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Hundreds of VHS tapes are meticulously arranged and displayed. Garage rock tunes blare as guests scour the collections. High-spirited exchanges about \u201cScream\u201d and \u201cHalloween\u201d fill the air. This isn\u2019t Blockbuster in 1999. It\u2019s a horror VHS swap in 2025.<\/p>\n
The event took place at Slasher World, a horror-themed shop filled with life-size replicas of the likes of Freddy Krueger and Leatherface that opened in August. Apparel, action figures and accessories are for sale, but Slasher World in the Fairfax neighborhood is meant to serve as a home base for horror fans, like the so-called \u201ctape heads\u201d at the VHS swap.<\/p>\n
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Kiko Bailey stands next to a giant bust of Art the Clown from \u201cTerrifier.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Solomon O. Smith \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my big motives for opening [Slasher World] was, I just love the horror community so much,\u201d says owner Kiko Bailey. \u201cI really feel like we need a safe space \u2014 a place to meet up with like-minded people and in a nice horror vibe. I think it\u2019s so important right now and to just bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Slasher World opened with the return of Slashback Video, which may sound familiar to certain local horror fans. The concept began as an exhibit in 2017 at the Mystic Museum, a horror hub in Burbank. Once a temporary exhibit, which features a plethora of VHS covers, including classics like \u201cThe Shining,\u201d \u201cCarrie\u201d and \u201cHellraiser\u201d to the obscure like \u201cGhoulies,\u201d \u201cDolly Dearest\u201d and \u201cTroll,\u201d Slashback Video is now on permanent display at Slasher World. It has also grown to include international versions of VHS covers. Bailey, who has Japanese ancestry, says the additions underscore how horror fandom is universal.<\/p>\n
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Video covers are on display at the Slashback Video exhibit.<\/p>\n
(Solomon O. Smith \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
Alex von Klemperer, a tape vendor known as Retro UFO and organizer of the swap, says the event adds a tactile element to the exhibit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought, \u2018Well, we have this exhibit where the tapes aren\u2019t for sale; they\u2019re for show. And we have these vendors who actually sell a lot of these tapes that are on display so that people can actually take [them] home,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
For some at the tape event, rewinding to another time is more than a hobby. It\u2019s a way of life \u2014 one that the original Slashback Video exhibit helped enrich.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw what Kiko did at Slashback the first time it opened in 2017, and it just really looked amazing and inspired me,\u201d says Matt Landsman, a tape vendor known as Matt\u2019s Mortuary. \u201cI was already kind of collecting tapes, but that was the push that I needed to start collecting them more seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A giant copy of the claw-gloved hand of Freddy Krueger reaches out over Slasher World merchandise.<\/p>\n
(Solomon O. Smith \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
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Slasher World\u2019s striking giant bust of Art the Clown is the first thing greeting visitors.<\/p>\n
(Solomon O. Smith \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
Today, Landsman is the film programmer at Be Kind Video, a throwback video store in Burbank, and manager of Quentin Tarantino\u2019s Video Archives Cinema Club at the Vista.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Slashback Video] is like a heavenly vision of how you wish your living room could be or what it was like growing up. It\u2019s sort of like an idealized video store, and that inspired me down a literal career path. That might not do that for everyone, but it might inspire them to write a horror movie, or it might spark some kind of nostalgic fascination,\u201d Landsman says. \u201cAnd obviously, [Bailey\u2019s] built it out into much more than a video store. Now, it\u2019s a community space. It\u2019s an exhibit for horror fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Tape vendors Angela Medina and Miguel Alonso of Cheap Thrill Retro hang out at a tape swap at Slasher World as a customer checks out movies next to a model of the Candyman. <\/p>\n
(Solomon O. Smith \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
Tape vendors Angela Medina and Miguel Alonso of Cheap Thrill Retro have been collecting VHS tapes for five years. The thrill of coming across a hard-to-find film is fun for them, but they say, more importantly, physical media reminds them of their youth and brings them comfort.<\/p>\n
When asked why a tape swap like this is important for the community, Alonso says, \u201cIt keeps everything alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The store \u201cfeels like such a home\u201d to Bailey. And she wants it to feel like home for those who visit too.<\/p>\n
For the future, Bailey envisions more events, such as meet and greets, art shows and parties. One day she\u2019d love a second location elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like this is my life purpose,\u201d Bailey says. \u201cI love being that place to come hang out, make a friend, be creative, have art shows.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Kiko Bailey shows off the wide selection of classic covers in the Slashback Video exhibit.<\/p>\n
(Solomon O. Smith \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n
Slasher World is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. It\u2019s located at 7660 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles. Admission to Slashback Video is $13. For more information, visit the store\u2019s website<\/a> or Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n