PODCAST: Finally my VCR is back in style [MP3]
Dust off that VCR grandma gave you in '82 and get ready for the VHS revival! Despite the 3D-IMAX-bells-and-whistles craze happening at your local 65 theatre movie-plex, hardcore videotape collectors are patrolling the web for hundred dollar copies of grindhouse flicks you've never even heard of. Why would these Luddites spend hard-earned recession-era dollars on obsolescence you may ask?
As Michael Neel reveals in "VHS is the new vinyl," a subculture of tapeheads thrives on the warbly sound, grained-out tracking lines, and nearly 50%-cropped image of home videotapes. These collectors take a near-scientific interest in preserving B-movies that would otherwise be lost in the DVD revolution, and relish in the nostalgia of watching movies the way they did when they were 12. The intentionally lo-fi viewing experience of VHS recalls a time past, when studios couldn't use high-end formats as a selling point for garbage films. Savvy new flicks are even getting retro-styled VHS promo releases! Why watch a movie any other way than the worst way possible?
Check out Michael Neel on the WFNX Breakfast Show here:
PODCAST: Horror filmmaker Michael Neel on "VHS is the new vinyl" [MP3]
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And now, Laser Orgy presents a practical guide to embracing the VHS revival:
Need advice picking out a piece of vintage home-theatre equipment?
How about a 45 minute tour through some British guy's VHS horror collection?
Honestly though, all these guys are just asking to be sweded.
And somehow related, 7 hours of vacuum cleaner sounds.
Perhaps my fantasy of a Laserdisc renaissance isn't so unlikely after all...