VHS Massacre Too Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

VHS Massacre Too Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 6, 2022

In 2016, director Thomas Edward Seymour ventured in the lost world of VHS nostalgia, joining his friends and fellow podcasters on a hunt to see what’s going on in the world of video distribution and independent production. “VHS Massacre” only offered a few mild pleasures while connecting to the old ways of home entertainment, becoming more of a grab bag of ideas, going the disappointingly random route to provide an entertaining sit. “VHS Massacre Too” isn’t really a sequel, with Seymour using some old footage and ideas to cover basically the same ground, with the emphasis here on distribution woes, bringing in filmmakers and commentators to examine the sorry state of low-budget moviemaking these days, where passion runs deep, but collecting money in the industry is next to impossible.

Seymour returns to host “VHS Massacre Too,” joined by members of the VHS Massacre Radio team, including James Richardson. Exploitation is the theme of the follow-up, charting the development of movies created outside the Hollywood system, turning to Joe Bob Briggs to prove some historical perspective as these productions evolved over the decades, hitting their stride, according to Briggs, in the late-1960s and early 1970s. Blaxploitation and representation are also detailed, with Richardson drawing a line between the rise of Pam Grier and 2016’s “Hidden Figures.”

“VHS Massacre Too” resembles its predecessor, jumping around topics without a true narrative direction, making an unwelcome return to the story of Blockbuster Video, once again identifying the video rental behemoth as the reason for the decline of exploitation endeavors, keeping things corporate while mom and pop shops, which carried iffy titles, gradually closed. We’ve heard this tale before, and Seymour brings nothing new to the discussion, even including field trips to the last Blockbuster Video store in America.

Far more interesting is a lengthy discussion of the industry and how it does business, with director Jason Carvey exploring the acquisition and release of 2006’s “A New Wave,” detailing his experience with Thinkfilm Releasing, which took possession of the feature and tried to ignore payments until they were sued. This type of corrupt business practice is exposed as commonplace in Hollywood, and “VHS Massacre Too” finds an original topic to dissect, providing an honest assessment of indie production challenges and the general nature of the business, where you have to be rich to get rich.

The documentary also analyzes the shifting rules of streaming payments and library inclusion, making it clear how valuable physical media is to the little guys who can’t compete with Amazon and Netflix, and the pennies they pay for content. There’s some real darkness to “VHS Massacre Too,” which provides a depressing overview of business dealings and the death of filmmaking dreams, giving the production a defined take on the reality of the industry. Seymour doesn’t stay here long enough, but what’s presented here is illuminating, visiting interviewees such as Troma Entertainment honcho Lloyd Kaufman, actress Debbie Rochon, and YouTuber James Rolfe to better understand what’s going on for tiny productions lacking mainstream support.

VHS Massacre Too Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a documentary captured with commercial-grade equipment, using a variety of video sources for clips. Detail is basic, best with interview footage, which brings out some skin detail. Colors are adequate, best with clothing options and video store tours, which supply bright primaries. Delineation is satisfactory. Blockiness is present at times.

VHS Massacre Too Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 Dolby Digital mix supplies a simple understanding of interviewees, who sound clear, though sync issues are periodic, perhaps inherent to original production limitations. Music is adequate, but never compelling.

VHS Massacre Too Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (:56, HD) offers a Monty Python-esque greeting from Lloyd Kaufman.

• Commentary features director Thomas Edward Seymour and podcaster James Richardson.

• "Tom Gets Ripped Off" (2:57, HD) offers more of Seymour's journey as a filmmaker.

• "Extended Family Video" (4:19) provides a video store tour.

• Interview (20:32, HD) is an extended chat with YouTube personality, James Rolfe.

• And a Trailer (1:47, HD) is included.

VHS Massacre Too Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Again, "VHS Massacre Too" isn't a sequel. It plays like a bunch of leftover topics and footage from the original feature, lacking a cohesive overview of filmmaking troubles and exploitation offerings. Seymour hits on a few important topics in the picture, but he doesn't remain with his candid interviewees and insider information.