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R.I.P. The VHS VCR 1976-2016

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In 1976, the President of Victor Company of Japan introduced the JVC HR-3300, the world’s first VCR that used VHS as its format. As a result, a new age of home video was ushered in, one that would maintain a strong hold on our market for two decades before it would begin its steady decline in the mid-90’s thanks to the DVD and, eventually, Blu-ray. As digital home media grew stronger and stronger, the need for VCR’s began to wane as many people simply abandoned the format.

This month marks the final breathes of the iconic machine as Funai Electric, the world’s last manufacturer of VCRs, has announced that they are ceasing production of all units due to declining sales and difficulty finding the necessary parts for construction, according to MentalFloss.

I remember watching movies all the time on VHS. It was a ritual when I was 16 that I would rent movies for the family (I had clearance in the system to rent ‘R’ films) and we’d gather around the TV to watch something fun. I’d always get some horror title that had been watched so many times that I’d have to spend 10-15 minutes on adjusting the tracking to get the best quality possible.

I also remember that my favorite Hanukkah gift was when I got Jurassic Park on VHS. God, I watched that movie so many times. The same thing when I got Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch. I have so many memories associated with VHS that it’s actually a little heartbreaking to hear this news. I knew it was coming but that doesn’t make it any less shitty to hear.

Rest in peace, VCR. Thanks for all the good times.

Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

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One of Clive Barker’s Final Convention Appearances Will Be at New Jersey’s Monster Mania in August

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Clive Barker

We told you earlier this month that horror legend Clive Barker is leaving the convention scene behind to focus entirely on his writing, with various upcoming projects in the works.

A series of final appearances from Barker will begin at Days of the Dead Chicago this month, and we’ve learned Barker will also be coming to Monster Mania in New Jersey.

Clive Barker will be signing at Monster Mania 59 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, which runs from August 2 – August 4, 2024. Stay tuned for more info from the convention.

Barker’s official statement earlier this month explained, “… it’s time to focus entirely on writing. I’m not stopping public events because I’ve lost delight in meeting you all over the years. I’m as passionate as ever about sharing my imagination with readers and moviegoers around the world. In the very room where I’m writing these words, I have the manuscripts for a very large number of projects (Thirty-one of them), some very close to completion, others still telling themselves. There are some wild projects in this collection of works, whether close to finished or done. There are also stories that you all knew I would be finishing.”

“Abarat IV and V are amongst the books at my feet,” he continued. “So is the Third and final book of The Art and the sequel to The Thief of Always. There are also return visits to characters and mythologies you may have thought I would never return to.

“I hope I am still able to surprise you in the decades ahead.”

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