The VHS world was a bit wild during the ’80s in America, but it was even more insane in England (even if they used the PAL format). Early adopters of the VHS players were able to see a lot of movies that never came to their local theater. Most of them couldn’t get a rating from the British Board of Film Classification or they were snipped to pass. But the BBFC didn’t control the video market. All the violent, sexual, sexually violent and violent sexuality films arrived on shelves at video stores. Eventually the government came after them. VHS Maniacs! Volume 2 focuses on the Video Nasty era with tales of government censorship and a feature on an independent distributor that became ground zero with their imported horror titles. The second part deals with a legendary company that was the target during the Video Nasty Days.
VHS Nasty (96 minutes) takes us back to that time in England when films didn’t have to go back before a video ratings board like movies. This allowed for hundreds of movies that could never get a proper rating without heavy censorship being able to hit the shelves of VHS rental shops. The Prudes of Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government wanted to shutdown this loophole. Holy Roller Mary Whitehouse and the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association came up with lists of over 150 titles that needed to be never allowed to be allowed in raised Hell to scare parents and others into wanting these VHS titles banned from the shores of Great Britain. This must have been a horrible time for video rental dealer worried about censorship government agents raiding their shops. For those of us in America, it created a list of must rentals for those of us in America eager to see “the good stuff.” Finding out a movie was on the Video Nasty list made them more respected than winning an Oscar. We also learned that under no circumstances did you want to get a dupe of a Video Nasty from England since many of the titles were sliced apart to finally get a release in London. A distributor still wanted to make sales of those VHS tapes. They want to distribute I Spit On Your Grave, Evil Dead, Cannibal Holocaust and several Dario Argento classics. Lloyd Kaufman of Troma explains how Mother’s Day and even The Toxic Avenger were slaughtered to get distributed in England. Plenty of filmmakers and video critics chime in on the historic event and even modern censorship efforts. There are also a few trailers from the movies.
VHS Godfather: The VIPCO Story (125 minutes) is about the English VHS company that was a target during the Video Nasties era. VIPCO (Video Instant Picture Company Limited) put out a lot of horror films from The Slayer, Last House On The Left, The Driller Killer and more. The label had a bit of bounce in the DVD era when they put out VIPCO’s Screamtime Collection with supposedly uncut versions of the films that were banned in the ’80s. Michael Lee, the chairman of VIPCO sits down to talk about the history of his label. He admits that he was a bit of video pirate and did get sued by Rank Films. He would rent 16mm prints and make dupes with a telecine. This included getting the prints from a connection that put 16mm print in airplanes. That’s how he released his Saturday Night Fever before the real copy arrived. He had to go legit otherwise he’d be serving time. Lee swears he legitimately licensed films. Because it was the early ’80s, Lee is able to make deals for cult horror titles without paying that much. He quickly earned enough money to buy a Rolls Royce. They didn’t even start out in horror. Their first films were erotic films involving Bangkok fun. Those didn’t sell well, but the horror titles took off. Along with Lee, we meet the graphic designer that gave VIPCO tapes a distinct look. Horror historian Kim Newman talks about how VIPCO boxes were a little bit bigger than the regular VHS. They stuck out on the shelf. They weren’t a major operative as a video distributor at that time, but they had a loyal cult following. Lee talks about his company’s rise, government induced fall and eventually a bit of a comeback (although he goes cheap with the DVDs).
VHS Maniacs! Volume 2 contains a fascinating double feature about the horror VHS scene in the land of PAL. Video Nastys reminds us how the prude patrol can shut down films that upset their sensitive sensibilities. Which is probably what they’ll be doing in America as they keep attacking libraries and bookstores. VHS Godfather: The VIPCO Story gets me since Michael Lee comes off as a guy who didn’t really care that much for horror, but was responsible for so many English fans of the genre. As an added bonus, you’ll get to discover where a character in Halloween got their name.
And you’re a fan of VHS tapes and live in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, you can visit and rent VHS tapes at the Alamo Drafthouse in Raleigh. You can bring your kids to show them the format that contained so many of your videostore memories. I’ve enclosed a few pictures of the Video Vortex inside the Alamo.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. There’s a bit of video stress effects to make it seem like you’re watching a tape instead of a disc. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo.
Trailers for VHS Lives 2, VHS Lives and more.
Filmlandia presents VHS Maniacs! Volume 2. Directed by Tony Newton. Screenplay by Tony Newton. Starring Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Lee and Kim Newman. Boxset Contents: 2 movies on 2 DVDs. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: July 14, 2026
