Great VHS Covers

Much love for the Creepozoids.

This site is a bit of a gold mine for this kind of stuff.

I remember scouring the shelves at the local video store and seeing these covers trying to top each other.  A lot of times they bore little actual resemblance to what actually happened in the movie, but if they got you in the door, the manufacturer didn't care.  Also, I think you weren't allowed to open a video store unless you had this tape on the shelf:

Also fun to see all the different versions of Night of the Living Dead on VHS just for the box art.

Here are some gems...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Untitled 

 

Never seen this one before, love it.

Here are some action/thriller faves, prepare for macho bullshit overload:

(couldn't find an actual VHS cover for this, but I swear it had the same drawing of Palance on a tape I rented):

Getting back to horror:

Here's one that always made my head spin:

Not only is this insanely inappropriate for public display (I remember seeing this nonchalantly stocked in full view in a Camelot music store one time), but it's also a massive spoiler if you've seen the movie.   Crazy.  I miss you 1980's.  

Holy flashbacks, Batman! You're completely right: this was in every video rental store I frequented back in the late 80s and early 90s. I'm sure it was ferociously awful, but it might be good for a Bad Movie Night with the guys.

Looks like Miguel Ferrer wearing a future Roman centurion outfit about to get all rapey with a punk rock Cynthia Nixon.

Here's another one with Jack Palance.

I love collecting vhs. It's my prefered movie format.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roboTimKelly 

There's so much greatness going on with this cover it's not even funny. Too much greatness, some would say. I'm getting winded just looking at it.

 

I've actually seen this movie.  The box art is, ah, misleading in its ambition, let's say.  

Stumbled on some more classic VHS covers. Man, I really miss seeing these things everywhere. Movie covers and posters were so much better before photoshop.

Oh god, that Exterminator video was everywhere.  Death Ship too.

And Jesus Christ, fine, I'll take the goddamn stairs...

Bio-Hazard was another staple. Saw that in ever mom-and-pop and Major, erm, Blockbuster video store in late 80s and early 90s.

More VHS greatness. Some sort of museum should be established to preserve these.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roboTimKelly 

And now for a screen shot of what's actually beneath that great cover: 

 

 

Yikes.

I'm pretty sure that is Kickpuncher.
 

I stumbled onto another awesome Creepozoids cover. Prometheus will have to be really great to beat the Creepozoids.

Much love for GHOULIES and CREEPOZOIDS.

And it's been linked to before on these boards, but this site is an endless treasure trove:

http://www.critcononline.com/video_companies_cover_art.htm

Circuitry Man reminds me of this Full Moon entry...

And this S Gordon classic...

I love the cover of this one...

I remember Dungeonmaster (Ragewar in the US) had a pretty bitching cover, featuring 80's hacker guy saving his girlfriend from evil galactic wizard Metchem, or Mekem or something. Very fun terrible film.

Some of the covers that used to mesmerise me...

...and probably my favorites...

...what? I spent a lot of time in video shops as a kid.

It was impossible to walk through any horror section without seeing either of these two movies on the shelf.

I remember this was absolutely everywhere back in the day:

It was the epitome of 'Shitty Looking Direct To Video Max Max Ripoff' in my - uneducated - estimation, and I avoided it like the plague.

Then, years later, I actually saw it and discovered to my great surprise that it was actually pretty good. Hauer is awesome, David Peoples did a great job with the script and direction... A real pleasant surprise.

Just a pity that this was the only VHS scan I could find on Google. I was hoping to track one down with THIS slice of awesomeness on it:

Glad to see there's no shortage of steroids in the apocalyptic wasteland.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bishop Choker 

I remember Dungeonmaster (Ragewar in the US) had a pretty bitching cover, featuring 80's hacker guy saving his girlfriend from evil galactic wizard Metchem, or Mekem or something. Very fun terrible film.

 

Every time I saw this tape, I thought, "Blackie Lawless made a movie!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelM 

Every time I saw this tape, I thought, "Blackie Lawless made a movie!"

 

Yeah I always wondered why an obvious hair metal lead singer was somehow meant to be scary when I looked at that one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Workyticket 

 

Glad to see there's no shortage of steroids in the apocalyptic wasteland.

First time I've seen this variant. Amazing.

Another:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Workyticket 

I remember this was absolutely everywhere back in the day:

 

 

 

It was the epitome of 'Shitty Looking Direct To Video Max Max Ripoff' in my - uneducated - estimation, and I avoided it like the plague.

 

Then, years later, I actually saw it and discovered to my great surprise that it was actually pretty good. Hauer is awesome, David Peoples did a great job with the script and direction... A real pleasant surprise.

 

Just a pity that this was the only VHS scan I could find on Google. I was hoping to track one down with THIS slice of awesomeness on it:

 

 

Glad to see there's no shortage of steroids in the apocalyptic wasteland.

I've only ever seen this as The Blood of Heroes.  And yeah, it's actually kinda great.

This one I rented a few years back (before all the video stores around here got wiped out) just for curiosity's sake.

Never got to see Starship and as a little kid into sci-fi always wondered what the Hell was up. I recall the back of the box had a still of humanoid Stormtroopers wearing football helmets.

This cover freaked me out a little as a kid...

EDIT: Just added BLOOD OF HEROES to the ol' queue!

Damn, I'm falling behind.

The Classic, Robot Jox.

Terror Eyes!

And...The Boogens.

Re that middle one, apparently the Devil does a pretty good impression of Jack Nicholson.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelM 

Looks like Miguel Ferrer wearing a future Roman centurion outfit about to get all rapey with a punk rock Cynthia Nixon.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

The worms! How could people possible escape such tiny, blind, crawling creatures?