FRIGHTFEST HALLOWEEN: THE LAST VIDEO STORE
The dangers of nostalgia
Minor spoilers for The Last Video Store, which had its UK Premiere at the FrightFest Halloween event on the 28th of October.
For those of a certain age, video rentals played a formative role in their love of film. The latest blockbusters nestled alongside the straight-to-video offerings; garish covers and hyperbolic blurbs entice you, even if the films imprinted on those tapes were not always of the highest quality.
That nostalgia is heightened by the fact that modern streaming services have forgotten many of the films that were prevalent at this time, while boutique labels – even the most eclectic ones – are limited by the costs and potential markets from these low-budget flicks.
The Last Video Store is a clear love letter to this time, with writers Joshua Roach and Tim Rutherford (who also shares directing duties with Cody Kennedy) crafting a series of fictional tributes and rip-offs to populate this comedy horror.
The action starts when Nyla (Vanessa Adams) enters Blaster Video – the last video store in Canada – with a selection of tapes that her father rented. The owner Kevin (Kevin Martin) is suitably aghast that the tapes have not been rewound, and similarly shocked by Nyla’s lack of interest in the films on display.
After showing a selection of clips from various films (a Predator rip-off, a Friday the 13th-style Canadian slasher franchise and a low-budget martial arts action film) in a standout sequence, Nyla finds another tape in her bag. This tape has a hilariously evil design – referencing The Evil Dead’s Necronomicon - so of course Kevin places it in the VHS player to see what’s on it.
This ‘cursed’ tape brings the characters from the other VHS into the real world to attack the hapless pair. First off is the enjoyably naff Predator rip-off, complete with early CGI where the creature doesn’t quite look like it’s in the same frame as the characters. Those who grew up with straight-to-video releases will feel a huge amount of nostalgia seeing the creature, and by staying true to the style of films subject to pastiche, the creators save themselves from having to create complex, modern-looking creatures.
As Nyla and Kevin attempt to dispatch the various enemies that come through, there are some wonderful sections of dialogue as Kevin still tries to impart some film knowledge. Discussions of film franchises (which entry is better and where did it fall off) and the fact that many of these low-budget films were made with a huge amount of love and attention – their rough around-the-edge appearance only adds to the affection that is felt for them.
Those expecting much horror may come away disappointed. While trying to defeat the Jason Voorhees-esque Castor Creely (Leland Tilden), who appears in the fictional Canadian slasher Beaver Lake Massacre, takes up a good chunk of the running time and leads to some suitable gory moments, the focus here is very much on the comedy. From the various film references to the simultaneous awe and horror in Kevin’s character, he uses his knowledge of the franchises to try and relate to the various evils in his store.
One of the funniest moments comes when bargain bin actioner Jackson Viper (Josh Lenner) joins proceedings. Initially helping our hapless heroes, he has an existential crisis when he spots his films in the discounted section. Great performances all around only add to this, with the cast having a ball playing up to the heightened characters.
The Last Video Store is truly a love letter to a nearly forgotten era of film, and there is a risk that audiences who haven’t experienced the weird and wonderful world of rental stores won’t get the most out of this. But the fun plot, good performances and joke-filled script make this worth seeing with friends.
Directors: Cody Kennedy, Tim Rutherford
Writers: Joshua Roach, Tim Rutherford
Starring: Vanessa Adams, Kevin Martin, Leland Tilden, Josh Lenner
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