by Tori Potenza, Staff Writer

For those who are not obsessed with movies and collecting physical media, it might seem like VHS is a dead technology, but the folks that run Crypt Video Rentals would beg to differ. Crypt Video Rentals is a video store pop up experience. Anyone that feels the nostalgia of picking out videos at Blockbuster or whatever local video store was in your neighborhood, this is something you will not want to miss out on. Not only will you find various new and used VHS tapes, you will also find artists, magazines, raffles, live music, and passionate movie fans from all over. Because this is a pop up event, Crypt Video Rentals does not come around often, so if you can make it to PhilaMOCA in Philadelphia, April 22-23rd, this might be your only chance to enjoy this video rental experience for some time. 

Six months ago, Crypt Video Rentals first came to PhilaMOCA. It was my birthday weekend and as an excited horror fan, this was an experience I could not miss out on. PhilaMOCA has a long history of hosting some of Philly’s best music, theater, and film events, so I knew this would be a great time. When I walked in, I was overwhelmed with how they transformed the space. I was flooded with the same excited energy I had when my parents took me to rent videos on the weekends. There were cardboard cutouts advertising movies like Beetlejuice, Space Jam, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4. Magazine racks were full of the latest issues of Fangoria magazine, walls covered in movie posters, and even retro toys like a life size ET. 

There were several rows of shelves full of VHA tapes. It was hard not to immediately start grabbing everything I saw. I found several old tapes of movies like The Blair Witch Project, Face/Off, and The X Files movie. They also had new VHS releases from vendors like Lunchmeat VHS and Retro Release Video. I have not bought many brand new VHSs but I was thrilled to see a release of The Love Witch. There were also tables full of vendors and collectors selling some of their personal finds. They were wonderful to talk to and I picked up a rare Japanese copy of David Cronenberg’s Shivers from one of the collectors I spoke to. Being around a group of people who can geek out on the same niche interests is always fun and it is so impressive that Crypt Video Rentals is able to foster such a warm, fuzzy, and nostalgic space. Someone even gave me a free poster from their table because I mentioned it was my birthday. If you love movies and collecting, there is no better place to be. 

This year the event is sponsored by places like Monster Vegan, Mahoning Drive In, Retro Release Video, and Hack the Movies. Some of the many vendors you’ll find are Lunch Meat VHS , Bloody Knife Video, Tapes from the Crypt. If you came last time some of these vendors will be familiar to you but there will also be some new vendors joining the group as well. There will be live music from Fried Mozz and an art show called “Staff Picks” to showcase some amazing toy makers, action figure makers, and other folks. This year they have extended their hours from 1-10 pm both days so there is plenty of time to pop in and take a look at what they have going on. A great way to support the event and to get some special perks is to sign up for the VIP admission which offers early access to vendors, a CVR rental card (to really make you travel back to the rental days), and entry into the raffle. You can find tickets for both days here. 

While many people still rely on streaming services, we have seen how those services can pull items from their collection without any way for people to watch them again. Physical media will always have a place and especially VHS where there are some movies that never got the dvd, blu ray, or streaming treatment. So not only are events like this important, they are essential for us to preserve media that could be lost to time. So consider investing in another VHS player and meet some of the people who are helping to keep physical media alive and well.