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VHS Tapes - The Best Way to Watch Horror?
This is a topic that has been running wild on the Hbid forum (click here) as of late and one that we really wanted to delve further into. As we sat down to crack our knuckles and dissect this topic we were e-mailed a write up from Lee Vervoort (aceofspades70), a Bidite who will be contributing to the site more in the future. It was a pleasant surprise and a fun topic to discuss...
Follow up:
What is it about a horror film that gets to you? The killer, the "jump scares", the plot, the gore, the suspense, music, the twisted ending?
How about...the element?
The subject has been brought to life for us at HorrorBid, so I thought I would address it a bit more. (CLICK HERE) to view the topic on our forum.
When is the picture too crisp and clear? When is it overbearing to have such a crystal clear picture that it nearly ruins the whole essence of the film? It seems that technology just keeps trying to improve. As far as I'm concerned, it's fine as is. In fact, a bit too fine. High definition televisions, Blu-ray, what's next, 3-D TV?
"House of the Devil" was presented to the general public as a DVD/VCR combo set. From what I understand, the majority of viewers over 30 (that would be me) actually preferred the VHS over DVD. Something about the gritty style of the VHS tape that just gives the film a better presentation to the viewer. Why? Maybe it's the quality of the tape, the sound you get or maybe it's knowing that what we are watching is coming from a VHS tape and giving a sort of "retro I feel like I'm in the 80's" feeling. Nothing like sticking a tape in your player and wondering if it's going to jam up or not.
Granted, VHS will not make a comeback in the market place, you won't be going to any rental store anytime soon and waiting for the clerk of the nearest mom and pop shop to come back out with that brown plastic case while checking to see if the tape itself has been rewound. ("Be kind, Rewind" ...or it will cost you an extra dollar) As for those types of players, it's obvious VHS still has a life span. Combo DVD/VCR players are still sold in stores and even on Amazon.com
Let's not forget the box art. Not the cover art, Box art, it came in a box. It really grabbed you. It had definition. You would actually pick up a movie knowing nothing about it simply because the box art was cool. Something about today's cover art just isn't the same. What you saw on the box in the 70's and 80's really had meaning to it. It was creative, it had it's own story, it's when a picture actually had a thousand words...and then some. Example? Take a look at "Race with the Devil" or "Westworld" or "Vanishing Point". That's art.
Sound off old-schoolers, and you young grasshoppers too. I know you have wandered around video stores and snatched a VHS here and there to see what it's all about.
But take note; as the entire transition takes place in this lustrous world of cinema, snatching up those trusty old tapes I believe, may soon become an overnight short lived fad...that may not be such a bad idea.
Story by Lee Vervoort (aceofspades70) (www.leevervoort.com)
And below is a few collection pics from Hbid forum member Harry Warden (Ryan Shaffer) fantastic VHS collection.
18 comments
So I think... See More in some instances what you ask might be the case. I saw Return of the Living Dead, The Blob, Catacombs, Aliens, The Shining, The Lamp, and a vast number more on VHS when I was about 8, back in '88 or '89, that some dodgy guy in the flat below ours, had. They were glorious days. It'd be nice to try and give the kids now, and future kids, something different to catch these sorts of films on.
And VHS would be a cool idea, as quite a few people probably don't even have VHS players anymore, so those kids would have to source a player to see the films. Makes them put more effort in, ad these days it is so easy to see anything. And right away. Which in one sense is great, but in many others, it ruins things.
Really tough call. Five years ago I would have said VHS forever, but now, seeing things cleaned up in really nice widescreen .......I don't know. I guess the question is, repurchase my collection in DVD, or wait for the next great thing to come along?
I love VHS! Whats not to love provided you can transfer them onto a dvd this way if you would wear out the tape, you still have the dvd to fall back on in worst case...
Anyway, Nice write up!
--Ryan
The joy of hunting down films you've only heard about, Sometimes propelling a really crap film to legendary status because of 1 10 second scene. I still have my entire vhs collection with round about 600 Horror films, I can never let them go I spent a lot of time and money collecting them, I only stopped watching them a year or so ago because I didn't want to ruin them anymore but there is a feeling you get with the poorer quality it may be nostalgic memories of how you were scared as a kid, or having to concentrate more just trying to see whats going on , whatever it is it touches you in places a crystal clear picture can't. Things are different now dvds are cheaap easy to come by and have taken the fun out of things there is not much you can't get from the shops or internet and so collecting has been ruined, No more buying a film because it has a well illustrated cover that has absolutly nothing to do with what happens in the film no more looking for cover variations, and in the UK no more legendary banned films the jewel in my crown was a uncut version of Last House never released in the UK but I have a retail screener sent to video shops in 1982 I paid big money for it but now it's practically worthless. VHS will make a comeback there are collectors like myself out there who regard some VHS more valuable than gold.
The way I see it, it'll return to that sort of value when the vhs collectors resurface in the next few years and at that point the marketplace will be competitive as alot of people have landfilled entire collections reducing there quantity therefore increasing the value of whats left.
I'm a collector and I know there are more like me out there.
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