Books about VHS
Collecting VHS tapes is a hobby that I've always wanted to get into, but my very full shelves have prohibited me from adding another excuse to hoard. I also feel like movie streaming options are a bit underwhelming these days, and I'm intrigued by the idea of going low tech and watching a bunch of B movies on VHS that aren't available anywhere else. And then there's the box art, the glorious forgotten art of VHS box art.
Since collecting old VHS tapes isn't super practical, I like to admire the box art through books. The VHS tape, in general, has seen a slight revival in recent years through companies like Mondo and Alamo Drafthouse. Most of the books I've listed are full of old box art, but I've also included some narratives on the video store and a few guides to obscure movies that you can only find on VHS. Although I think I've covered most everything, let me know if there's something I missed.
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Stuck on VHS: A Visual History of Video Store Stickers
The covers on all these books really don't do them justice (seriously, take a sec to look at the interior photos). This book was put together by Birth.Movies.Death (RIP) and even has three pages of peelable stickers at the end.
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VHS Video Cover Art: 1980s to Early 1990s
I'm all about preservation when it comes to obscure box art. This newer book features artwork for such hits as Cocaine Wars, Death Code Ninja, and Pinball Summer. It's primarily B-grade exploitation flicks, so be warned that a lot of the covers are NSFW.
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VHS Collecting: The Modern Relevance of Home Video
This book is about the world of videotape collecting. Like I said earlier, my other collections really prevent me from diving into VHS tapes, but I'm intrigued by the hobby. A nice mix of nostalgia and tips on getting started.
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VHS: Absurd, Odd, and Ridiculous Relics from the Videotape Era
Does anyone remember the Found Footage Festival at Alamo? This book is a greatest hits compilation of their box art. The book itself is out of print and ridiculously expensive on the resale market, but their festival footage is available at the Super Long Play Club.
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Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art of the VHS Box, Vol. 1
This is another VHS-sized book that features a bunch of old exploitation films. I got this book as a gift many years ago, and it got me interested in box art. My favorite cover might be Video Violence, a movie about a deranged killer at a video store.
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Videoland: A Visual Catalog of American Video Store Logos 1980-1995 Zine
I don't even remember where I heard about this little zine, and I apologize in advance because I think I bought the last copy on the internet (and had to get it from the UK). I only wish it was 1,000 pages instead of 28.
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I Lost It at the Video Store: A Filmmakers' Oral History of a Vanished Era
This book is a collection of interviews with filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and Darren Aronofsky that talk about how the video store culture influenced their work (it also includes a foreword by local hero Richard Linklater). An easy, quick read that can be finished in an evening.
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From Betamax to Blockbuster: Video Stores and the Invention of Movies on Video
Well, I've got to include some history, and this book seems to be the authority. Greenberg writes about the explosion of VHS and how it led to the early videophile communities. Of course, it ends with Blockbuster ruining everything by driving out all the mom-and-pop stores.
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Awful Awesome Action Volume 1: A Journey Through the Wild World of So-Bad-They're-Good Action Films
"So bad, they're good" has always been my favorite genre. More a guide than a gallery, this book is the first in a three-part series that includes Horror and Sci-Fi. I've just about run through my watch lists during the pandemic, and I've enjoyed the lesser-known recommendations.
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Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible of Coming-of-Age Comedies from Animal House to Zapped!
I fondly remember taping Porky's and Revenge of the Nerds off HBO as a kid (which, in hindsight, was pretty inappropriate for a 10-year-old, but whatever). Throughout the 80s, it seemed like teen movies either got raunchier or more mainstream.
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The Teenage Slasher Movie Book
This is another book full of mostly obscure films from the VHS era. You can find some of these old slasher flicks on the streaming services, but I really think they deserve to be enjoyed on VHS. An oversized book with lots of good artwork and commentary.
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