In the ‘70s we were first introduced to the VHS cassette tape. Any horror fan at the time can tell you that the box covers for the average genre flick were usually pretty outrageous. The VHS horror boom of the ‘80s flooded the market with literally thousands of box covers. We could go on and on with hundreds of covers to reminisce over but for now let’s take a look back a just a few that will remind you just how awesome things were 20 years ago.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1987)
It took over 8 years for Tobe Hooper to make a sequel to his 1974 iconic horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film was criticized for being so different from the original film but in this writers opinion this movie is criminally underrated. This classic VHS box cover perfectly sets the tone for the film. This is also the first time the horror world was introduced to Bill Moseley as “Chop Top”; classic ‘80s.
Gremlins (1984)
One thing that always bothered me about the Gremlins was the rule “don’t feed them after midnight”, IT’S ALWAYS MIDNIGHT SOMEWHERE! That’s a topic for another day, for now let just get nostalgic as we take a look at the awesome VHS box cover that any kid from the ‘80s or ‘90s remembers well. 1984’s Gremlins is undeniably a classic but I actually prefer the sequel ‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch, don’t judge me!
Return to Horror High (1987)
The box cover for Return to Horror High is something you just don’t see any more. The artwork just screams ‘80s horror. The film is about a bunch of murders that happened at a high school and an a-hole movie producer who wants to make a movie about it. The film is also notable as being George Clooney’s first movie.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
This is personally my favorite zombie flick of all time. Mainly because of the presence of the underrated scream queen Linnea Quigley in the best striptease in a graveyard scene ever in cinema. This is another box cover that is reflective of the times, with the mohawks and spray paint this movie is ‘80s horror at its best.
This is FAAAARRR from an exhausted list, this is more like a motivation for any horror fan to break out the old VHS’s from the attic or basement and take a trip down nostalgia lane. What’s your memory of the ‘80s VHS boom?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jesse Gumbarge is the head guy in charge at JarvisCity. A site dedicated to old-school horror, comics books, video games and much more.
