Out of nowhere, Hollywood is taking a fresh look at the VHS. It all kicked off when the film “Deadpool” was released on VHS in 2016. This was a collector’s edition – just 100 copies made, meant more for showing off than actually watching. Plus, the Deadpool tape wasn’t sold; it was handed out for free at Comic-Con. Then time went by…
In 2024, we saw the release of Suspiria (1977), the new Alien: Romulus, and two horror flicks, V/H/S/Beyond and Terrifier, on VHS. They all hit the shelves for the public! 2025 kicked off with the VHS launch of They Live. Now, it’s time for Escape from New York (1981) to make its VHS debut. It’s coming out in two versions: one with a dust jacket, limited to just 1,000 copies; the other is available indefinitely, but it’s also marked as a “Collector’s Edition.” “Each release features the complete film in widescreen and runs about 99 minutes in PAL format. And yes, they do play…” say the distributors, StudioCanal and Vice-Press. What’s the cost? £30, not including delivery. The posters are an extra £100. The release date is set for May 15.
It’s pretty straightforward to liken the VHS hype to the vinyl comeback, but there’s a key difference: music on vinyl has a fantastic sound and a cozy vibe. VHS, on the other hand, plays movies at 480i or 576i interlaced, which actually translates to a resolution of 240p or 288p — especially when you compare it to today’s 1080p HD or 2160p 4K.
Typically, VHS uses a 4:3 aspect ratio, and they pull off widescreen through various “tricks”. The film is also recoded to 29.97 fps or sped up by 4% to hit 25 fps. So, nearly nothing matches what the director originally intended, and the film’s quality is a far cry from how it was meant to look.
For those who love classic films, there’s a unique appeal to it—the act of rewinding the tape, similar to returning the tonearm after a record has finished playing, and the big cover size makes it simple to showcase a poster on a shelf. However, that’s likely where the benefits of VHS stop. There were many valid reasons to move on from this format. Plus, there’s really no logical case for bringing it back.
