It was destiny. Sooner or later, VHS would become its own documentary category.
If you’re feeling nostalgic or simply love analog, there’s a growing list of documentaries devoted to VHS. Even better, they’re FREE.
I’ve watched all of the documentaries on this list, and can attest that they’re perfect for a nostalgic, lazy weekend with a bowl of cereal.
1. VHS Massacre: Cult Films & the Decline of Physical Media
VHS Massacre is a popular documentary about VHS, particularly for those who love cult films and straight-to-video horror. If you’re looking for a documentary that focuses more on the world of VHS collectors, I recommend Rewind This!
The doc covers Troma Films quite a bit since it’s a Troma release. It also presents a deep dive into both the rise and decline of VHS media and how cult film fans keep it alive. There’s even a follow-up, VHS Massacre Too, which is also worth the watch.
This doc is available for Free on Tubi, where you can find more VHS docs. It’s definitely the best streaming site for these types of docs.
You can watch the full documentary on Tubi for free.
2. Video Massacre Too
The follow-up to Video Massacre, Video Massacre Too, continues with its deep dive into the decline of the VHS market and video store closures. But it’s balanced with stories of creative survival and niche markets, with Troma Films itself being one of the most compelling cases.
The doc veers into topics of indie filmmaking itself, shedding an interesting light on indie filmmakers’ experiences with distribution deals and how that’s changed in a post VHS-world. You can also watch this documentary for free on Tubi.
3. Rewind This!
Rewind This! is an excellent documentary if you’re looking for a deeper dive into VHS collecting culture and video niche markets. Similar to VHS Massacre and VHS Massacre Too, the doc explores the lost (but not entirely forgotten) straight-to-VHS horror genre.
The documentary further explores the impact home video had on early filmmaking aspirations, highlighting the inspiration and making behind Raiders of the Lost Ark: An Adaptation.
If you’re an 80s and 90s kid looking for the ultimate nostalgia doc on a Saturday, this one’s for you. You can watch it for free on Tubi, which really seems to be the content king for VHS-niche docs.
4. Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project
I just finished watching Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project.
This fascinating documentary is a departure from the first three docs on this list, but absolutely worth the watch if you’re passionate about analog.
Stokes was a librarian, archivist, and information activist who started recording TV network programs, particularly current events, beginning in 1979. Over the next 30 years should would amass a monumental archive of media. She was called to start this project when she learned that TV networks were destroying their archives.
Stokes herself is such a perfect documentary subject, having started as a librarian and briefly becoming an emerging political figure in Cuba before returning to the States. She also produced a TV program on current events in the late 1960s.
It’s so well-produced and one of the best analog documentaries out there. Currently, you can watch this documentary for free on YouTube.
5. Everything to Entertain You: The Story of Video Headquarters
If you miss wandering down the aisle of your local video store, you’ll enjoy this hour-long look at the history of Video Headquarters, a pioneering video store once located in New Hampshire.
The company was started by two college buddies, a former IBM sales executive and a jewelry store manager for the retail chain, Lord & Taylor. After using a VCR for the first time, the two friends, both having entrepreneurial ambitions, decided to open Video Headquarters.
The doc chronicles the beginning and end of the journey, leaving viewers with both the sadness and nostalgia of the video store era, now history. You can watch this documentary for free on Tubi.
6. Kim’s Video
I recently watched Kim’s Video, and it has to be one of the most intriguing and mysterious documentaries on the list.
Kim’s Video and Music was a small video store chain in New York, with its most famous location in the East Village. It opened in 1987 and eventually closed in 2014 as more customers switched to digital streaming.
The store was also raided in 2005 for carrying bootleg tapes of rare movies and film projects. Kim’s Video was known for its eclectic video collection, which occupied a permanent place in the hearts of many indie filmmakers, archivists, and enthusiasts.
The doc follows a documentarian and former Kim’s Video member who travels to Salemi, Sicily, to access the store’s collection. From there, things get even more interesting. You can watch this documentary for free on Tubi and YouTube.
7. VHS Revolution
VHS Revolution does a really good job covering the scope of the VHS era. It explores the media format itself, its place in consumer culture, its impact on the 80s aesthetic, today’s VHS collectors, and, of course, cult films.
You can watch this documentary for free on YouTube (above) and on Tubi.
8. Adjust Your Tracking
This next documentary will appeal to fans of the VHS Massacre docs. Adjust Your Tracking also explores the world of VHS collectors, VHS cult horror films, and cinephiles who prefer VHS to anything else. You can watch the doc for free on YouTube (above) or Tubi.
Bookmark this page for an updated list of the best documentaries about VHS tapes!