Every child of the 80s will remember going to the video store and trying to find a movie to rent. Back before the days of Blu-ray and On Demand, selecting a movie usually meant finding the flick with the coolest box art. Like modern posters, classic VHS art has been lost but thanks to the Internet there are countless reminders of these cool creations. This column will be dedicated to bringing you reminders of a bygone era and a look at how cool some of these movies looked on store shelves.
SOLARBABIES
Gotta love a post-apocalyptic world that requires you to engage in a cross between roller-hockey and lacrosse. Seriously, this movie got made. It does feature a pretty decent cast including Jason Patric, Jamie Gertz, and Lukas Haas and you have got to love that very 80s scifi box art. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR
This was a big movie for me as a kid as it combined my childhood favorites of scifi, Pee Wee Herman, and moderate profanity. The box art didn't differ too much in North America, but these Asian and European covers are pretty sweet. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
ZOMBIE
There are few zombie movies out there as gory as Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE. Billed as a sequel to George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIE features the classic battle between zombie and shark that must be seen to be believed. Every version of the box art is awesome, including these reissue and British versions. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI
There are few movies as weird as BUCKAROO BANZAI which is more reason to love it. These VHS covers just add to that madness with insane art that looks like something off a progressive rock album. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
JABBERWOCKY
The great Terry Gilliam directed this Monty Python-esque fantasy starring Michael Palin. Not as good as HOLY GRAIL or LIFE OF BRIAN, it is still a fun film in the troupe's history. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
BATMAN
I remember wondering why the domestic VHS for BATMAN had absolutely no summary on the back, but when your movie is as iconic as Tim Burton's film, you don't need a damn synopsis. That trademark bat symbol doesn't need much introduction, but I kind of like the Spanish cover, too. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
Feel free to pop us your favorite VHS box art and come back for each future column. You can send your finds or photos of your own VHS tapes to alexmaidy@joblo.com
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed