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“Mom N Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s & 90s” Documentary Hitting Nostalgic Senses Soon!

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"Mom N Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s & 90s" Documentary Hitting Nostalgic Senses Soon!

I’ve said it a million times: nothing brings me more nostalgic fuzzies than the fond memories of the independent mom and pop video rental stores of our youth. Riding my bike to my local Action Video every Saturday to get my orange rental card punched as I anxiously awaited for the twelfth hole to get my free rental was a high that can never be matched in the wake of the streaming era.; and I know I’m not alone here. That being said, a whole new documentary focusing on said VHS rental store memories is on the way courtesy of filmmaker Bobby Canipe Jr. (Adjust Your Tracking, Night Whispers, Shark Exorcist 2) appropriately titled: “Mom N Pop: The Indie Video Store Boom of the 80s & 90s”!

Per the Press Release:

“Mom n Pop” follows the rise, success, and eventual fall of independent video stores in the United States. Chronicling the memories of Mom and Pop video stores, from gas stations to tanning salons to grocery stores that rented videos, focusing on the “little” guys.

Mom n Pop features interviews from filmmakers that found success in the indie stores such as Brad Sykes (Camp Blood, Zombie Chronicles), Tim Ritter (Truth or Dare, Killing Spree), Gary Cohen (Video Violence), Donald Farmer (Demon Queen, Cannibal Hookers). Filmmakers influenced by their days at the video store such as Marcus Koch (100 Tears) and Henrique Couto (Scarewaves). There are also discussions with companies that grew in success during the days of indie stores, like Troma (The Toxic Avenger, Chillers, Monster in the Closet), and finally fans of the video store and owners of indie video stores during their heyday.

In addition to covering such fond VHS memories, the film visits and covers the indie video shops that have continued on today in that nostalgic faith such as Visart Video (Charlotte, NC), Orbit DVD (Asheville, NC), and Videotheque (Los Angeles, CA).

Along with director Bobby Canipe Jr., Cagney Larkin (Martel’s Movie Madness) serves as director of photography and is executive produced by Brad Sykes (Camp Blood, Plaguers) and Justin McDaniel. A full release is planned for Spring 2022 via physical media and streaming is pending distribution.

To follow along with Mom n Pop on social media, visit Facebook (facebook.com/momnpopdoc) and Twitter (@momnpopdoc).

Creature Features

“The Exorcist” Behind The Scenes Clips That Are Even Scarier Than The Movie!

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I will NEVER forget the first time The Exorcist was seen by my eye holes.

Like everyone in the 80s and 90s, we had a stockpile of recorded movies on various blank Maxwell, Scotch, and Polaroid cassette tapes that held three or four films on each one. My Uncle Pat, who was the VHS Wizard Master for our family, would rent various movies from the video rental store and transfer said films onto the blank VHS tapes- conning the system in the 80s’ form of piracy rather than recording them off the television- which of course we still did, however.

Anyway, one of these tapes, in particular, was my absolute favorite at a young age and stayed that way well until it finally disappeared into the VHS Twilight Zone. I mean, realistically it probably got thrown out by someone in the family when the DVD era overthrew the VHS status quo. In any regard, this tape was a translucent light blue and stood out from the other black cassettes, shining like a piece of treasure among a sea of home-recorded films; and a treasure indeed it was as it held some of the most fantastic horror movies therein. In the exact order: Frankenstein, The Exorcist, and Halloween.

For visual purposes, I found the closest thing on the interwebs that resembles what this tape looked like. Also worth noting, I would give my right tit to be in possession of said cassette today.

Dreamstime.com

As stated numerous times here on NN, the Universal Monsters legacy films and Halloween were a pretty massive deal in our home and really laid down the foundation for my love of horror films via my dad and Grandfather, whom this tape belonged to rightfully. So, of course, I watched those two films rather religiously. Halloween, in particular, had to be accessed through fast-forwarding through The Exorcist and for the most part, only caught the last 2 or 3 minutes of the movie along with the end credits of Tubular Bells, of which even at the young age of six totally rocked out to. It wasn’t until I was around eight years old that I happened to stall on the infamous exorcism scene and I honestly had no idea what the hell I was looking at except I was like, “Wow those are hella dirty words!!” Then the thought came, “Should I be watching this?” The rebellious little shit in me was intrigued enough and went back all sneaky like to watch it.; at least I thought I was being slick anyway. This was dangerous and I thought it was like watching a porn or something so it was super thrilling to someone of my age. I mean, taking into account the masturbation scene, I’d say that was a pretty good analogy for someone of my age at the time.

I was always a hardcore kid that didn’t scare easily, and The Exorcist was no exception. I grew to adore that VHS blue tape in its entirety and the film has become a favorite since that adventurous day at the tender age of 8. However, the behind-the-scenes clips taken from the BBC documentary, “The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist”, are goddamn more creepy than the film itself. Kind of like that one banned trailer from the film that was almost more horrifying than the film itself. The makeup tests alone from the series of videos are from the stuff of deepest, darkest nightmares. Thanks to the Youtube channel, The Exorcist Online, we have confirmation that The Exorcist indeed, is the scariest film ever made- quite literally.

Each video is looped to the next to avoid uploading eight different vids here. Enjoy Nostalgic Nuggets!

Cool shit to buy

“An American Werewolf In London” Bites Its Way Into 4k!

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This Spring, Arrow Video unleashes An American Werewolf in London to take a bite out of 4K!

Directed by John Landis, this horror-comedy tells the story of two friends (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) that are viciously attacked by a wolf-like creature while backpacking through England. One friend dies while the other suffers a much worse fate – he becomes a werewolf. Featuring a gnarly and bone-shattering transformation scene, An American Werewolf in London set the gold standard for which all other werewolf films strive to be with Film School Rejects calling “a quintessential horror text when it comes to both lycanthropy and practical effects.” This UHD release includes a brand new 4K restoration completed by Arrow Films from the original camera negative. Special features include documentaries, audio commentaries, interviews, and limited edition 60-page, a perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann and Simon Ward, archival articles, and original reviews.

Bonus Materials

  • Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original camera negative
  • 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
  • Original uncompressed 1.0 mono and optional 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Audio commentary by Beware the Moon filmmaker Paul Davis
  • Audio commentary by actors David Naughton and Griffin Dunne
  • Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf, a feature-length documentary by filmmaker Daniel Griffith, featuring interviews with John Landis, David Naughton, Joe Dante and more
  • An American Filmmaker in London, an interview with John Landis in which he reflects on British cinema and his time working in Britain
  • I Think He’s a Jew: The Werewolf’s Secret, a video essay by filmmaker Jon Spira (Elstree 1976) about how Landis’ film explores Jewish identity
  • The Werewolf’s Call, Corin Hardy, director of The Hallow and The Nun, chats with writer Simon Ward about their formative experiences with Landis’ film
  • Wares of the Wolf, a featurette in which SFX artist Dan Martin and Tim Lawes of Prop Store look at some of the original costumes and special effects artefacts from the film
  • Beware the Moon, Paul Davis’ acclaimed, feature-length exploration of Landis’ film which boasts extensive cast and crew interviews
  • An American Werewolf in Bob’s Basement and Causing a Disturbance: Piccadilly Revisited, two 2008 featurettes filmed by Paul Davis
  • Making An American Werewolf in London, a short archival featurette on the film’s production
  • An Interview with John Landis, a lengthy archival interview with the director about the film
  • Make-up Artist Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London, the legendary make-up artist discusses his work on the film
  • I Walked with a Werewolf, an archival interview with Rick Baker about Universal horror and its legacy of Wolfman films
  • Casting of the Hand, archival footage from Rick Baker’s workshop showing the casting of David Naughton’s hand
  • Outtakes
  • Storyboards featurette
  • Original trailer and teaser plus TV and radio spots
  • Extensive image gallery featuring over 200 stills, posters and other ephemera
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original poster art and artwork by Graham Humphreys
  • Double-sided fold-out poster
  • Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
  • Limited edition 60-page, perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Craig Ian Mann and Simon Ward, archival articles and original reviews

An American Werewolf In London in 4k is set to be released March 15th, 2022 through MVD and Arrow Video. You can pre-order your 4k or standard Blu-Ray here now!