VHS Retro Art Round-up: Monkey Shines, Phenomena, Evil Ed, Phantasm and more

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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.

SLUGS

There do not seem to be as many killer bug movies as there used to be but if you could find a less threatening one than a slug, I would like to see it. These covers are not in any way intimidating and yet I want to see the dumbasses that couldn't get away from snails. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

EMPIRE OF THE ANTS

While slugs may not be scary, ants are. The organized way they crawl and swarm is gross in it's own right. The visual of ants coming out of someone's mouth and eyes makes my skin crawl. Plus, Joan Collins is in this and that is scary, too. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

PHENOMENA

A lot of you older fans may know this film as CREEPERS but I know it as the Anti-LABYRINTH. Released at the beginning of Jennifer Connelly's acting career and featuring Donald Pleasance, this Dario Argento movie is a classic horror fantasy that is unlike anything else I can think of. Definitely check it out  Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

EVIL ED

It is like EVIL DEAD but with ED. get it? Terrible title for an actually good horror movie. The first cover is pretty graphic while the second is just too generic. Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

PHANTASM

I remember being confused as hell the first time I saw PHANTASM. But, it still ranks as one of the coolest and weirdest films I have ever seen. Is there a character more frightening that The Tall Man? Click here to purchase on Blu-ray/DVD.

MONKEY SHINES

A pet monkey sounds pretty cool until you see this movie. George A. Romero completely ruins primates for any potential pet owners.. 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]