The coffee table book of 2015 for any self-respecting fan of VHS nostalgia (or simply for those of us who grew up in the 80s!). Like Hodge, I spent many happy hours in my local video store soaking up the most graphic and eye-catching VHS artwork and so it’s really great to find many of these covers collated (along with some more obscure titles) in this impressive publication. The book is divided into 6 main sections (Action, Comedy, Horror, Kids, Sci-Fi and Thriller) with forewords by Justin Ischmael (Mondo CEO) and Hodge himself. Both guys set the scene and ultimately give credit to long-forgotten artists who were cruelly side-lined by marketing departments for Photoshop during the advent of DVD.
I was lucky enough to get a look at the book and meet its author whilst at Sheffield Horror Con 2015, however one of the things I really wanted to know before purchasing it was which horror titles can be found within its pages? So here is what to expect…
Aerobicide; Alison’s Birthday; Berserker; Black Roses; Cameron’s Closet; The Carpenter; Cellar Dwellar; The Dead of Night; The Death Dealer; The Demon Murder Case; Demon of Paradise; Demon Wind; Demonwarp; Dream Slayer; The Dreaming; The Edge of Terror; The Evil Dead; Food of the Gods II; Geek; Grave Misdemeanours; Hide and Shriek; The Imp; Impulse; Kindred; The Kiss; Lunatic; Masterblaster; The Mutant Kid; Neon Maniacs; Night of the Creeps; Night Screams; Night Vision; Nightmare Vacation; Primal Rage; Raiders of the Living Dead; Regenerator; The Return of the Living Dead; Scared Stiff; Shadow of Death; Slaughterhouse; Slugs; Small Town Massacre; Sorority House Massacre; Spasms; Spookies; The Stuff; The Survivor; Troll; The Video Dead; The Wailing and The Willies.
I have highlighted the titles I recognised from my childhood and as you can see a lot were new to me, however more knowledgeable horror fans may recognise the others. It was a wise choice by Hodge to go for the more obscure titles as most fans will already be familiar with the artwork from more mainstream fare such as the Elm Street and Friday franchises. Therefore, old cult favourites such as Cameron’s Closet, Food of the Gods II, Slugs and of course, Grave Misdemeanours brought back many fond memories for me. It’s also worth mentioning that other equally sleazy Grindhouse titles can be found in the Action, Sci-Fi and Thriller sections (e.g. Savage Streets, Silk, Creepozoids, Invasion of the Body Suckers and Switchblade Sisters).
VHS Video Cover Art has clearly been a labour of love for Hodge and for fans of horror and the VHS era in general it is an essential purchase… And with the likes of Arrow Video, 88Films and Scream Factory releasing many of these obscurities on DVD/Blu Ray my poor bank balance won’t know what’s hit it as I add these lost treasures to my collection.