The video store. Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery, or even your local mom-and-pop’s in town—it didn’t matter which one, there was something special about browsing movies in-person. Walking in to see the latest posters and cardboard cutouts, the buckets of popcorn you could buy, even the candy lining the walls like a movie theater (but with cheaper pricing). It was an experience rather than a choice, something just as entertaining as the movies themselves.
Sure, we may look at it now with rose-colored glasses, considering nostalgia is known for making us look fondly on the past.
Back in June, I went to a bar called Grey Matter Distillery. They give their space a makeover every few months. I went during Retro Month, when the bar area looked like a Blockbuster video and classic movie posters decorated the walls. While Michael Jackson played through the speakers and I drank my Jaws themed cocktail, I felt a sense of nostalgia for a time I never really experienced.
I had went to the video store as a kid, when the 2000s still offered VHS and DVDs, but I never got to experience going to Blockbuster outside of that. I never got to go through the aisles as a teenager, trying to sneak the latest r-rated film or even grab the newest action movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme. I certainly never experienced the tension of watching somebody walk out of the beaded curtain, or the frustration of what caused the classic “be kind, rewind” sign.
No, the movie experience in modern day is a lot different. There’s no walking through aisles or reading the backs of VHS sleeves. Instead, there’s figuring out which streaming service to start out with. No Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, just Max and Hulu. Or Netflix. Or Peacock. Or Paramount+. Maybe even Amazon Prime or Disney+.
Then there’s the catalogue of movies. The hundreds of films on demand. Action, comedy, horror, drama, romance, family, cartoon—don’t forget the musicals—from 20th Century Fox, Universal, Disney, Sony, and whatever other production company there is. They might recommend you the newest movie or even advertise a low-rated film from 15-years-ago.
At that point, it’s choice overload and you don’t even know what the hell you want to watch anymore. You might even give up on movie night at home and try to just catch one in theaters, because even though it’s more pricey, at least it’s easier to make up your mind on what to watch.
The Nostalgia Pull
There’s a lot of cool stuff over in Savannah, Georgia. For one, it’s one of the most haunted cities in America, so it already has that going for it. For people into true crime, it has the Graveface Museum. A museum with true crime artifacts and a really cool aesthetic. Also one that people led me to believe was a “horror” museum, and as someone who stays clear from the true crime space, you can imagine I wasn’t too happy to see literal crime photos. But still, if you’re into that sort of thing, it’s a great attraction.
For me, the best offering was Terror Vision. A store dedicated to horror novelties, offering a fantastic atmosphere. They had old box TVs playing classic horror flicks, film soundtracks, arcade machines, figures… but most importantly, they sold VHS tapes!
For a moment, I could feel the nostalgia of the 80s. It felt like I had went backwards in time, all Marty McFly style. Of course, I had never experienced the decade, but somehow I felt nostalgic for a past I never had.
All of this is to say that I think a lot of people, both nostalgic for pasts they have lived and haven’t, feel the need to recapture the magic. I’ve been seeing lots of small business start to sell horror VHS tapes, with some even formatting modern films into tapes as well.
I can imagine a lot of this nostalgia toward VHS tapes with horror specifically has to come from the fact that so many used to be straight-to-video, with many old school horror films being lost to time due to their limited releases.
There’s magic to this new trend of bringing back physical media. Not only does it represent the past many want back, but also represents the want to own something.
You Will Own Nothing and Be Happy
In America, I’ve noticed a lot of people complaining about the concept of “ownership” here.
Even if you own your house, you still have to pay property taxes. Even if you own your car, you still have to pay insurance on it.
It still feels like renting to many people, so it doesn’t actually feel like they own anything.
That emotion only becomes more passionate in smaller ideas like physical media. It may just be a movie or video game to some people, but to others it’s something they can actually call their own.
Similar to how gaming has become so digitalize that Xbox and Sony makes you pay extra for a disc reader (which is insane), the movie industry has become reliant on streaming services. Sure, some studios still have DVD releases, but it’s the streaming dates that are always advertised.
When a movie comes home from theaters, it’s always advertised as “now streaming” instead of “now on home video.” If you pay $15.99 a month for this specific streaming service, you can watch this one movie! It’s a bit silly, especially in an age where streaming has become glorified cable.
Remember when cable was the one full of commercials? Sure, but at least you got multiple channels. Now you pay a subscription for one service and still have to deal with ads.
There are no ads on a VHS tape or a DVD. There’s trailers, maybe, but there’s no ads for the next big reality show. You don’t have to sit through unskippable ad after ad. You can just fast forward through trailers.
Physical media is a form of ownership. You forever own it, even if the movie is nowhere to be found online. It won’t be lost media if you have it in your hands.
I Just Think It’s Neat
The biggest pull to the VHS tape is simple: it’s cool.
It’s cool to see a VHS tape of your favorite horror movie in modern day. It’s a novelty now, even if it may had been normal in the past.
Not only is it a piece of physical media that you own, but it can also serve as decoration as well. A bookshelf lined with horror VHS tapes? Sign me up!
And the fact there are people out there formatting their own tapes? What a fantastic hobby. Such an interesting one too. I’m sure it can be a pain in the ass, but it feels like such an important thing to do for preserving so many horror films, both old and new alike.
I suppose I am blinded by nostalgia in some cases, but I think the horror community benefits so much from physical media releases. VHS tape releases were such an important part of horror history, with so many underground classics being birthed from the scene, it just feels right to keep the tradition of VHS releases alive.
Oh man! I lived through those times. The local video store owner knew my cousin and I. We would sneak and get R rated movies all the time.
For me, it was the smell of the video store. Just like the bookstore, I love the smell. Not only did you own the VHS, but it was a status symbol if you had many!
I do wish they bring the video store back.
"Physical media is a form of ownership. You forever own it, even if the movie is nowhere to be found online. It won’t be lost media if you have it in your hands."
You better know it! That's why I prefer physical media for reading and viewing, and I strongly advocate for other people and institutions to have them. You only pay for it at point of sale and don't have to keep making automated recurring monthly and/or annual payments (which is really what pisses people off about the streamers, I'm sure).