Top 6 VHS Obscurities that Need to GET ON MY SHELF! A Wish List by Josh Lunchmeat Schafer
John Campopiano
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Josh Schafer from over at Lunchmeat VHS/Lunchmeat Magazine shares with Dread Central a few gems from his current VHS wish list!
WARNING! Tapeheads and magnetic maniacs alike: Prepare yourselves for some incredibly rare video selections below that ooze, glow, and inform!
The Recordist (1993) Ironwood Pictures
A shot-on-video (SOV) film from the early 90s filmed in Seattle, WA, the trailer for The Recordist makes it out to be a really fun low-budget action/thriller romp with a tinge of sci-fi, so naturally, I’ve been dying to see it. I’ve only seen a single copy pop up online, and if memory serves, it was promptly purchased after being posted on one of the VHS collecting boards by one of the people that worked on the film. Yeah, just one copy. Ever. Super hard to find, man!
Alabama’s Ghost (1973) Thriller Home Video (1985)
This is one film that I watched up in NY at Horror Boobs HQ years ago and absolutely loved. It’s probably one of the tougher (if not the toughest) thriller big boxes to track down. There’s one online right now, but it’s priced at like $2,000 or something like that. Yeah, no way, man. It’s a shame, too, because this movie totally rules and should be seen by more people. I’d love to have this one on the VHShelf, man.
Rent-A-Friend (1986-87)
Made most famous and recently re-issued on DVD (?!) by the Found Footage Fest crew, this is probably one of the most unusual, baffling, and downright insane special interest home videos of all time. I’ve seen some VHS copies of this floating around the internet, but it’s a bootleggy looking clamshell with a black and white cover, and I’m not totally convinced it’s the original home video release. I’d love to have this bad boy on the shelf, not only to toss on at a party and totally freak everyone out, but just because it would be insanely cool to have an original release of this monumental magnetic magic mind-melter for the collection.
Splatter Farm (1987) Donna Michele Productions (1990)
This is one of the earliest SOV flicks I remember seeing, and it totally blew me away. If you haven’t seen it, I can promise you it’s one insanely gross and at times unreal tape trip, man. This VHS is scarce, but it does pop up from time to time. Only problem is, it can get pretty pricey, commanding sums of $80+ give or take depending on the condition and collector. The high price is partly because it’s an exemplary horror title, but also because this DMP VHS release is the only way to view the fully uncut version of this influential shot-on-video splatter gross-out as the DVD release is heavily edited. Splatter Farm is also one of the seven titles in the Donna Michele catalog, and since there’s only seven, it’s a fun and challenging label to collect and complete, so some Tapeheads are really rabid about nailing down all seven.
ANY RELEASE with factory-made glow-in-the-dark tape stock
Okay, so over my 10+ years of impassioned VHS collecting, I’ve found or encountered various colors of translucent tape stock, gold metallic tape stock, and even tape stock that is black light reactive. I’ve even found glow-in-the-dark clamshell cases (late release Casper cartoon collections), but I have NEVER found factory made GITD VHS tapes. I will, though. I must. And when I do, it will rule. I mean, they HAVE to exist, right? RIGHT?!
High Impact Safety Awareness (1990s) ERI Safety Videos
This company is apparently still around, but there is one particular home video from these guys that depicts “very realistic” workplace safety accidents and injuries, including severed limbs, crushed fingers, electrocution, etc., brought to life with indie horror caliber SFX. It also has this REALLY bizarre psychedelic rock song throughout with scrolling lyrics that teach you how to stay safe in the workplace. You can buy these online through Amazon for like $25-$30, and I currently have a dub from a buddy (how I initially saw it), but this is the kind of tape I want to find in the wild. It’s the only way, and it’ll be super VHSweet when I do, dude.
