Review by Chris Wright, MoreHorror.com
“Video Violence” (1987)
Directed By: Gary P. Cohen
Written By: Gary P. Cohen & Paul Kaye
Starring: Art Neill (Steven Emory), Jackie Neill (Rachel Emory), Gary Schwartz (1st Store Owner), Chick Kaplan (2nd Store Owner), Bart Sumner (Howard), Uke (Eli), Paige Price (1st Victim), Robin Leeds (Customer), Kevin Haver (Rick Carlson), Bill Biach (1st Yokel), Joseph Kordos (Reggie Hobbs), Chris Williams (Desk Sergeant), William Toddie (Chief of Police), Ricky Kotch (Young Boy), Jennifer Biach (Dog)
Some horror fans are immediately turned off by direct to video films. Moreover, some are turned off as soon as they hear a film was shot on video as well as low budget. I find this film perseveres above the pack compared to many like those described above which I have seen in the past. I naturally have a soft spot for low budget flicks but I will vilify the film if it is just horrible entirely. Thankfully, “Video Violence” is not like other flicks that I will have to bash, because it was fairly enjoyable throughout! Plus how nostalgic is it to have a film center around something extinct now like a video rental store?
The plot is a husband and wife decides to open up a video rental store in a new town. They find it strange when the people there only want to rent horror films and most being shot on video low budget films. They soon figure out what is going on as the videos in the store look more realistic than fake. Now this has cheesy plot written all over it but thankfully the film already knows that! The characters are fairly one dimensional but who cares? Most all of them are a riot in the movie. Camp Video around this time had a tendency to cater to a market that didn’t mind films that were over the top gory and eerie at the same time.
What makes me praise this shot on video the most is how realistic the gore is. This is a film that I highly doubt was given any sizable amount of money to make yet they pulled off the special effects. It’s when I see films like this, it reinforces my belief that practical effects trump a film that only uses CGI. One of the best examples of this is when one of the rental store owners is watching an Indy horror film about a vampire trying to get a bride. The movie she is watching is truly terrible but the gore was phenomenal. The vampire actually exposes her intestines and it looks realistic!
This movie will not be for everybody. This movie will not appeal to horror fans who expect a high budget and Emmy nominated acting and high quality film sequences. If you like a film that doesn’t take itself entirely seriously, over the top gore, enjoyable camp film this is the film for you! I really enjoyed it and I give it 4 out of 5 stars as one of the better SOV films I have seen out of the 1980s. This film has a 5.2/10 on IMDB.