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.
TC 2000
Back in the early 1990s when VHS was at it's peak, direct to video films like TC 2000 sat on shelves next to great movies like TERMINATOR 2. When Billy Blanks is your lead, there are slim odds that the movie is any good, but he sure as hell tries his best. Man, this cover is so Nineties it makes me want to buy a Trapper Keeper. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
PET SEMATARY
One of the most disturbing horror films I have ever seen, PET SEMATARY is one of the better Stephen King adaptations out there. No need to change the box art when you have such a perfectly composed poster, but notice the subtle differences between the international covers below. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
BROTHERHOOD OF DEATH
The blaxsploitation sub-genre has some gems out there but I do not recall any that took on the KKK directly. Starring Roy Jefferson, this movie has two covers with great painted art that play up the violence and grindhouse elements of the film. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
JOYSTICKS
A comedy many people have forgotten about over the last two decades, this film is a cross between PORKIES and THE WIZARD. Co-starring Joe Don Baker, this movie features several Midway classics like Pac-Man and Satan's Hollow. While we get crap like PIXELS released these days, there are still fun movies like JOYSTICKS out there. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE
I stumbled across this movie when buying up Italian horror films like THE BEYOND and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. More of a zombie movie than a cannibal flick, this fun B-movie stars cult favorite John Saxon. Definitely fun if you want a mindless gorefest but don't go looking for logic. Click here to purchase on VHS.
HALLOWEEN
John Carpenter's classic has been released so many times, it is tough to find art that doesn't have the knife-pumpkin logo we have seen since the 1980s. But, both this international cover and alternate domestic VHS box are cool variations on the classic poster. 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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