More than just a documentary about VHS culture, Video Dreams: A VHS Massacre Story captures the restless spirit of independent filmmaking itself, reminding audiences that sometimes the love of movies matters far more than the budget behind them.
by Nav Qateel
A documentary written and directed by Thomas Edward Seymour, Video Dreams: A VHS Massacre Story explores the gradual disappearance of physical media in a world where streaming has taken over from places like Blockbuster.
Seymour also takes us on a journey in which he and a friend begin making movies on VHS with the dream of one day seeing their films grace the shelves of Blockbuster Video and other outlets.
The documentary spans thirty years, and watching Seymour put his low-budget movies together through old footage of his efforts was a joy. As a fan of movies, Video Dreams felt especially meaningful because watching the filmmaking process is fascinating on its own.
However, seeing it done by a filmmaker who was still very young at the time, experimenting with different ways to achieve effects, took it to another level.
Following a young Seymour’s ups and downs as he creates low-budget horror movies, only to discover that it was no longer easy to get them out to the public because certain companies did not want the competition, was both interesting and sad.
Horror fans will likely remember how difficult it became to find more obscure titles, and Video Dreams does a strong job of covering the effect this shift had on both fans and filmmakers within the genre.
Eventually, Seymour moves to 16mm, assembles a small budget, and makes a dramedy titled Everything Moves Alone in an attempt to be taken more seriously. Exactly how he pulls this off demonstrates just how passionate the young filmmaker was back in 1999, using creative tactics to secure the equipment needed to shoot the movie.
We get to see Seymour’s attempts at making several films in some detail, with varying degrees of success, but this is a story best experienced through the documentary itself rather than having every moment outlined here.
Video Dreams: A VHS Massacre Story is a fascinating look into the mind of a determined young independent filmmaker with both a vision and the drive to succeed at doing what he loves most. It is also a trip down memory lane to a time when you could simply walk into a video store and rent a movie.
The legendary Lloyd Kaufman appears alongside Debbie Rochon and Joe Bob Briggs, among others. This is a documentary that anyone interested in movies will absolutely adore. Detailed, heartfelt, and highly entertaining, it is a must-see.
Nav’s Score: 8/10
