Disclosure: Cara Mandel is part of the Fear Initiative podcast, which debuts this August on the Blumhouse podcast network. Ryan Turek, creator of Slashback Video is an executive at Blumhouse.
Gone are the days of browsing the aisles of your local video store for hours on end, reading box covers and deliberating on the perfect flick to bring home for a movie night. Instead, in today’s one-click-instant-gratification society, movie lovers have access to a digital selection of nearly any type of cinematic adventure, all at the tip of their fingers. But for many, some of the magic is missing…
I personally have fond memories of strolling through my hometown video store, scouring row after row of films, darting from one eye-catching image to the next. It was a tactile experience rarely replicated anymore. I miss the feeling of taking my picks up to the counter where I’d inevitably be met with judgement from some cynical teenager. Screw you, pal. I love CENTER STAGE!
Enter Slashback Video, the brainchild of Ryan Turek (VP of Feature Film Development, Blumhouse) who, in partnership with the team from Bearded Lady’s Mystic Museum, launched a pop-up installation in Burbank in the fall of 2017. The experience aimed to transport modern day film lovers into a blast-from-the-past faithful recreation of a trip to their local Mom and Pop video store.
For a brief moment, the magic of this little would-be video shop drew crowds with lines winding around the block. The store was populated with VHS Horror collections donated from friends and collectors, artwork befitting a proper genre section, a custom built arcade cabinet housing the game “Splatterhouse” (created by Curtis Rx of the band, Creature Feature), and even some seemingly bored and way-too-cool-for-you video store employees (aka. Turek and his fiancé and business partner, Ciara Aumentado). Beyond being a fun art installation and a cool photo op (visitors could pose behind the counter and don the Slashback employee visor), it was, in this writer’s opinion, a truly immersive experience.
Thankfully, due to the popularity of its first run, the folks at Midsummer Scream saw fit to invite Turek and gang to resurrect the experience for horror fans at this year’s convention in Long Beach.
Get Cara Mandel’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
SubscribeSubscribe
Check out the video below for a look around “the store” and an interview with Ryan and Ciara.
Long live the video store!
Video by Cara Mandel
Slashback Video has announced it will be returning as REVENGE OF SLASHBACK VIDEO, brought to you by Bearded Lady’s Mystic Museum and Ryan Turek, and sponsored by Bill Neil, FRIGHT-RAGS, Fangoria, Creepy Co., Mixtape Massacre, Phantom Carriage Brewery and Scream Factory. Opening night reception is September 8th Bearded Lady’s Mystic Museum.
For more information visit the Slashback Video Facebook Page.
NoPro is a labor of love made possible by:
…and our generous Patreon backers: join them today!
In addition to the No Proscenium web site, our podcast, and our newsletters, you can find NoPro on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, in the Facebook community Everything Immersive, and on our Slack forum.
Discussion