As I've been considering the Summer Fest lineup (I start early), Major Tom's recommendation of the not-so-easy-to-find-as-it-turns-out Terrorvision got me thinking about other movies that never quite made the jump from VHS to DVD. While there has been a concerted effort to get as many of these onto the digital versatility disc in the last few years (including titles like Night of the Comet and The Monster Squad), just as many of them languish in videotape form.
The Cap'n has decided that these movies have every right to join their disc-based brethren at the horror fests to come, and so I'm asking you to keep your eyes out for tapes anywhere you happen to see them. I know there are video stores still out there that stock the old and obscure horror films, and there's a whole host for 1980s horror comedies you just can't get anywhere else.
Gore Met: Zombie Chef from Hell, The Stepfather, Night of the Creeps*, Saturday the 14th, Rawhead Rex, Phantasm II, and New Year's Evil are among the ones I can think of immediately. What would be more fun are ones you remember from long ago in the video store or back when horror movies were ubiquitous on late night cable tv. That's how Terrorvision was brought to my attention, and I'm sure many of you have similar experiences.
One I'd really love if someone could find is House of Long Shadows from 1983. I don't know if Cranford's seen this movie, but it's kind of a take-off of The Old Dark House. What is has going for it - despite the presence of Desi Arnaz Jr - is the presence of Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, John Carradine, and Vincent Price all together in the film. It's more comedy than horror if I remember correctly and I haven't seen it in years. There will have to be some rather good prize for the person who can find and deliver House of Long Shadows to Summer Fest.
The good news for all of us is that since VHS has been officially declared dead by its final manufacturer, there's a small window in which to locate these mass produced video nasties before they become a curious inversion of "collectibles" and prices escalate. While Terrorvision cannot be located cheaply on Amazon (and I'm guessing House of Long Shadows is similar) there are enough places that still have VHS bins you might strike gold if you dig enough. I'm willing to dig into it if someone can point me in the direction of a decent video store or places stuck in a time warp (ala Roses.)
Help the Cap'n out, and we'll all reap the benefits come July.
* Actually I hear Night of the Creeps is finally coming to dvd and Blu Ray but not soon enough.
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