How’s your VCR situation these days? The video players, which fell out of fashion in the early 2000s with the rise of DVDs (followed by Blu-rays and 4K Ultra HD), seem to be experiencing a comeback. While it seems impossible that VHS, with its tracking adjustments and “be kind, rewind” requirements, might become a popular format again, stranger things have happened—see: the vinyl resurrection—and more movies are capitalizing on the retro vibes that only a VHS tape can convey.
We learned earlier this year that Alien: Romulus would become the first movie released on VHS by Disney in decades—an attention-getting marketing move, sure, but one that director Fede Alvarez told io9 goes beyond being a mere gimmick. “It is very easy to be seen just as a stunt, just as 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 vibe and that style, that sort of color range and spectrum of sound—it has such a very specific vibe to it that as soon as you play it, as soon as I play it, it just takes me there. It puts a magic on it because I—you know, I was born in ‘78, so when the boom of VHS 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.” (It looks like he was right; the $60 release is now sold out.)
Now, other titles are picking up what Alien: Romulus put down. 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 context for Michael Leavy’s energetic, excellently glory 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).
Note that all of these drops hover in the “limited release special edition” zone—especially Alien: Romulus, which was quite clearly aimed at collectors. And so far, nobody’s daring to release their movie exclusively on VHS. It doesn’t seem likely that VHS will be able to overcome the gap in quality (or longevity—remember how tapes would wear out?) when 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 break out 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.
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