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.
NEW YORK RIPPER
I love the films of Lucio Fulci and have searched high and low for every one of his films. Thanks to Anchor Bay and Blue Underground, I was able to see collector's edition covers for many of his more obscure works. THE NEW YORK RIPPER has that classic grindhouse feel to it's artwork and just enough blood and boobs to sell any horror buff. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
PSYCHO
When a movie is a classic in every sense of the word, you don't need more than iconic text to attract viewers. But, a woman in her bra can't hurt either. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
SILVER DRAGON NINJA
A terrible looking movie with a bad title but insane cover art. I mean, there is a helicopter, a motocriss bike, guns, and a skeleton ninja. What more do you need? Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
THE ROAD WARRIOR
With FURY ROAD opening this weekend, reflecting back on the other films in the franchise just reminds us how cool the box art has always been. These covers for THE ROAD WARRIOR are slightly different but focus on Mel Gibson with a kickass leather jacket. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
DJANGO STRIKES AGAIN
The film series that inspired Quentin Tarantino's acclaimed "Southern", these movies are crazy. Franco Nero is a badass mofo in these covers for a later entry in the DJANGO series Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN
Evoking the Roaring Twenties, these Muppets covers give the classic films a level of class not used in more recent posters for their movies. Plus it makes MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN look way better than it actually is. 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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