VHS-VAULT

The Video Store: Deep fryers, worn plastic, and pure magic

The video store back home: a back door into the local grocery shop. Where burgers with fries and hot dogs with mashed potatoes were served across the counter. In the corner stood large cabinets with glass doors. If we wanted a closer look at the tempting covers, the ladies working there had to come over and unlock them for us. The heavy scent of frying grease and dust clung to the thick plastic. Even today, I can still smell a video cover circa 1982. Standing there in front of the shelves, picking out the evening’s entertainment, was pure magic.

It’s exactly this feeling—the smell of the video store and the magic of the ’80s—that made me a regular visitor to the website NorskVHS for over a decade. There, the passionate Alf Harald had built an absolutely mind-blowing archive of scanned covers from the golden age of the video market. He shared his passion for horror, sci-fi, and crazy B-movies with all of us, putting an enormous amount of effort into preserving this piece of cultural heritage.

Video catalogs from the video store that sat on the counter. This is the Warner Home Video catalog (from NorskVHS).

Here at Filmloftet, in the VHS Vault, I’ll be sharing a handpicked selection of the coolest and most atmospheric VHS covers from his collection going forward—the ones that truly speak to me. This is a tribute to Alf Harald, to Videovest (the video store I grew up with), and an attempt to keep the video dream alive. Joining me in the shop, and stepping in as a regular guest writer, is my childhood friend Thor “Ator” Dahlstrøm.

Videoselskaper

Esselte, Mayco, Hem Video, Novio, Walthers Video, Cinehollywood. In Video, Fram Film (FF), Kommunenes, Filmcentral (KF). OVC. CP Entertainment, Intervideo, CCV (Club Consult Video), Techno Film – Frekvensia, Warner – Polygram. Nord Video. VCM (Video Cassette Marketing), Juno, Videohuset.