VHS Retro Art Round-up: Demons, Yor, Big Trouble in Little China, and more!

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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.

THE MONSTER SQUAD

Fred Dekker's horror comedy is THE GOONIES with Universal Monsters.  It has kept suprisingly well over the years and yet still does not get the recognition it deserves.  Here's hoping this column will get it a bit more exposure.  Wolfman's got nards!. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

YOR: THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE

For decades before THE LORD OF THE RINGS brought fantasy to large scale studio productions, almost every sword and sorcery film was a variation of CONAN THE BARBARIAN.  While YOR was far from the best, you cannot beat these awesome VHS covers. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

DEMONS

Italian Horror is something to behold.  If you can get past the poor dubbing or atrocious enunciation you are in for some pretty spectacular gore.  Lamberto Bava directed this Dario Argento production which was followed by one official sequel and a few unrelated spin-offs!  Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

 

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

Just turn around and walk away if you don't love this John Carpenter classic.  Kurt Russell owns this movie that is as fun to quote as it is to watch over and over again.  If John Carpenter directs even one more film, I hope it is a sequel to this. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

FRIDAY THE 13TH

There are few images as iconic from your local video store as Jason's hockey mask.  But, when you look at the original FRIDAY THE 13TH, there was no mask yet.  So, these two covers celebrate the instantly recognizable title of the film as well as that trademark silhouette. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER

In 1986, Jean-Claude Van Damme was not yet the Muscles from Brussels.  Still, once he hit it big in the early 90s, this cheesy KARATE KID rip-off was repackaged with JCVD's image all over the box art.  Yeah, he is only in the movie for about 10 minutes, but he makes a sudden impact.  See what I did there? 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 [email protected]