Writers Bench (and other obscure VHS tapes thread)

[fcgamer | 4,729]

Ran across a local woman the other day selling some VHS tapes. There were mostly western titles, a few Asian films, and then this one. The owner wanted me to buy the set, even saying "I've watched all of these movies" though I doubt she watched this one, though maybe she did, as the owner looked quite rough.

Anyways, maybe this is a bootleg (despite the back prohibiting it, lol), or possibly these were all done by hand. I found a description of the video on the graffiti.org website, as follows:

Quote

Writers Bench

A new Sydney-based video that clocks in at a decent eighty minutes. Its strength is that it shows work that rarely would be seen outside of Australia. Features live train bombing, walls, and a nice hip hop soundtrack.

There are several other Australian videos that I managed to get a peek at. Unfortunately the folks I saw 'em with got me so zooted that I don't really remember 'em. So, if you live in Australia and can help us out... please do.

As the website was started in 1994, I guess it was "new" when it came out in 1997.

I guess I'm wondering for more information about this VHS and whether it has some worth or not to collectors, but I also wonder what other obscure / collectable VHS tapes people here might have. 

On a different note, I once saw some Japanese and Thai VHS tapes for sale, I almost bought them but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go into that territory.

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by fcgamer

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

I watched a review on a movie called Goblin that was basically filmed by a bunch of kids and sold via mail order.  Apparently there was a whole niche for that sort of thing.  Maybe that movie is one of them?  I guess if the film itself looks professionally made, then it's probably bootlegged, but if it looks like a bunch of idiots with a camera, it could be legit.

[PII | 1,886]

How dare you use the word, woman.

But seriously, I probably have a few obscure VHS's...

[Richardhead | 2,813]

I’ve got kindergarten cop on vhs thanks to @JamesRobot 

It is definitely not a bootleg.

or is it?…..

[Richardhead | 2,813]

Ohhhhhh….. I’ve got a few obscure ones at home. Pics incoming when I finish work today.

[JamesRobot | 5,806]

Pretty rad.  Looks like it got uploaded to the youtubes.  Might be some value to the hip-hop heads but I imagine Australian graffiti is pretty niche.

 

[JamesRobot | 5,806]

These are my more obscure tapes.

[drxandy | 3,235]

I think it's definitely collectable! Lot of graffiti artists enjoy seeing the history or what other people are doing out there. I love the time period, there weren't as many people making graffiti videos in the 90s compared to the 00's with the rapid pace of technology. Plus Australia is definitely an interesting location, majority I've seen are in Europe or the states. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't a boot and supposed to have that mixtape distribution feel.

[PII | 1,886]

One or both of these might better belong on just the other side of obscure depending on the prevailing definition here, but we'll see.  A lot of the really obscure stuff I've had has come and gone, which is unfortunate for this thread because I've had some real oddities at times, usually old bootlegs.  I currently have a copy of a bootleg of "Alla Ricerca Del Piacere" better known in the U.S.A. as "Amuck!", which is a real interesting film I'd recommend viewing but I didn't see much point in photographing a plain black tape with a white sticker on which I wrote the title...

Anyway, on the left is an original 1984 copy of "Blood And Black Lace" which was directed by Mario Bava and looks beautiful on an old high quality VHS tape.  It's essentially a Giallo/Murder Mystery and makes use of lighting and color in a fashion similar to "Suspiria" (Argento.), It's a Great film and I've only seen it available w/the slip case on one other occasion in which the slip case had been cut to fit a case just like the one pictured here.

And on the Right, less likely to be considered truly obscure is "Oasis of the Zombies" which conventionally speaking is not what most people would consider to be a good movie.  The Zombies however are a strange mix of terrible and fascinating to watch as they crawl up from beneath the desert sand to do what always happens to horny teenagers in these sorts of movies.  The cover art is also a great example of how a particular type of propaganda works:

Cover up the lower half of the girl in silhouette, say from the elbows down and you'll see what got beamed into your subconscious mind without your conscious consent up above.  The Zombies having their mouths open is, I'm sure, no accident.

[MegaMan52 | 2,450]

Edited December 5, 2023 by MegaMan52