VHS popular for collectors

 

By Joe Gibel

Many people are still collecting VHS tapes around the world, years after production has ceased.

In the early 1980s, bringing movies home for your pleasure became mainstream for the first time thanks to the invention of the VCR and Beta home systems. It was common to gather with your friends, go to the local movie store and pick out some movies to bring home. This trend would continue well into the early 2000s.

Stores got rid of VHS for the more superior DVD format before streaming videos and Netflix almost put an end to rental stores all together.

Production on VHS tapes ended in 2006 with A History of Violence made in 2005 by Canada’s own David Cronenberg. It has not stopped some people from either re-releasing old out-of-print films onto new VHS tapes or even new movies receiving limited VHS releases such as 2012’s V/H/S.

For some, nostalgia and being able to buy some of the more off titles that were never released on formats such as DVDs and Blu-ray, VHS is still a great format to collect.

“I like the art, nostalgia and it is still the only way to see some movies,” said Mark Marion long time VHS tape collector. “I’m always looking for tapes, I’ll never stop collecting.”

Collectors young and old still search local thrift stores, vintage shops and conventions regularly hoping to find those tapes still missing from their collections. Some collectors have taken to creating Facebook pages to buy, share and sell tapes to each other.

“Selling online opened up a whole new audience for me. I went from selling locally to selling to people from all over the world,” said VHS buyer and seller Tony Salamone. “It’s also made me a ton of contacts to get foreign VHS through. It made it so easy to turn around product.”

According to theatlantic.com about 58 per cent of North Americans still own their VCR. Kids today are still very into the enjoyment a VHS can bring them.

“They are getting very rare and I want to show a new generation and my friends good horror movies,” said Cory Fields, 9-year-old VHS collector.

If there is still a way to watch VHS tapes they will never be  a “dead format.” It would be no surprise if VHS tapes started popping up in chain retail stores such as Cinema 1 and HMV in the future.