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.
SNAKEEATER
Lorenzo Lamas is an actor that has become something of a pop culture punchline despite being a TV superstar thanks to his long running action series Renegade in the 1990s. The former soap opera star had a feature franchise that didn't really hit is big despite being billed as a cross between DIRTY HARRY and DELIVERANCE. Not sure why that combo would be a selling point, but there boxes scream VHS. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
ATOR
Suprisingly, the ATOR franchise is made up of more films than the far superior CONAN series. You can tell from the art below that ATOR is a direct copy of the Arnold Schwarzenegger action films. While I highly doubt these films are any good, that Boris Vallejo inspired box art makes them look way cooler than they probably are. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
LAND OF DOOM
Both boxes for LAND OF DOOM showcase what looks like a generic 1980s post-apocalyptic villain. Or he could be a WWE wrestler. Either way, these two covers are dramatically different with one looking like a DIY cover and the other a fully painted masterpiece. Available to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
CREEPOZOIDS
Two different covers tell very different stories about the same film. One looks like a badass metal album cover with sexy babes and a hellbeast. The other looks like an ALIEN knock-off. Both are suffering from a shitty title but both look really good examples of popcorn entertainment. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
HEADLESS EYES
More examples of art that represent very different movies. The first box is very cool and very 80s while the other looks clumsily put together and lacking anything worth checking out. Still, the more I look at it, the more those eyes follow me around. Hmm, maybe it is a winner after all. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
When you look at these VHS covers, they look like badass movies about military heroes. Even reading the description sounds like a story regarding terrorism and American heroes made decades before September 11th introduced the War or Terror. These covers are also misleading in that this movie is widely considered one of the most anti-Arab Hollywood films ever made. Still, the covers are pretty slick. 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
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