Johnny Dickie is an extremely avid (and super-cool) VHS collector who not only  runs his own website called Video Vendetta which is dedicated to showcasing and reviewing some of the grooviest and most obscure VHS flicks known to the Videovore , he’s also just completed his very first full-length feature entitled SLAUGHTER TALES (premiering next...

I almost didn’t make it to Cinema Wasteland this year. I had been planning to go for about two months, shooting messages back and forth with my good buddy Louis about how amazingly killer the weekend was going to be, especially since I only get to see him and select other friends of mine around this time of the year. I was stoked. I even got my good...

  The dudes at VHShitfest worship the almighty video. They live, breathe and visually consume them on a daily basis. One look at their website, and you’ll be convinced. The reviews (both video and written), the cover galleries, right on down to the VHS wish list ooze with VHS admiration and obsession. And now, the guys at VHShitfest have set...

Skateboarding and horror movies? Who would have thought? The two seem far from a likely pairing, but according to NHS Inc. Skateboard Distribution out of Santa Cruz, CA, they are a match made in heaven (or hell for that matter).  NHS is the parent company behind classic brands such as Santa Cruz Skateboards and Independent Truck Company, and the focal...

While I’m not much of a gamer per se, the NES and Sega Genesis system played a vital role in my varied cast of childhood escapes. I ultimately gravitated toward Sega as my go-to system, racking my thumbs with iconic games like Mortal Kombat, Road Rash, Sonic the Hedgehog  and subsequently delving into more obscure titles like  Comix Zone, Boogerman...

  The name’s Jacob Gustafson, and as much as I try to deny it, I’m a redneck at heart. No, I don’t chew tobacco or drive a firebird T-top. I do love me some 80’s action flicks and racing, though. But I first must say that I find no interest in NASCAR. It’s not trashy enough for me. Too much gloss. I love the real redneck races. My...

It’s absolutely mind-boggling when you take the time to really think about how the video revolution of the 80s changed the face of American consumerism and culture so tremendously. Not only were there companies making a bundle from licensing and distributing the format and playback machines, but this revolution actually provided the potential to reciprocate...

Throughout the history of language, people have invented words of all types, whether out of necessity, creativity or a curious mixture of both. The word “gimmick” is a great example of this type of invention. There is no trace origin for the word “gimmick”; it purportedly came into use in the early 20th century and has slowly permeated the English...

It’s (somewhat) official: Hell Roller Is Worse Than Things…   As a VHS hunter and obscure film watcher, I’ve seen more than my fair share of terrible films. You know the ones: they promise action but all they do is talk, talk, talk, like some kind of nightmarish date, right? I mean, it’s clear why those flicks never made it to DVD: they...

 There seems to be an inextricable marriage between horror and metal. The aesthetics and values meld together like something along the line of proverbial beer and nachos. So, when my brother from another mother showed up in my basement last weekend with the UK heavy metal awesomeness that is GRIM REAPER – “FEAR NO EVIL” on Lp, you know it was...