The Last Video Store (2023) – Film Review

Directors: Cody Kennedy, Tim Rutherford
Cast: Yaayaa Adams, Matthew Kennedy, Josh Lenner
Certificate: 15

By Sarah Morgan

If you’re a person of a certain age, chances are you spent at least part of your youth haunting video libraries, searching for something special with which to spend an evening.

At my own local such emporium, Pete’s Dragon was so popular, you had to put your name on a very long waiting list. Weirdly, it sat happily on shelves alongside the likes of Driller Killer, I Spit On Your Grave and Cannibal Holocaust – until they were declared video nasties, of course.

“Curse”

But in recent years, with the rise and rise of streaming, such places have all but disappeared; they’re an anachronism, something kids today probably can’t even imagine.

Two people who clearly have nothing but fond memories of them are Canadian directors Cody Kennedy and Tim Rutherford, whose latest low-budget movie pays homage to these wondrous worlds. What’s more, it stars Kevin Martin, a real-life DVD store owner, in a leading role.

It probably wasn’t too much of a stretch for him to play Kevin, who operates a rundown VHS store in a backstreet – talk about being typecast. Nyla (YaaYaa Adams), the daughter of one of his few customers, brings back a few tapes she thinks her dad, who has recently passed away, hired from him.

However, one of the tapes contains a curse that is soon unleashed. Suddenly, Kevin and Nyla are caught up in a real-life video nasty, as characters from various horror movies and action flicks enter the real world, intent on causing mayhem – and the only way to defeat them is to adopt a few familiar tropes and cliches.

“Spotting all the references”

It’s a great idea for a story, but although it has a short running time of 90 minutes, the movie still feels too long. Kennedy and Rutherford made a short film using the same idea (and which is included in the special features) that works far better.

Nevertheless, fans of direct-to-video fare and classic horror franchises will lap it up, and will surely love spotting all the references to various titles, both in the decor in Kevin’s shop, and hidden within the story itself.

Another three short films feature on the disc alongside numerous other extras; an interview with the film-makers is a highlight. There’s also an illustrated booklet and double-sided poster included in the release.