. I wish it could go on forever. I wish I could get lost in its isles again. Life felt a little more magical back then, you know? There was something in the air that I find is missing today...
Can you share some of your process for creating it? What materials did you use? How long did it take?
When I first started building, my initial plan was to just make the store front, and frame the rest inside of a shadowbox. But once I built the interior, I noticed that it started taking the shape of a small building, so I scrapped the first idea, and gave myself extra time to build all the way around without having a plan. I winged it around the building and hoped for the best.
Picking the films was the hardest part, as I only wanted movies made before the 2000's. That way I could make them VHS tapes. But I later convinced myself that there were some really great movies that came out of the last 20 years, so I changed my mind and incorporated movies from all genres, all mediums, and all decades. This wasn't a real place, of course. So I let my imagination run free.
I used a variety of materials to build; balsa wood, styrene plastic, foam boards, LED lights, mirrors etc. In total, it ended up taking me about a month and a half to complete, and I poured my soul into it. I spent hours on end hunched over my desk like a gargoyle. My fingers were constantly covered in dried up super glue, and there were little bits of paper all over the place for weeks. Alongside listening to some heavy music while building, I also rewatched both Clerks 1 & 2, and They Live, and I actually added tiny "Mooby's" and "They Live" slap stickers on the back end of the building as little easter eggs for myself.
What size is the finished piece?
People often ask me what scale the piece is, however I didn't scale it. If I had to guess, I'd say it would be close to 1/12th, but I always go by eye. One of the clerks at my local hobby shop actually got upset with me when I told him that. [Laughs] The finished piece is 10 inches wide, 8 inches high, and 5 inches deep.
A lot of your miniatures seem to be inspired by retro/nostalgic themes (I noticed VHS tapes were even prominently featured in your TV Room piece!). What do you think is so appealing about these settings and objects as subjects for your art?
I'm in love with the retro/nostalgic aesthetic. It may be due to the fact that I never want to grow up. I want to attach myself to my inner child and never let go. I want to unlock all of the core memories from the 80's and 90's and immortalize them into tiny little art pieces. I stuck a few classic VHS horror films in my TV VHS box to fit the style of the room, and to showcase my deep appreciation for on-screen practical FX.
Are you currently planning/working on any projects you'd like to share with our readers?
I'm in the works of creating smaller movie based pieces, however I may be starting on a fairly large commission piece soon that I unfortunately can't disclose yet. :)
We’ll be sure to keep our eyes peeled, Marina! And you can, too, by visiting her official website. Totino’s mini video store creation has since gone viral on TikTok with over 3 Million much-deserved views. Her work is incredible indeed, but that massive amount of viewership seems to VHSolidify that love for video stores is just as strong as ever, and hopefully this tribute reminds people that video stores were magical places, and incredibly, they still exist, both in our minds eye and in the brick and mortar of the real world.
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Through our many years of roaming and rummaging through the vast rewind-inclined world, we’ve uncovered some truly radical slabs of VHS stock variants. We thought it proper to VHShare some of our favorites with you, Tapeheads! Here are five of the most fantastic VHSpecimens we’ve come across. Let’s press play!
SCOTCH JUST FOR KIDS
If you’re looking for the most wacky, fun and wonderfully ridiculous VHS blank ever created, this has our vote, Tapeheads. These Scotch Just For Kids videocassettes are strikingly unique, and were engineered to help kids use videotapes with ease. These JFK tapes were stated to be remarkably durable (over 250 playbacks!) and supplemented with a sticker sheet for some extracurricular excitement while decorating the tape. Pictured here is a sealed copy of the Just for Kids blank, along with the unwrapped case, stickers, and videocassette itself. The Videovores who’ve been hangin’ loose in Lunchmeat Land for a while may recall when we released MAGNIFICENT KABOOM (a cartoon that is NOT for kids) on these very blanks!
SCOTCH COLLECTIONS TAPE
This Scotch (who advertise being the inventors of videotape – check the back of this tape and the Just For Kids packaging) videocassette variant while not “rare” per se, deserves a spot on this list if only for it’s incredible attention to detail, unusual body style and coloring, and how it leans into the collector mentality. The main attraction? This High Grade videocassette provided ‘theater quality” recordings, even in EP (extended play) mode. One particularly useful and interesting aspect of this tape is the Save / Record switch: think of it as a safety lock for a videotape. Switch it on, and it would prevent any accidental recording over previous material.
It also came with a window gauge to let you know how much time was left to record on the videocassette and assisted you in locating a recording on the tape. These Collections Tape variants came in different runtimes, and were marketed toward serious recorders of video, when quality was key. But if you wanted to go completely pro, you could also reach for Scotch’s Archive Tape variant, which is advertised on the back of this packaging. Here you’ll see the full packaging for the Collections Tape, along with the case, videocassette, stickers, and literature explaining the functions.
U.S. GOVERNMENT BLANK VIDEOCASSETTE
Did you know even the U.S. Government had its own videocassette blanks? They did, and here’s proof. Created by Fleetwood Video Corporation, these were for official use only, and provided labels both for “investigation” and “standard” recordings. Though the actual blank is a plain Maxell T-120, the packaging on this is both rare and unusual – a perfect fit! Many thanks to @deadmediajunkies on Instagram for gifting us with this radically odd and intriguing slab!
TEAC TRANSLUCENT (and translucent tapes in general)
One style of tape stock that always wows the rewind-inclined mind is the translucent videocassette. We’ve exemplified these tapes across the history of LUNCHMEAT with this coke bottle green blank from SPARTAN as posted on our Instagram, and we’ve also released a few translucent tapes like the totally clear variant of the now sold out GHOST STORIES, and this JVC CLEAR blue videocassette for a now long out-of-print run of the URBAN DECAY / WAV skate tape from Dylan Hughes. You can see other versions of translucent VHS tapes by searching out JVC CLEAR and J’Collection, but they are becoming increasingly scarce due to collectors gobbling them up. You can also get a glimpse of some absolutely radical clear videocassette spool swaps by checking out this post on our Instagram featuring the home video handiwork of @retro_truckr.
But the one image that seems to titillate almost every Tapehead is this image of what seems to be blacklight reactive tape stock from a company called TEAC.
We’ve posted it in the past, but with our most recent post, we were informed by @videokegger that these TEAC blanks come from Australia, and were apparently a cheaper alternative to standard banks. Here’s a look at those same TEAC translucent blanks in the packaging. You can VHSee that below!
GOLD VIDEOCASSETTE
We’ve posted this one in the past and many people thought it was spray-painted, but we give you our rewind word that it’s not! The best way we can describe this one is think of the gold LEGEND OF ZELDA NES cartridge – it’s pretty much like that. There are no manufacturing details or dates on this one, so its origin is totally unknown. We traded for a handful of these many rewinds ago with our home video homie Kenny from Bumlife Vintage, and we recall him saying he found them in a thrift store. Huge VHShoutout to our boy Kenny for always being a VHSolid Gold dude. You rule, man.
There are plenty more weird, wild and radical types of VHS stock out there… but what’s YOUR favorite?! VHShout it out in the comments below, Videovores! The VHSearch shall never cease!
]]>For those of our rewind-inclined readers unfamiliar with "The Mandela Effect," it is an odd psychological phenomenon that manifests as a shared false memory. A whole bunch of people will all claim to remember some mundane aspect of the world that never was.
A particularly compelling example of the effect has to do with the ubiquitous children's franchise, The Berenstain Bears. That's right -ain, though I'm sure some of you reading this will swear on your life that it was actually The Berenstein Bears. The wilder fringes of conspiratorial thought even posit that The Berenstain Bears come from a different parallel universe, and that sometime between 1986 and 2011, that universe merged with this one, where it was always Berenstein…
But of course it was never ein; it's just our minds playing tricks on us. Our brains are primed to see the more common ending, so we just look past it, move on, and never think about it.
Or do we? The spine label on the VHS release of “Learn About Strangers” and “The Disappearing Honey” clearly reads Berenstein Bears on the spine label?! Don't worry: it's not a hoax or a photoshop (as many have thought before) and we've got video evidence to prove it! See the video above on our YouTube.
So that leaves us with the lingering question: is this curious artifact merely the work of a lazy copy editor, or is it a rewind relic from another world? And could this typo have a sort of chain reaction where one kid (or parent) saw it, and started saying Berenstein… and then others did the same… all stemming from this one typo? That brain melter is up for debate, and destined for you to decide, Tapeheads!
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If you’ve recently been VHScrolling through our Instagram feed (@LunchmeatVHS), chances are you caught an eyeful of a radical, rare, and ultimately curious VHS era gadget: the Trisonic Manual VHS Rewinder.
After the response on the rewind-inclined web, we decided to create a video taking a closer look at this curious VHS era gadget with thoughts on its intended use and answering the question: how long does it actually take to rewind a tape with this weird and wonderful thing?
Check out the full video below and let us know what you think, Tapeheads!
So what do you think, Videovores? Were you VHSurprised about how long (or short) it took to manually rewind this tape? VHShout it out and let us know!]]>
Fans of high gravity, rewind-inclined brews, we’ve got some radical news! We are absolutely VHStoked to put our heads together with Hutton & Smith and Five Wits Brewing to press play on REWIND OR DIE-PA: a high-percentage can brew to tickle your Tapehead tastebuds!
The release rolls out on Saturday, March 5th at Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. (located at 431 E M L King Blvd #120, Chattanooga, TN 37403) from 2pm – 6pm with a VHS Swap and pop-up Market with LUNCHMEAT live on site along with Eat Ghosts Food, live music and retro goods from LUNCHMEAT, Poor Taste Vintage Clothing, VHS Party Tonight, SoBros Network, SwampFox oddities and more!
Rewind or Die-PA, an 8% West Coast Double IPA brewed with Amarillo, Lemondrop and Falconer's Flight hops will be served right out of the Ale Camino. In addition to this radical collaboration beer, Hutton & Smith will be releasing TWO new small batch IPA's and tapping fresh batches of Hutton's Scotch Ale, Diatomaceous Dry Stout Muad'DIPA, and some reserved Rob's Malt Liquor! It’ll be a total party, Tapeheads!
Check out Hutton & Smith HERE for more information, and we can’t wait to VHSee you there, Videovores!
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If you’re a rewind regular here in Lunchmeat Land, you’re likely aware that there’s nothing we love more than VHS and snacks. So when we saw that the iconic cookie-mongers at OREO were re-launching their CAKESTERS confection with a radical rewind-inclined spin, we had to let our fellow Tapeheads and VHSnackers know!
According to today's social media posts (1/7/22), Oreo is declaring “It’s 2007 All Over Again.” 2007 was the year Oreo's CAKESTERS originally launched, and now, for the re-launch, they’re bringing them to the only place where it’s still 2007: The Last Blockbuster in Bend, OR.
From the promo video published on their social media, it looks like OREO created some novelty VHS slipcases with covers mimicking some popular movie art from the time, and apparently, the CAKESTERS live in there. The cakes slide right out of the box in the video, and it urges people to go pick up a VHS and some CAKESTERS in Bend, OR.
Does that mean that you can get CAKESTERS in a VHS box at The Last Blockbuster? We’re pretty sure that’s what it means.
If you don’t live in Bend, OR and can’t get to The Last Blockbuster, OREO says CAKESTERS will be available at select retailers this month, sans the VHS case.
Is this a cultural cash-in? Probably. But does that make it any less rad that industry giants such as OREO (i.e. Mondelez / Nabisco) are giving VHS and video stores a nod? We think not: It’s super rad. I mean, did you think you’d ever see an OREO product slide out of a VHS case? We didn’t, and we’re glad it exists.
Now just wait for the inundation of eBay listings for these things. Of course, that’s another story for another day, so we won’t VHSpeculate on it.
But for now, let’s just bask in the fact that one of the best snacks on Earth is sliding out of a VHS case, in the Last Blockbuster on Earth. That’s pretty groovy, man.
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People miss video stores so much, they’re making them in their basements. That’s not to say classic video stores are dead and gone. They’re certainly not. As endlessly evidenced here at LUNCHMEAT, and in an insightful (and important) article from Kate Hagen, there are still plenty of brick and mortar video rental destinations fighting the good fight. But there is a phenomenon happening here.
From the earliest incarnation we can recall with Bradley Creanzo’s Bradco Video (as seen in Adjust Your Tracking), to Champion Video, to Nostalgia Video, to The Video Bunker, which was featured on Jimmy Kimmel, these personal passion projects paying tribute to the ultimate in video rental nostalgia are seemingly breeding.
And now, North Atlanta, GA resident and LUNCHMEAT #10 contributing writer Anthony Sant’Anselmo is ready to press play with the absolutely epic MONDO VIDEO! We sat down with Anthony to explore how he’s taken his vision of the most radical Mom & Pop video store imaginable and manifested it into a rewind-inclined reality. Sit back, grab a VHSnack, and get all the gory details along with an exclusive look at MONDO VIDEO!: The best kept secret in the world of basement video stores, that’s not such a VHSecret anymore.
LUNCHMEAT: Tell us a little about yourself. How have you connected to video stores / VHS? You have some other creative endeavors that led you to the creation of MONDO VIDEO?
Anthony Sant’Anselmo: As far back as I can remember, movies were it for me. When I was five-years old, I wanted to be Steven Spielberg and Stephen King; nothing’s really changed in that department... Growing up, we had a few Mom & Pop Video Shops in our town and one in particular, my friends and I would ride our bikes to called, “The Movie Mart” in the San Fernando Valley. This was the kind of store that proudly displayed their Horror section - and as a kid who went to a strict religious school and also had a mom that heavily-censored what I watched, (i.e., recorded movies between two VCR’s and edited-out the language, sex, violence and whatever other content she felt was not good for a little dude’s eyes - then let me watch her bootleg!) I started having a legit heavy-lean towards Horror.
I recall the first time seeing [the big box version of] Lunch Meat and could not believe they got away with the cover they used – it was probably the first real graphic image I saw and every time I went back, I gravitated towards that video. Side note: as a ten-year-old, I thought Moutaintop Motel Massacre was the coolest title to ever exist – but since it was tricky for me to rent at the time, I wrote a 36-page story of the same title of what I thought the movie might be like. That really cemented my love of writing.
What was the inspiration to create MONDO VIDEO? Were you familiar with the other basement video stores? Have you connected with any others doing the basement video store thing?
How much time do you have? The inspiration for the title was born out of titles I gravitated towards as a kid. Shockumentaries like Mondo Cane did a real number on me – and John Waters’, Mondo Trasho, etc. – these were titles that I just thought were the coolest. But it took the actor from Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Troy Slaten (who played Jerry Steiner!) to remind me that MONDO VIDEO! was the fictional video store Parker Lewis’ parents ran – and that was a show that I never missed in the early ‘90s. (BTW, if you’ve never seen Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, see it; they were super fun and shot EXTREMELY WELL.) So, I added a rendition of the THOR Helmet that Maia Brewton’s character wore in Adventures in Babysitting to the MONDO VIDEO! logo. Fun Fact: Maia also played Parker Lewis’ kid sister, Shelly Lewis - like an Easter Egg shout-out!
Okay, back to reality: We had moved from Los Angeles (where basements don’t really exist) to the East Coast (where they totally exist) so I knew I didn’t want to squander this opportunity, artistically. I had some of the rooms figured out, theater, gym, office – pretty standard stuff, but was having trouble deciding on the theme of the basement as I wanted something to really inspire me daily and at a heavy nostalgic level – beyond my usual horror posters and evil puppet props.
Then it all came together: I have a friend in Atlanta, Mike Malloy (Writer/Director of Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films that Ruled the ‘70s’) who was doing supplemental material for a Blu-ray release of Umberto Lenzi’s Syndicate Sadists (1975) – and he asked if I would play a video store clerk in the bonus material. I happily obliged and when I showed up to set, I found he had built and replicated a very simple (but effective) interior two wall section of a “video store” for the shoot, that happened to be in the living room of a rundown house. Some shelves, some tapes and a counter. When I saw it, I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my basement. I thought it was an incredibly unique idea to actually have something like that in someone’s house permanently – and when I looked into it online, I discovered CINEMASSACRE had built one in their basement (and a killer one, at that!) Still, I desired to create my own Mom & Pop Video Shop since they helped fuel my love of movies – before the big chains came in and homogenized the scene. I just had no idea as I went (with my attempt to throw in everything I thought was fun) I’d land on a seedy, back alley, Ska-infused ‘80s Video Store with secret doorways and a porno section – but that’s what came out of the ‘ol paint brush, so...
What was the process of creating the MONDO VIDEO!? You’re using the tapes from your own collection?
This was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever consistently, physically done – and I used to work for a steam-cleaning/fire and water damage restoration company. At this point, the project is going on almost 4 years and I’ve put in thousands of late-night hours on this experiment. I treated the process as if I was building a set. Starting out with several sketch designs, I pared it down to what made most sense, logistically. The whole basement was originally blank and had blonde carpet and tan walls – in which I initially painted all grey, then ripped-out the carpet and installed the black and white checkered tiles – and to anyone who does flooring, my hat is off to you. It’s some grueling work and at several points I kinda thought I developed Tourette’s Syndrome, as I’ve never cursed so much during the process of custom cutting and laying the tiles correctly.
Once I did the main room flooring, through sheer luck was able to procure wire racks from Lee’s Discount Store in Douglasville, GA., as they were closing down. I already had a good chunk of VHS stored away, but started hardcore hunting high and low for tapes to collect and curate. Once I finished the main room (after promising myself I would never do flooring again) I started creeping the video store into other rooms, little-by-little, until it took over the whole basement. There’s a reason it’s often referred to in our house as, “One More Thing Video’ – because I’m never done. It really is never ending, but that’s also the fun of it.
Are you planning to rent these videos out? Or is it more of a tribute to the glory days of video rental to capture an aesthetic essence.
It’s a tribute to the glory days, for sure, and an online celebratory hub - but if you’re a friend and hanging out, you’re definitely going home with some tapes – and if you don’t have a way to watch them, you’re going home with a VCR.
You have some pretty specific VHSections in the store…
Yeah, the Horror Section is the largest – as it should be, but within every genre I try to add sub-genres so each section is a fun experience for the “customer”. As with any good Mom & Pop Shops, an Adult’s Only Section is a must have - so I’ve got some of the cheesiest ‘70s and ‘80s porn, softcore and erotica.
Why do you think people are getting nostalgic for that video store experience? How do you think MONDO VIDEO connects with that?
Since we’re living in a streaming world, I think some people are longing for that time capsule where movies were physical, as you felt more connected to it – and being able to peruse around a video store for as long as one desires is missed; those that grew up in the era and those that maybe wish they did, certainly feel that way. Due to the heavy rotation of ‘80s and ‘90s based streaming shows and social media nostalgia groups, the reach is getting much wide(r). MONDO VIDEO! is a Pop Culture Video Store shrine – a love letter to that era.
You recently invited MICHAEL MYERZ to shoot a music video in your space. How was that experience? How did you hook up with MYERZ?
Myerz is a pro and a pal. He came in with Director, Evan Brewer (@evanbrews) and looked around the shop and knew what they wanted to capture. It was a super-easy going and fun shoot and am “VHStoked” for its release. I learned of Michael Myerz through VHSurfer: Meet the VHS Collector at 3AM one night on YouTube and thought he was hilarious. He was rockin’ a Phantom of the Mall Shirt (always a good sign) and had a bunch of South Park tapes in the background (another good sign) – and mentioned he was in Atlanta, so I hit him up.
Speaking of South Park, tell us a little bit about what you do on the show.
I’ve been with SP for 18 years now as a Lip Sync Artist – animating any character, critter or Canadian that has dialog. It’s an incredible place to work and I’m still super-thrilled to be with the show all these years later.
What do you think is the most essential thing you want people to know about MONDO VIDEO! and its mission?
It started as me wanting to build my dream throwback video store – and am stoked I achieved what I set-out to do; but along the way, it ultimately became much more than me proving something to myself. First and foremost, my kids will know what a video store was like. That alone is worth all the (literal) blood, sweat (and maybe some) tears that this build-out caused, but there was a whole’lotta joy during the process, too. Now that it’s “complete” (remember: One More Thing Video!), the mission for MONDO VIDEO! is simple: to bring total radness into people’s lives and celebrate this killer era together.
What’s next for you and MONDO VIDEO!?
There’s a handful of things cookin’: I was hired to write a reboot of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes– which was completed and turned in and then 2020 as we know it hit, so we’ll see what comes of it now that the smoke has cleared in the production world. I’ve got a couple of Horror novels currently in the works and now that the video store has been birthed, it’s time to start creating some fun content I’ve been kicking around during its construction. I’ve had a MONDO VIDEO! Instagram account up for a few years now and it’s been a REAL CHORE shooting every photo with a blurred background and tight frame to hide the developing vid store – so I’m super-excited to let that camera breathe from here on out!
ED NOTE: Check out MONDO VIDEO! on Instagram @mondo_video
Anything else you want all the Tapeheads hangin’ loose in LUNCHMEAT Land to know?
Shout-out to my friend, Jeff McCall (and his family) of Woodstock, GA., who’s a Master Carpenter that helped me when I needed the help.
Also, follow the crew:
Kevin Penley: @pizzaplanetvideorentals
Michael Myerz: @mrmyerz
Jason Graham: @slime_video_atl
Sean Beard: World’s Largest Beavis and Butthead Collection: @beavisnbuttheadcollector
Andy Bernet: Lifelong friend, Killer artist ‘n illustrator: @doctorbernet
Thanks, LUNCHMEAT! See you VHSoon!
Hey-yo, Tapeheads! We are absolutely VHStoked to unveil the fully fantastic DRIVE-IN VHS FEST V poster art from the amazingly radical hand of artist VHSupreme HAYDEN HALL! Yes, these posters will be available at the fest!
Wait.. What’s DRIVE-IN VHS FEST? We’re so glad you asked!
VHS FEST is the largest and most bodacious VHS event in the nation and guaranteed to give you the most rewind-radical weekend of your life! This will rule, Tapeheads! It’s undoubtedly our favorite event of the year (and frankly of all-time) so DON’T MISS IT! Tickets are going fast, but still available at MahoningDIT.com (or just clickity-click the link below!)
We press play at Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, PA on July 9th and 10th!
CLICK THE LINK FOR TICKETS AND EVENT INFO: https://mahoningdrivein.ticketleap.com/vhsfestv/
FULL DETAILS BELOW!
The Mahoning Drive-in Theater joins forces with Lunchmeat & Saturn’s Core for the premier VHS Event in the country: VHS-Fest V! 2 Days & Nights of Vendors, Music, Guests and Late Night VHSocializing (from a distance!)
Gates Open Early: 5pm
Films begin at Sundown.
Party till you have to press Stop.
Friday, July 9th:
Saturday, July 10th:
Beyond the 30+ vendors and other special guests, Lunchmeat & Saturn's Core will be welcoming Jackie Kelly (actress In Memory Of, Tennessee Gothic) & Jason Christ (writer / actor In Memory Of, Ratline, Savage Harvest 2) at their booth.
We can't wait to get absolutely rewind radical with you, Tapeheads. We'll be there with all the LUNCHMEAT goodies, including out brand new issue of LUNCHMEAT MAGAZINE, and of course, and handful of VHSurprise releases!
VHSee you at VHS FEST V, Videovores! REWIND OR DIE!
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Hey-yo, Tapeheads! We’re VHStoked to announce the launch of our first podcast: VHSnackin’! Join us as we delve into the nostalgic cult classics that helped shape our taste in cinema, and continue to be comfort food films to this day. Oh, and there’s snacks, of course! Rad ones! Gotta have the VHSnacks, Videovores!
Hosted by Josh Lunchmeat and Phil from The Spookhouse Podacst, get ready to rewind back to some video era classics, and munch on some tasty treats: this is VHSnackin!
Our first three episodes featuring HEAVYWEIGHTS, DENNIS THE MENACE, and AIRBORNE are now available on iTunes, Spotify, and wherever you listen to your podcasts! We hope you dig on it, Tapeheads!
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Few forsaken objects hold as much nostalgia power as the VHS tape. More than just the object itself, it’s the experiences involving this so-called obsolete piece of media that power this nearly nuclear level of nostalgia. It’s evident in mass media, advertising, major merchandising, and even in people’s basements (where numerous nostalgiacs are building basement video stores), that a VHS revival is already here, and it’s only getting more play.
There’s always been the relatively small yet powerfully passionate pledges of long-running underground VHS culture (e.g. online Facebook groups, Instagram feeds aplenty, and dedicated VHS-driven entities such as us) but it’s readily apparent that the love for VHS is solidified and is pressing fast forward on expansion. As of 2021, it’s clear that VHS’ incredible cultural impact and inherently flawed yet retrospectively pleasing aesthetics will forever influence us, even after being taken to the dump by society at large.
Image courtesy of @gabagool
Even with the abundance of VHS love sprawling from seemingly every direction, there is an often overlooked and ostensibly ordinary aspect to VHS that doesn’t get enough attention, and yet it offers a unique window into the people (i.e. us) that used it. It perhaps provides the most potently personal connection to VHS, and spells out our most cherished memories tied to it.
Handwritten labels.
We explored a smattering of handwritten labels in our book STUCK ON VHS, but that was limited to specimens found in video store settings. There’s another world of handwritten VHS label intrigue, and it came from our own living rooms.
It could be your Mom’s handwriting on a home movie from your third grade play, or your next-door neighbor’s scrawled rendition of the Robocop logo, taped off of cable for your older brother and traded for a six-pack. The beauty part is, it could be anything.
In ways, these home-dubbed, handwritten tapes have the ability to tell stories. These handwritten interpretations, introductions, and representations of distant, fuzzy, and perpetually warm memories could be the only remaining instance of someone’s handwriting. They may serve as a rewind-inclined reminder of a person: their interests, tastes, and inclinations. It a small yet sweet way, they are an extension of whoever wrote the label.
Image courtesy of @new_worldvision_order
It’s certain that handwriting has the power to show people’s personalities. Studies show. Spelling, grammar, neatness, cataloging criteria, style, mixed with what’s recorded on a tape: It all tells a story. Whether it’s that poignant connection to tapes your Grandpa used to record off of TV, or the incredible curiosity of someone’s mind-melting (and mildly inappropriate) taped-from-cable quadruple feature, with titles misspelled to perfection. These are pieces of video ephemera that deserve to be looked at with a more curious eye.
Image courtesy of @new_worldvision_order
Are we over-romanticizing this? A cynic might smirk and nod. Let’s just say that charm doesn’t appear on every home-recorded VHS label – and there’s something to say for the thrilling game of rewind roulette that is popping in an unmarked videocassette.
Image courtesy of @thewallofvhs
But let’s also say that there’s beauty and wonder were you look for it. And for so many of these handwritten labels, there’s often a spark of personality, a curious mark, or some sort of hidden story with them. At the very least, it makes you wonder: who’s the person that made this Crocodile Dundee, NOES 3: Dream Warriors and Carrie triple-feature, and can we party with you?
If you have some favorite handwritten labels you’d like to VHShare, post up on social media with the hashtag #handwrittenVHS, and tell us your story! We can’t wait to VHSee ‘em, Tapeheads!
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With the recent announcement that Family Video will be closing all of their remaining stores, and the fact that there is just one Blockbuster Video left in the entire world (located in Bend, OR and subject of the eye-opening and heartwarming documentaryThe Last Blockbuster), the majority of people might think that video stores are all but a warm, fuzzy memory, gone but not forgotten. But for those who frequent Lunchmeat and all of our rewind-inclined channels, it’s known that nothing could be further from the truth.
Across the nation, a small army of independent video stores are fighting to keep that video rental dream alive, and making damn sure that the liberty of choice, plethora of cinema knowledge, and distinct joys found within video store walls will never die, existing as the ultimate anti-algorithm.
Cue Videodrome: Atlanta, GA’s last surviving video store, and one of our favorites in the world. And we’re absolutely VHStoked to team up with them and offer some exclusive Videodrome threads, only available via Lunchmeat. You can check that out HERE. And now, let’s press play, and groove into the absolutely radical video rental destination known as Videodrome.
Grab the threads HERE.
Videodrome owner and manager Matt Booth has been working in video stores on and off since high school, but in the late 90s, he took a chance with some friends and started their own video rental spot, with the intention to serve those interested in something more than just the latest and greatest home video hits.
Welcome to Videodrome. Photo: Isadora Pennington
Booth explains, “In 1996, I moved to Atlanta and picked up some shifts at a video store chain called Moovies (yes, it was all cow themed - Google it!). Moovies was soon taken over by a bigger chain, Video Update, and I became a manager at the local Little 5 Points location. This was right during the heyday of the industry; there were six video stores in a five mile radius, and Friday and Saturday nights were slammed. Little 5 points was a unique cultural area, and Jeff Sutton, a co-worker, and I started to think about opening our own, less mainstream store to meet the needs of people looking for an alternative to corporate video stores. We started collecting VHS and convinced a local landlord to take a chance on us. We opened Videodrome in the summer of 1998 with a small but curated collection of Independent, Foreign, Cult, Horror, Anime and Documentary VHS titles.”
Matt Booth inside Videodrome.
Fast forward to today and Videodrome runs on a small but dedicated crew of 3 full-time employees and 4 part-time Dromies (we made that word up) who fill in shifts when needed. That core team is bolstered by a supportive community of friends who donate their time and efforts, doing whatever it takes to help keep the store alive.
The Videodrome crew. Photo: Jordan Jeffares
Within their walls lives a vast world of cinema. Videodrome boasts a rental collection totaling nearly 37K individual titles, with about 30K DVDs and 6.5K Blu Ray discs (and counting). They also offer a small yet thoughtfully curated section of VHS tapes available for purchase. You know we can dig it.
In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Videodrome stood as a robust alternative to the corporate stores nearby. As time evolved they ended up as the last video store in Atlanta, and shifted to becoming the local community's video library, which ultimately invited more mainstream titles into their selection. They still bring in mostly independent, foreign, and cult films, but don’t shy away from getting a decent amount of Hollywood fare. They’re here to quench the thirst of cinema fans of all inclinations.
As for the most popular rentals at Videodrome, here’s a list of their top renting titles all-time:
10) GUMMO
9) THE THING (1982)
8) MULHOLLAND DRIVE
7) KIDS
6) HAPPINESS
5) REAR WINDOW
4) HAUSU (HOUSE)
3) BOTTLE ROCKET
2) VIDEODROME
1) SPIRITED AWAY
*ED NOTE – SPIRITED AWAY was also the number one renting disc at Video Vortex.*
That list certainly doesn’t represent what you might call mainstream, but then again, supplying an avenue to access cult film is the foundation of Videodrome.
The Official Rental Membership Card of Videodrome. Photo: Sarah Statham
Perhaps the most powerful piece of Videodrome, and video stores all over, is the aspect of human connection. Matt relates, “My favorite thing about the store is interacting with customers and for lack of a better phrase, helping guide them through their film choices. I’ve made some of my best friends over the years working at the store. I also genuinely enjoy the business part of my job: ordering product, accounting, and planning the events are all challenging and rewarding.”
But that connection was abruptly interrupted in early 2020 because of COVID. In response, Booth and the Videodrome team created a system that would make both customer and staff safety paramount.
Artwork by @tonyrodriguezillustration
Booth explains that transition: “Our Deadly Prey Gallery art show/screening at the Plaza Theatre on 3/13/20 happened right on the cusp of COVID shutdowns, and within a week we had to shut down the inside of our store and move to a takeout-only model. We canceled events, attempted to navigate city, county, and state regulations, and developed all new in-store safety protocols to keep our staff and customers safe. The race to apply for government grants and loans was suddenly on, and the paperwork alone became a second job.
We started an online store and sold more than double the merchandise of any previous year! New Blu-ray and DVD releases were scarce, and it almost felt as if we were reinventing our business on a weekly basis. Plazadrome, the movie screenings we present each month at the Plaza Theatre, moved outdoors as a drive-in. The protests following the murder of George Floyd began, and as revenues dropped even more, we became a neighborhood hub to collect and distribute supplies to protesters. We reopened the inside of the store for browsing on 10/1/20, requiring masks and limiting occupancy, and immediately saw an uptick in revenue. 2020 was both scary and invigorating; we’ve never worked harder or been prouder of what we provide to the community. We couldn’t have made it through without the support of our loyal customers and friends.”
Two satisfied renters safely get their cinema. Photo: Videodrome Staff
The cinema fans of Atlanta responded with an outpouring of support for the store, with a core group of loyal customers keeping Videodrome at about 2/3 of their normal business from March to October. The Drome started taking email and phone orders and put so many COVID precautions in effect, they gained new customers, becoming known as a place that was safe, diligent, and perpetually doing their best to keep their customers healthy.
As one might expect, COVID disrupted the supply and distribution chains from the movie studios. One of their distributors, Vobile, went totally out of business. They were still able to bring in some foreign and independent DVD and Blu-ray releases, but running the store for 8 months without any major studio releases proved to be a challenge. However, they used the lack of new releases as an opportunity to fill in the gaps in their Blu-ray selection.
A stack of radical re-issues ready for some renting. Photo: Videodrome Staff
Videodrome has also found a way to bring cult cinema to Atlanta beyond their rental selection. They started a monthly series of screenings in conjunction with Atlanta’s oldest theater, The Plaza Theatre (plazaatlanta.com), aptly dubbing it Plazadrome. The screenings are generally focused on fun, crowd pleasing films that run the gamut from HAUSU to FACE/OFF to DAISIES. The Plaza Theater was shut down for the first few months of COVID, but soon reopened as a pop-up drive-in in May of 2020. Videodrome and Plaza were able to pull off drive-in screenings of DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, CHOPPING MALL, DEAD END DRIVE-IN, THE BLOB (1988), SHOGUN ASSASSIN, GINGER SNAPS, ACTION U.S.A., AND WHISKEY MOUNTAIN. If that’s not a fun-as-hell line-up, we don’t know what is.
The historic facade of Plaza Theatre, featuring an installment of PlazaDrome.
Before the pandemic, they were able to put on a slew of bigger, event-style indoor screenings with radical partners, screening insane cult fare including HARD TICKET TO HAWAII with TCM Underground, THE DEVIL’S SWORD with The Deadly Prey Gallery, THE TOUGH ONES with Grindhouse Releasing, VIDEO VIOLENCE with Lunchmeat VHS (Hey, that’s us!), and TAMMY AND THE T-REX with Vinegar Syndrome.
Videodrome is already cooking up ideas for future events and screenings, but of course that will need to wait until COVID concerns and restrictions are remedied. Then, they can move the cult film fun back indoors.
In the meantime, Videodrome has found radical ways for people to support their store beyond rentals and events. They started an online store (videodrome.tv) in May 2020 and have a received remarkable support. They’ve reportedly sold more merch in 2020 than ever before, producing T-shirts, prints, stickers, totes, Christmas ornaments, and masks, all of which were designed by local artists and friends including Will Tims (who designed these rad threads), Linda McNeil, Tony Rodriguez, and Mike Germon. They’ve even partnered with a local brewery, Halfway Crooks, to create a Videodrome-inspired beer, and having it debut at a Halloween parking lot screening of the European cut of DAWN OF THE DEAD. Man, that’s making us thirsty.
Put a little Drome in your dome. Drink it, maAAaAan. Photo: Videodrome Staff
So why is this video store (and the general idea of having a video store) so important to Matt, his crew, and film fans at large? Matt posits, “Just like record stores and bookstores, I believe video stores are still an important part of the retail landscape. They can give customers a more interactive, tactile experience. You can bring a date, wander the shelves with some friends, and interact with the employees of a video store. They also function as a community film library, curating their selection to meet the desires of the local community. Streaming was promised as a giant video store on the internet where a customer was only one click away from the exact film they were looking for.
Strangely, it became the opposite. New releases are expensive, content is fractured between multiple subscription services, and movies appear and disappear in 30-day windows. To get anywhere close to a similar selection of films that Videodrome offers, a customer would need 5 or 6 different subscriptions - and even then, we have many films that aren’t available on any streaming service. The content that is available [via streaming] is almost entirely Hollywood made from 2000 on. Streaming has become both frustrating and expensive, and it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.”
Another rad stack of cinema offered at Videodrome. Photo: Videodrome Staff
What’s next for Videodrome? It’s a good question. They’ll be in survival mode until the COVID crisis passes, but with the support of their local community, things are looking up. They’re currently updating their website, with the intention of allowing customers to browse and place rental orders online. They’ll also be adding new merch to their retail store, and as the weather warms up, and it becomes safe to gather again, they’ll be conjuring up the coolest cinema-driven outdoor events in Atlanta.
Image courtesy of @wt_design
Before we VHSign off, we just wanted to share Matt’s final thoughts and thanks from this interview, which show a potent mix of gratitude and grief, warmly wrapped in a blanket of solidarity for the video rental world. Take it away, Matt…
“I’d just like to give a shout out to all the video stores who are out there grinding, keeping physical media alive. I’m sure stores like Seattle’s Scarecrow Video, Los Angeles’s Cinefile Video and Videotheque, Portland’s Movie Madness, and Boston’s Video Underground have been through a lot in 2020 and deserve your support. If you'd asked me a year ago, I would have said the industry was seeing a bit of an uptick. Memphis’ Black Lodge, and Los Angeles’ Vidiots were slated to re-open in bigger spaces that included room for screenings and events. Baltimore’s newish video store, Beyond Video, was going strong. Alamo Drafthouse was adding a video rental component, Video Vortex, to their new theaters.
Unfortunately, 2020 was a disaster for an industry already on the decline. We lost some great independent stores including Chicago’s Odd Obsession Movies, and two important stores in Austin: Vulcan Video and I Luv Video. Strangled by the lack of mainstream releases, the U.S. biggest corporate rental chain, Family Video, shuttered all of its remaining 500 stores. COVID forced people to stay home in 2020 and streaming services had their most profitable year to date. On the bright side, film fandom and physical media enthusiasm seems to be on the rise. Boutique companies like Criterion, Arrow Video, Kino, Shout Factory, Vinegar Syndrome, Severin, Grindhouse Releasing, and many others have taken Blu-ray and now 4K releases to a new level. Weekly, it seems, there are multiple perfect restorations of films from every genre imaginable. I’ve never watched so many films for the second or third time, and the internet has helped an army of film enthusiasts gain a voice and connect with each other.”
Matt and crew, we here at Lunchmeat VHSalute you! Keep fighting that good fight, friends, and believe there will always be that core group of people that will support this culture. Together, we’ll be able to keep the video rental dream alive for generations to come. Here’s to never pressing stop.
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Rewind-inclined regulars in Lunchmeat Land may remember when we explored the strange and innovative world of VCR board gaming all the way back in LUNCHMEAT #6 (time flies, eh, Tapeheads?). But for those who missed out on that video venture, here’s a quick rewind refresh.
The VCR gaming world is notorious for being clunky, convoluted, and mostly unplayable, but even so, there were a slew of VCR gaming platforms that were released from the mid-80s to the early to mid 90s. Though it was a relatively brief VHSpan of time, eager VCR-loving consumers were offered everything from VCR gaming based on popular films and TV shows (Robocop, The Honeymooners), to genre trope favorites (Nightmare aka Atmosfear, Doorways to Horror) and even an (un)healthy amount of sports games, including VCR Football, VCR Baseball, VCR Horse Racing (?!), and even an off-the-top-rope VCR Wrestlemania game.
And let’s not forget our personal party time, excellent favorite: the Wayne’s World VCR Board Game!
Of course, Disney got in on the latest tape trend, too, with Disney Presents Movie Classics VCR Board Game and a more compact Gargoyles game (which came with the pilot), the latter pictured below with a smaller size murder mystery game from Spinnaker, which has some amazing cover art.
And there are plenty more, Tapeheads. Last time we checked, we’ve found over 100 different VCR games made available to the public. Here are some bonus mention titles, just because we can’t resist: America’s Funniest Home Videos VCR Game, Party Mania, Star Trek TNG Interactive VCR Board Game, Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game and one more we just couldn’t publish this article without mentioning: Rap Rat The Video Board Game. That’s a real thing, and it’s just as ridiculous as you think it is.
But this whole short-lived yet impressively prolific craze started with the innovation of Parker Brothers in 1985, with the release Rich Little’s Charades VCR game and the CLUE VCR Mystery game. The latter proved to be wildly successful, spawning a sequel game CLUE II: Murder in Disguise, and an avalanche of other VCR board game attempts from various companies.
And now, the history of that trailblazing foray into VCR gaming from Parker Brothers has been uncovered.
Originally released in 2013, but recently brought to our attention by fellow video era historian Dan Kinem (VHShitFest, Adjust Your Tracking), Who Did It? The Story Behind The Clue VCR Game from directors Frank Durant and Tim Labonte illuminates the development, production, and talents behind the creation of this initial videocassette gaming system. In addition to detailing the process behind creating the first-ever VCR board game, it also has a heartwarming aspect to it, as Parker Brothers decided to use local New England talent for the production, showing some impressive integrity, and creating memories for all involved that would last a lifetime. It’s fantastic stuff.
There’s also the element that NO ONE involved could figure out how to play the game. As we mentioned, VCR board games were notoriously clunky and at times nearly impossible to play, and with the CLUE VCR Mystery Game being the first of its kind, it’s no VHSurprise that this one exemplifies that notion.
Ultimately, this doc is an incredibly cool and informative view into a piece of home video history that would have otherwise fell squarely into oblivion.
To the terrific team that created Who Did It? The Story Behing The Clue VCR Game, we here at Lunchmeat VHSalute you!
Groove and Groove and THE FUTURE IS NOW.
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The world needs more video stores. For rewind-inclined minds and retroists of all kinds, I can’t think of a more veracious statement. Luckily, there’s a Tapehead named Mike Reynolds up in Toronto, Ontario that has found a way to mix taps and tapes under one rewind-radical roof. It’s just recently pressed play with over 5K VHS for rent, with an array of adult beverages to wash ‘em all down. Here are 5 things you absolutely need to know about Toronto’s newest video rental destination Farside.
Mike Reynolds with the Farside VHStash for rent!
Farside plays tapes all night and day when the bar is open. VHS is an inherent part of their DNA. Regulars and weekend warriors alike have come to expect a classic movie or weird video projected on the back wall while they imbibe. It’s a VHSignature part of their establishment, and now you can take a little slice of Farside to your living room.
All tapes are 5 bucks a night, 8 bucks for two nights. Farside also does a package deal for $40 that includes a VCR, HDMI adapter and 3 tapes for two nights, which is most popular. If you return the tape late (which hasn’t happened yet; people are bringing those slabs back in on time!), it’s an extra 5 bucks per day late fee.
Don't forget about the booze, dudes! In Ontario, the provincial government has FINALLY allowed bars and restaurants to legally sell alcohol to-go. So now you can leave Farside with a hockey bag full of craft beer, or a sixer of Bud. It's all the same to them. No VHSnobbery at Farside!
Canada’s last Blockbuster closed in Parry Sound and the interest and love for tapes is constantly rising. Mike posits that nobody likes streaming services anymore and their selection is heinous. The only reason anyone has Netflix any more is for Star Trek. (However, Farside has every episode of TNG on tape available to rent!)
Mike and crew came up with the idea because he’s a self-proclaimed freak and Farside already had 5000+ tapes at the bar. All they needed to do was buy a few more VCRs and a couple HDMI adapters and they were in business. Mike says, “People need to feel good right now. Anything that's just fun and rad and safe is important. That and streaming services suck… but we all know that.”
We know that’s right, Mike! What Mike and Farside are doing is some much needed rewind work and such a fantastic cultural space to have up in Canada, or anywhere for that matter. The whole concept reminds me a lot of Video Vortex (the video store I helped launch inside Alamo Drafthouse circa 2018), and let me tell you from experience: copious amounts of beer (on-site and to-go) coupled with seemingly endless VHS in one place… it’s truly a VHSweet slice of heaven on earth. And the fact that you can take it home with you? Check please.
And Mike isn’t done yet. He and his wife Rachel are planning to launch another spot in Hamilton, Ontario that we VHSeriously can’t wait to see materialize. Mike says, “It might be the stupidest thing we've ever done, but hopefully, STUPID LIKE A FOX. That's how that phrase works right? Wish us luck… and feed your VCR. We can help with that. REWIND OR DIE!”
Mike and the Farside crew, we here at Lunchmeat VHSalute you for keeping the tapes flowin’ and rollin’!
Follow Farside @farsidetoronto on Instagram, and tell ‘em Lunchmeat VHSent ya!
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Super Video was a partnership between the Independent-International Pictures owners Sam Sherman and Dan Kennis with salesman Gary Eller. It was founded at a time when videocassette tapes were manufactured primarily for commercial use in video rental stores. For the most part, only die-hard fans bought a pre-recorded factory-sealed movie on videocassette, as the cost could be anywhere from fifty to a hundred dollars per tape.
The idea was brought to Sherman and Kennis on several occasions to supply their IIP catalog of movies for the lucrative home video marketplace. Ultimately, early offers were passed on, as the partners continued to study the market. Upon meeting Eller, a salesman from the west coast, a deal was struck, and Super Video was born.
Image courtesy of Robert Freese
Because demand was so high, and the appetite for horror and exploitation product is constant, Super Video was a success right out of the gate. Sherman remembers bringing in millions of dollars in the burgeoning home video market, right as the business of film distribution was drastically changing for independent films looking for theatrical release. Theaters were closing up; particularly the drive-ins, but IIP’s catalog was experiencing a new life on Betamax and VHS.
Image courtesy of Robert Freese
Eller was a proponent of oversized clamshell boxes. For its first eighteen releases, The Super Video line was not only manufactured in oversized cases, but unique in that the actual front cover artwork, spine and back cover were printed directly onto a sheet of thin plastic which was then heated, contoured and sealed around the clamshell lid and tray. It was an expensive process, but the packaging was so striking that prospective renter’s eyes couldn't help but be drawn to them. As impressive as they were, the labels’ nineteenth release (Night of the Laughing Dead) began the use of a clamshell box with slip-in art. Super Video now conformed to the more common packaging of the day that was embraced by labels early on such as Prism, VidMark and Warner Bros.
The line was successful beyond all initial expectations. Super Video released a steady flow of titles, both horror and exploitation. Some were released with their original theatrical artwork while brand new artwork was commissioned for others. This was practically unheard of, as most video releases usually relied on their original theatrical artwork for their box art.
Image courtesy of Robert Freese
In the earlier days of IIP, if a film was released to drive-ins and hardtops and didn’t do the business the company thought it should, Sherman would give it a new title and play up a different aspect of the film’s plot with new advertising to try and make it a success. This was the practice for a number of Super Video titles, which had titles changed for home video release.
When Sherman offered Eller Girls for Rent, an action film centering on a cruel female murderer busting out of jail and going on a vengeance-seeking killing spree, Eller saw no worth in it for the video market. He wrote it off as an exploitation film that offered little more than some softcore sex scenes. What he failed to understand was that the film’s mix of a menacing female villain and action was exactly what video renters were looking for!
Determined to prove his doubting partner wrong, Sherman devised a new marketing strategy by capitalizing on the notoriety of the Jerry Gross release I Spit on Your Grave. New artwork depicting a woman shooting a man in the head while engaging in a little mattress frolic would help, but it was Sherman’s ingenious title-tweaking that sealed the deal. Girls for Rent became I Spit on Your Corpse and went on to become one of the most popular and successful titles in the Super Video line.
Image courtesy of VIDEOSPACE
The lurid artwork and title change ensured viewer interest and salesman Eller sold it to seemingly every rental chain and mom ‘n pop video shop across the country. It was everywhere, almost always located in the shop’s horror section, right next to Grave.
I Spit on Your Corpse was so popular during its initial release on Beta and VHS, it was the only Super Video title to be re-issued when the catalog was briefly managed and distributed by Republic Pictures.
This era of home video also exemplifies how film producers were able to generate new income while theater screens were being lost. There was a realization that an existing film library had a new worth to the video market, as people were looking to rent the same type of movies they would have gone to see at the drive-in years earlier. Only now, with most rentals being overnight and due back the following day, many folks were renting cassettes several times a week and watching more movies than a weekly trip to the local ozoner for a double bill.
Tim Ferrante, a longtime friend of Sherman’s, remembers going to Tower Video in Manhattan, where video tapes were sold, and seeing the Super Video line for sale.
“Because the Super Video titles were released for video shops to purchase for rentals, Tower sold everything at the full retail price of $59.95. Video shops would get a break buying from a distributor, but collectors paid that full retail price,” Ferrante says.
“There was a golden period in New York City when ‘video blowout’ stores started popping up,” he continued. “They arrived as the industry was being flooded with titles and the rental shops couldn’t keep up. The blowout stores were filled with rental castoffs, and titles that today would sell for hundreds were strewn throughout the city. The clamshell sixty-dollar rentals were $14.95 or less. And because this was the earliest days of a developing industry, the tapes and boxes were often in excellent condition. You have to remember that initially, you couldn’t afford to buy these tapes. So, when the chance arrived to buy them used, you bought what you could. Schlepping around the city to the various blowout shops was very exciting because you never knew what you’d find.”
He adds, “Since the Super Video titles were never offered at sell-through pricing, finding one in mint condition suggests it probably belonged to a serious collector who had the means to buy it back in the day at full retail. A rarity!”
Ferrante also noted that the production runs became smaller. He speculates that a hard-sell title like Female Animal, which went out with artwork Sherman never liked, crediting the poor artwork for effectively killing any chance of it selling, to possibly only a few hundred copies. Eventually, the partnership between IIP and Eller was dissolved, and Sherman negotiated with Republic Pictures to handle the line for distribution.
Image courtesy of Dan Kinem
It’s first release was Day of the Maniac, which is when Republic introduced Super Video’s new catalog number sequence. Sherman commissioned IIP’s favorite artist, Gray Morrow, to render Maniac’s cover art. At the same time, the tapes increased from $59.95 to $69.95. The new deal didn’t last long, ending after just three releases. Some titles were licensed by VidAmerica, Inc. for its line of “World’s Worst Movies,” an attempt to cash in on the unfortunate “Golden Turkey” mentality aimed toward cult films.
What was the downfall of Super Video, especially after so many prosperous years of success and growth? Sell-through killed Super Video.
As the market moved towards making cassettes affordable for anyone to purchase, appealing to collectors as well as the casual movie fan who only wanted copies of their favorite films, income fell drastically. The opportunity was no longer there to earn profits strictly from the video rental market. “We used to receive prompt payments,” Sherman laments. “Now the industry wanted to pay us every 90 or 120 days. Distributors wanted us to retail at prices so low that we just couldn’t afford to sustain those costs on lesser profit. Add to that the return policies and suddenly it no longer made any sense.” When the shift in the market happened, Super Video ceased to exist. (Sherman and Kennis went so far as to sell the name of the company to another company known as Super Video that wanted the trademark on the name.)
Super Video was a small label that made a huge impact early in the home video business. It proved the market for drive-in exploitation fare extended well beyond the outdoor screens and ensured the films would live on in every type of home video format to be developed.
SUPER VIDEO TRIVIA!
HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN – The cover art was an original commission, although the artist has yet to be identified. Take a look at the woman on the floor holding a dagger. If she looks familiar, it’s because she was referenced from the poster for the 1983 slasher film The House on Sorority Row. Those folks weren’t pleased and Super Video agreed to mask the infringement on all copies still awaiting distribution. If you happen to have a clamshell with a square red sticker covering the “dagger girl”, now you know why it’s there. The sticker reads, “Bizarre...to say the least!” and the quote is credited to none other than Dan Kennis, Super Video co-founder. A very rare variant.
SUPER VIDEO SV01 through SV04 Logo – The Super Video logo erroneously included “Inc.” which isn’t permitted. With the release of SV05, the “Inc.” permanently disappears.
I SPIT ON YOUR CORPSE – There’s a famous story about cinematographer Gary Graver running across I Spit on Your Corpse at his local video shop and wondering who shot such a film. To his surprise, he realized he’d shot it, as Girls for Rent!
GRAVEYARD OF HORROR – Even though IIP purchased its film’s rights several years before, the company never released it theatrically. Instead, it went straight into its TV syndication package. The 1985 Super Video tape was its United States home video premiere.
GOING PUBLIC – Sam Sherman tried convincing his partners that Super Video should become a public company. Neither agreed.
THE TWO BIGGEST SELLERS – Blazing Stewardesses and I Spit on Your Corpse top the list as the label’s bestselling titles.
Image courtesy of Robert Freese
COMPLETE LIST OF SUPER VIDEO TITLES:
The Super Video line began with deluxe clamshell packaging with cover artwork printed onto a plastic sheet that was then sealed and trimmed onto the cassette tray assembly.
SV01 – HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN (aka BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL)
SV02 – SATAN’S SADISTS (Cover art Luis Dominguez)
SV03 – I SPIT ON YOUR CORPSE (aka GIRLS FOR RENT)
SV04 – NIGHT OF THE THE HOWLING BEAST (cover art Basil Gogos)
SV05 – BLOOD IN THE STREETS (aka REVOLVER)
SV06 – HORROR OF THE ZOMBIES (aka THE GHOST GALLEON)
SV07 – THE SMILING MANIACS
SV08 – BLAZING STEWARDESSES (cover art Gray Morrow)
SV09 – DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN
SV10 – SYNDICATE SADISTS
SV11 – ANGEL’S WILD WOMEN
SV12 – GANG WAR
SV13 – VIOLENT BLOOD BATH
SV14 – BLOOD OF GHASTLY HORROR
SV15 – THE LONELY WOMAN
SV16 – THE BOOBY HATCH (aka DIRTY BOOK STORE)
SV17 – WILD GIRL (aka GIRL FROM THE RED CABARET)
SV18 – TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN
The previous packaging was modified starting with SV19 and switched to clamshell with slip-in cover art.
SV19 – NIGHT OF THE LAUGHING DEAD (aka CRAZY HOUSE)
SV20 – FIGHTING RATS OF TOBRUK
SV21 – SEDUCTION SQUAD (aka THE POWDER PUFF GANG)
SV22 – THE MURDER GANG (aka BLACK HEAT, GIRLS’ HOTEL)
SV23 – MISSION TO DEATH
SV24 – HOSPITAL OF TERROR (aka NURSE SHERRI)
SV25 – THE HOLLYWOOD DREAM (aka GAME SHOW MODELS)
SV26 – FEMALE ANIMAL
SV27 – CINDERELLA 2000
SV28 – GRAVEYARD OF HORROR (aka THE BUTCHER OF BINBROOK)
SV29 – SUBMARINE ATTACK
SV30 – THE NAUGHTY STEWARDESSES
The Super Video numbering scheme changes as the partnership with co-founder Gary Eller is dissolved. These three releases were managed through Republic Pictures video, hence the new numbering. This group was the last gasp of the Super Video label.
6130 – DAY OF THE MANIAC (aka THEY’RE COMING TO GET YOU, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, cover art Gray Morrow)
6255 – HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS (Cover art Neal Adams, colored by Gray Morrow)
6270 – I SPIT ON YOUR CORPSE (reissue)
I would like to give a huge thank you to Tim Ferrante who was gracious with his time and his memories and unearth more nuggets of valuable info than I would have on my own. Thanks, Tim!
Robert Freese contributes to numerous magazines and zines, such as The Phantom of the Movies’ Videoscope, Rue Morgue, Drive-in Asylum, Grindhouse Purgatory and the Italian language Nocturno. He also contributes to Sam Pacino’s bandsaboutmovies.com, and Dustin Fallon’s Horror and Sons. He also co-hosts Two Librarians Walk into a Shelf: a podcast for the library system he works for, and uses it as an excuse to expose library patrons to slasher and ninja movies.
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To introduce you to this installment of The Visual History of Audio/Video Plus, we’ll be rewinding back to LUNCHMEAT #7 and exhuming an excerpt from a piece by Matthew Dilts-Williams as he details and explores one of horror home video’s most beloved labels: Thriller Video. We’ll also offer up the full checklist for the Thriller Video catalog, complete with pricing from 2012. If you’re wondering how much a copy of Alabama’s Ghost was going for about 8 years ago, we got you, my dudes.
Image courtesy of Regan Ray.
The following excerpt on Thriller Video originally appeared in LUNCHMEAT #7, written and compiled by Matthew Dilts-Williams:
Of the many VHS companies to come and go in the 1980s, one that remains nestled in the brains of horror fans and VHS aficionados alike is Thriller Video. The company’s instantly recognizable skull-topped headstone logo would go on to grace the box art of almost 50 VHS releases during the company’s short life. At the center of more than half of those releases was Ms. Cassandra Peterson.
In the 1980s Cassandra Peterson could be seen everywhere flaunting ample cleavage in tight black gown and wearing an equally black beehive wig, evoking her sarcastic horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Her dark, sultry figure abounded in just about every form of media except for one: home video. That would change in 1985 when Elvira would sign with International Video Entertainment (I.V.E) to host their home video horror series, the one and only Thriller Video. Said to have been started in 1983 (even though its first release was not until 1985) the company put out its last VHS in 1987 and was one of the few to release the majority of its tapes in big box packaging.
Thriller Video’s catalog consisted of 47 video releases in total, 24 of which featured Elvira and her hosting talents. Of the Elvira releases, half were not in fact feature films but actually episodes of the British TV anthology series Hammer’s House of Horror. These releases would add previews along with an introduction and post-credits sequences featuring Elvira, bumping the runtimes up to an hour.
Beyond these 12 titles, Elvira would only host fairly tame B-horror as she was averse to hosting more extreme horror fare believing it would sully her reputation. This aversion was specifically towards hosting Buried Alive, Doctor Butcher M.D., Make Them Die Slowly, Nightstalker (aka Don’t Go Near the Park), and The 7 Doors of Death, which were all released under the Thriller Video banner without Elvira’s involvement.
The other non-Elvira Thriller Video releases consisted of episodes from another British TV show: a suspense/thriller movie-of-the-week style series from the mid-70s curiously titled Thriller and 7 video volumes featuring select episodes of Tales from the Darkside. The majority of Thriller Video’s version of Thriller were cuts imported for US syndication in the late 70s by ABC Wide World of Entertainment, who created new titles, credits, and opening sequences for the show. Thriller Video released 11 episodes from various seasons of Thriller, usually with 2 to 3 minutes of additional footage not included in the original UK airings. Each of the 7 Tales from the Darkside volumes consisted of 3 episodes as they had originally aired (sans commercials!). Each of the TftD releases made mention of the involvement of George A. Romero (and executive producer on the show) on the box, but it was unable to garner much interest. It proved to be the twilight of the company’s existence; the final volume of the tapes was the Thriller Video’s last video to hit shelves.
And, as promised, here’s a look at that checklist of Thriller titles featuring pricing comps from 2012… What a blast from the past!
And here is where we pass the shovel to Video Sanctum Night Manager Benny Junko, to dig a little deeper into the history of this radical rewind-era releasing label, and the spectacular faux-stone display erected to celebrate the launch of the Thriller Video home video line. The following images are the only known photos from the Thriller Video installation at Audio/ Video Plus, and are all courtesy of Benny and his archive.
Take it away, Benny!
Image courtesy of Video Sanctum.
In November 1986, Audio/Video Plus was riding an unstoppable wave of home video consumption. Houston's Montrose residents came from far and wide to bask in the neon glow that surrounded the store's interior. Like a favorite dive, but with cool movies, Audio/Video Plus went to great lengths to keep people coming off the street and in the door with elaborate, never before attempted outdoor displays, like the one seen above.
Image courtesy of Video Sanctum.
In time for Halloween, the storefront transformed into a dank, damp castle replete with haunted spires and a spiked metal overhead gate that menaced Tapeheads as they passed through the narrow entrance. Once inside, Elvira was prominently staged (her cardboard likeness rather) to greet newcomers.
Image courtesy of Video Sanctum.
A small table offered Thriller Video swag including popcorn pins, new releases, and a glimpse at the store's personal headshot signed by Elvira herself at a recent Video Software Dealer's Association (VSDA) Convention in Las Vegas. Less visible in these analog memories is the small TV that played a Thriller Video trailer reel on repeat to further boost the amazing roster of horror films.
Image courtesy of Video Sanctum.
The grand gesture of Audio/Video Plus's outdoor marketing was not unlike many theaters in Los Angeles near Hollywood Blvd. and New York's Time Square. Larger than life facades, intricate in-store designs, and a constant effort to promote new experiences rather than recycled decorations set Audio/Video Plus ahead of the competition of most independent video stores operating in the U.S. at the time. This is evidenced by the store's many awards for marketing contests as well as their role as industry influencers nationwide.
Image courtesy of Video Sanctum.
The billboards are a feature unique to Audio/Video Plus as the store hired local artists to recreate 8 ft x 4 ft replicas of popular VHS covers. Seen below is the famous Thriller Video promo poster painted in close likeness to the original. Aside from forging a market for the home video business, Audio/Video Plus was well known for supporting outsider art and culture. This castle facade, built by the store's very own creative crew, is an awe-inspiring reminder of that time.
Image courtesy of Video Sanctum.
What a fantastic Halloween home video treat, eh, Tapeheads! Be sure to VHStay tuned to LUNCHMEAT as we continue to explore the absolutely fantastic and rich history of Audio/Video Plus! And don’t forget to keep feedin’ that VCR! That thing is always hungry for some tasty tapes, dudes.
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VHS collectors are a fascinating breed of fanatic. Tapeheads gather plastic slabs of cinema for myriad reasons that are often personal, and slathered with passion. Nostalgia is a major factor in many collectors’ endeavors, enabling them to connect with those distant, dusty, but ever-warm and radical memories of pre-adult life. There’s also the irresistible allure of eye-popping cover art, and in the world of VHS, there’s plenty of that visual VHStimulation to go around. Other collectors are inclined to uncover obscure oddities and incredible independent efforts that only VHS could preserve. You gotta love a dope rarity in its truest form.
Maybe the most unique and idiosyncratic approach to VHS collecting is the specificity angle. Whether it be a particular label (e.g. Vestron Video), a certain actor or director (perhaps going after every David Heavener movie out there), or type of video content (say 80s slashers, workout tapes or porno parodies), there’s a collector for it.
Then, there are some who take that specificity to a whole new level.
Take the wonderfully weird, VHS-driven creative EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE who have been amassing copies of Jerry McGuire with the idea to construct a pyramid in the desert, using only what have now affectionately become known as “Jerrys”. They haven’t done that yet – but they did create a video store where you could only rent copies of Jerry Maguire, among other super cool installations.
There’s also a guy with a van who collected copies of SPEED, another collector who is obsessed with SHREK, and a collector who has amassed a whopping collection of the horror trash classic Three on a Meathook. Funny story on that: for a while there, in the VHS collector world, collecting one title in particular was called “Meathooking.” The more you know.
And now, a collector known as Matt Awkward is out to nab every copy of Batman & Robin he can. This is his VHStory.
Tell us about yourself. How long have you been collecting tapes?
I’ve been collecting tapes pretty steadily since high school. Only back then I didn’t really regard it as collecting tapes as much as it was just having a big movie collection. I’ve always been obsessed with collecting movies. In high school, I worked at Home Vision Video and spent a lot of my meager wages on pre-viewed tapes there. I also never threw my tapes away when DVDs came out. I couldn’t understand why everybody was doing that. I was like, “These movies still play fine!” Throughout the years I always bought tapes and VCRs at thrift shops, but I never got into what I would call “Actual Collecting” until I joined the Facebook tape groups and Instagram about five years ago. That opened my eyes to so many titles I’d never heard of and wanted to get, and that’s where I pretty much transitioned from pack rat to collector.
What attracts you to the format? What’s VHS got that Blu-Ray and disc don’t?
I think for me like a ton of others out there, there’s definitely a nostalgia factor there. When I was 10 my parents were divorced. I lived with my Mom and my Dad would pick me up every Wednesday night to rent a movie and get a pizza. I always wanted to rent horror movies but my Mother wouldn’t let me. My Dad would let me rent anything and I just loved that secret feeling of getting what I wasn’t allowed. It’s so cliché but I love surrounding myself with all those titles I used to rent from Downeast Pharmacy! I have nothing against DVDs or Blus, but they sure do not look half as cool lining your shelves as the big thick tape spines do, and that’s kinda been my decorating scheme for the past 25 years and I’m definitely a creature of habit!
What are some of your Videovore habits? Do you have a favorite releasing label? Preferred Genres? Do you like Batman & Robin?
I don’t really have a favorite releasing label, although I am partial to Vestrons and Prisms, due to them releasing so many movies I absolutely love. Recently I’ve been after late release Lion’s Gates and other tapes from around 2004-05 because they can be very hard to find due to the small amount of copies made, and that’s been a fun challenge. My favorite genre is horror for sure, and specifically more light weight horror, goofy slashers and creature features. I’m not a super gore hound or a disturbing horror head, I just love me that USA Up All Night-style kind of schlock.
And yes, I absolutely love Batman & Robin. It’s such a special masterpiece of amazing-looking super-dumb fun, and Arnold’s Mr. Freeze is one of my all-time favorite film characters. He’s just perfect.
Tell us about your Batman & Robin collection. How did it all start? Why this film in particular? Why multiple copies of it?
The wild thing about my Batman & Robin collection is I honestly can’t remember why it started. It began on my Instagram first, and going back through my account I can’t even find an answer! I do remember somebody asking once why I had so many copies, and I answered as a joke that I was going to build a life-size statue of Mr. Freeze out of them. After I said that, I couldn’t get my stupid comment out of my head and it actually sounded like a good idea! So that is my goal now, and I fully believe I can accomplish this if I put my bat brain to it!
How many copies do you have now?
A buddy of mine here in town met me up in the parking lot of my work yesterday and presented me with copy 257! Nothing like handing off masked heroes while wearing masks.
How did you gather so many copies?
That’s a fun story! I started the Batman & Robin Mystery Exchange Club on Instagram and that became a stellar success! I put out a call that if you send me a Batman & Robin I’d send you a mystery tape back, and boy did the great people out there take me up on my offer! There’s such a great community of people on Instagram and my collection wouldn’t be anything like it is without them.
Soon people started sending me other Batman & Robin memorabilia, like toys, shirts, backpacks, promotional items; it got really crazy. I got home from work one day and there was a giant surprise box at the door from my buddy Blake. It was full-size cardboard standees of Batman & Robin! Insanity! But yeah, every copy I have has been thrifted by me or given to me from people. I haven’t found one myself in my area in quite some time now! Haha!
Were you familiar with the other single copy collecting that’s been going on in the rewind world?
I was. I donated a few Jerrys to the Terrible boys while they were in town, and I’ve seen the articles about the Shrek guy and the Speed guy, and I’m obviously familiar with that infamous Meathook collection. I like to say Bathooking: It’s like Meathooking but with 100 percent less negativity.
Do you have a set number of copies you’d like to attain? Or is it just as many as you can handle?
I do not have a set amount to attain, but I’m not slowing down. I haven’t actually planned out how the statue will come together but I did just find some graph paper under my couch while cleaning the other day, so maybe that’s a sign that it’s time to get real.
Can people send you copies to help with the collection?
Oh, absolutely! The phones are open and operators are standing by. Hit me up on the Instagram at mattawkward_vhs.fiend or find me on the Facebook under my fake name Matthew Gagne.
What’s it like to come home to 250+ copies of B&R every day?
It’s funny: they’re all stacked up in our dining room (much to the chagrin of my wife) and I’m so used to it that it kind of just blends into the normalcy of my house. But every now and then I’ll be walking through that room and stop and look at them all, start to wonder if I’m crazy, then reassure myself I’m not and it’s been such a fun journey of meeting cool peeps that helped out with the stack and the fact that the ludicrousness of it all has brought a lot of fun to people makes me very happy.
I recently noticed, however, that my cat recently used the wall as a scratching post, so I really gotta get moving and thrift a new shelf for these bad boys!
What’s next, man?!
Well, like I said, the statue must be built! I may need to rent a storage space or small art studio to make it happen for my house is quite tiny, but by golly… we gonna do this!
Anything else you wanna VHShout out to all the Videovores hangin’ in Lunchmeat Land?!
I just hope everybody out there is having a great time and finding great tapes and having fun with their collections, whether it be filled with commons or rares, as long as it makes ya happy. One person’s wall of Bats is another person’s wall of trash. Stay VHSafe, be kind, and keep it surreal. Awkward, out.
Groove and Groove and CHILL.
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