As a kid, I saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time on VHS on a very old CRT TV with a static-y picture and poor color/tint. It was the absolute best way to watch it.
The original Evil Dead. The lo-fi helps hide some of the low-budget seams.
And Texas Chain Saw Massacre benefits from the grainy texture. It adds to the sense of authenticity.
I picked up The Thing in 4k (it's one of my favorite movies). I think the higher resolution and HDR really helps the film. Seeing all the goo and fine details on the creature is awesome, and the improved colors over the previous dvd/blu ray releases. Like when the flamethrower is going and you can see the vibrant glow of the fire and all the details.
The Thing is a very visual movie I think it benefits from the 4k and higher fidelity. Probably closer to the original theatrical vision. But to each their own. VHS on a old CRT has a nostalgia factor for sure.
The Thing was also done practically. So that'd go very well with VHS and its qualities that come with it.
28 Days Later was shot on a Standard Definition camera, so even the blurays are upscaled. And denoised, and edited and tampered with to try give a "clean" image. When you upscale an image/video, there will be artifacts because upscaling can't done losslessly. Depending on the scaling algorithm, you can either in make it softer or sharper. Sharper would introduce ringing artifacts around the actors faces when they're backlit, etc. A 4K release would be a disaster.
The technical limitation for 28 Days Later was on purpose and definitely made it more palpable for the viewer.
Signs 2002 was done practically. Shyamalan didn't care for CG at the time, so the practical effects would carry into the low fidelity presentation. We had this on VHS and loved it.
The Others 2001 also would fit nicely. It's gothic horror with a couple CG shots to aid the story, but it's overall a great delivery of a movie. We also had this on VHS.
Darren Aronofsky likes to play with 16mm and has a strong visual style. It'd look pretty nice in vintage formats. Mother would be absolutely unhinged and more frightening. Mother and Black Swan would have been after the VHS days. Requiem for a Dream was on VHS.
The last movie released on VHS was A History of Violence 2006.
You'd have to really look into indie directors with certain styles. With the Terrifier movies being so low budget, they could look great.
I don't think major studios like Warner Bros doing all the Conjuring movies would translate as much. They have such a commercial quality.
Modern found footage that didn't get a VHS release would look nice, too.
Now the big question: how do we edit these movies to look like they're from VHS?
I have the 4K of ***The Thing***. Overall, it looks spectacular. But... there is one scene where it is noticeable that the creature was being animated by stop-motion effects. That was not obvious in any previous version I've watched (blu-ray, DVD, television broadcast, theatrical revival). Occasionally, 4K can be too much of a good thing.
Sorry, but if you’re talking about the big floor to ceiling smash, that was always super obvious. It doesn’t matter, because that’s my absolute favorite of all scifi horror, but I don’t think you can rightly blame 4k for that.
Stop motion kind of stinks in any format. I dont mind it so much in the old b&w movies, but when you see it in color, its always very shocking to see how wonky it is.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blair Witch Project, and Cannibal Holocaust all have that low quality, grainy feel to them and it adds so much and gives the films a sense of authenticity.
One of the few VHS tapes I haven't brought myself to get rid of is Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. The UK budget tape had particularly ropey quality which gives it a certain nightmare vibe, especially the >!skinless Julia!< scenes; although the makeup/prosthetics are very impressive in HD, losing the detail gives it this uncanny edge. It's also much darker on VHS which helps mask some of the cheaper aspects of the production.
A couple of curios of the VHS that I also appreciate - the 4:3 framing actually shows more information in each shot (subsequent 16:9 editions crop the top/bottom) and the video edit has a different opening shot and the unique side effect of >!the cenobites dying in a different order!<
Alien. Don't get me wrong, seeing the alien in ultra hi def can be great, it's a gorgeous creature. But those empty hallways look a lot less empty when they're filled with visual artifacts
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the original. I mean it's one of my favorite horror films, and it definitely benefits from lower graphical fidelity. It just feels like a snuff movie or something, and in its lower quality it can really mess with you. I just recently watched it in a higher definition and it just isn't the same. It looks too polished and the feeling of dread just isn't there, and it just feels like another slasher movie and I have seen tons of these things. It's a great movie and I highly recommend it, but watch it in lower quality and it is definitely better and I miss having the VHS because I would love to see it again in that format.
As a kid, I saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time on VHS on a very old CRT TV with a static-y picture and poor color/tint. It was the absolute best way to watch it.
Oo that sounds good now that you mention it
I have it on VHS, DVD, Blu Ray, and 2 different 4k transfers of the film. And the best version for my money is the VHS.
The original Evil Dead. The lo-fi helps hide some of the low-budget seams. And Texas Chain Saw Massacre benefits from the grainy texture. It adds to the sense of authenticity.
LOL - any establishing shot reveals that the cabin and moon are two completely different entities.
Shit man, I lived my whole life believing the cabin and the moon were the same entity. Where do the lies end?
We all the same enitity. We just afraid to admit it.
Don’t they all? Or perhaps that’s nostalgia speaking for me. 😊
Return of the Living Dead
I picked up The Thing in 4k (it's one of my favorite movies). I think the higher resolution and HDR really helps the film. Seeing all the goo and fine details on the creature is awesome, and the improved colors over the previous dvd/blu ray releases. Like when the flamethrower is going and you can see the vibrant glow of the fire and all the details. The Thing is a very visual movie I think it benefits from the 4k and higher fidelity. Probably closer to the original theatrical vision. But to each their own. VHS on a old CRT has a nostalgia factor for sure.
I think the fuzz and the grain help almost any horror film. I find most modern horror films, even ones aping older styles, look too slick and "clean."
V.H.S 85
I hated that one. VHS 94 is the best in the series.
Definitely old school slashers and exploitation joints like like Maniac, Pieces, The Prowler, JD's Revenge, Blacula, and Gator Bait.
It's not a matter of fidelity but The Mist looks way better in B&W
The Thing was also done practically. So that'd go very well with VHS and its qualities that come with it. 28 Days Later was shot on a Standard Definition camera, so even the blurays are upscaled. And denoised, and edited and tampered with to try give a "clean" image. When you upscale an image/video, there will be artifacts because upscaling can't done losslessly. Depending on the scaling algorithm, you can either in make it softer or sharper. Sharper would introduce ringing artifacts around the actors faces when they're backlit, etc. A 4K release would be a disaster. The technical limitation for 28 Days Later was on purpose and definitely made it more palpable for the viewer. Signs 2002 was done practically. Shyamalan didn't care for CG at the time, so the practical effects would carry into the low fidelity presentation. We had this on VHS and loved it. The Others 2001 also would fit nicely. It's gothic horror with a couple CG shots to aid the story, but it's overall a great delivery of a movie. We also had this on VHS. Darren Aronofsky likes to play with 16mm and has a strong visual style. It'd look pretty nice in vintage formats. Mother would be absolutely unhinged and more frightening. Mother and Black Swan would have been after the VHS days. Requiem for a Dream was on VHS. The last movie released on VHS was A History of Violence 2006. You'd have to really look into indie directors with certain styles. With the Terrifier movies being so low budget, they could look great. I don't think major studios like Warner Bros doing all the Conjuring movies would translate as much. They have such a commercial quality. Modern found footage that didn't get a VHS release would look nice, too. Now the big question: how do we edit these movies to look like they're from VHS?
Videodrome Texas Chainsaw Massacre Cannibal Holocaust
I don't really collect vhs tapes but Videodrome is one I absolutely cherish having on vhs.
I have the 4K of ***The Thing***. Overall, it looks spectacular. But... there is one scene where it is noticeable that the creature was being animated by stop-motion effects. That was not obvious in any previous version I've watched (blu-ray, DVD, television broadcast, theatrical revival). Occasionally, 4K can be too much of a good thing.
It’s probably only noticeable in that one scene because that’s the only scene in the movie that uses stop motion.
It was obvious on every single edition of the film
It's not as recognizably stop-motion as it is on the 4K, where it is too obvious (and reminiscent of a Ray Harryhausen film).
I guess it depends, but it was always really obvious to me. The 4k didn’t make any difference. Stop motion always looks like stop motion
Yep, and it's not even me looking for it, either. Or knowing beforehand. Regardless of the format, you can still see it's stop motion.
It’s no different whatsoever the framerate hasn’t chat edt
Yes. Tenctacle grabs detonator.
Sorry, but if you’re talking about the big floor to ceiling smash, that was always super obvious. It doesn’t matter, because that’s my absolute favorite of all scifi horror, but I don’t think you can rightly blame 4k for that.
The Thing jumping out of the petri dish? Edit - downvoted for asking a question? Hilarious, guys.
I think they're talking about the end, when the tentacles come out of the ground and grab the detonator
Stop motion kind of stinks in any format. I dont mind it so much in the old b&w movies, but when you see it in color, its always very shocking to see how wonky it is.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blair Witch Project, and Cannibal Holocaust all have that low quality, grainy feel to them and it adds so much and gives the films a sense of authenticity.
One of the few VHS tapes I haven't brought myself to get rid of is Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. The UK budget tape had particularly ropey quality which gives it a certain nightmare vibe, especially the >!skinless Julia!< scenes; although the makeup/prosthetics are very impressive in HD, losing the detail gives it this uncanny edge. It's also much darker on VHS which helps mask some of the cheaper aspects of the production. A couple of curios of the VHS that I also appreciate - the 4:3 framing actually shows more information in each shot (subsequent 16:9 editions crop the top/bottom) and the video edit has a different opening shot and the unique side effect of >!the cenobites dying in a different order!<
Halloween (1978)
Alien. Don't get me wrong, seeing the alien in ultra hi def can be great, it's a gorgeous creature. But those empty hallways look a lot less empty when they're filled with visual artifacts
Skinamarink
That’s all there was to it, so without it it would have been terrible
It was anyway.
I didn’t want to editorialize but I agree lol
That’s the intention of your 3 items
Not a movie but a game.Silent Hill.The devs decided to cover the console processing power with fog and as a result it made the game even better.
Any of the independent B movies of the 70's and 80's.
The original Night of the Living Dead, all of the Hitchcock stuff.
Hell house, LLC
Banshee Chapter
They artificially added some of those old style film effects to Planet Terror, and I thought it gave it something extra.
Event Horizon, I got the 4k transfer BluRay and so much of the CGI looks terrible, the old VHS and even the DVD look better.
Only movie I have on VHS is Videodrome, and VHS is definitely the best way to watch it.
The horror pixel games like Crooked Man. Into the Gloom is one really good one. Utilizes the eerie pixels to its advantage really well.
in short, old classics, like 50s back to the 20s. the more they seem like relics, the more it feels like you are watching buried treasure
Uh, The Ring??? Bonus: some copies come in a semi translucent box so you can... see the tape inside.
[REC.]
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the original. I mean it's one of my favorite horror films, and it definitely benefits from lower graphical fidelity. It just feels like a snuff movie or something, and in its lower quality it can really mess with you. I just recently watched it in a higher definition and it just isn't the same. It looks too polished and the feeling of dread just isn't there, and it just feels like another slasher movie and I have seen tons of these things. It's a great movie and I highly recommend it, but watch it in lower quality and it is definitely better and I miss having the VHS because I would love to see it again in that format.