Godzilla VHS Tapes... REMEMBER THEM?!

[ODBJBG]

Here's my epic tale of collecting Godzilla VHS tapes. It's fun if you're an old fart or even a mildly old fart. Plus I show off some of my old VHS tape artwork.

Infinite Hollywood: Adventures in Godzilla VHS Tapes

[Meule]

Cosmic Monster? Monster Zero?
Did they think that sounded better than their real names?

Godzilla on the Three Headed Monster is bad, but Son of Godzilla is godawful.

I like the first 2 covers, the next 4 aren't all that special, but I really like the last 4.

Thanks for that, great story. Sorry for the librarian, that must've been agony

[cjefferys]

Oh yeah, I remember that era very well (and don't miss it one bit!). It was a very frustrating time to be a Godzilla fan. I owned and or rented more than a couple of the tapes you pictured. And then I remember reading (in magazines like Video Watchdog) about deluxe laserdisc sets being released in Japan featuring all new Godzilla films unseen here. Seeing those were something I could only dream about in those dark days. At least I eventually was able to rent some tapes copied from those laserdiscs at the local "underground" video store (Mondo Video in Buffalo NY, RIP!).

But now we are spoiled with deluxe DVDs of many of these films. (of course we are still deprived of some of the very cool Japanese releases, like the complete Godzilla DVD box set that came with a huge, scale replica of the Godzilla costume's head, for around $1000). Now I'm waiting for decent Blu-ray releases (Toho is working on HD masters for a lot of these films now)

[tay666]

Oh man does that bring back some memories.
Both cool and cruel ones.

The only place I had anywhere near local to me to get the rare VHS from was the Suncoast Video store at the Erie mall (about 30 miles away)
Every time I went there I always looked through the store for Godzilla tapes I needed.
I remember the shear joy I felt when they finally had Godzilla vs The Smog Monster,
Then the anger and depression when I saw the price . . . . $39.95
(the only movie I ever paid that much for was when Heavy Metal finally was released on VHS. I almost didn't have enough gas to get home, but I still plopped down almost all the cash I had in my wallet for that tape)


I remember when the new films finally started showing up.
The excitement of thinking about whole new Godzilla movies that I had never seen.
Then the disappointment of actually watching Space Godzilla. (actually fell asleep on the couch during my first viewing and had to rewind and watch the last half again)

[cjefferys]

Then the disappointment of actually watching Space Godzilla. (actually fell asleep on the couch during my first viewing and had to rewind and watch the last half again)

The first time I saw Space Godzilla (about 6 months after it's Japanese theatrical release) was from a very fuzzy, time coded workprint VHS, in Japanese with no English subtitles at all. Not the best Godzilla film, or the best way to watch it, but I still enjoyed it.

[livnxxxl]

Believe it or not I just picked up a GZ on VHS tape last week. I cannot remember which one off the top of my head. I bought so much stuff lately. I will check it out and let you guys know. Not really something on my grail list so to speak, but I would not mind getting them all eventually.

[Werewolf]

I donated a big collection of my Godzilla VHS tapes a while back. VCR bought the farm and thought someone else would get better use of them. Had a lot fun watching them in the 90s though. Good times.

[Boris71]

I rember these well I still have a bunch of them floating about, they were so bad that they are actually fun to watch IMO, in some ways I wish they woul release these on Bargin DVDs

[TEXASFETT]

I remember then as well and see them most of the time at the flea markets or garage sales.But never picked them up.

[Meule]

I have a couple on VHS, but can't remember which ones, they're boxed up right now,

[mazinz]

Back in the day with no internet and movie stores existing then, it took me forever to find the vhs tape for Ghiderah the three headed monster (same cover as the one in the first post). Great pic and if it helps with this post in remembering, a mom and pop video store is closing by me (they have been around since the very early 80's) and I have purchased over 150 vhs tapes that mostly do not have a dvd release (this includes Godzila 85 to keep it on topic) within these last two months

[tay666]

Back in the day with no internet and movie stores existing then, it took me forever to find the vhs tape for Ghiderah the three headed monster (same cover as the one in the first post).

Really?
That was one of the first ones I got.
I found it at Kmart for like $9.95.

That is where I got most of the earlier movies from. They were always in the cheap section too, as they weren't 'new releases'.

Matter of fact. The only ones that predated the 1985 movie that were hard to find around here were
Godzilla vs The Smog Monster
Terror of MechaGodzilla

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I lucked out back in the 90's: the cable movie station showed them all. That's where I got most of mine. "Ghidra the Three Headed Monster" was an exception: I got a really REALLY cheap copy used from a rental place. And "Godzilla vs the Smog Monster," which I copied from an old, cheapie rental copy.

Now I'm hoping they start the "Master Series" DVDs up again.

Don C.

[tay666]

Oh yeah. I had some I taped from things like TNTs Monster Vision.
But I also had to have store-bought copies of each movie for my collection.

Maybe one of these days I will pull them out of the box and take a pic of them all.

[Gorn Captain]

It took me until I stumbled into Virgin Megastore in London to finally get my hands on some VHS G tapes.
I jumped for joy in that store (and wasn't even escorted out by security).
It had been over 15 years since I had seen a Godzilla movie. European channels never show G movies, not then, not now. My last "helping" of Godzilla had been Terror of Godzilla in 1975!

So I bought about six of them, and they were still something like $35 each.
I'll never part with them. VHS tapes are a part of history, IMO.