Video Shop Horrors poster exhibition opens soon at Northumbria University

By John Freeman on October 27, 2023

A terrifying new exhibition featuring a series of rare film posters for horror films of the 1980s will be installed at Northumbria University’s Gallery North, in time for Halloween.

Left to Right: Dr Steve Jones, Dr Kate Egan, Dr Johnny Walker, and Dr Russ Hunter of Northumbria University, promoting the Video Shop Horrors exhibtion at Gallery North (2023) — *Left to Right: Dr Steve Jones, Dr Kate Egan, Dr Johnny Walker, and Dr Russ Hunter of Northumbria University, promoting the Video Shop Horrors exhibtion at Gallery North*

The Video Shop Horrors exhibition, led by the University’s new Horror Studies Research Group of academics who specialise in the history of the genre, will include copies of posters from the group’s own archive and original artefacts from the period. Original video cassettes and collectable items collated by members of the group during their research, will also feature.

Dr Johnny Walker, the event organiser, is an expert in the industrial contexts of horror film production, and author of a recent book-length history of video shops and culture, Rewind, Replay: Britain and the Video Boom, 1978-92.

“Videocassette technology – chiefly, VHS and Betamax – revolutionised how consumers accessed moving image entertainment in the late 1970s and early 1980s,” he explains. “Feature films were the major draw, and one of the most popular genres was horror. In Britain, video was controversial, as moralists feared that children now had free access to uncensored films such as The Driller Killer and The Evil Dead.

“The so-called ‘video nasties’ moral panic came and went, but its legacy, the types of film it encompassed, and the video distribution companies that released such films, lives on. This exhibition captures the dynamism of this hugely significant technological moment, pooling from original archival materials, to showcase the promotional strategies employed by video companies to attract consumers and, in some cases, to whip up controversy. The significance of video to the development and enduring popularity of horror films cannot be understated.”

In addition to Dr Walker, the Horror Studies Research Group’s core team includes Dr Russ Hunter, editor of the book Italian Horror Cinema, whose research focuses on horror film festivals and European horror cinema; Dr Kate Egan, author of Trash or Treasure? Censorship and the Changing Meanings of the Video Nasties and The Evil Dead, who also conducts research on horror audiences, horror and performance, and horror and censorship; and Dr Steve Jones, author of the forthcoming book The Metamodern Slasher Film, whose work focuses on contemporary American horror subgenres.

Also involved in the exhibition are horror specialists Professor Stacey Abbott and Dr Damien Pollard, both of whom join the University in January.

Together they make up one of the largest collectives of horror researchers in the world and are using the exhibition to launch the new Horror Studies Research Group, which they hope will help them to spearhead a series of follow-up events and major research projects.

Steve Gilroy, acting Head of Arts adds “Since re-opening after a refurbishment last year, Gallery North has continued to showcase excellent research and this latest exhibition is a wonderful example of how we’re able to bring this research to the wider public in a really engaging way.

We expect Video Shop Horrors to be more of an ‘experience’ than exhibition. It should make an exciting addition to anyone’s Halloween plans this year.”

The exhibition, which is advised as suitable for over 18s only due to some of the materials on display, will be open to the public on selected dates from Thursday 26 October for two weeks.

• Video Shop Horrors exhibition will be open at Gallery North, Sandyford Building, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QE, until Saturday 11th November 2023 | Official Site | Opening times: Thursday and Friday, 12pm – 4pm. Saturday, 10am – 2pm | Halloween opening hours on Tuesday 31 October: 12pm – 7pm.

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.