Reviving the Tradition of Releasing New Films on VHS Formats Trends Anew
How's your VHS player situation these days? Those antiquated devices, which lost their charm in the early 2000s with the arrival of DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K Ultra HD, seem to be experiencing a revival. It's hard to believe that VHS, with its complex tracking adjustments and "be kind, rewind" instructions, could become fashionable again, but stranger things have happened—witness the vinyl revival—and more films are cashing in on the retro vibe that only a VHS tape can provide.
We discovered earlier this year that Alien: Romulus would become the first movie released on VHS by Disney in decades—an marketing ploy, to be sure, but one that director Fede Alvarez claimed was more than just a gimmick. “It’s easy to be seen as just a stunt, just a promotional thing, but it’s not at all for me,” Alvarez said in November, after confirming the VHS release was his idea. “I discovered those movies in that format and that atmosphere, that style, that color range and sound—it has such a specific vibe that as soon as you play it, it just transports me. It adds a magical touch because I—you know, I was born in ‘78, so when the VHS boom was happening, that was when I was discovering films. And so it was very special for me that the studio actually agreed to do it. If I love it, someone else out there will love it too.” (And it seems he was right; the $60 release is now sold out.)
Now, other titles are following in Alien: Romulus's footsteps. Kyle Mooney’s sci-fi comedy Y2K opened in theaters last week, but A24 has just announced it'll be getting a VHS release, which makes sense given the film's turn-of-the-millennium setting. It will be letterboxed and set fans back $30 (order here). It’s scheduled to ship in January.
There's also going to be a VHS release of Stream, according to Bloody Disgusting and Broke Horror Fan. A fitting choice for Michael Leavy's energetic, excellent slasher, created by much of the team behind the Terrifier series. Bloody Disgusting reports that the VHS version will be “cropped from its original aspect ratio to 4:3 full frame,” with a price range of $28-33, and is expected to ship in February (order here).
All of these releases fall into the “limited release special edition” category—especially Alien: Romulus, which was clearly aimed at collectors. And so far, nobody's dared to release their movie exclusively on VHS. It doesn’t seem likely that VHS will be able to compete in terms of quality (or longevity—remember how tapes would wear out?) compared to more modern home-viewing formats. But still, it's undeniably cool to see videotapes finally getting some nostalgic love. Which of these films would tempt you to dust off the VCR first?
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
The resurgence of VHS tapes has led to Disney releasing 'Alien: Romulus' on VHS, a decision supported by director Fede Alvarez who grew up discovering films in this format. Interestingly, other films are also following this trend, such as 'Y2K' and 'Stream', with their VHS releases scheduled for January and February respectively.
The increasing popularity of VHS releases in the technology-driven future is being covered by popular culture and entertainment news websites like io9.
