VHS Retro Art Round-up: Trading Places, Lady Avenger, Weird Science and more

Last Updated on August 5, 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.

WEIRD SCIENCE

WEIRD SCIENCE is my personal favorite John Hughes movie. From Anthony Michael Hall to Bill Paxton to the gorgeous Kelly Le Brock, this movie has it all. For some reason, these boxes just don't do the actual film justice, with the first cover looking like it has two images of Le Brock cut together At least the second is just poorly laid out. Click here to purchase on Amazon.com

CROSSBONE TERRITORY

Not sure what this movie is, but it has my favorite type of action movie cover art. It is full of explosions and weapons all smashed together into an orgy of violence. The second looks like it was drawn by a high school art student using their opposite hand, but still has some VHS charm to it. Not available to purchase on Amazon.com

TRADING PLACES

One of the best comedies of the 80s, these boxes feature both of the posters for the film. The first looks like a German version, but I could be wrong. Does anyone know what ROLLEBYTTET translates to in English? Either way, these boxes are pretty sweet. Click here to purchase on Amazon.com

CRUISE MISSILE

Mission: Impossible icon Peter Graves stars in a movie that looks like, well, an episode of Mission: Impossible. That first box looks incredibly boring, but the back photo almost looks like the guy is holding a giant missile like a bazooka. The second box looks like someone's nightmare. Not available to purchase on Amazon.com

NO HOLDS BARRED

This Hulk Hogan action film was a B-movie version of ROCKY but with wrestling. This movie is awful but holds a place in my heart. Hogan was such a badass back in the day and today is nowhere near the hulk he usyed to be. This movie looks fun just from these covers alone. I may have to go rewatch it now. Click here to purchase on Amazon.com

LADY AVENGER

Not sure if this is a softcore porn or a generic 80s action flick that replaces the lead with a hot woman. The cover actress doesn't look like the woman in the photos on the back of the box. Could this be just bad marketing or a case of someone using a cover image that is too good to be true? Click here to purchase on Amazon.com

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]