SHOCK SINEMA Re-Animates a Video Era Staple with SHOCKUMENTARIES on VHS! First Up: BOOTLEG DEATH TAPE & FETISH FILES: BETTIE PAGE! Shock Yourself like it’s 1989! YES!
For those of us who were lucky enough to experience the classic wonders of the Mom and Pop Video Shop days, we fondly recall that seemingly endless army of lurid and fascinating titles leering at you from the shelves, stimulating your salivary glands and possessing your will to rent, rent, RENT! Video shops often endeavored to expand their horror sub-genre selection to lush extents, bringing you a veritable cornucopia of weird and wild wonders specially made for your VCR. But there was one irrevocable staple of the countless sub-genres that always seemed to have their place in your local video store: The Shockumentary. Faces of Death, Traces of Death, Mondo and Shocking were the name(s) of the game, and there were always plenty to be had. What could be more enticing for the Videovore that’s seen it all than reading bits of box copy like “REAL LIFE DEATH SCENES!” and “BIZARRE RITUALS FROM OUT OF THIS WORLD!”? These were the tapes your parents wouldn’t let you rent, man!
Recognizing the resurging video frenzy and the potential for fiscal gain upon releasing some sordid slabs of plastic gold, Dustin Ferguson has created SHOCK SINEMA to revive his nostalgia for the videos of yore and share it with the Videovores who crave it while drumming up the funds to support his own indie flick ventures. SHOCK SINEMA’s throwbacks to these oh-so essential slices of video era glory are coming to a VCR near you, so grab your charred human remains and plate of fresh monkey brains, ‘cause the show’s about to begin. But first, a little from Dustin himself…
VHS tapes… some releases will be in LP mode. Clamshell , with color copied art on gloss. Low rent, similar to the mail-order only releases of the late 80's and early 90's. Stuff you couldn't actually find in the store because it was so rare (especially at only 50 copies), only in the back of horror magazines and catalogs.
. And VHS art has always been the best. Before CGI and consumer grade Photoshop.
What do you think of the resurging interest in the almighty slabs o' analog? What do you say to those out there opposed to "new" tapes?
I love it. It reminds me of my childhood all over again, buying a horror movie on VHS. It just sucks it has to be on Amazon or something and not in an actual video store. For those opposed to it, I think it's just something for the older fans. The ones who still own a VCR and remember the awesomeness of renting horror VHS tapes in a local video store.
What other kinds of Shock-U-Docs can we look forward to from Shock Sinema?
We have a few original releases on the slate: Terrifying Trailers, an homage to the cool 80's compilations like Mad Ron's Prevues From Hell and Creepy Clips. Another is Shocking America, the 3rd installment of our Shock Around The World series which includes our own releases of Shocking Africa and Shocking Asia. We also have a 2-tape "Mondo" set coming out which includes Mondo Magic and Mondo Violence. The rest… you will have to wait and see!
An EPIC shot of Dustin Ferguson: The Dude behind SHOCK SINEMA. Did I mention this is EPIC?
When and how did Shock Sinema come to be? It all began in 2005 with Retro Horror Remix, an online fan editing gig I was doing. I re-cut alternate versions of older horror films and released them online for free. I started directing short films for RHR and when they began to expand to feature length, I no longer had time for the fan editing. So, in 2010 I launched RHR Home Video, an online DVD distribution label that served as an outlet for me to release my films and other locally made horror movies. Recently, I began to get offers for bigger projects so I have to leave RHR Home Video in the hands of John Klyza (producer of Sleepaway Camp IV - a film I edited) on March 1st, 2013... the day I launch Shock Sinema! Shock Sinema harks back to the Retro Horror Remix days in that I am allowed editing freedom again while I also get to indulge in my love for forbidden VHS tapes. The main purpose of Shock Sinema is to have a creative way to raise money for my two upcoming feature films. Hopefully, we reach our goal!
The SHOCK SINEMA Logo. Looks tasty.
Are you guys exclusively dealing with shockumentaries? I think it's so rad that you're going for these. They're an absolute staple in the annals of the video era! Yes! Shockumentaries, bizarre documentaries, dark/satanic fetish compilations, horror trailer compilations, etc. (ED NOTE: Bitchin, man.) What attracted you to the idea of doing these particular types of titles? I wanted to recreate that feeling you got when you first saw those "Banned"/"Adults Only 18+" tapes sitting on the dusty shelves of your local ma and pa video store. The morbid art piquing your curiosity. VHS is also very collectible at the moment. Business wise, offering them on VHS just makes sense.
The title says it all. I always wanted a sticker for these kinds of tapes that read: "YOU WILL PUKE!" That would have equated to "YOU WILL RENT".
Can you tell us a little more about the packaging for your releases? How will you be unleashing these analog affirmations? Regular
What's that in her hand? A whip? DIG IT.
The artwork looks killer for your upcoming releases. Who do you have crafting them up for you? Marcus Tegtmeier. He has been doing most of my artwork since the Retro Horror Remix days. He has also acted in a few of my films. He is a great friend and talented artist. I give him a basic idea and he runs with it, always providing something impressive. Why the VHS format for these releases? Are you a Videovore yourself? If so, how long have you been collecting? VHS is in high demand with fans these days, and I am also a huge collector myself. I started collecting when I was 8 or 9; in fact, here is an article done a few years back in the local paper about my collection: http://journalstar.com/article_6bed7072-bf56-11de-857c-001cc4c002e0.html What are your thoughts on the insanely high prices happening for rarer (and not so rare!) tapes? With anything like vinyl, comics, baseball cards, the value increases over time. The rarer it is, the higher the price. These days I expect to pay a pretty penny for the obscure titles I'm still after. I guess I'm lucky to have already purchased a lot of them at regular store prices back in the day. What attracts you to the format? The nostalgic feeling I get when I watch a horror movie on VHS, especially one I wasn't "allowed" to watch as a kid
Bring stuff like THIS back? YES, PLEASE.
This Valentine’s Day, Thursday February 14th, make your video sweetheart tickled to death with some tasty tapes via SHOCK SINEMA. They go up for pre-order on Facebook only, so if you're not that hip, better find someone who is! This is the only way you'll get at 'em! Feed that VCR everyday and Groove Always.
Josh Schafer