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.
DIE HARD
The only way you can have yourself a very little Christmas is with a barefoot cop taking out terrorists in a skyscraper. Obviously these two VHS covers are very similar because it is just a damn good image. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
GREMLINS
Hopefully you don’t get any Christmas gifts with specific guidelines about what to and what not to feed lest they become evil minions. Better yet, choose which cover you like better: the one with Gizmo or the one with the titular Gremlin. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
SCROOGED
Bill Murray makes an excellent Scrooge. Throw in the slicked hair and a douche attitude and you get one of the darkest (and funniest) takes on A CHRISTMAS CAROL put to film. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
SANTA CLAUS: THE MOVIE
I remember watching this movie as a little kid and thinking it was one of the most amazing things ever. I also thought the same thing about MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Well, hindsight is always 20/20 but that doesn’t mean these covers aren’t well made. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
A CHRISTMAS STORY
I can watch this movie a dozen times in a row and I will when TBS runs their annual marathon. Everything about this movie is classic, even down to the original VHS cover and the recent re-release version. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.
BLACK CHRISTMAS
Everyone should have a little Olivia Hussey this Christmas, so why not throw in Bob Clark‘s other classic Christmas movie. John Saxon for all and to all a good night! 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 alexmaidy@joblo.com