VHS Retro Art Round-up: Star Wars, Dark Star, The Breakfast Club and more

Every child of the 80s will remember going to the video store and trying to find a movie to rent. Back before the days of Blu-ray and On Demand, selecting a movie usually meant finding the flick with the coolest box art. Like modern posters, classic VHS art has been lost but thanks to the Internet there are countless reminders of these cool creations. This column will be dedicated to bringing you reminders of a bygone era and a look at how cool some of these movies looked on store shelves.

STAR WARS

Most STAR WARS fans likely have a VHS copy or two of the original films somewhere in their collections with the standard cover art. But, if you start looking at international editions of the movies you will find a much more varied selection of posters, paintings, and packaging. These two represent the standard domestic cover and one of the more unique interntional offerings. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN

Helen Slater was a fantasy for many young men in the 1980s thanks to her turns in THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS and SUPERGIRL. But, Slater's short haircut and sexy outfits in THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN add another level to the sexual mystery surrounding the actress. These two boxes help illustrate why. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

DARK STAR

A movie that must be seen by any movie buff, this film from John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon is the anti-ALIEN. A musical horror/scifi/comedy masterpiece, DARK STAR is a unique low budget film that is unlike anything you have seen. These two boxes show a very different type of movie contained within.  Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

BLACK EMANUELLE

A unique entry in the long running soft-core series, BLACK EMANUELLE takes a multi-racial approach to your lesbian sex. You know, if that is your thing. The boxes didn't leave much to the imagination.  Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

CREEPSHOW

A fantastic homage to EC Comics, this collaboration between George Romero and Stephen King is a classic. The sequel was nowhere near as good as the original, but they both had awesome box art. Take a look and tell me that isn't both awesome and creepy  Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

You don't need much beyond the iconic poster image from John Hughes' classic film, but these two boxes show the different ways the film was marketed domestically and internationally. I didn't know other countries called it THE CLUB OF THE FIVE. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

Feel free to pop us your favorite VHS box art and come back for each future column. You can send your finds or photos of your own VHS tapes to [email protected]