Is VHS “dead media”? This is a question that many would answer with yes. The last VHS, released by a major Hollywood studio in 2006, was David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. Major distributors had moved on, turning their focus to the new media format, DVD, which was rapidly gaining popularity. Even though many moved on with the times, a dedicated fanbase remains to keep it alive for future generations to enjoy.
The Community
The VHS community is alive and well. There are many online forums of dedicated fans creating spaces to discuss and share their collections that are easy to find such as TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit. I have found these spaces to be welcoming and encouraging to all of those who are just starting out on their VHS journey. They are also great places to find information on how to properly care for and restore thrift store finds or items of your personal collection.
Over the years we have witnessed a decline in third places across the board. The community took a huge hit with the closing of places like Blockbuster and other video rental stores. However, in the last couple of years, there has been a rise in the number of stores dedicated to VHS openings in many places. These stores provide great in-person third places for collectors everywhere, opening the door for those to find fellow collectors in their local communities.
Why People Collect
In a time where many are making the move to fully digital collections, there is still a growing community of those who believe in the importance of physical media. Many are finding digital media to be more unreliable and the quality of image and sound can vary drastically. While Blu-ray and 4K tend to be the physical media of choice for collectors, there are many that are turning to old-school media formats.
Nostalgia is at the core of the VHS community. Most would agree that VHS does not have the “best” quality sound or image, but those same people would argue that that does not matter. It is important to consider the artist’s intention for the media release in this case. Films from this era were made with the media tools of the time. I frequently joke that viewing a film on VHS is the way “god intended”. The fuzzy pixelation of the image adds a sense of coziness that warms the soul. Although it’s great that we are now able to have access to remastered versions utilizing modern tools to update sound and image quality, it does not change that the original format it was released on is equally enjoyable to view.
Outside of nostalgia, another reason that people collect is preservation. There are many films that never received a release outside of VHS. Collectors have helped in preserving and keeping those films alive for future generations. A great example is Doctor Who’s lost media. The only reason that some episodes of Doctor Who exist today is because of various fans’ use of VCR. If laws change revolving around fans having “bootleg” copies of the show, I think there is a chance that many still lost episodes will resurface.
Horror Community
The horror community has the most crossover with the VHS community. I would go as far to say that they are the most dedicated and biggest defenders of collecting VHS. This is because there is a large overlap between the rise in popularity of the horror genre and the time frame in which VHS was at its peak. With the horror genre gaining new heights, video rental stores filled their shelves with horror films. This created an environment for encouraging not only a love for horror, but nostalgia for VHS as well.
Horror films from this time were often made with small budgets. In addition, there are numerous straight-to-VHS films that, at the time, did not find a dedicated audience. There is now a fanbase for this type of “bad” horror film. The problem is that many of these films only received a limited VHS release. Many of the distributors for these films no longer exist, making them rare and increasing the importance of preserving them. By collecting VHS, the horror community is keeping those films alive for future generations.
Modern Day VHS Experience
A large part of the modern VHS experience revolves around thrifting. Collectors (myself included) will spend an afternoon or weekend thrift store hopping in hopes of finding a new addition to their collection. Thrifting tends to be the most accessible and affordable way to start a collection. I would argue it is also more exciting when you can find that one tape you have been hunting for in person.
In recent years there has been a rise in conventions/festivals and other events hosted by collectors. These combined with the opening of more VHS shops will continue to create more spaces and opportunities for collectors offline. Additionally, there are now more stores beginning to add VHS to their inventory that previously would not have. Many retro video game stores are among the first non-video stores to start offering VHS. I feel this is a good move since many VHS collectors often have a fondness for retro gaming as well.
Although major studios stopped production of VHS years ago, we are also seeing recent limited batch releases. Walmart had a limited release of Terrifier 2 on VHS. In addition, A24 also released a limited run of VHS for their movie Y2K. Both sold out almost immediately showcasing an increased desire for modern films on VHS.
The Art of VHS
Not all collectors of VHS collect solely for the purpose of watching the film. Many collect for the artwork on the VHS sleeves. They used to have stunning hand-drawn art on the covers of most films during the height of VHS releases. In addition to standard cover art, many films had multiple art variant covers. These are highly sought after by collectors. Not only for the artwork itself but for the preservation of it as well. Over the years, many art variant covers that were thought to be lost media have been found thanks to collectors.
In a post-video rental store world, there is a noticeable decrease in hand-drawn art covers for films. This is largely due to the fact that major companies now rely on their social media marketing to sell their film to the public. Back during the VHS era, distributors heavily relied on the cover art to grab the attention of possible viewers. I believe that this is why many collectors want new releases to have VHS counterparts. The level of care put into the presentation of VHS cover art is only just now starting to be seen again thanks to boutique distributors.
Prior to 2024, major studios had not done a new film VHS release in almost twenty years. During that time, some collectors figured out ways to turn their favorite newer films into VHS. Some may view this as creating “bootlegs” but many argue it is a beautiful art form. These artists are not creating cheap knockoffs. They are using their skills to create stunning fan art for collectors. These artists have also begun working directly with big studios to create limited runs of licensed work, opening the door to preserve VHS for future generations.
In Conclusion
The VHS community is a passionate group with a love for physical media. Their enthusiasm spans past the act of just collecting. They assist in the preservation of media so that future generations will get to enjoy all of the beautiful art that existed before them. As long as there are people who share their love for VHS, it will never die.
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Over the years, movies have given me room to express myself and have helped me to find community. Currently I find myself watching primarily horror/thrillers (David Cronenberg and David Lynch have my heart) but I also love Studio Ghibli and have a special place in my heart for Star Wars and the MCU. When I’m not watching movies, I’m either thrifting physical media, adding to my Scarlet Witch collection or working my retail job.
My Favorite Movies: The Mummy (1999), Clue, Howl’s Moving Castle, IT (1990), and Mamma Mia