Slasher World opens year-round haunt for horror fans — especially VHS lovers

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Hundreds of VHS tapes are meticulously arranged and displayed. Garage stone tunes blare arsenic guests scour the collections. High-spirited exchanges astir “Scream” and “Halloween” capable the air. This isn’t Blockbuster successful 1999. It’s a fearfulness VHS swap successful 2025.

The lawsuit took spot astatine Slasher World, a horror-themed store filled with life-size replicas of the likes of Freddy Krueger and Leatherface that opened successful August. Apparel, enactment figures and accessories are for sale, but Slasher World successful the Fairfax vicinity is meant to service arsenic a location basal for fearfulness fans, similar the alleged “tape heads” astatine the VHS swap.

Kiko Bailey stands adjacent to a elephantine bust of Art the Clown from "Terrifier."

“One of my large motives for opening [Slasher World] was, I conscionable emotion the fearfulness assemblage truthful much,” says proprietor Kiko Bailey. “I truly consciousness similar we request a harmless abstraction — a spot to conscionable up with like-minded radical and successful a bully fearfulness vibe. I deliberation it’s truthful important close present and to conscionable bring radical together.”

Slasher World opened with the instrumentality of Slashback Video, which whitethorn dependable acquainted to definite section fearfulness fans. The conception began arsenic an grounds successful 2017 astatine the Mystic Museum, a fearfulness hub successful Burbank. Once a impermanent exhibit, which features a plethora of VHS covers, including classics similar “The Shining,” “Carrie” and “Hellraiser” to the obscure similar “Ghoulies,” “Dolly Dearest” and “Troll,” Slashback Video is present connected imperishable show astatine Slasher World. It has besides grown to see planetary versions of VHS covers. Bailey, who has Japanese ancestry, says the additions underscore however fearfulness fandom is universal.

Video covers and archetypal artwork are connected show astatine the Slashback Video exhibit.

Alex von Klemperer, a portion vendor known arsenic Retro UFO and organizer of the swap, says the lawsuit adds a tactile constituent to the exhibit.

“I conscionable thought, ‘Well, we person this grounds wherever the tapes aren’t for sale; they’re for show. And we person these vendors who really merchantability a batch of these tapes that are connected show truthful that radical tin really instrumentality [them] home,” helium adds.

For immoderate astatine the portion event, rewinding to different clip is much than a hobby. It’s a mode of beingness — 1 that the archetypal Slashback Video grounds helped enrich.

“I saw what Kiko did astatine Slashback the archetypal clip it opened successful 2017, and it conscionable truly looked astonishing and inspired me,” says Matt Landsman, a portion vendor known arsenic Matt’s Mortuary. “I was already benignant of collecting tapes, but that was the propulsion that I needed to commencement collecting them much seriously.”

A elephantine transcript of the claw-gloved manus of Freddy Krueger reaches retired implicit Slasher World merchandise.

Slasher World's striking elephantine bust of Art the Clown is the archetypal happening greeting visitors.

Today, Landsman is the movie programmer astatine Be Kind Video, a throwback video store successful Burbank, and manager of Quentin Tarantino’s Video Archives Cinema Club astatine the Vista.

“[Slashback Video] is similar a heavenly imaginativeness of however you privation your surviving country could beryllium oregon what it was similar increasing up. It’s benignant of similar an idealized video store, and that inspired maine down a literal vocation path. That mightiness not bash that for everyone, but it mightiness animate them to constitute a fearfulness movie, oregon it mightiness spark immoderate benignant of nostalgic fascination,” Landsman says. “And obviously, [Bailey’s] built it retired into overmuch much than a video store. Now, it’s a assemblage space. It’s an grounds for fearfulness fans.”

Tape vendors Angela Medina and Miguel Alonso of Cheap Thrill Retro person been collecting VHS tapes for 5 years. The thrill of coming crossed a hard-to-find movie is amusive for them, but they say, much importantly, carnal media reminds them of their younker and brings them comfort.

When asked wherefore a portion swap similar this is important for the community, Alonso says, “It keeps everything alive.”

The store “feels similar specified a home” to Bailey. And she wants it to consciousness similar location for those who sojourn too.

For the future, Bailey envisions much events, specified arsenic conscionable and greets, creation shows and parties. One time she’d emotion a 2nd determination elsewhere.

“I consciousness similar this is my beingness purpose,” Bailey says. “I emotion being that spot to travel bent out, marque a friend, beryllium creative, person creation shows.”

Kiko Bailey shows disconnected the wide enactment of classical covers successful the Slashback Video exhibit.

Slasher World is unfastened from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. It’s located astatine 7660 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles. Admission to Slashback Video is $13. For much information, sojourn the store’s website oregon Instagram.

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