Store Update: VHS Tapes and DPP Nasties

Its been a busy month for Its Only A Movie! After sourcing a haul of VHS horror tapes and European Cinema Posters recently, we’ve been trying to catalogue them all so we can add to the website!

A few rare pre-cert video tapes such as Absurd, Island of Death, Death Trap and the infamous Faces of Death on Atlantis video. The rest were mainly VHS post-certs, but they’re all ex-rental VHS tapes from video shops of the 80s and 90s. Most of the non-horror stuff will be listed on our eBay account, but the rest will be available at some point.

Some of the Valuable UK VHS Tapes!

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre – London (IFS Carton)
• I Spit on your Grave (Wizard Carton)
• Faces of Death (AVP)
• Absurd (Medusa)
• Island of Death (AVI)
• Basket Case (Palace)
• Death Trap (Vipco)
• Blood Bath (Hokushin)
• Mausoleum (Videospace)
• Zombie Creeping Flesh (Merlin)
• House by the Cemetery (Vampix)

What are Pre-Cert Tapes?

The term pre-cert video comes from the era when films were released on video before the certification system was fully in place. Before the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) and the Video Recordings Act of 1984.

This meant that many films, particularly low-budget or exploitation movies, could be distributed and rented out without being officially classified for age ratings. A crazy time, almost anything could be distributed!

This period, up until mid-1984, became a sacred ground for collectors. They were often uncut, and sometimes distributed in small quantities — JVL only released 200 copies of its Beast In Heat, making it a holy grail amongst collectors – Its also one of the most ‘booted’ films so be wary of the 1000s of them that are out there! The term “video nasties” became infamous, and many of these tapes were banned or seized, making the originals increasingly rare and collectible.

European Cinema Posters & Lobby Cards

Movie posters are perhaps the most evocative and immediate artefacts of cinema history. For many collectors, owning an original movie poster is more than decoration, it’s a tangible link to a film’s premiere, the marketing campaigns, the era, and the cultural moment.

But when you dig into the hobby, you discover that not all posters are created equal. Their formats, geographical origins, usage context, and condition all influence their desirability and value.

Recent additions to our original movie poster collection

• Cannibal Ferox (Belgian One-Sheet)
• Ilsa: The Wicked Warden (Belgian One-Sheet)
• The Astrologer – aka Suicide Cult (US One-Sheet)
• Night of the Howling Beast – Werewolf and the Yeti (US One-Sheet)
• The Burning – aka Carnage (Lobby Cards)
• Maximum Overdrive (French Grande One-Sheet Poster)