Terror on Tape

This is the film I credit with helping to mold me into the depraved little horror movie ghoul that I am today. Released at the height of the Video Craze "Terror on Tape" is a shameless vehicle for the now defunct Continental Video. In the spirit of classics like "Terror in the Aisles" "Filmgore" and "Coming Soon" it contains numerous clips from some of the most infamous horror flicks ever made. All horror fans know that during this time period, in the realms of horror, there were several fondly remembered and now bankrupt video distributors of the time who specialized in our genre. Names like Vestron Video, Gorgon Video, Wizard Video and of course Continental come to mind and bring forth a flood of blood soaked memories. This particular film introduced me, as a second generation fan, to the legendary Herschell Gordon Lewis with clips from his classic "Gore Trilogy" ("Blood Feast", "2000 Maniacs", and "Color Me Blood Red"). It also introduced me to one of my personal favorites "Return of the Aliens: The Deadly Spawn", brought the hidden horror gem "Scalps"into my life, subjected me to the pure insanity, horror and hilarity that is "Vampire Hookers" and it conned me into rushing out to rent hideous cinematic upchuck such as "The Eerie Midnight Horror Show", and "To The Devil A Daughter". Of course, I can never forgive "Terror on Tape" for introducing the hideous film maker's abomination known as "Cathy's Curse" (Why oh why does this retched film keep getting randomly thrust into my face?) "Terror on Tape" changed my life and if you can locate a copy I can promise it will do the same for you!

Sure it was Continentals way of plugging their own video line, but the cheesy skits that tie it altogether are great! Plus when you consider some of these flicks are painfully boring or just plain terrible acting wise, the fact that all the non-gore scenes are cut out makes them actually watchable. Some how a couple non-horror flicks made there way into the mix, The Kidnapping Of The President could have been omitted in my opinion. There are some real gems included. Movies like 2000 Maniacs, Blood Tide, and Blood Feast are always a treat. But also included are more obscure flicks like Scalps, The Return of The Aliens Killer Spawn and The Slayer. I was in grade school when I first rented this movie, I think I probably rented it at least 4 times. Of course I have a copy in my video collection. Would love to see a DVD release but I wont hold my breath and neither should you... Find a used copy today!

Terror on Tape is similar to the 1984 horror compilation Terror In The Aisles, but without the star power of Nancy Allen and Donald Pleasence as hosts, and with a more exploitative selection of movies. The curator of the clips in this case is Cameron Mitchell, clerk at the Shoppe of Horrors Videostore, who helps his customers choose their evening's entertainment by showing them excerpts from the tapes available.

The clerk shows footage from such trashy b-movies as The Deadly Spawn, Vampire Hookers, Cathy's Curse, The Slayer, Scalps, Nightmare (AKA Nightmares in A Damaged Brain), Alien Prey, City of the Living Dead, and a handful of H. G. Lewis classics. Of the titles shown, there were only a couple I hadn't seen, but the clips are the best bits in all of their gory glory and are worth seeing again, if only as a reminder of just how great old school splatter is.

The parts between the clips are also a lot of fun, with Mitchell hamming it up a treat, and scream queen Michelle Bauer popping into the shop (and almost out of her top), desperate to be scared: the gorier the clips, the closer Michelle is to being satisfied, the woman moaning in ecstasy at the sight of all the horror. Now if only Nancy Allen had done that in Terror In The Aisles...

A great collection of clips from long gone Continental Video. I mean come on, how bad can it be? You have the wonderfully drunken madman himself Cameron Mitchell and the lovely Michelle Bauer and loads of bad gore clips! The only thing that could make this more fun is Rondo Hatton and a choir of shroom tripping midgets (and no i'm not talking about a Alejandro Jodorowsky movie!) Oh yeah , and to the dude that said "no doubt inspired by the success of Terror in the Aisles", actually this came out a year before Terror in the Aisles reared it's ugly head.

Anywho, a cool tape of a time that has sadly disappeared.

Terror On Tape is an awesome hour and a half of violence, sex, exploitation and gore! I highly recommend this compilation to anyone that loves the grimy/grotesque aspects of horror films.