PSYCHO VIDEO Brings Cult Slasher Flick NAKED MASSACRE to VHS and Prepares to Jingle Your Bells with a Deluxe VHS Edition of SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT! You Best Be Good, Videovores!
Connecticut-based tapehead Adam Taylor’s VHS obsession is founded on an early and unending appreciation for the format, gleaned from the racks and stacks of Mom and Pop shops and heated hunts in the wild. Fast forward to today, and his many years of crazed collecting have brought him to the valley of new wave video vindication. At first an admitted hater, but now a loving participator in fresh VHS, Adam’s Psycho Video brand is offering a limited edition for each release, as well as another common edition that’ll never cease, keeping the Psycho analog amazement flowing non-stop. His intense passion for those golden slabs of black plastic stretches into his constant involvement in the online VHS collector community; and now, through his own analog endeavors, is poised to be a part of keeping the tradition of tape rollin’ and rewindin’ for Videovores present and future. Read on, fellow tapeheads, and make some room on your shelf for Psycho’s killer Christmas tape coming soon to a VCR near you…
The logo for PSYCHO VIDEO is watching YOU. Least you could do is watch it back, eh? DIG IT.
How and when did Psycho video start up? What made you want to put out a tape? I believe it was back in the spring of this year (2013) that the idea of starting a distribution label was brought to me by a friend. He wanted to start a company and thought it’d be cool to release horror and porn flicks on VHS. Well, let’s just say that it didn’t get much further than that… basically just an idea, before the partnership was broken off. The friendship wasn’t broken… it’s just that said friend decided it wasn’t the right time for him due to lack of funds along with everything else he had going on at that point in time. I was pretty bummed to say the least; I was definitely looking forward to it! The idea was great. I was super excited to move forward, but then it all ended in an instant. That was when I said, "Fuck it, why not just start a label myself?" So I did… and that’s when Psycho Video was born.
A plethora of PSYCHO pins ready to stick ya! Adam looking to the future... or watching a tape. Either way... BOSSTIMES.
Tell us about your first release of NAKED MASSACRE, which has since sold out. You did the artwork for it, with two distinct editions for the flick, right? I am super happy to be able to say that the NAKED MASSACRE release as a whole was a success! People really dug it, and for that I am forever grateful. It was just what I needed to get this label up and running. I decided I wanted it to have a vintage feel, so I did original cover art myself. I created two different editions, and I believe I will continue doing this for future releases, as well. I like the idea of having a totally rad, limited release for the “diehards” but why stop there? Why not have a less expensive, less extensive release for the common collector? I think it’s great when a company can (try and) cater to the needs of every fan and collector. The limited (to 25) oversized clamshell release (aptly titled the “Psycho Edition”) was released alongside a standard edition (not limited) which came in a standard sized snap case. The Psycho Edition release came with some killer extras, the main addition being a replica Polaroid photo, as seen in the film. It also came with 3D stickers, a pair of 3D glasses and a Psycho Video logo button. The standard edition release came with Halloween-themed stickers and a button. Since I dropped the release on Halloween, all tapes sold also came with a Halloween mystery grab bag for added fun. The Psycho Editions sold out quick. It blew my mind! I still have standard editions available though for anybody who’s interested. I already have the extras planned for the next release (SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT) which is dropping on Christmas Eve. All I can say is be excited! I think I may be looking forward to that one even more than I did the first.
The standard and "Psycho" editions for NAKED MASSACRE. Peep the green case in the far right corner. ONE OF ONE, SON!
What made you go for NAKED MASSACRE? When it comes down to it, NAKED MASSACRE is a great flick. It’s a pretty simple and straightforward slasher, but there is definitely some underlying shit going on, not to mention the sleaze factor is out-of-this-world! What more could you ask for? It's also loosely based on the Richard Peck murders, which only adds to its charm. It’s almost a struggle to watch at certain points: it’s gritty, raw, and definitely in-your-face. It puts you in the killer’s perspective. You almost feel like you’re doing something wrong just by watching it and not being able to help the victims in some way. It’s one of those “I feel like I may need to take a cold shower after watching this” kind of flicks. It’s not the most exciting film to watch, but I'd be lying if I said it doesn’t hold your attention. I dig it.
A look at the extras for the NAKED MASSACRE "PSYCHO EDITION" with a closer look at the radical 3D effect on the logo!
You're a bit of a collector yourself. How long have you been collecting? What are some tapes that you think are totally boss? I've seriously been collecting for as long as I could remember. I bought tapes here and there even throughout my childhood. Well, my parents bought them for me, but it’s the same idea, right? When it really began for me, when I really started getting way into it, was around the time I started high school. A few small rental stores in my area (southern Connecticut) were closing so I decided now was the time to grab some tapes! I headed straight to the Horror section(s), of course. It’s funny, even back then I still had that same feeling I get now when picking “in the wild.” That anxiousness when entering a store that you know is selling off stock. That eagerness to find those hidden gems before someone else does. It was, and still is, a magical feeling. As far as tapes that are totally boss goes, some labels that standout in my mind have got to be Film Threat, Donna Michelle, Raedon, Force, Wizard, Midnight, Gorgon, VCII, Astral, Lightning, Vestron… I could go on for days. A few tapes that really did it for me though were DER TODESKING (Film Threat), GORGASM (Main Force Pictures), FILMGORE (Force) and THE ABOMINATION (Donna Michelle). I was lucky enough to have picked most of those up from the rental store I went to as a child. Can you say true love?
A scene from THE ABOMINATION. Ahhhhh... TRUE LOVE.
What were you thinking when the resurgence of interest in VHS started becoming apparent? Well, to that I have to question: when do you consider the resurgence to have started? Each person may have a different response, so I am not sure I can give you a truthful answer. I can say, however, that I have been into VHS from the start. I was renting tapes from as early as I could remember. I begged my parents to rent that certain tape I just couldn’t leave behind when I left the rental store. I was always around it, so it never went away for me. It was always with me. So, with that being said, I don’t really even know when this “resurgence” came about. VHS was, and always will be, a part of my life. A part of me.
The promo ad put together for the PV release of NAKED MASSACRE. Nice wallpaper, man. And gim'me back MY KNIFE!
Some collectors aren't into new tapes. What are your thoughts on that? This is a tough one. To be honest, I wasn’t into the whole “new VHS” thing at first, either. I just thought that certain aesthetic, that nostalgic beauty, is lost in them… but then I realized… it’s art! It IS beautiful! The new labels are a thing of beauty. They are works of art and expression. They are built by the hands of artists and appreciators of a format that I truly love, and they are keeping this thing that I love alive! How could you not want to support that?! I am an artist and I understand this. Some people, however, will just never understand it. You're on Horror VHS Collectors Unite! quite a bit. What's your impression of the culture on there? Any good stories? HMMMMM? I will start by saying that I do have mixed feelings about that group. But, with that being said, I am very, very grateful to have found such an amazing community there. As with any group, whether it be on the internet or just in life in general, there are always the shitheads. You know, the ones you wish you never had contact with. The ones you wish never even existed. They’re on there… plenty of them… but you know what? It’s the good ones that keep me coming back and wanting more every day. I have met so many amazing people and have built so many awesome relationships through that group that I don’t think I could ever repay anybody thoroughly enough for what I have taken away from there. I’ve only been a member for about a year and a half now and I have made many relationships that are stronger than most I’ve made throughout my life. Everything that I currently have going on in my life I have thanks to the people on that group. For that, I am truly thankful and indebted.
Promo ad for the upcoming analog assault from PV! Stick Mary Woronov in your VCR as much as you can, man!
What do you love about the VHS format? What draws you to it? As I assume is true for most of us… we grew up on this shit. It is a piece of us, embedded in every part of our being. There is a certain beauty and aesthetic to all kinds of analog / vintage media that is hard to explain. I think it may just be that kind of reminiscent quality, that element we yearn for to bring us back to the “good ‘ol days.” I know I wouldn’t mind going back in time, to when I was a kid. Everything was simpler then.....joyful, easy, fun. VHS takes you back to that happy place, the one that existed then…..that place which, unfortunately, is now a part of the past. I feel, however, a part of it will live on forever in all of us. What's next for you, brother? As previously stated, Psycho Video will be dropping SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT this Christmas Eve 2013. Keep an eye out for updates until then! Also make sure you stick around a little longer, too. 2014 should be a good year… lots of fun stuff in the works already. Anything else you'd like to say to all the Tapeheads out there? I guess just remember to live, laugh and love… and keep VHS alive!Now that’s the spirit, Adam! And speaking of spirit, it’s time to get into it, eh, Tapeheads? And I’m thinking Psycho Video’s upcoming VHS edition of SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT will make a most groovy gift for the Videovore in your life, indeed! Just groove on over to Psycho Video’s Official Webstore and stay tuned to the Official Facebook page for all the analog updates sure to be in store from Adam and his psychotic slabs of magnetic magic. Dig that video vindication, appreciation and celebration, mang.
Groove and Groove and Give Groovy Gifts.
Josh Schafer