Gregory, Michael Keene, Kevin Martin. Feature-length documentary. 89mins. Strangelove & Q Cumber Films & Studio POW.
World
premiere screening at Arrow FrightFest on 28th August 2022.
“VHS
you know, it’s like vinyl, if vinyl kinda sucked.” (Michael Keene (‘The Head’,
‘Fatal Future’).
Despite
the above opening quote, Rob Preciado’s documentary about the VHS video format is
a kind rewind back to the origins of the home video revolution. It’s a
fascinating celebration of the experiences of the renters, the mom-and-pop (US)
and corner shop (UK) independent video stores, the current-day collectors and
curators of the treasured tapes bound in amaray boxes, and a speculative fast-forward
to the future: will VHS enjoy a vinyl-like renaissance?
It revels in the tactile (sometimes forbidden) pleasures of under-age viewing of age-inappropriate horror films. It highlights the luscious and at times lurid cover art which lured us into renting those often obscure and dodgy titles, whilst celebrating arguably the finest exponent of the art, the UK’s very own Graham Humphreys.
Naturally,
no discussion of VHS can take place without considering the ‘video nasty’ saga –
something which us UK horror fans of a certain age still have nightmares (in our
damaged brains) over the vilification and moral panic which saw some of our beloved
gore fests being withdrawn, or cut to ribbons, robbing us of most of the best bits.
CULT
OF VHS draws in the (often moving) global experiences from a multitude of fans
and collectors both young and mature. From Mexico to Holland, from Australia to Spain as well as here in dear old Blighty.
Conceived during lockdown, it’s poignant that so many of the interviewees highlight
the advantage of being able to watch a physical copy of a film as opposed to
having to rely on your broadband speed to stream a selective algorithm-curated
range of largely mainstream fare. Whilst the world was stuck at home who had the
last laugh when internet providers couldn’t cope with demand...?
Accompanied
by a suitably rocking retro synthwave soundtrack, a bounty of old VHS adverts
and juicy trailer snippets – and a fabulous opening credits sequence homaging John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’, CULT OF VHS is a love letter to VHS for
both seasoned home video romantics, and a timely reminder to current and future
generations of the advantages and unadulterated pleasure of owning physical
media – whether that be in ultra-HD, or pan-and-scan snowy tracking 4:3 VHS.
“VHS
is a cult, but it’s not the creepy kill yourself cult, it’s the let’s
kick ass and let’s be good to each other kind of cult because movies fucking rule,
and in a time like this, escapism is the best and their ain’t no better
escapism than trying to go back to the 80’s and 90’s when life just seemed
simpler”. (Kevin
Martin, Owner of the Lobby Videostore).
****
Paul Worts
