Pre-Netflix. Pre-BitTorrent. Even pre-Internet. Back then, to watch a movie at home you had to haul yourself to the video store, return your tapes on time, spend ages hunting for new films, pay, and hope that the tracking would lend a hand. Despite the limitations, video stores were something special, and they held a privileged place for many years. Special effects designer Andrew Glazebrook decided to honor them, and the result is a miniature marvel.
When Quentin Tarantino explained why he doesn't like Netflix, one of the reasons he shared was the loss of interaction and commitment that a person had when visiting a classic video store, picking movies from the shelves and talking about cinema with the owner. Those words are definitely in line with Tarantino's vision, who rejects digital solutions and shoots on 70 mm. Of course, not everyone shares that view, and many don't hesitate to celebrate aspects like the flexibility and convenience of digital formats. But if vinyl made a comeback, cassette is doing its thing, and magnetic storage technology has dramatically improved... is it really so far-fetched to think about a return to the video store? We don't have the answer yet, but we can look for it by remembering video stores in a unique way.
No, what you just saw is not a video store from 1993, nor an advanced restoration project. It's a miniature built by special effects designer Andrew Glazebrook, better known as "Morbid Decay FX". The images were published on his Facebook profile in September of last year, and believe it or not, they appear with the description "work in progress". The poster for "Morons From Outer Space" reveals a certain British touch (confirmed by the pound coin), the action section is full of classics, and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" in the front... nothing else needs to be said.
Maybe video stores won't find a way to come back and compete with modern platforms. Maybe streaming is already "the new VHS" and here to stay for decades. But one thing is certain: This miniature reminds us that we have lost something along the way. Video games lost the arcades. In the case of cinema, it was the video store.
