Scarecrow Video’s ‘VHS Art New Wave’ Exhibition Revives Video Store Weirdness

Long-time ComicsAlliance readers will already know that around here, we're kind of obsessed with VHS box art -- and by "we," I mostly mean me. Fortunately, I'm not the only one: Seattle's Scarecrow Video, one of the largest independent video stores left in America, is celebrating the fine art of the VHS box with their VHS Art New Wave exhibition, in which cartoonists draw new boxes for their favorite tapes.

And not only are they covering classics like Escape From New York and Troll 2, they're also doing art for a few of the greatest cinematic triumphs of the VHS Era that never actually existed. Check out a few of the best after the cut!

I still maintain that the only proper way to view Escape From New York is on a VHS tape so worn out and dark that you're essentially just watching a radio play:

One of my greatest regrets in life -- yes, in life -- is that I didn't grab the copy of 9 1/2 Ninjas, the erotic martial arts parody film, when my local video store went out of business. If I saw Booger Busters anywhere, you can rest assured that I would not make the same mistake.

Ah yes, Bigfoot, greatest of all the monster trucks! So good at... monster... trucking. What exactly are the rules to that stuff, anyway? And why doesn't the Undertaker drive Gravedigger? That was a pretty big missed opportunity.

I can imagine this one haunting my dreams, right up there with The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism:

Some of you may not be familiar with the Baby Geniuses franchise, also known in some circles as The Seventh Plague Afflicted Unto Man By An Angry God. In the first one, they're just super-smart babies, but in the second one, they're superheroes. There actually is a third installment that was released this year, in which they are "Baby Scene Investigators." This is not a joke.

The covers for WrestleMania VI (Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan!) and Troll 2 are pretty great, but there is nothing I want to see in this world more than Twin Peaks: The Animated Series.

For more, check out VHS New Wave on Tumblr and if you're in Seattle, check out the exhibition at Scarecrow Video!

[via Fantagraphics]