Lesley University advertising campaign from spring 2014
#98: Body Shop
This cover rules. The dismembered character looks like it could be a mannequin or Ken doll of some sort, and the eyeballs in the font are a cherry on top if ever there was one.
Any collector with even a passing interest in rare VHS tapes will recognize this cover. I have yet to see it out in the wild, and as of typing this have never seen a copy in person. In addition, I haven’t seen the film because it hasn’t shown up on Tubi yet. I haven’t heard good things but it doesn’t matter-when I get a chance I am getting this tape for my collection. Number 98.
100 VHS covers # 99: Making Contact
This VHS cover is extremely busy yet impactful and striking. It appears to evoke 80s Spielberg, as if the image itself is a summation of both ET: The Extra Terrestrial and Poltergeist. It has a glow that is unique to illustrations of its time. There will be no doubt more covers by this artist on this list. I must apologize that I do not yet have his name on hand but I will retrieve it again.
The film itself is kind of a children’s film with paranormal and science fiction elements. It veers into horror when a possessed talking dummy shows up. Filmmaker Roland Emmerich, the director, would again reprise psychic powers and telekinetic mayhem in Independence Day 10 years later. Worth a look if you are a Stranger Things fan and want to see a more vintage homage to Spielberg’s early blockbuster filmography.
100 Greatest VHS Covers # 100: Scream (1997)
Any list of this sort needs to start off with a bang. This film is perhaps the most famous horror film of all time in the year 2026, and I can’t deny how the marketing of this film revolutionized horror aesthetics. There is a before Scream and after Scream. It’s kind of like the Andy Warhol of horror. The motif with the hierarchical perspective of appealing 20-something actors beneath the main image began here. This changed VHS covers for the next eight years until there were only DVD covers and those are a different story. Do I like this cover personally? I think the fact that I don’t have this VHS in my collection means I’m not a giant fan. That said, this isn’t a rare VHS but it’s certainly not common. I would recommend picking this up if you see it out in the wild.
I think this is a classic cover, poster, overall marketing campaign, and a very influential announcement of a new aesthetic for the youth. The font of the title, with the dagger at the center of the M, is extremely effective at telling the audience “this is the beginning of a new era.” In a way, every horror film since has self-awareness in its DNA. Every horror film since, even if it doesn’t do so in the dialogue, is commenting on horror movie history, or at least reckoning with it in a sense. I think the only film that comes close to Scream’s horror cultural reset is 2012’s The Cabin in the Woods (at least that was when I saw it in the theater, around May of that year.) I haven’t heart a lot of talking about rebooting that film or bringing it to streaming, so clearly Scream is the victorious meta-horror film. Rest in peace Wes Craven. I read in a book once that Wes Craven was the Ray Kroc of horror. Ray Kroc was the guiding force in the franchise development of McDonald’s. That’s a strange comparison to make to Wes Craven. I think his films did a lot more good than McDonald’s did to humankind.
There is another Wes Craven horror VHS cover coming up on this list, and I bet you can guess which one. But pretend you can’t and maintain the suspense!
There are some variations of the Scream Cover but I think this is the one that is the most effective. There is actually a lot more going on here than the typical photographic cover. The entire cast being depicted on the cover is reminiscent of the cover for 1986’s April Fools Day. Not to give away this list but that cover is definitely in the top 20.
I am grateful to Scream for making horror storytelling more accessible to audiences. I think the reason the film works so well is the chemistry between the cast. Matthew Lillard is, in my opinion, the MVP of the film. It is his second greatest film role next to SLC Punk. When I make a list of punk VHS covers that one will be on there. I am probably not going to make a list of punk VHS covers but it’s number 49.
I have memories of the GhostFace mask in the mid 90s. My folks took me to a theatrical screening of House of Wax and there were multiple people wearing that mask even though the film was unrelated. Will the GhostFace mask outlast other pop culture brands like Pepsi and the Keebler Elf? Will the GhostFace mask continue on like the Pilsbury Doughboy or the Energizer Bunny? Will the Ghostface mask supercharge the popularity of the Scream Franchise, and visa versa? Will people begin collecting GhostFace masks like Beanie Babies?
Hats off to Scream, Wes Craven, the amazing actors throughout the franchise, and the people that will continue to bring it into the future. I think Scream will remain the best known franchise in horror until the Friday the 13th rights are untangled.
Dolly
a review of the film:
Saw “Dolly” directed by Rod Blackhurst in my favorite theater, a very special Regal Cinema. It was definitely worth the watch! Let me preface this by saying although I appreciate film criticism, I am by no means a film critic. With that out of the way, I will go ahead and give this film three stars out of five. If I was only using four stars, I would still give it three stars out of four. It made use of some very talented actors, including a committed lead performance by Fabianne Therese as Macy.
This is a film I would recommend to the “gore hound” horror fan. You see, there’s two types of horror fans: The “gore hound” and the “elevated horror” fan.
Anyway, this film is interesting enough for me to recommend a watch. It is up there with 1987’s “Street Trash” as a movie that will make you want to take a shower and receive a tetanus shot afterwards. There is a lot of interesting production design and very creative set pieces. Sean William Scott plays a key role as well! I appreciate the oddball nature of this film and the Grindhouse vibes. Is Grindhouse supposed to be capitalized? I refuse to ask A.I.
I think if we up the budget and kill count in the next entry we may have us a new horror icon, the titular “Dolly.” There is a slight element of fantasy to this film that I find very appealing. Is the Dolly character a reference to the poster for the 1987 film “Dolls?” I’m sure there was some subconscious inspiration. The Doll missing an eye image is classic 80’s gothic iconography, appearing in book covers and films. It even made an appearance at a Spirit Halloween one year. I was so taken aback with 80’s nostalgia that I purchased the mask. It had chestnut hair that was, interestingly enough, eaten by moths years later.
I think Dolly could maybe have a crossover movie with Art The Clown. Dolly seems pretty relentless.
If you are a fan of The Texas Chainshaw Massacre, either one, definitely give this a go. The reason I say that is the production design and sets are awesome. They evoke the art and design work of Robert A. Burns, who worked on both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and 1979’s Tourist Trap, two very rewatchable horror films.
I admit I had to look at my feet a few times during some of the gross out stuff. That means I’ll give it a second watch. Watching this film was definitely a journey. I enjoy encountering a director of horror who I haven’t watched before. I appreciate that this got a theatrical release as well. If only it could be released on VHS (there will probably be some sort of VHS release in the future.)
Hello
Haven’t written anything on here for a while, but I figured that it would be good to do so. Currently I am in Portland Oregon and it’s been a mild winter. I am excited to set up my online store. I suppose I am just working on getting some prints made in the way that I think would be best for the art. Eventually I would like to sell trading cards of my work. I want the trading cards to even have a game component. I am going to see a horror film this weekend, and I believe it is called “Dolly.”
100 Greatest Horror VHS Covers of the Video Store Era (Coming Soon)
I wanted to do a blog post about my 100 favorite horror VHS covers from when I used to peruse the aisles of the video store as a kid. I can’t promise that it will be up before or after Halloween, but it will be a very fond look at what I consider to be an under appreciated era of illustration. Below is the cover for Chopping Mall (1986.) I think that if I ever decided to do a synth pop project I would name it Chopping Mall.
My First Post
Hey I got Jerry Saltz, senior art critic for New York Magazine, to like one of my posts on instagram. Can't tell if this is a big deal or isn't, but heres photographic proof:
