VHS is dead: Long live VHS?

The recent announcement that the final makers of VHS machines would be ceasing production gives me a great sense of sadness, if my love for all things film can be traced back to just one thing, VHS would be the source! It may have begun on late night TV, and was further explored at Cinemas around the world, but it was the arrival of the home VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) that really opened up the wild world for me to explore! Now I was no longer limited to watching a James Bond movie when ITV decided to show it, one longer had to stay up late to watch some cult movie, now I could record it and watch it when I wanted to, as many times as I wanted! And even better, I could visit the treasure trove of video shops that were popping up in early 80’s Britain who offered a varied catalogue of action, comedy, horror, martial arts, sci-fi and more that might never show up on TV, it was all available on tape and most rental shops didn’t seem to mind that perhaps I wasn’t old enough to rent some of these movies!

A lot of modern movie fans born into the time and convenience of the internet, with the ease of access to Movies & TV shows from around the world, via streaming, digital downloads, DVD and Bluray, often filled with bonus features galore, know not the wonder the big chunky silver or black box that sat underneath you bulky (none of this flat screen hi-tech goodness) TV set back in a time, when in the UK at least, 4 Channels seemed like a lot!

Now in recent years, VHS has undergone something of a Renaissance with various collectors groups popping up all over the internet, lists of rare VHS tapes that are worth in some cases hundreds of US$dollars has started making the news, and there’s even a documentary Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector making the rounds.

I have a soft spot for VHS, myself and The Raid director Gareth Evans have often discussed the nostalgic love for BIG BOX VHS and the often unrivaled artwork, and much to the chagrin of certain film fans who endlessly rave about the latest format as opposed to the film itself. “Oh VHS is great its the best, oh Super VHS is great, VHS is terrible, oh VCD is great! Oh VCD is crap, Laserdisc is what its all about! Oh Laserdiscs are crap now, DVD is King, wait now there’s Bluray, oh DVD is crap, I can’t watch any movie on anything less than this format! “ Wait didn’t you just say the same thing about the previous format? “Oh the new unreleased format is even better, this is now the best format!” and so-on. I am a collector of movies, my collection and my bank balance will attest to this, and I love DVD, I think it was and still is a incredible way of watching movies, and I love the wealth of special features that can be included, and Bluray too when its handled properly and the extras are worth it, i’ll upgrade on certain titles. BUT, I love my VHS and Laser-Disc’s too!

Just because there’s a new format, it doesn’t mean I have to abandon the previous one. And some films you can’t get officially on DVD or Bluray, some films only exist on Laserdisc or VHS,(When we were in pre-production for Man with the Iron Fists, RZA wanted several classic HK movies for reference, that have never been given and probably never will get a legitimate DVD or Bluray release in Hong Kong or elsewhere, that the only way was for me to transfer old VHS or Laserdisc to DVD etc for him) and sometimes that’s the way you want to see a certain movie, it brings back the memories of when you first saw it, the original No Retreat No Surrender with Jean-Claude Van Damme for instance, its VHS that brings back those visceral memories of when I first saw him in action and went whhhooooooooooooaaaaaaaaa!

I still collect VHS and Laserdisc, it’s quite the addiction, and get excited when I see other collectors like New York’s Cat 3 Man himself Jared King, posting his latest haul of defunct VHS or Laserdiscs, it brings back the excitement of the days in London’s Chinatown tracking down movies on VHS etc. And we’re not alone, there’s a lot of people who are now tracking down the VHS of their past, sometimes just for the covers or the nostalgia, and while I have transferred many of my VHS and Laserdisc to other formats, there are lots of times when I will reach for the original laserdisc or VHS to enjoy.

There’s even some great retro artwork out there as people redesign covers for modern day movies as old school VHS covers, and some companies like AAV in Germany have been releasing DVD’s of classic 80’s action and martial arts movies in big clam shell boxes that bring back that feel of old school VHS.

Now if only someone could jazz up the VHS or Laserdisc players themselves! And now thanks to the artistic skills of a genuine collector himself who goes by the name Sorce122, that’s not only possible but damn incredible! Sorce has been making a name for himself in the VHS collector community by offering people the opportunity to buy custom artwork hand painted fully functional VCRs.

A self taught artist with a very creative background that includes graffiti as well as pen & ink drawing, Sorce delivers some incredibly cool genre driven artwork that decorates these VHS players that is just as cool and memorable as the original films themselves, and we want some of these for ourselves! So we thought it would a great time to talk to the man himself and ask him just what got him started.A self taught artist with a very creative background that includes graffiti and pen & ink drawing, Sorce delivers some incredibly cool genre driven artwork and we want some of these! So we thought it would be a good time to talk to the man himself and ask what got him started.

I was watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre and was looking at the poster art, and kept glancing back and forth between the poster and the rectangular blandness of my VCR. The solid silver appearance of the JVC deck was just staring back at me and reminding me of some kind of 1984 reality or some kind of soulless robot. So I decided to try it and it turned out cool so I posted it on Instagram and the response was mind-blowing and I was fortunate enough to be featured on www.lunchmeatVJS.com Since then its been a bit of a whirlwind, I’ve done commissions based on A Nightmare on Em Street, Jurassic Park, The Evil Dead, Children of the Corn, Escape from New York, The Thing and many more yet to come. I’ve been featured on various websites including blumhouse.com, ihorror,dangerousminds.net, killerkitsch.and gruesomediscoveries. Honestly this has been probably the best thing to ever happen to me. Its put some purpose back in my life, not to mention paid my bills.

I was trying to make something of my art for years with no luck, and had pretty much given up with it and was at a real low point. You can see definitely see the darkness in the work I was producing before I stopped trying so hard and turned to something I love, I did the VCR for fun and I think the positive vibe comes through in the work and why it’s been such a hit. Thanks to everyone who’s ordered a VCR and supported my artwork.

I’m trying to create a 3-Dimensional movie poster that plays movies…the VCR’s are 100% functional. I use pencil, spray paint paint pens, sharpies and clear coat. No paint gets inside the deck, and they are fully tested before and after.

Another cool thing is that people have been telling me they’re personal stories and reasons why they love the films they’re choosing for the VCRs. How much they mean to them, how they’re grandfather would take them to the video store and secretly let them rent horror or all the stories of being the kid who’s just in awe of all the tapes and all the movies his or her mom wouldn’t allow them to rent. The burning urge to just have to see what’s beyond that captivating cover art! It’s so special and It’s the sane for me to. at this age and at this time in my life, let’s face it, America and the whole world really is on the brink of disaster. VHS takes me right where I wanna be.

VHS gives me memories and that DVDs and blu-rays never will. It’s so much more than just loving movies! Obviously they’re grainy, they’re not in the correct aspect ratios usually, no features, it’s outdated etc. but the feeling it gives us, those who grew up spending hours inside a video store can not be matched.

Thanks to Sorce122 for taking the time to talk to us, and for his incredible work that embraces the old school joy of these films and the technology that we once thought cutting edge and blends them together so well. Log onto his facebook page or follow him on instagram to see what he’s currently working on, and to make orders and inquiries.

www.instagram.com/sorce_codevhs/

We’re currently torn between wanting a Ninja Terminator VHS, a Snake in the Eagles Shadow or No Retreat No Surrender one, or perhaps we should order all three. And if we can get him to work his magic on a Laserdic player or two, we’ll be first in line!