LO FI VIDEO Prepares to Whip Videovores Into Shape with a Most Radical VHS Re-Issue of LINNEA QUIGLEY’S HORROR WORKOUT with Much More Magnetic Magic to Come! DIG IT!
Enterprising analog aficionado Daniel Del Pozzo and his nascent Lo-Fi Video label are gearing up to whip your VCR into primo VHShape. Fast-forwarding from the bootleg tapes of his teens and entering into the realm of Official rewindable releases, Del Pozzo has already unleashed a most radical (and now sold out) limited edition of the fleshy cult splatterpiece Werewolf in a Woman’s Prison; and now, much to many magnetic munchers delight, Lo-Fi has acquired the rights to Videovore favorite Linnea Quigley’s Horror Workout and is almost ready to bounce that bad boy right back into your VCR replete with a whole mess of groovy goodies to go along with their much anticipated rewind re-issue. Read on, my fellow Videovores, and get ready for a radical re-animation of every horror fan's favorite workout….
. I usually like hummus, veggies, chips and sour patch kids! Stacked next to my VCR right now is Goblin, the Todd Sheets classic, Savage Streets and an upcoming master tape for a new release.
Lo-Fi Video's Logo! It's all fuzzy! Play with the rabbit ears, man! We're missing Springer!!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and the impetus to start up Lo-Fi Video? Well, I grew up in Palmdale, a small town in California (yes, the same Palmdale that AFROMAN raps about). I was heavily into the punk, crust and grindcore scene. So, in 2003 I ended up starting an "extreme music" record label called Raw Noise which got me into writing and talking with bands about releases. I put out 12 records and ended up calling it quits in 2009. I've always been a film junkie, especially when it came to the horror genre. For a few years when I was in my teens I used to make and sell really shitty bootleg VHS copies of Cannibal Holocaust, Re-Animator and Zombie among others. 2 years ago I had the idea of starting an official video label, but didn't make that happen til a few months ago.
A look at the artwork for the WEREWOLF IN A WOMEN'S PRISON release. Dig that classic line-based layout, mang.
Your first release was Werewolf in a Woman’s Prison. Could you tell us why you went for this flick, and how you got hooked up with releasing it? How was the experience of putting out your first tape? Being that I live in Hollywood now and do FX makeup, I run into a lot of other artists, directors, actors, etc. I was working on the set of Killjoy Goes to Hell for Full Moon which is where I first met Victoria De Mare and Jeff Leroy. I remember I had seen a screening of Werewolf in a Women's Prison at Spudic's Movie Empire about 2 years before then and I had instantly fallen in love with the film. The gore and gratuitous amounts of nudity made it hard for me not to enjoy it. I kept in contact with both of them after we finished the film. It was always in the back of my mind that I felt like this film just deserved a VHS release. I got in contact with the producer about 4 months ago and he gave me the go ahead. Releasing it was more overwhelming than I thought it would have been. I only did a 25 run of them and sold 20 pre-orders before they were even done! Now these are officially gone for good.
A look at the all-gobbled-up analog edition of WWiaWP from Lo-Fi. TAPES ON TAPES ON TAPES.
Your next release is lookin’ to be a slab of pure analog awesome, with a re-issue of Linnea Quigley’s Horror Workout. Can you tell us a little about how you came to release it, and some details on the actual release itself? You’ve got a shirt up for pre-order now, right? Kenneth J. Hall is the director and producer of this film (I think he went by Hal Kennedy on-screen) and once again being involved in the FX industry has paid off as one of my first shop gigs was with his company called Total Fabrication, in 2010. I remember being a huge fan of the film when I saw it 10 years ago. It was a fun film; the kinda film you order a pizza, grab some beer and invite some friends over for. I had no clue he was the director til my time working there was almost over. Through the horror and FX circuit out here I have kept in contact with him. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the film. It was filmed in '89 but wasn't released till '90. The LQHW VHS is limited to 100 copies, hand numbered in a clamshell (possibly a big box). There is also going to be a special edition limited to 25 first pre-orders that people aren't going to want to miss! Also, all orders will come with button(s) and a few more surprises! Pre-orders on shirts are up and have been selling well. The VHS should be up as well by time the viewers are reading this!
Official advert from Lo-Fi featuring the lovely Linnea striking a powerful pose! Scantily clad chicks with chainsaws = YES.
So VHStoked for that release, man! Why do you want to put stuff on tape? Why do think it’s important to keep VHS around? What is it about the format that does it for you? I wanted to stay true to the format that most of these films were made for. Films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre are being released on Blu-ray… why? I just don't get it. The film is supposed to be gritty and make you feel dirty after watching it. There is just something rewarding about sticking in your tape and having to adjust the tracking, having to sit through previews, and having to manually rewind the tape afterward. I think for me VHS just reminds me of a better time, when effects relied on people and not computers, a time when poster art meant something and wasn't some collage of the actors, and whether the film was a piece of shit or not, it didn't matter. If there was an awesome cover drawn out by some artist who poured his blood, sweat and tears into it; it was golden. I'm not a fan of Blu-ray and will never buy a player. In 2 years there will be another format for us to re-buy all our favorite films on. VHS is a format that has stood the test of time and it will never die; that has been proven with all the collectors I've traded with or purchased from.
A mock-up of the upcoming threads from Lo-Fi Video featuring Linnea in all her horror glory. WORK THOSE CHAINSAWS, EVERYBODY! Available for pre-order RIGHT HURR.
Some pure Vestron Video excellence right here, Tapeheads! Scan courtesy of the too groovy Lost Video Archive!
What’s next for Lo-Fi Video, mang? Up next is my buddy Speck's film Satan VHS. Also, just finalizing some deals with J.R. Bookwalter, Todd Sheets and Dave Sterling. I've got some 90's sov coming soon!
Some teaser art for the upcoming analog edition of SATAN VHS! Lookin' GOOD. We actually got this movie sent to us at the LM HQ a few years back and it warped our brains! Heavy!
Dig that! Anything else you wanna shout out to all the Videovores rewindin’ and rollin’ in LUNCHMEAT Land? I just wanted to say thanks to you Josh for the interview and support. Jared at Manor Video for being a graphics wiz; Jimmy Turri for his rad buttons; my buddy Warren Chan for helping with my releases; my girlfriend Sara for always supporting me and dealing with my compulsive analog collecting and everyone else that trades, buys, sells and are keeping this VHS scene alive! And always remember: be kind, rewind.Oh, you know we’re gonna be mad kind and rewind for all analog time, mang! Mad magnetic ups to Daniel for doing his anti-digital duty and endeavoring to bring back some of the most cherished titles from the OG video era. Dan, we VHSalute you! Be sure to groove on over to Lo-Fi Video’s Official Webstore to secure your slices of their killer rewindables, and don’t forget to bounce on over to the LFV Facebook and give ‘em some love to stay updated on all of their future video vindication. It’s lookin’ like it’s going to be analog epic, indeed.
Groove and Groove and Stand the Test of Time.
Josh Schafer