Video Rental Stores

[theMot]

Maybe I'm just old and lazy but choosing a film to watch seems more difficult now even though I don't have to leave the house.

Same, I find it really hard to actually sit through a movie these days let alone even pick one.

 

[Electric Grave]

Does anyone remember Betamax? I know it didn't take off in here much but back in South America it was all about Betamax for quite a while, my parents had both, VHS and Betamax but there was no VHS to be had until way later...

The VHS was cool, it was a setup that would come apart on 2 pieces, the deck and the tape player, you could disconnected and hook it to a camera, it was JVC, that was the family video camera for all them typical family video stuff, lol. I still have my Sepultura Under Siege Betamax tape, just for nostalgia...

 

[prof]

Does anyone remember Betamax? I know it didn't take off in here much but back in South America it was all about Betamax for quite a while, my parents had both, VHS and Betamax but there was no VHS to be had until way later...

The VHS was cool, it was a setup that would come apart on 2 pieces, the deck and the tape player, you could disconnected and hook it to a camera, it was JVC, that was the family video camera for all them typical family video stuff, lol. I still have my Sepultura Under Siege Betamax tape, just for nostalgia...

We had a Beta player in the 80s. By the end of the decade, VHS had taken over, and video stores would have tiny little Beta sections. That was about the time when my dad begrudgingly invested in a VHS.

They actually used them in most television studios well into the 21st century due to their small size and good video quality. Sony was behind the Betamax, just as they were the mini-cassette which also failed on the consumer market. That's why I was so surprised when their Blu-Ray format beat out the HD-DVD to become the main format of this generation.

 

[Electric Grave]

They say that the porn industry dictates the American video format of choice, I dunno how much truth there is in this but there you go...I've never watched a HD-DVD, I'm glad BluRay caught on, I'm no sony fanboy but I do prefer their products over everything else, everything at home is sony, so maybe I am a fan boy...but I like JVC as well...Pioneer and Panasonic aren't bad either. Always loved Kenwood...at least sound wise.

 

[wyo]

Same, I find it really hard to actually sit through a movie these days let alone even pick one.

The struggle is real!

Does anyone remember Betamax? I know it didn't take off in here much but back in South America it was all about Betamax for quite a while, my parents had both, VHS and Betamax but there was no VHS to be had until way later...

The VHS was cool, it was a setup that would come apart on 2 pieces, the deck and the tape player, you could disconnected and hook it to a camera, it was JVC, that was the family video camera for all them typical family video stuff, lol. I still have my Sepultura Under Siege Betamax tape, just for nostalgia...

My family always had VHS but a couple of friends had Beta decks and also Video 2000 (V2000) which I thought was cool because you could flip the tapes over to play the other side like an audio cassette tape.

 

[GregN]

Same, I find it really hard to actually sit through a movie these days let alone even pick one.

I'm with you too. I can watch an hour long show on tv or even a half hour, but movies are too long for me.

 

[DragonmasterDan]

I'm with you too. I can watch an hour long show on tv or even a half hour, but movies are too long for me.

In these days of smart phones, constant text messages and emails, doing anything undistracted for such a long time can be difficult. But if I'm enjoying whatever I'm watching I try.

 

[MattBlah]

I still watch a film most evenings. It's better than rotting my brain watching the awful crap on TV. I do watch some TV shows too, once they're on Netflix, but I don't even have a TV package anymore. The ariel & dish on my house aren't even plugged in to anything.

 

[FilthyRear]

but they'd rent you hidden "video nasties" from under the counter if you knew to ask.

Shit like "Traces of Death"? There was a video store down the street from my house growing up that had a ton of that stuff - used to rent them constantly.

 

[wyo]

Shit like "Traces of Death"? There was a video store down the street from my house growing up that had a ton of that stuff - used to rent them constantly.

I think Traces of Death came out in the 90s but yeah, similar stuff like Faces of Death and horror films that got swept up in the UK's infamous "video nasties" hysteria in the early 80s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_nasty

 

[smokehouse]

On topic, we have Family Video around here and we use the often. Free DVDs for kids stuff (my daughter is 7) and renting a Blu Ray is cheaper than streaming. We go to the gym multiple times a week and drive right past the place so returning movies is no big deal.

I miss the rental scene of the late 80's...I really do. Going to them to rent NES games on a Friday night...pure magic.

Does anyone remember Betamax? I know it didn't take off in here much but back in South America it was all about Betamax for quite a while, my parents had both, VHS and Betamax but there was no VHS to be had until way later...

The VHS was cool, it was a setup that would come apart on 2 pieces, the deck and the tape player, you could disconnected and hook it to a camera, it was JVC, that was the family video camera for all them typical family video stuff, lol. I still have my Sepultura Under Siege Betamax tape, just for nostalgia...

I had a nice Sony Beta player as did my buddy. His mom would dub everything they rented...and I mean everything. She literally had a book with their films. 3 per tape. You wanted to watch Terminator? Tape 236, film 2. She was librarian-like with the system, it was awesome.

 

[lions3]

yeah, I miss the old rental scene. Going to the local shop on a Friday night and picking a game to hopefully beat over the weekend. It's how I played so many games back in the day. Also why I don't own a ton of the old stuff. Why buy when I could just beat Ninja Gaiden or Castlevania over a weekend.

 

[cat]

I think Traces of Death came out in the 90s but yeah, similar stuff like Faces of Death and horror films that got swept up in the UK's infamous "video nasties" hysteria in the early 80s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_nasty

Zombie flesheaters, nightmares in a damaged brain, ss experimental camp, cannibal holocaust, driller killer, were some of the infamous one's i watched when i was a bloodthirsty little teenage bastard, i was renting these from the local store when i was 13-14 years old lol, could you imagine that nowadays.

 

[FilthyRear]

Zombie flesheaters, nightmares in a damaged brain, ss experimental camp, cannibal holocaust, driller killer, were some of the infamous one's i watched when i was a bloodthirsty little teenage bastard, i was renting these from the local store when i was 13-14 years old lol, could you imagine that nowadays.

"Men behind the sun" i think its called. It tells of the experiments the Japanese would perform on the Chinese (at least I think thats the plot) - Leaving a prisoner outside for days in sub-zero temps with their hands in cold water, then putting them into boiling water and ripping the skin off of their hands. That shit would never fly today. "The Burning Moon" was also one of those movies that I would rent a lot. The straight-to-VHS revolution was the best thing to happen to gorehounds.

Rental stores were also great for so-bad-its-great b-movies. I remember renting "Zero Tolerance" starring Robert Patrick. I only picked it off the shelf because I thought it had to do with the Genesis game, but it was pretty good - just 90 minutes or so of Robert Patrick (I think right after he did T2) shooting people for reasons you quickly forget 20 minutes into the movie.

 

[Electric Grave]

On topic, we have Family Video around here and we use the often. Free DVDs for kids stuff (my daughter is 7) and renting a Blu Ray is cheaper than streaming. We go to the gym multiple times a week and drive right past the place so returning movies is no big deal.

I miss the rental scene of the late 80's...I really do. Going to them to rent NES games on a Friday night...pure magic.



I had a nice Sony Beta player as did my buddy. His mom would dub everything they rented...and I mean everything. She literally had a book with their films. 3 per tape. You wanted to watch Terminator? Tape 236, film 2. She was librarian-like with the system, it was awesome.

During that era I used to record my favorite shows then set 2 decks to record again and edit commercials out...I did Mazinger, Thundercats, TR, etc...I wasn't even 10...good times...

 

[JoeAwesome]

Now I'm getting nostalgic for where I used to rent. Growing up there was a small place called B&B Video just outside of my apartment complex. It had everything: VHS boxes lined up by genre, a section for SNES/Genesis games (with original boxes), an adult section , and kids section shared with NES games (again, with original boxes). We moved out from the neighborhood in the late 90s, and some years later, it's gone. It's now a Church's Chicken.

Damn, I remember how cheap rentals were. Rent 1 get 1 free Genesis/NES games from Friday to Sunday for $3. And I distinctly remember games like Mega Man 6, too.

 

[Electric Grave]

I watched a lot of Chinese martial arts movies back in those days, that's all I used to rent, that and Japanimation...remember when we used to call it that?

 

[prof]

Zombie flesheaters, nightmares in a damaged brain, ss experimental camp, cannibal holocaust, driller killer, were some of the infamous one's i watched when i was a bloodthirsty little teenage bastard, i was renting these from the local store when i was 13-14 years old lol, could you imagine that nowadays.

Bloodthirsty teens today probably watch real life videos of beheadings and other nastiness that is all over the interwebz.


You mentioned 'Cannibal Holocaust,' which certainly had some shocking scenes, but it was the first type of "found footage" fake documentary type of horror film that I remember seeing, and I think that's what made it so effective. It brings up the question of whether the natives in the film are savages or is it Western culture that is savage. Maybe I'm giving it too much credit, I haven't seen it in probably 15 years, but it definitely had a strong effect on me when I saw it.

 

[Electric Grave]

The movie poster for Cannibal Holocaust left an imprint in my childhood, never watched it but always saw it at the rentals...I'm not that big into horror but watching Night of the living death remake (1990) didn't let me sleep at night, and I was already 14...such a scary cat, lol.

 

[MattBlah]

Zombie flesheaters, nightmares in a damaged brain, ss experimental camp, cannibal holocaust, driller killer, were some of the infamous one's i watched when i was a bloodthirsty little teenage bastard, i was renting these from the local store when i was 13-14 years old lol, could you imagine that nowadays.

Same here. The rental shop we used to go to was a newsagents downstairs and a video rental upstairs. I'd go up and rent all sorts of horror films while my parents were downstairs in the shop, the people in the shop didn't care at all. Good times.

Bloodthirsty teens today probably watch real life videos of beheadings and other nastiness that is all over the interwebz.


You mentioned 'Cannibal Holocaust,' which certainly had some shocking scenes, but it was the first type of "found footage" fake documentary type of horror film that I remember seeing, and I think that's what made it so effective. It brings up the question of whether the natives in the film are savages or is it Western culture that is savage. Maybe I'm giving it too much credit, I haven't seen it in probably 15 years, but it definitely had a strong effect on me when I saw it.

It's still a powerful film today. Definitely worth a rewatch, there is a great blu ray out from Grindhouse Releasing.

 

[cat]

Same here. The rental shop we used to go to was a newsagents upstairs and a video rental upstairs. I'd go up and rent all sorts of horror films while my parents were downstairs in the shop, the people in the shop didn't care at all. Good times

Yeah, i remember the goverment shit bricks when it realised there was a whole generation of spotty teenagers watching tip top snuff and gore fests lol.
And i agree with you on cannibal holocaust as well mattblah still brutal viewing even today.

 

[norton9478]

The movie poster for Cannibal Holocaust left an imprint in my childhood, never watched it but always saw it at the rentals...I'm not that big into horror but watching Night of the living death remake (1990) didn't let me sleep at night, and I was already 14...such a scary cat, lol.

There are lots of movies that I still remember, and still haven't ever seen. I only remember them because of the VHS jacket at the mom and pop (Actually, I think it was two closeted lesbian partners) video store... And that my mom never let me rent them.

Meatballs 2


Critters 2

Silent Night Deadly Night

 

[cat]

The movie poster for Cannibal Holocaust left an imprint in my childhood, never watched it but always saw it at the rentals

The video case cover of the one i had was pretty gross, it had a long haired nutty looking wild eyed cannibal chowing down on some intestines.
Wish i'd kept it now it was the vipco (i think thats what was on the box) first release gotta be worth a bit of money now.

 

[K_K]

Most of the video rental stores in the Netherlands have closed in the last 10 years. There is still a single "Videoland" in The Hague, which is one of the last.(Videoland used to be our biggest video rental chain, they survived by becoming a streaming service like Netflix)

My father still regularly rents movies there. They also offer converting VHS tapes and resurfacing discs, which is probably how they managed to survive at all.

They got febo in den Haag? Cause that's better than renting a movie. Delicious krokket.

We have a place called extra vision, they went out of business. They then joined up with hmv to have another go. But that failed too. Blockbuster closed up long before I moved here, and extra vision are gone now too. You want a movie or game? Go buy it, or download it illegally... Or legally.

 

[ChopstickSamurai]

There are still a couple Family Video stores in my town. I'm always amazed they are still in business when I happen to drive by one. Even though I too have a deep nostalgia for these places, I don't think I'd be able to deal with them now. We are so spoiled these days it isn't funny. Renting videos and games were part of a weekly ritual for me.