I’m almost certain that I hold the record on the horror blog Internet for writing the most pieces about HALLOWEEN 4– Dwight Little actually agrees with me– and it’s a crown I wear with pride as the Queen of Vincent Drug. To my surprise, however, I’ve never thrown in this little doozy of a retailer promo, which is another kryptonite of mine featuring THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS in all its glory.
In case you’re unfamiliar, a retailer promo is an early release of a VHS tape sent to video store owners that will ultimately either sway them to stock the shelves with said movie or give it a hard pass. In addition, some of these screeners would be sent to the media for review. Hard to imagine a time when critics would have to actually wait on the postman to deliver physical media as opposed to a screener email that can be obtained in under 60 seconds, eh?
Can we also appreciate this standee that was seen in Mom and Pop video shops? I covet thee so hard.
That being said, I don’t think HALLOWEEN 4 was ever going to be a hard sell to horror movie fans, but that, of course, never stops the PR machine from pimping the sequel for home video release like it was one of its top hookers on Broadway St. Hell, they were so confident in their success on the video rental market, they couldn’t even bother to spell Freddy’s Nightmares right when talking about television promo partnerships.
That’s a big dick move there, Mikey.
The street date for HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS landed on May 18th, 1989, just a few weeks after THEY LIVE and CHILD’S PLAY hit the shelves and five days before PUMPKINHEAD was added to the VHS horror movie rentals of ’89. 1988 was a HUGE year for horror movies-you can check my top 15here-so therefore the Summer months following were a banger for us at the video rental stores.
I mean, they never had to oversell me. I’m the proud mom of two copies, while three others over the past 30 years have been laid to rest from being played to death.
Anyway, enjoy something that brings me a lot of personal joy and fuzziness. Huge shout-out to Tripsy Trailers for uploading this treasure for the rest of us!
I found something better than a four-leaf clover here! In the spirit of 30 years of the Leprechaun movies, we as a horror collective, have struck VHS GOLD with the full bonus material from the very rare Leprechaun VHS retailers’ promo from 1993! I’ve personally never seen it until very recently and if you know me, you know this kind of shit is my kryptonite.
Pretty bold of me to put that out there if anyone wants to wear me down, eh?
Uploaded to Youtube by LUNCHMEAT VHS, the retailers’ promo was aimed at getting a buttwad of VHS copies into national chains/mom-and-pop video stores for consumers’ eyes to feast on. The promo pimping out Warwick Davis’ now iconic horror role went hard as fuck making this movie sound like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I mean, this Vidmark Lep bendy toy is a great contender for making that argument.
The promo’s narrating salesman was a bit off in his 12-15 million gross box office projection of the 1993 cult classic when the film actually only took home over 8 million, but that’s still a pretty respectable number for a low-budget horror film about a homicidal leprechaun!
The promo also features nationwide publicity stunts that including a couple of smaller fellows dressing up as the Leprechaun character marching in protest at the New York Stock Exchange.
PRICELESS.
Then, there are the highlights of the glorious tie-in promos available to the public because again, I’m a sucker for stuff too where restaurants like Domino’s and Subway got in on the Lucky Lep March Madness. And speaking of March Madness, The NBA had promotional LEPRECHAUN NIGHTS for fans as well as the NHL.
As much as I get a kick out of that, honestly my favorite part was this BOLD statement from “fan reactions”- “Leprechaun makes Freddy Krueger look like Mr. Rodgers!”
I don’t know how homeslice said that with a somewhat straight face but I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Now…
Try as you will, and try as you might, If you don’t watch this retailer promo, you won’t be able to sleep through the night!
At this point, it’s almost become cliché to state the obvious: that Halloween wasn’t what it once was 40, 30, or hell even 10 years ago. The magic and beautiful mayhem of it has been lost by flashy, cheap décor, over-the-top yet underwhelming haunted houses, and what little treats given on Halloween night are simply pathetic compared to the spooky delights of yesteryear. I mean, yeah sure, I’m the Halloween nostalgic Queen and all, so I may be a bit biased, but I’d take the Universal Monster Pepsi Challenge any day of the week with anyone that wants to argue with me.
Just don’t forget the Ranch dip to go with some Cooler Ranch Doritos because you’re going to need the calories to fight me on this one.
Speaking of glorious Halloween commercials, exactly how often do we see them these days? Modern technology of streaming apps and social media has pretty much wiped out any television advertising for both big and small business brands and solely rely on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram and willing “influencers” to do their bidding for them without shelling out the big bucks for any advertisement slots. Shit, the commercials we DO see on streaming services such as HULU, are all ads for big pharma and greasy politicians. It’s such an eyesore to my senses and what I wouldn’t give to just see Captain Lou Albano pimping out a local Pharmacy for their on the spot Halloween deals…
Oh, wait… YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN NOW!
Emmy award-winning producer and nostalgic VHS warlock, Eddie Spuhghetti, has opened the doors to the memories of what once was (so long as you have a VCR anyway). Eddie has curated several series’ of VHS tapes dedicated to the Halloween season that are fully-loaded with 6 hours of commercials from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, Halloween special episodes, one movie, and seasonal bumpers galore. It’s enough to make any retro Halloween maniac to have countless spookgasms during a viewing.
I spent a week watching volume 3 and although you would think most of the placements would be totally random; they most certainly aren’t. Each commercial, bumper, and television special are meticulously placed to keep a flow of what you would naturally see if you were watching television on a crispy 80s October night. Though I don’t want to give too much away as far as what’s exactly on there, because I feel like you should be surprised like I was, I can say it’s a stream of Halloween fuzzies that made me sore from smiling so much. Worth mentioning, the movie I got to see on Volume 3 was custom converted to black and white, and it’s an 80s film. Never did I think this film would look amazing this way, but considering the material, it works- and it works WELL. The only clue I’ll give you is that it’s a 1983 movie and a sequel. That’s actually probably too much of a hint, but it’s devastating to have to keep something like a secret. What I can say, though, in no doubt, is that my absolute favorite thing about the tapes, is the LOCAL bumpers and commercials that are mixed in with mainstream ones. It’s exactly what I would remember watching when I was a kid, with short ads for local pharmacies and costume stores promoting their October specials. Also worth mentioning the movie that’s inserted in each tape, Eddie made custom “We’ll be right back” bumpers to add to the local TV movie feel of it.
It’s just too damn glorious.
Oh, and then there’s this guy. You might see him around from time to time.
Eddie Spuhghetti started creating tapes 12 years ago, and it started with a Halloween companion that was the meal of the hour at Halloween parties. While studying TV Broadcasting, he figured out how to capture and record content to use in course projects, and before he knew what he had, he had created a prototype for what would turn into a series of themed 6 hour-long VHS tapes that range from Halloween, to Summer vibes, to even Christmas ones as well! All without one piece of repeated content!
Interest rose from horror blogger friends, and he made the tapes available through a website and brand he created, HERELIES.COM.
Via Eddie Spuhghetti:
“I made the tapes available for purchase via donating towards my horror project (costs for shipping accessories, the tape media itself, etc…). This evolved into four proper Halloween Companions, one Xmas tape (another one is in the works) and a Summer series that focuses on late night TV during specific time periods. I aim in giving the viewer an experience that entertains but also hits some emotional tones-unlocking some forgotten pleasant memories while bringing new light to things they never knew existed! The tapes also work great for background atmosphere while you work, at parties or live events!”
As someone who watched an entire six hours of footage on one of these, he absolutely hit the nail on the head with what he set out to do.
For the Halloween tapes in particular, each VHS is a flat $15 donation with the exception of the newest addition, Volume 4 which contains 3D parts and comes with 3D glasses which runs at $25; all with a $10 shipping fee. If you own a VCR, and bask in the nostalgia of yesteryear, this is a no-brainer must have companion. Grab your copy of choice HERE at HERELIES.COM!
I also goddamn appreciate the fact that the Halloween 4 intro was placed in my version and remixed with Halloween III synth wave music. You have a fan for life, sir.
Nightmare Nostalgia 