The Last Video Store is a 2023 Canadian supernatural horror film about a young woman who unwittingly discovers a ‘cursed’ VHS tape.
Directed by Cody Kennedy and Tim Rutherford from a screenplay written by the latter and Joshua Roach. Produced by Laurence Gendron and Greg Jeffs. Executive produced by Michael Baker, Mike Chapman, Brendan McNeill, Ari Taub and Patrick White.
The Genco Pictures-NJC Picture Company-The Last Video Store co-production stars Matthew Kennedy, Josh Lenner, Kevin Martin and Leland Tilden.
Blurb:
“In this love letter to the era of the video store, we follow Nyla who accidentally uncovers a ‘cursed’ VHS tape. A film holds the power to connect the real world to a dimension where movie fantasy exists as reality. Nyla and the video store owner unwittingly awaken a long-dormant curse that unleashes a series of classic cinematic villains plucked from the bowels of the B-movies themselves.”
Reviews:
“Usually when Canuxploitation tries to parody itself, it ends poorly. The Last Video Store doesn’t land every self-referential joke, far from it actually. Still, the loving homage to the so-good-its-bad movies of our childhood just manages to outshine some of the more trying moments of tedium that inevitably come along with this type of sentimentality…” ★★★½ Dread Central
“The Last Video Store is nowhere near a perfect homage to an era of movie-watching that’s all but outdated, but it’s sincere and resourceful when it counts […] This one’s for the Joe Bob Briggs buffs out there, making an easy double-bill with the equally meta-humorous Scare Package. With a love of splattery midnighters, corny emotional ploys, and bloody-knuckled indie grit, The Last Video Store makes a valiant last stand.” 7 out of 10 /Film
“With an ’80s-inspired synthy score The Last Video Store is a passionate B-movie love letter that really tries to be original by ironically borrowing trope after trope from all corners of 80s horror and sci-fi. It definitely succeeds in trying too hard at times but it’s pure cheese and brainless entertainment.” ★★★ The Fright Club
“It’s got a lot working for it like an interesting script, some fun effects (both practical and trippy CGI ones), and an incredible attention to detail and dedication to recreating the look and feel of the 90s video store – but it also feels like nobody could agree on specific edits to the film and thus the pacing and story both suffer a bit. If you’re looking for a bit of nostalgic fun, this should fit the bill quite well.” The Good, the Bad and the Verdict
” …it’s full of deep-cut jokes at the expense of the likes of RageWar – if you know the Charles Band oeuvre, you’ll get it […] Hyperactive Martin, a real-life DVD store owner, and sceptical Adams make a decent team and it even has a few moments of proper horror amid the retro-trash celebration.” The Kim Newman Web Site
“The Last Video Store certainly tries to show some love to straight-to-video sequels and franchises that seem to never end, despite their budget cuts. It is campy and filled with eye-rolling humor, but there is most definitely an audience out there who will enjoy it. Sometimes it feels like it is doing too much, and trying too hard to embrace those tropes and combine its versions of well-loved films.” ★½ Mama’s Geeky
“Like Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind (2008) and Jackson Stewart’s Beyond the Gates (2016), this is an elegy for time past, filled with deep-seated nostalgia for the VHS age and the culture that accumulated around it. It is also, beyond a certain sadness of tone, an affectionately funny parade of geeky tropes and Z-grade schlock, with an ending that stages cinema as a fully immersive medium. Here the mundanity of everyday life is trumped by myth, and the escapism of movies opens the warpgate to a stranger, weirder psychotronic universe of the collective imagination.” Projected Figures
“ …gore, tons of laughs and a lot of heart. The creative duo Kennedy and Rutherford brought the feeling of the old ’80s VHS tapes to life with their films within the film (‘Beverlake Massacre’ was my favorite) and their enthusiasm for film is infectious. Where it fell a bit short for me was in the pacing, especially of the last third of the film…” ★★★★ The Scariest Things
Trailer:
Clip:
Release:
The Last Video Store will be released in Canadian cinemas at select locations in late October and early November 2024 (locations are beneath the trailer).
Film facts:
Blaster Video is based on The Lobby Video Store a real video store in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Notes:
Not to be confused with The Last Video Store (2023) written and directed by Brian Vining.
Cast and characters:
Yaayaa Adams … Nyla, Matthew Kennedy … Taggert, Josh Lenner … Viper, Kevin Martin … Kevin, Leland Tilden … Castor Creely
Filming locations:
Hamilton Film Studios – 400 Wellington St N, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Technical specs:
1 hour 18 minutes
