Thanks for the memories!

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Some things I liked some I did not.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Video Violence is one of those SOV horror films, the ones that started popping up all over during the late '80s. For the most part they went unnoticed, and for good reason; most of them completely stunk. Yet where ever there is bad, there is good. Or at least moderately enjoyable. And that is where this film is, it's good enough to warrant a play through, but most people probably won't enjoy this film.Steve Emory has recently taken over a video store, and soon begins receiving these strange VHS'. The home videos contain scenes of murder and gore. Steve then begins noticing that the townsfolk only rent the horror films; and then one of his employees goes missing! He tries to get the help from the local police department, but they're so incompetent they can't even use a VCR! Finally, he unravels the mystery; the entire town has been in on it, producing and starring in their own snuff films. Unfortunately for Steve and his wife, Rachael, they're going to be starring in the next one! I find the plot to be pretty good, perhaps a better writer could have made something great out of it, but for what it is, it works. The acting isn't that great, but most of these movies tend not to have good acting. The biggest problem this movie has going for it is that many scenes tend to drag on for too long, slowing down the movie. The gore scenes are pretty good, although some are bad... To the point where they're hilarious. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys cheap and cheesy horror; it may not be great, and most people might want to turn it off from the start, but any fan of low budget horror can find some enjoyment in it.

Satire on our desire for the closest form of graphic bloodletting and violent carnage as possible has a NYC couple, Steven and Rachel Emory(real life married actors Art & Jackie Neill) discovering that their new town is a haven for snuff connoisseurs. These psychos, mainly loonies Eli(Uke) who grinningly hosts and camera-operator Howard(Bart Sumner), often leave their video recordings of the live murders of innocent travelers in the rental store of Steven's and as he(..and a frightened Rachel) seeks to put an end to such sickening shenanigans, finds that almost everyone(..if not everyone)is in on the sadistic misdeeds.You know perhaps video is a proper medium for a tale on the creation of snuff films, with director Gary Cohen, who is actually a pleasant and charming enough fellow on his interview for this film's DVD release, exploring the joyous nature of those who partake in slowly killing hitchhikers or lost traveling innocents just passing through. The violent gore effects are cheap and cheesy, but rather impressive if one considers the limited funds available. Head and arm sliced from the body. An ice pick slowly inserted in a victim's breast. A woman's near-entire leg being hacked from her body. You know if one really thinks about the plot, it can kind of provide an unsettling feeling..that idea that you happen to come across such deranged people as Eli and Howard who know jack squat about you, but are willing to stab you with a knife or remove your legs slowly with a machete just for the hell of it, laughing their asses off with such glee at your horror and torment. Cohen uses his film as a vehicle to explore such sadism and how seemingly normal citizens(..perhaps representing the kind of rental customers he himself had when Cohen was renting videos in the 80's)could enjoy such evil antics on screen. I think fans of horror who recall renting videos back in the 80's will have a time warp trip seeing the movie posters and VHS tape boxes lining the shelves in 1987. Disregarding the acting, performed by no-names, amateur production values, and rather poor camera-work(..and the loud piano used producing the score), horror fans with tastes for such an unpleasant storyline might dig "Video Violence." There's an especially disturbing film sent to the Emory's titled, The Vampire and his Bride, which depicts an unfortunate actress suckered into a video production not knowing that her stomach would be torn open by a knife with her guts removed by a local would-be actor portraying a blood-sucker.

I came across this film while on one of my movie hunts and decided to buy this flick because I had read it was very rare to come across. Boy am I glad I did! The film follows a couple as they are settling into a new town. The husband opens a video store and hires an assistant to work with him. As the days pass he starts to realize that all the locals in the area are only renting from the horror section. This makes him start questioning his surroundings, and to make matters worse he begins finding tapes on his desk that aren't part of his video collection. After having viewed one of the films he realizes that one, or a group, of the locals are killing tourists and video taping the murders. Our store owner takes the tapes to the police only to find that they have no interest in investigating these murders. Now he is on his own and begins to investigate the situation himself.This is probably one of the most original films I have seen in a long time. It is very low budget, but surprisingly the acting is very good. The film has a really good feel to it and you will find yourself smiling all the way through. Great piece of work.

Yes, this movie is _very_ low budget, and probably was filmed with a regular video camera, the movie was great. Very bloody and senseless killing was the plot, but the characters with no personality made you laugh when you saw them act. Seems like someone wanted to make a movie and used their friends and relatives.I was the manager of a video store at the time when a traveling distributor asked to me buy this movie. He described the plot and since I have had so many different tapes accidentally switched when they dropped them off, I thought it would be a great reality check. I bought it for the store, it rented maybe 10 times, and then I pulled it and kept it for myself. Truly a cult classic. Could it happen in your store?? Keep an eye on that nightdrop!!