There’s been a renaissance as of late, a romance if you will, not only with the collection of VHS tapes of fan favorite movies and hard to find titles, but also keeping the legacy alive in regards to the rise and fall of VHS as a popular format of entertainment media. If you were a horror fan during the 80’s and 90’s, particularly as a kid, you’ll have fond memories of exploring hundreds of VHS titles.
Several documentaries have been made in recent years devoted to the subject, including VHS MASSACRE 1 (2016) and its sequel, as well as extensive coverage with the IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS documentary series (2019 – 2022). You simply can’t talk about 80’s nostalgia without including weekend trips to the video store, gawking at all the cool new cover art.
My first memory of being in a video store was kindergarten age, 1985, in the small town of Greenfield, Indiana. It was a tiny mom ‘n pop shop, probably one of the first in the area devoted to renting video cassettes (as well as cassette players).
There was a sign on the door stating: “Children Left Unattended Will Be Kidnapped By Pirates!”, which seemed threatening to a 5 year old. But what really burned itself into my memory was the “Coming Soon!” poster for the 1985 movie GHOULIES, and TROLL from 1986. The image for TROLL in particular was so ominous and menacing, yet also whimsical and inviting.
To a young person with an overactive imagination, it felt like a magical portal had opened up in this small, darkly lit neon wonderland of adventure. For perhaps the first time, anything was possible in this fresh, new communal meeting place.
While the first movies I ever remember watching at that age (on Betamax, no less) were CREEPSHOW from 1982 and CUJO from 1983, it was with that terrifying poster from TROLL that stands out as my official experience in a video store. Which I can now reminiscence upon some 40 years later (Yikes!).
Of course, growing into a horror fan, I soon found out that both Ghoulies and Troll were distributed under the banner of Empire Pictures, founded by the great Charles Band (and his father Albert Band). Empire Pictures was also responsible for such cult classics as Trancers (1984), Re-Animator (1985), and From Beyond (1986) as well as many other titles of spectacular B-Movie fare.
While Empire Pictures would ultimately declare bankruptcy, the visionary Charles Band would found FULL MOON ENTERTAINMENT in 1988 which produced an enormous slew of films throughout the late 80’s – 1990’s. Easily one of most popular features, and their first release, is PUPPET MASTER from 1989 which would go on to accumulate nearly twenty sequels and spin-offs as of 2024!
Throughout the decade, I was an enormous fan of FULL MOON ENTERTAINMENT. They became a familiar friend on routine visits to the video store, with seemingly a new title out every month. Regular releases from the PUPPET MASTER franchise, to the TRANCERS movies (starring the beloved Tim Thomerson), CRASH AND BURN (1990), SEED PEOPLE (1992), ARCADE (1993), and much more.
From the awesome films THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1991) and CASTLE FREAK (1995), both directed by Stuart Gordon, to the sexy MERIDIAN (1990), DEMONIC TOYS (1992) and the SUBSPECIES franchise. FULL MOON ENTERTAINMENT was flooding video shelves and cranking out VHS releases like there was no tomorrow; even producing tie-in comic books and toys.
Perhaps most innovative from the company, still years away from the arrival of DVDs, was the inclusion of the VIDEOZONE which provided special behind the scene features and previews of coming attractions. Decades before the MCU, horror fans were waiting until the end credits just to catch the latest edition of the VIDEOZONE with interviews with actors, directors and FX crew.
Yes, you young whipper snappers, the 80’s and 90’s were a magical time and golden age. However, all good things must come to an end, and by the early 2000’s the video store (now evolved to DVDs and the Blu-Ray push) was slowly dwindling.
Just as the VHS tape had revolutionized the entertainment industry and distribution, so too did the internet transform the playing field. Unfortunately, FULL MOON ENTERTAINMENT never quite caught up to this new landscape, with the decline of video rental.
Though still releasing movies to this day with Charles Band still involved, it's hard to think of an interesting feature from the past couple of decades. Yet, I’ll always hold them in high regard in terms of my childhood and teenage years.
I even got a chance to meet Charles Band several years ago, shake his hand, get an autograph, and let him know how much I appreciated his contribution to horror in the 80’s and 90’s.
As fate would have it, I also interviewed Emmy winning actor Michael Moriarty (TROLL and many other notable performances) several times over the early 2000’s; a great guy and excellent actor.
Back to the point of this piece (if there is one), the establishment of the video store revolutionized the market place in terms of what independent filmmakers could accomplish and get out there to the public.
Now, with the arrival of endless streaming services and online channels, we’re still figuring out how to again gain people’s attention in terms of marketing and delivering quality entertainment. Thankfully, there will always be those who still prefer physical media, and want to support the roots of the horror genre.
While VHS collecting isn’t nearly as popular as say, vinyl records, there’s a growing niche of rabid horror fandom devoted to physical media’s primal heritage. There are even still some independent film makers who are almost exclusively distributing on VHS.
That’s definitely not to say that we shouldn’t embrace the future of storytelling in new formats, yet must also remember, holding dear to our hearts those means and methods which first captivated us while providing endless hours of discovery.
I have no idea who I’d be without DAWN OF THE DEAD, PHANTASM, EVIL DEAD, HELLRAISER and FULL MOON ENTERTAINMENT. All of which ultimately owe their longevity and franchise success to the era of VHS cassettes. Will I ever be as scared of a movie again as I was in 1985 with that TROLL poster?
Probably not, but I’ll always keep searching for the next book to be added to this ever expanding library of stories to be told and new nightmares to be navigated.
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Michael A. Dyer is the host of the HORROR TO CULTURE podcast and website.
