Unfortunate Tales from Planet B #3 ▷ Street Trash
VHS
Unfortunate Tales from Planet B #2 ▷ The Fly
“If she looked upon the horror her husband had become…she would scream for the rest of her life!”
Unfortunate Tales from Planet B #1 ▷ Scanners
The Playback Collective 1970s/80s Style Trailers for the VHS Generation
Shortly after Mad Max: Fury Road was released to theaters, an edited version of the original theatrical trailer was uploaded online, stylistically changing the tone of Fury Road to something one would expect to see at the grindhouse.
Since then The Playback Collective have created three more trailers in a similar vein; designed to take you back a few decades into the past.
“Maybe it was those torn cheesy covers of old VHS horror films that were prohibited by mom and dad. It was something about those years, those years that had to be played back.”
Fright-Rags’ THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Video Series + Alfred Hitchcock Collection
Fright-Rags are tapping into that collective nostalgia with the first in a planned series of box sets paying homage to VHS; launching with one film that defined the home video era: Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Fright-Rags are also proud to present the Alfred Hitchcock collection of four new t-shirts.
“Who will survive and what will be left of them?”
Relax in Style with Fright-Rags’ Horror Sticker Lounge Pants
The green horror sticker will bring on a wave of nostalgia to anyone who spent their formative years browsing the horror section at their local video store.
“We’ve got your chest covered, now we’ve got your butt. That sounded weird – but you know what I mean.”
Another 6 Essential Japanese VHS Covers
During the videotape format war of the late 1970s and early 1980s, JVC’s VHS would compete for market share against Sony’s Betamax. Betamax was, in theory, the superior recording format but VHS would ultimately emerge as the preeminent home video format in 1986. Consumers could not justify the extra cost of a Betamax VCR, which was often more expensive that the VHS equivalent due to the higher quality construction of Betamax recorders.
“Decadence is their fate.”
Giving DTV Action Films a Better Rep
Back in the late 80s/early 90s I was not allowed to watch the many horror films that adorned the plastic shelving of my local video store. Some might say that is wise parenting, considering I was only 5 or 6 at the time. But strangely action films were deemed ok to view (such as substandard fare from Cannon Pictures and Guild Video).
“Look, there’s a lot of us working to make a bad world better. Remember that.”
6 More Essential Japanese VHS Covers
In 1971 JVC put together a team to develop a consumer-based VTR, but by early 1972 the video recording industry in Japan began to struggle financially. JVC was forced to restructure their video division, effectively shelving the VCR project. However, JVC engineers Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano continued to work on the project in secret. By 1973 the two engineers had produced a functional prototype.
“It feels nothing… it fears nothing… there is no escape.”
10 Essential Japanese VHS Covers
Anyone with even the slightest interest in home entertainment recognises the importance of VHS. The marketing and promotion from the independent distribution companies elevated the medium to such an extent that collectors today now happily pay significant amounts of money for a VHS tape; not for the movie itself, but for the incredible artwork/design featured on the cover.
