Unsplash / Delaney Van
There is a handful of brick-and-mortar shops catering to collectors’ videotape habits.
At first, comic Travis J. Reyes solely deliberate to purchase a couple of VHS tapes of a few of his favourite horror motion pictures — The Texas Chainsaw Bloodbath, Lifeless Alive, Shivers and Videodrome. Then, issues acquired out of hand.
After only a 12 months, the Warren Excessive Faculty graduate had amassed a set of 350 VHS motion pictures. They now take up two giant cabinets in a spare bed room — one thing like a private Blockbuster retailer from the early ’90s. Reyes jokes on-line that he gave up heroin and alcohol to have cash for his new habit. He has a great cause why he is developed a smooth spot for the old-school media.
“What I like about VHS motion pictures are simply the safety of them,” Reyes mentioned. “So long as they maintain up, I am going to at all times have them. I will not have to fret concerning the rights being pulled from Hulu or {that a} studio will resolve it is not price producing anymore. To me, it is the purest method to gather motion pictures.”
For San Antonio resident and Kings of Horror occasion coordinator Angel Castorena, gathering VHS comes down to at least one factor: nostalgia.
“I gather plenty of stuff I grew up watching like Little Giants and The Sandlot,” Castorena mentioned. “I bear in mind when Killer Klowns [from Outer Space] got here out. The majority of my assortment is my childhood.”
At present, 4K Extremely HD Blu-Rays are on the high of the bodily media totem pole, however loads of purists nonetheless desire to hunt out chunky VHS field units. Final 12 months in Dallas, a sealed copy of the 1986 movie Again to the Future bought at public sale for $75,000. Many cinephiles surprise if VHS motion pictures are destined to develop into as in style as vinyl information, one other old-school media that made a comeback.
In San Antonio, VHS aficionados have few choices when seeking to increase their collections. Even so, there are a handful of brick-and-mortar shops catering to their videotape habits. Here is a rundown of native choices if somebody in your vacation checklist covets a replica of Critters.
GG’s Emporium
Owned by Evelyn and Ty Menchaca, this popular culture store opened in 2017 and sells tons of classic toys. Additionally they have VHS motion pictures — from “Disney child stuff to obscure horror,” in line with Ty, who provides that prospects come into the shop for the “nostalgia and ease” of videotape. Plus, plenty of the lesser-known titles have not made it to digital types but, so VHS is actually the one method it may be seen. One VHS film Ty has on the store however has deemed off limits to prospects: John Carpenter’s 1979 biopic Elvis starring Kurt Russell because the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. 1716 Blanco Street, (210) 239-5585, ggs-emporium.com.
Monsters & Mayhem
Rock ‘n’ roll and horror store proprietor Cynthia Moreno sells attire, toys and many VHS motion pictures at her spot inside Wonderland of the Americas Mall. Kings of Horror’s Castorena, who serves as the shop’s curator, does not care that VHS tapes do not present a high-quality image like a Blu-Ray. “The graininess feels comforting,” he mentioned. “It is laborious to clarify generally, but it surely’s like listening to an album.” VHS tapes at the moment within the retailer embody the horror classics Halloween, The Shining, Evil Lifeless, A Nightmare on Elm Road and Friday the thirteenth. 4522 Fredericksburg Street, instagram.com/monstersandmayhemtx
Galactic Books, Films & Extra
VHS inventory rotates by way of this collectibles store regularly. Proprietor Cynthia Farnsworth pays money or affords retailer credit score for VHS tapes, which helps clarify why she has greater than 4,000 motion pictures in her stock. The store inside Wonderland of the Americas Mall even boasts a piece devoted to Alfred Hitchcock with titles together with the suspense maestro’s Suspicion, Spellbound, The Birds, Household Plot and Torn Curtain. Galactic additionally sells working VCRs together with books, magazines, handmade magnets, bookmarks, matted prints and extra. 4522 Fredericksburg Street, (210) 812-7213, instagram.com/_galactic.popshop.
Thrift Shops and Flea Markets
In the event you’ve ever scoured for bargains at San Antonio thrift shops or flea markets, there is a good probability you might have seen previous VHS tapes among the many merchandise. Typically, a cinematic gem will likely be hiding behind an outsized teddy bear or inside a damaged crockpot. Others, the one tapes on the market will likely be Jane Fonda train movies from the ’80s. Completely happy looking.
The Web
Web sites resembling Fb Market and apps together with OfferUp will help you join with native sellers seeking to offload their VHS tapes. Whereas some will solely promote their movies as a complete lot, others are joyful to allow them to go one after the other. It is as much as every purchaser to resolve whether or not it is price driving to Stone Oak for a tattered $2 copy of Batman Endlessly.
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