Last year The Mystic Museum and Ryan Turek, Director of Development at Blumhouse Productions and a host of Blumhouse’s Shock Waves horror movie podcast teamed up to create “Slashback Video,” an immersive exhibit that made you feel like you had walked into a local video store in the 80’s that was made up of nothing but horror films. The exhibit showcased hundreds of horror VHS titles and their cover art, an art form that has died in the age digital. The exhibit was resurrected at this year’s Midsummer Scream and now Turek has teamed up with the museum and a handful of horror sponsors for “Revenge of Slashback Video,” an all-new exhibit that builds on the concept of the first exhibit with the addition of new artwork, an expanded movie selection, and the inclusion of horror-themed video games and the ancient technology of laserdisc. The exhibit held its opening reception at The Mystic Museum, 3204 W Magnolia Blvd., Burbank last night and again drew a massive crowd.
While last years exhibit felt more like an immersive art experience that put you inside an 80’s video store, this year’s exhibit feels more like a themed art installation due to the larger space. While the video store elements are still in place and were even expanded upon (See if you can find the “Adults Only” section.) The inclusion of the “Slashback Killer Game Corner,” which looked like a corner of a kids’ room in the 80’s or 90’s, the menacing Michael Myers from this year’s Halloween next to the video store’s counter, and Prime Time Freddy make this a celebration of all things 80’s and 90’s horror and less like an actual video store.
The museum also housed a handful of original horror art pieces in the room adjacent to the “Revenge of Slashback Video” exhibit with paintings inspired by Halloween, Evil Dead, Hellraiser, and more. Below is my favorite piece from the collection which was created by artist Jeff Himmel and titled “The Shape of Loomis,” which responds to a blacklight flashlight when you shine it on it.
Check out the slideshows below for some of our images from the exhibit below.
Original Cover Artwork Pieces
In addition to the original memorabilia from 80’s and 90’s horror, Revenge of Slashback Video also featured a number of custom, original creations from over 50 artists all of which are on display and also on-sale. You can see a sampling of the selection below.
If you’re in the Burbank area you’ll definitely want to swing by the museum and check out Revenge of Slashback Video for yourself. The exhibit will be on display through December.
