Thursday used to simply be the day before Friday, or, depending on how old you are, the night The Simpsons was on. Now it’s the day when everyone on the internet reminisces about the past by posting pictures and videos from before the weight of the world crushed them. Shout! Factory TV is certainly doing just today, as it’s running five cult classics in lo-fi VHS quality on its streaming channel.
Yes, those who went to Cassette Store Day and enjoy fetishizing dead formats will be able to experience Sleepaway Camp and Class Of 1984 in their full-screen, pan-and-scan home video glory. “Forget about high definition,” Shout!Factory proclaims. “Relive the style that gives these films the character that cult fans all over yearn for.” In other words, enjoy fuzzy picture quality, occasional hiccups on the tape, and maybe even some tracking issues if you’re lucky. Jolt Cola and Little Caesars pizza to complete the 1987 sleepover experience are not included.
Day Of The Dead, Night Of The Demons, and Exterminators Of The Year 3000 are also on the docket, and the marathon will conclude with the documentary Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story Of The VHS Collector, “an exploration of the recent resurgence of VHS culture” which features interviews with video store owners, directors, and collectors, including The A.V. Club’s own Katie Rife. Presumably, if this is a success, an RCA SelectaVision marathon will soon follow.
You can find Shout! Factory TV here or on your Roku device.