VHS Massacre

What did the death of VHS movies and video game rentals mean to the low-budget, independent filmmaker? A lot, surprisingly. "Mom and pop" video stores around the country, neighborhood institutions for decades, began shutting their doors in the 2000s, taking a hit from Blockbuster, which took a hit from competitor Hollywood Video, which took their hits from the internet, Netflix and "free" downloading and streaming (i.e., piracy). What goes around comes around: VHS killed Beta because it was less expensive, consumers preferred quantity over quality, and adult movies were exclusive to the VHS format. But, as Carmine Capobianco, co-owner of Funstuff Video, says, "The sell-through (the ratio of the quantity of goods sold by a retail outlet to the quantity distributed to it wholesale) dropped the value of the VHS. Walmart killed the video business. Netflix killed the video business. Computers killed the video business." But how many of us are mourning the loss of our VCRs? I can name several favorite titles of mine that never made that journey from VHS to DVD (which, along with Blu-ray, is also slowing in sales). I can also name many instances where the VHS cover-art was superior to that of comparable DVDs. Are VHS tapes collectible like vinyl records? I never thought so. I don't like the picture quality of VHS, I always hated the occasional tracking issues, and they take up too much valuable space. But the fans, movie makers, actors, distributors and radio personalities brought together in this entertaining documentary obviously feel different, as they reflect on the home-viewing market of the '80s with pride, discussing how independent filmmakers flourished during that time having various outlets for their products. For filmmakers today, starting out small and hoping to build a following, there is no money to be made from streaming. Depressing, yes, but...the VHS may make a comeback yet! And if the industry rallies, watch out "Toxic Avenger"! I'll be the first to buy a brand-new VCR, one with a remote to adjust the tracking from my living room sofa. **1/2 from ****

I was expecting more detail and comment on the demise of the VHS market but instead it seemed to try and cover too many bases without actually completing any particular aims. Overall it comes across as a student project with way too many handheld camera shots. Apparently the filmmakers began as podcasters. Perhaps they should concentrate on where their strengths lie as their enthusiasm seems better suited to an audio medium rather than visual.

I have only just watched this in 2023, and found it fascinating how much things have changed in the past 7 years. One of the participants comments, and I'm paraphrasing a little, "I can't see any profit in streaming or downloading movies." Now the market is dominated by Netflix, Amazon plus, Disney Plus, etc, etc etc.

Back then they were lamenting the disappearance of VHS, now it's hard to find DVDs. Most movies are available to buy on download, or on one of the afore mentioned streaming services. It is sad not being able to browse the shelves of hundreds of DVDs and sometimes finding a gem.

It is sad the effect major corporations such as Blockbuster, Walmart and later Netflix had on this market, and made it increasingly difficult for indie movies to be made at all.

The only VHS this documentary explores are basically less than a dozen classics and most the filmmaker and associates' own post-2000 indie movies, including literal trailer and promos!

It's rather shameful and shameless, focusing on a very limited set of people complaining about politics - net neutrality (which in reality concerning prior recent law was a lose-lose scenario and not much to actually do with the topic). This political point was simply a perspective unrelated by any meaningful form or discussion to greater topic.

I felt like I was watching a promo for a handful of super-indie film makers from New York extolling their opinions on political issues (without an sufficient knowledge or discussion on what the net neutrality actually entails). There's even a literal end screen text - hammering a call-to-action to 'Write your congressman and ask them to support net neutrality.' In reality Net Neutrality was not a clearcut simple superficial proposal - at the time is had two serious downsides of the coin, each bad - bad proposal in general. But none of this, the: what, how, where, why of net neutrality (or how it even relates) were discussed, just repeated and focused on in agenda in 'documentary' that is only relevant to the actual filmmakers given air time in their own perspective sans rational discussion or data.

The rest was half-baked filler to seem credible, self-promotion of participants own films and 2 inserts of two celebrities.

Lloyd Kaufman, the most experienced super-producer of trash or lowbrow indies (many that I admittedly enjoy) actually counters much argument of others and provides very logical and rational perspective at a few points on meaningful distribution, file-sharing etc - from an older man, certainly shared wisdom and reality in context. But again, this hardly has much to do with the actually replacement or 'massacre' of VHS. The whole setup was a complaint against and prmo piece for the film's own makers and just another piece of 'net neutrality' promotion at the time. So does this documentary have any lasting, wider objective value - very very little. Very limited maybe 2 points of minor interest.

Does not have intent to seriously focus on topic, but instead spray their own self-promoting media interest. Bad form.

Speaking of the VHS films actually discussed here you basically get some gratuities of Troma (an inclusive attempt to instill credibility and payback Kaufman participation), some early mentions of early 2000s phenom like The Room (2003) and footage of Blockbuster and Hollywood video as a crux of end of videos, which is true. And some basic detail otherwise on a limited scope or genre of VHS.

Again, Joe Bob Briggs is another celebrity harnessed who at one point try to display 'intelligence' and expertise about film stating, to paraphrase, "What is film? What are we talking about here? It is films of the late 1800s? The ethic neighborhood films of the early 1910s(??) or the Lumiere films, or quote "the RIDICULOUS films of 1930-1935 before they had sex in film?"

This last portion of statement shows extreme ignorance (and exposure) of Briggs to the wider pantheon of film! But is also displays the range of this 'documentary,' which speaks of nothing but a very very extremely limited set of VHS media and film - zero international, classic Hollywood or other non-niche horror product, which represented collectively the bulk of movies actually rented or sold to the public. Emperor wears no clothes.

I'm a movie geek, but not really an expert on b-movies. I grew up with VHS tho so I found this kind of interesting here and there. Overall I wouldn't say this is very good and that's mostly because it's not very focused. If the makers had ditched focus on their own productions and focused more on the physical media and VHS movies in general it might've been better. Troma etc are interesting, but the documentary feels very subjective with very preachy piracy part (fwiw, I'm against piracy). I wasn't fan of the actual VHS massacre either, imo the diabetes video wasn't a laughing matter. I've seen this kind of movie geeks at local arthouse movie theatre laughing at everything and basically ruining the show for everyone else. So yes, I found the VHS part interesting, cover art appreciation etc, but there was a lot of stuff I didn't find that fitting. The subject calls for a better documentary.