10 Insane VHS Covers From 1980s Science Fiction Movies
10 Insane VHS Covers From 1980s Science Fiction Movies
The 80s saw tons of shlocky, poorly-produced sci-fi movies come out on VHS, and here are ten which boasted some particularly outrageous cover art.
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Have you ever scanned through old videocassettes at thrift stores, longing for the days when you could touch a physical copy of a movie before you watched it? Are you nostalgic for the “Be Kind, Rewind” days? Do you miss your local video rental store? If so, this list is for you.
In the 1980s, VHS culture reached its apex. Making visually compelling and provocative cover art for videocassettes was a major industry during the decade. When it comes to science fiction VHS, the more campy and ridiculous, the better. The 10 science fiction VHS below range in style from bombastic to hilarious to artistically cogent. Get ready to be sent back in time, to a video galaxy far away.
10 Remote Control (1988)
Remote Control is the ultimate homage to VHS culture. Matt Dillon’s brother Kevin stars as a video store clerk who stumbles upon an alien plot to take over the planet.
How will these extraterrestrials gain control of Earth? They plan to brainwash humans via a terrible sci-fi B-movie from the 1950s. Fortunately, Kevin Dillon’s character Cosmo possesses a special remote control that, if used correctly, can save the planet.
9 Explorers (1985)
Long before Stranger Things brought kids and science fiction together, Explorers set the stage by sending three boys into space. Directed by horror icon Joe Dante, Explorers stars a young Ethan Hawke as Ben Crandall, a boy obsessed with 1950s science fiction movies.
After Ben starts dreaming about a blueprint for a spaceship, he decides to build it with two friends, played by River Phoenix and Jason Presson. Before they know it, the boys find themselves in a distant galaxy.
8 *batteries not included (1987)
*batteries not included handles the terror brought on by a sudden eviction in completely unexpected ways. When a group of tenants in a large apartment building are forced out so their complex can be demolished, they seek help from an unexpected source: aliens.
In this Matthew Robbins feature, the aliens are mechanical lifeforms who decide to use their advanced technology in order to scare the developers off.
7 The Microchip Killer (1987)
There’s not a lot of information about this West German science fiction film, but its cover art is definitely rife with potential. The plot involves a man given a stolen computer microchip hidden in a hamburger.
Based on the VHS, this microchip wreaks some serious havoc on those it interacts with. From a helicopter exploding into the Brooklyn Bridge to robots with long, claw-like hands, there’s a disaster around every corner.
6 Escape From New York (1981)
The epic cover art for John Carpenter’s action-packed post-apocalyptic venture starring Kurt Russell stands the test of time. While these days science fiction fans associate a crumbling Statue of Liberty with 2008’s Cloverfield, the art for Escape From New York made this ultimate expression of total destruction iconic.
Kurt Russel plays an eye-patch donning convict who is sent into a cordoned off Manhattan to rescue the American president, played by none other than Donald Pleasance. Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, and Adrienne Barbeau co-star.
5 The Man With Two Brains (1983)
The Man With Two Brains is a complex, maze-like science-fiction satire starring Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner. Martin plays a successful brain surgeon, and Turner plays a femme fatale. Their characters marry under strange circumstances, and things even weirder when they honeymoon in Vienna.
Enter mad scientists, serial killers, and sentient brains. This Carl Reiner film features slapstick humor, Victor Frankenstein vibes, and endless Steve Martin witticisms.
4 Red Sonja (1985)
Red Sonja takes place in the same fictional prehistoric universe as the Conan the Barbarian films. Brigitte Nielsen plays the title character, although it’s hard to tell what role she plays since she’s overshadowed by Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cover.
An over-the-top fantasy flick featuring perfectly sculpted actors with big swords, Red Sonja was a total bomb. While it tries to develop a revenge-based plot, all of the terrible acting and dialogue causes the movie to fall apart.
3 Wild Thing (1987)
What the world needs is a reimagining of Tarzan, a film placing the king of the jungle in a large, urban city. Thankfully, there’s Wild Thing. Robert Knepper plays the eponymous character, who, as a boy, is taken in by a bag lady after his parents are killed by drug dealers.
Wild Thing contains all the stereotypes about life in the big city. With his makeshift weaponry and feline sidekick, Wild Thing grows into a man set upon avenging his parents’ death. This film won’t leave you thinking about urbanization, it’ll just leave you scratching your head in wonder.
2 Dreamscape (1984)
What’s insane about this VHS cover is the fact it unapologetically rips off the covers for Steven Speilberg’s Indiana Jones films. What Dreamscape presents in a mash-up of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Temple of Doom.
Dreamscape is a headier, more psychological science fiction adventure. It stars a young Dennis Quaid as a self-serving psychic recruited a secret government agency to explore dream-sharing technology. The goal: to infiltrate the mind of the US president. Max Von Sydow co-stars.
1 Krull (1983)
A desperate Star Wars wannabe, Krull features—you guessed it—a kidnapped princess whose prince must go on an intergalactic journey to save her from the omnipotent Beast and his Slayers. Add a bit of Romeo & Juliet into the plot, and the movie’s predictable narrative is solidified.
This British science fiction film is directed by Peter Yates, known for action classics like Steven McQueen’s Bullitt and the underrated gangster thriller The Friends of Eddie Coyle. Why he took on Krull remains to be seen.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/insane-science-fiction-vhs-movie-covers/
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