The format wars were a wild time in home media history, weren’t they? Unfortunately, one of its biggest casualties, aside from those who picked the wrong one, was the movies themselves. Not every movie made the jump from VHS to DVD and now Blu-ray and 4K. Today, we will look at 18 horror movies that haven’t had a release on physical media since VHS ruled the market.
1982 – Don’t Go to Sleep
This made-for-TV movie is directed by Richard Lang from a script by Ned Wynn. It tells the story of a young girl who starts to see the ghost of her sister, who died in an accident a year earlier. Don’t Go to Sleep received one official home media release from Warner Bros. but never made the jump to newer mediums.
1982 – Burned at the Stake aka The Coming
Written and directed by low-budget legend Bert I. Gordon, Burned at the Stake takes place in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Ann Putnam, played by Susan Swift, accuses several townspeople of being witches. Those accused are put to death. In 1980, Loreen Graham, also played by Swift, is on a school trip to the Salem Witch Museum. While there, a wax figure comes to life and attacks her. From there, she finds out she is the reincarnation of Ann, and the figure who attacked her was a man whose 5-year-old daughter she accused. Loreen is now left to fight an evil minister from 1692 who is consorting with Ann to falsely accuse people of witchcraft. All while fighting being possessed by Ann.
1984 – The Slavers
Directed by Larry Kent, from a script he co-wrote with James Bauman and Vincent Davy. The Slavers follows a man searching for a woman who has been kidnapped by a deranged Professor with sinister intentions.
1986 – Encyclopedia of Horror aka Stephen King’s World of Horror aka This is Horror
Okay, we’re bending the rules a bit here; technically, the only way to get a complete cut of this title is on LaserDisc. But a cut up version did make it onto VHS, under the name Stephen King’s World of Horror or This is Horror. This set is an 8-sided documentary collection on horror hosted by Stephen King. It features countless clips from several iconic films. This is why the only way to get an uncut version is via a Japan-only LaserDisc release. Getting the rights to so many different films from so many different studios is a logistical nightmare, hence the cut-down VHS release in other territories.
1987 – Open House
Starring the iconic Adrienne Barbeau, Open House is directed by Jag Mundhra, from a script by David Mickey Evans and Jag Mundhra. This slasher tells the story of a killer who is targeting nubile real-estate agents. Then a psychologist doing a therapy talk show begins to get calls from the perpetrator. The trouble is that his girlfriend is a real-estate agent who the killer may be closer to than he thinks. It received a VHS release from Prism Entertainment, which was the last official release.
1988 – I Saw What You Did
This made-for-TV film is directed by Fred Walton, from a script by Cynthia Cidre. It is a remake of William Castle’s 1964 film of the same name and the second film adaptation of Ursula Curtiss’ 1964 novel Out of the Dark. It tells the story of a few pranksters who unintentionally become the targets of a serial killer.
1989 – The Haunting of Sarah Hardy
A made-for-TV film that originally aired on USA Network. It is directed by Jerry London, from a script by Thomas Baum, based on Jim Flanagan’s 1983 novel The Crossing. It centers around a woman whose husband is having an affair. He and his mistress cook up the idea to drive her mad at their seaside mansion. It initially received a VHS and LaserDisc release but hasn’t seen a physical media release since.
1989 – Meet The Applegates
Directed by Michael Lehmann, from a script he co-wrote with Redbeard Simmons. A group of South American insects poses as the perfect 1950s suburban family. Using their not-so-clever ruse to try to gain access to the nation’s nuclear resources. After being widely panned, it hasn’t seen a physical media release since its initial VHS debut.
1989 – Trapped
The made-for-TV film is directed by Fred Walton, from a script he co-wrote with Steve Feke. Two people are trapped in a High-Rise office building with a crazed killer. Will they survive until the automatic lockdown ends at 6 AM? Originally airing on USA Network, this only had one VHS release by MCA/Universal Home Video.
1990 – Grim Prairie Tales
Written and directed by Wayne Coe, this anthology horror film centers around a cynical Old West bounty hunter and a clerk trying to top each other’s ghost stories. Despite a surprisingly high demand, this film still only exists on VHS and LaserDisc. Seemingly due to questions about who holds the rights.
1990 – Nightmare on the 13th Floor
Directed by Walter Grauman, from a script co-written by J.D. Feigelson and Dan DiStefano. This made-for-TV movie tells the story of a reporter investigating the disappearances of guests at a hotel. This leads her to find an unmarked 13th floor where a murderer is on the loose. It was released on VHS by Paramount Home Video the following year but has never made the jump to any optical disc.
1991 – Severed Ties
Directed by Damon Santostefano, from a script he co-wrote with David Casci, John Nystrom, Michael Ferris, Rick Roberts, and John Brancato. Produced by Fangoria Films, this centers on a scientist doing a regeneration experiment on his severed arm. The problem is the arm grows into a deadly reptilian creature instead of a limb. So he decides to use the serum on homeless disabled veterans to create an army. He hopes his new unethically sourced army will get his research back from his evil mother. This was initially released by Columbia TriStar Home Video but hasn’t seen another release since VHS.
1995 – Ringu
Yes, the inspiration for 2002’s The Ring is also stuck on VHS, showing that rights issues for made-for-TV movies are an international problem. Directed by Chisui Takigawa, from a script co-written by Jôji Iida and Taizô Soshigaya, based on the novel by Kôji Suzuki. In the film, a reporter investigates the rumor that if you watch a certain tape, you’ll die in 7 days. Ringu never getting an official release on a less volatile medium does present a problem for preservation. But it is a little fitting considering the plot of the film.
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1995 – The Granny
Directed by Luca Bercovici, from a script he co-wrote with Sam Bernard. A granny hell-bent on revenge against her greedy family decides to drink an eternal life potion on her deathbed. She soon rises back up from the grave to terrorize them. This film was shown exclusively at drive-ins until it was given one VHS release by WarnerVision Home Video.
1995 – The Haunting of Helen Walker
A CBS made-for-TV movie adaptation of Henry James‘ classic 1898 novel The Turn of the Screw. Directed by Tom McLoughlin, from a script by Hugh Whitemore. This version changes the characters and location but still centers on a live-in nanny who discovers two children haunted by the spirits and deeds of their former caregivers.
1996 – Rattled
This made-for-TV USA Network movie is directed by Tony Randel, from a script by Joseph Gilmore, Ken Wheat, and Jim Wheat. A horde of rattlesnakes decides to take over the town of Eden Valley. The film follows one family’s fight for survival against the slithering predator.
1998 – Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County
This made-for-TV movie first aired on UPN and caused quite the commotion. Directed by Dean Alioto, from a script he co-wrote with Paul Chitlik.The film is a mockumentary about a boy investigating the cause of a mysterious blackout. While running around, he captures footage of real aliens who unfortunately spot him and his brothers. When they follow him back, all hell breaks loose. When it first aired, many viewers missed the disclaimer that it wasn’t real, making it much more terrifying and controversial.
2000 – Naomi’s Web
Naomi’s Web is the directorial debut of Don Abernathy, who co-wrote the script with star Keana Jackson. This film tells the story of Naomi, an inmate who is accused of murdering her cellmate. However, the following investigation uncovers a twisted web of secrets and lies. The movie has a rumored budget of between $250 and $500 and features 2 female leads, one of whom is a minor, a rarity for the genre. It seems that the title had an exclusive distribution deal with Hollywood Video, but was never sold on any format other than VHS.
Why So Many?
All 18 of these horror films have not made the jump from VHS and LaserDisc to more modern media like DVD and Blu-ray. Most of this is due to issues with finding out who holds the rights, given how many fly-by-night companies sprang up during the video store era/VHS boom. Other titles are held back by their rights holders for various reasons, normally because the demand is too low. The issue is that VHS wasn’t known for being a stable medium. So without any restored official release past VHS, most of these films are doomed to only be seen via low-quality bootlegs dubbed from official VHS releases.
We don’t condone bootlegging, especially considering some of these movies are low-budget indies. We do understand the need to move these titles on to a more stable format. Otherwise, they risk being lost to time like so many films of the silent era, shot on notoriously dangerous nitrate film. Studios holding back obscure titles and refusing to re-release them, even via an official print-on-demand service, puts preservationists between a rock and a hard place. Unfortunately, grey markets are the only reason many of these movies can still be found; it’s not a pretty fact, but a true one.
The rise of streaming may seem like a great middle ground, but as this outlet has pointed out several times in the past, streaming is volatile as well. Most of these films have enough issues with copyright as is. Adding in a platform where customers don’t really own a copy, given that as soon as the platform loses the rights, so does the customer. Streaming is somehow an even worse solution that still risks movies becoming lost.
