Starting a horror vhs and dvd collection
 

Im starting a dvd and vhs horror collection. I just wanna know if there are any vhs collectors who can give me some advice.

There are quite a few 80s slashers and horrors that aren't on dvd such as some of the b movie slashers and i was wondering is it a big gamble me buying horror movie vhs lots as im worried about loss of video quality and tapes not working. I would want to watch these movies 20 or 30 years down the line but will these vhs tapes still work then ?

Im just worried it might be a bit of a gamble buying vhs horror movies as im not sure how long they will last before they deteriorate. Im very fond of vhs have tons of good memories going to the video store.

the average life of a magnetic tape such as vhs is between 8 and 12 years, over this time quality will deteriorate, some will last longer if stored and not used but will still lose quality. i wouldnt consider vhs to be a good investment, i had some early 80`s vhs which i paid a fortune for at the time which went in the bin 15 years later as they were unwatchable.

If they are stored well and not overused they will last a long time, but its best to copy them onto a DVD or PC and keep the vhs as collector items rather than use. That said, I've got plenty of ex-rental VHS from the 80s that are still playing fairly well, although most are showing signs or degradation now.

Yeah i thought it would be a bad option. Such a shame that some cool 80s slashers that aren't on dvd could be lost for ever and i may not get to watch them. I did some searches of horror for dvd and blu ray and there are a lot of 80s horrors / slasher that have been converted to dvd and blu ray. Shame some that never got re-released on dvd i may not get to watch and may be lost forever. I may try that keep the ones that are only on vhs as collectors items and convert them to dvd format so i can watch them. It would be awesome to have the original vhs cases with the awesome 80s artwork. I just saw Chopping Mall on vhs on ebay over 200 dollars looks like i wont be getting that vhs tape lol ,it's the only one on ebay too.

edit : im gonna get a vhs to dvd recorder to convert the vhs only horror films to dvd. Seems like the best option for me : ) Thanks for the advice vampyd and straker : )

I love popping in an old horror VHS every now and then.::danger::

I have some ex-rental British Pre-Vra tapes and they still play fine.

I still frequently buy and watch VHS. If its something I know hasn't been released on DVD ill transfer it myself. But VHS collecting is a lot of fun. If you like VHS tapes go for it start collecting. But if you're worried about picture and sound quality its not going to be what you're looking for.

Enjoy VHS while it's still around. Rescue what you can from the goodwill, flea markets, and garage sales.

I just picked up Dream Warriors, and Near Dark. They play pretty well. But not for very much longer, that's for sure.

isn't it funny how dvds scratch up and can refuse to play a lot easier and quicker than the so-called worse format of video tapes

It is considered a worse format primarily because of it's resolution not resistance to damage. Same way DVD is a worse format than Blu Ray.