THE LAST VIDEO STORE (2023)

New streaming on Arrow from Black Fawn Distribution!
Directed by Cody Kennedy, Tim Rutherford.
Written by Joshua Roach, Tim Rutherford.
Check out the trailer here!!

After receiving a bunch of video tapes that need to be returned to the last open video store in Canada, Nyla (Yaayaa Adams) finds herself in the middle of a bizarre adventure with the owner of the store Kevin (Kevin Martin) when one of the tapes turns out to be the dreaded Videonomicon! When they play the tape, Nyla and Kevin find themselves in a heated battle of survival against a trio of characters ripped straight from vintage videos in the tight confines of the small video store.

I try to avoid reviews of films before watching, but it is inevitable that many of them will read “THE LAST VIDEO STORE” is a love letter to the VHS era” or something cliched like that. Being the rebel that I am, I will not use that descriptor, even though it’s pretty accurate. Instead, I will call THE LAST VIDEO STORE a warm, sloppy, low hug for the long-lost time when VHS ruled the earth. If you remember those bygone days when it was kind to rewind or if you missed out on that time and just want to be cool and nostalgic, you’re going to find something in this movie that will warm your heart.

And it’s no surprise since some of people behind the best retro-horror flicks of the last decade or so have something to do with this movie. Steve Kostanski, Matthew Kennedy, and Adam Brooks; the guys behind the grindhouse spoof FATHER’S DAY, the giallo funhouse that was THE EDITOR, the ode to 80’s sci-fi action MANDBORG, the cosmic mind-fucker THE VOID and the sublimely fun take on Amblin PSYCHO GOREMAN end up being in front of or behind the camera here. While this group of Uber-talented individuals didn’t direct or write THE LAST VIDEO STORE, their unique style of humor, gore, and love of genre cinema shines through.

Filmmakers Cody Kennedy, Tim Rutherford, and Joshua Roach feel like a wonderful extension to the team of Kostanski, Kennedy, and Brooks. They know how to make a small budget feel big by keeping 99% of the action inside the small video store. While it might be goofy having people hiding in the aisles of video tapes in what looks to be a very small store from giant mantis aliens, a Jason Voorhees knockoff, and the unnatural offspring of Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme, this crew makes it all work with some clever camera trickery, a script and story that never stops moving, and a cast of two very charismatic actors who don’t want to be there.

While both Kevin Martin and Yaayaa Adams are relatable as Kevin the store clerk and Nyla the sole patron of the store, the real standout is Josh Lenner who plays Viper, the aforementioned Van Damme/Norris clone. I loved the arc this character takes once he comes to the realization that he is a character from a video tape and must confront not only that slap in the face but also the criticism of his films plastered on the boxes and in magazines throughout the store. It really is a fun meta-take reminiscent of films like THE LAST ACTION HERO and JCVD.

While small in scope, THE LAST VIDEO STORE still manages to tell a big and bawdy tale spanning a decade or so of genre cinema. The scenes of gore, action, suspense and carnage are potent while aping the style of those low budget genre films of the past. Blood spatters everywhere and the Jason Voorhees knock-off (played by Leland Tilden) is the best Jason we’ve seen on film in years as he slashes his way around the store (though Ry Barrett did a fantastic job of aping Jason in IN A VIOLENT NATURE too). It all goes wonderfully cosmic during the climax, utilizing some sweet-ass stop-motion animation along with all kinds of trippy visuals.

The VHS video tape and the stores that rented them were a prominent staple in the genre of horror. Those days when the video box was the key to renting a movie and experiencing the film meant a bit of time rewinding to really experience the awesomeness going on may be a thing of the past, but THE LAST VIDEO STORE does a fantastic job of representing those good old days. It tells a story that is just as relevant and entertaining today using everything we loved from those movies from way back then. THE LAST VIDEO STORE comes highly recommended from me to those who remember renting videos and those who think back fondly of those simpler times.