In addition to the usual reviews and comments you would find on a horror movie blog, this is also a document of the wonderfully vast horror movie section of the video store I worked at in my youth.

Monday, February 17, 2014

It Came From The Archives 23.1!

As you know, this blog was originally formed to archive horror VHS box art, but I'll be focusing on something of a similar ilk this week. In the early nineties, before Cockbuster shifted their focus away from B.S.I. (basic standard inventory) to new releases and used-sell-thru, they actually had a decent stock of older titles. Not only that, but before their VHS cases started adourning cookie cutter quotes like, “be sure to ask about our Rewards Program” or “we have the most New Releases around. Guaranteed!”, they actually had some personality. Before their short-sightedness caught up with them, BBV carried cases that featured synopses, trivia and even recommendations. For instance;


I used to wonder who wrote these. Was it someone (or perhaps a team of people) at head-office? Was it outsourced? Was it some crazy computer program? I always thought that writing those things would be the most amazing job.

For this latest set of archives posts, I'll be putting up these old sleeves for your perusal. I'm not really sure why I took these at the time. When we “rearranged things” (no doubt to make more room for new releases) I do recall carrying garbage bag upon garbage bag of these inserts out to the dumpster. However, I was attached to my horror section as much then as I am now, so I guess it's not really all that surprising that I snagged some keepsakes for myself. So, here's the first batch. Enjoy!












Be sure to come back tomorrow for Part 2.

2 comments:

Belial Bradley said...

This is my favorite movie blurb, for Vibrations:

"Rising rock star T.J. Cray gets the shot of a lifetime -- an audition with an A&R man -- but on the big day, a carload of drunks smash into his car, and his hands are severed. Soon, he drops out of the business and becomes a homeless drunk, until one day when he wakes up to a pulsing beat in an abandoned warehouse where a 'rave' party is in full swing. There, he meets Anamika (Christina Applegate), who helps reinvent T.J.'s career. With the help of friends, they replace his hands with prosthetics and design a metallic cyber looking suit. TJ quickly becomes an overnight sensation, known as Cyberstorm. The finale is a dramatic scenario where TJ has to make crucial decisions about his new life."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyvkNDtW7Lw

BTW, no wonder you stole tapes from Ballbuster, if they were making you throw them out.

Jay Clarke said...

Wow, that was something else. Can't say I've heard of that one. (Just the psychic comedy "Vibes" with Jeff Goldblum & Cyndi Lauper)

Also, yeah unfortunately all the actual tapes went back to head office, I just got the sleeves.