You guys know that I am a thrifter. A huge part of my horror collection comes from many days and hours finding and collecting some pretty cool pieces or films on vhs. I’m a huge vhs fan, you guys have seen me do a few posts here about them or on the instagram just highlighting what I do have. And occasionally, I will shift them around and re-organize them to fit better or have more space and this idea came up before I decided to switch them up.
I forget the context but I was looking at my current collection and thinking “hmm, I do have some really odd finds”. Now by “odd”, I do mean both as in obscure, weird, underrated or even the idea of you wouldn’t recognize the title if you weren’t a) a film fan or into film history or b) you aren’t deep in the horror genre.
So I wanted to share some of the titles and what I think about them and why you should check them out if you haven’t!
Phantasm (1979) – It’s definitely a cult classic and still underrated in my opinion. I have see more people talk about this film and its sequels and spread the word about this trippy movie. This was featured on 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
Phenomena or Creepers (1985) – The only italian horror movie I own in my collection right now (Creepers) and it isn’t even the fuller version. It falls into a category I love the most: supernatural horror.
The Guardian (1990) – I recently saw a gif post on tumblr of this film and I just remembered how odd this movie was but I kinda liked it. This film was directed by William Friedkin of The Exorcist but he really disowned this movie and went under a pseudonym. I learned about this film through the Boogeymen compilation that came out in 2001 I want to say.
Popcorn (1991) – A movie found and bought purely off the vhs cover. It’s a fun movie, a few nods to scifi b movies in between.
It’s Alive (1974) – A film that a) the vhs cover grabs your attention and b) remembering John Landis speaking so highly of this movie during 100 Scariest Movie Moments and it is scary but it’s also quite sad, too. Hmm, the second film involves babies.
Vamp (1986) – Grace Jones is in this. That’s all I need to say. And she’s a vampire. It’s cool as fuck.
Wolfen (1981) – Not to be confused with Wolf or The Howling or… An American Werewolf in London, but actual wolves, people turning into wolves, the connection with Native Americans’ history, it’s a different horror movie.
Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers (1992) – I was thinking of this or Rose Red. Personally I think Rose Red is a bit more known and did well with tv ratings but Sleepwalkers is underrated. Some cat love, weird mother/son incest-like relationship, the cast is great and that Enya song plays constantly in this one.
Alice Sweet Alice (1976) – Another film seen on 100 Scariest Movie Moments and I have it twice in my collection! It’s a great film, it feels almost like a giallo type of movie and it’s a huge favorite watch of all time.
The Blob (1958) – A classic to have in your collection. Steven McQueen is great in his debut role, the blob itself is creepy for that time period and yes it does look goofy at times but it still works!
THEM! (1954) – Found on the same day as The Blob and the next film, Maximum Overdrive, that’s a fun fact. It’s a classic of the 1950s scifi creature feature bubble that decade was. The ants are actually terrifying. Very impressive with the special effects of that time.
Maximum Overdrive (1986) – This movie. I thought it was really bad and it is but I would recommend this. The one movie that Stephen King only directed and he himself mentioned in an interview he doesn’t really remember because he was high as fuck. Cool soundtrack though.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) – Never thought I’d find this film. Kinda didn’t know anything about this one… I do remember seeing the 4th one a few times thrifting or whichever the one is with Matthew McConaghey. It’s a fun addition to the original but don’t expect to be so serious and gritty. It’s actually the opposite of the original.
So out of everything I have, all the Nightmare on Elm Street films and Halloween franchise and some of the Friday the 13th films, countless tv horror, Candyman, Stephen King adaptations, The Evil Dead trilogy, there are these great little hidden gems in my collection that otherwise I would have missed out on. And instead of picking just what I knew and recognized, I picked up films I had never heard of. It reminds me of going to video stores and picking a movie based off the artwork of the vhs and then seeing if it was good or bad or just plainly odd.
What movie would you like to have in your collection?
Shots of Horror 
Today it is thrift stores for your VHS fix, but the bounty is starting to dwindle. However, every now and then, I still hit a donation honey hole at the thrifts. The real VHS bounties were back when there were still brick and mortar video stores. That was my weekend, back in the day: driving around and finding out-of-the-way video stores purging old inventory. Good times. Sadly, the used record outlets that are still around don’t mess around with VHS or DVDs. The used DVD stores of the ’90s did . . . but those stores are all gone, as well. Even the library book fairs aren’t as plentiful as they used to be. Continued happy hunting!
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It is definitely harder to find but my problem is also finding something new that I don’t have and that’s the difficult part. I still enjoy the thrill of the hunt but there hasn’t been much hunting.
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And now, the tapes are blue screening more often when you get them home. Or they flip and you can’t “hold” the picture. Even with thrifts, the “thrill of the chase” is still there. If I drive past one, I’ll always pop in and hit the tape section.
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