Shot-on-video movies have become an often overlooked aspect of the medium’s history, with many of the early purveyors making shock content on shoe-string budgets for small audiences, usually made with ‘home movie cameras’ with friends in starring roles. However, as the internet has allowed for a renewed interest in all manners of outsider and fringe cinema, there has been a new appreciation for those who started working in the genre and an interest in cult-film distributors in unearthing forgotten treasures. For fans of the SOV cinema of the ’80s through the ’90s, it has never been a more prosperous and exciting time to delve into the micro-genre.
At the same time, the genre has grown, and some aspects have been adopted by a wide range ofindie and arthouse filmmakers, showing the staying power of the SOV aesthetic. We will look at the medium’s history, from its humble roots in the backyards of teenagers and the homes of aspiring directors to its prominence today among the cult and arthouse crowd.
The Roots of Shot-on-Video Movies
While one could make sweeping statements about the importance of SOV cinema, its roots are rather grounded in a simple truth. The availability of camcorders and consumer-grade equipment put the ability to film in everyone’s hands. Notably, the release of Sony’s professional-grade Betacam and consumer-grade Betamovie camcorders in 1983, followed by brands like JVC, harbored a new era of consumerism and obsession with the home movie that stayed prevalent for decades to come.
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Of course, others went beyond just creating movies intended for family sharing. They began to place themselves in the director’s chair, paying homage to their favorite movies or just figuring out how to impress their friends or make them laugh. Given the boom of camcorders and SOV cinema, which started in the ’80s, many early embraces were teenagers who took naturally to the things they loved to see on the screen. Consequently, early SOV cinema came from young people attempting tomake horror and action movies.
It was a fascinating time for cinema, one in which people worldwide were working toward unknown cult stardom, including the likes of two brothers from Pennsylvania who were slowly building their horror empire.
The Early Pioneers of Shot-on-Video Movies
SOV cinema has a few significant and notable names, but among all of them, it is hard not to point at thePolonia Brothers. Born in Pennsylvania, the brothers would begin making films while still attending high school, with their first film,Church of the Damned(1985), following two cops trying tosolve a series of satanic murdersin their town. However, the brothers would go on to see success with two subsequent works, the gross-out gore-festSplatter Farmand the alien invasion horror filmFeeders(1996), the latter of which would become Blockbuster’s No. 1 independent film rental for the year, riding the success ofIndependence Day.
The Polonia Brothers have made over 40 films, and Mark Polonia is still active today after his brother John’s tragic passing in 2008. Their work is an essential entry point into understanding the genre. However, there are many other names and productions of note that have helped further the genre. This includedGary P. Cohen’spurposely shocking and attention-grabbingVideo Violence(1987), the infamous ‘worst movie ever made’ in the bizarre and incoherent Canadian horror filmThings(1989) byAndrew Jordan, and the groundbreaking home-movie turned alien invasion terrorThe McPherson Tape(1989) byDean Alioto.
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At the same time, decades later, the interest in the genre has resulted in many gems being dug up that were otherwise lost to time. This also includes unique entries like the queer/punk exploitation movieBlonde Death(1984) byJames Robert Baker, to the explosive love letter to Bruce Lee inMark Swetland’sBlood and Steel(1990). It is one of the few genres where new movies are still being unearthed, fragments of incredible talents and careers that could have been, if not lost to time, buried under a heap of discarded celluloid.
How New Filmmakers Re-Envisioned Shot-on-Video Movies
Shot on Video still caters to filmmakers through aesthetics and affordability, and movies that feel pulled from the era are still being made. Even as recently as 2014, the anthology seriesHi-8brought together both old and new filmmakers working in the medium. This included other notable early pioneers likeTim Ritter, who was responsible for the absurd, violent, and comically darkKilling Spree(1987). The genre still exists, and there are still directors who continue to purposely develop their skills by working strictly on video.
However, the genre has continued to push the medium further by using shot-on-video filming in new ways or mimicking the aesthetic, tapping into the inherent pervasive voyeurism of finding a ‘lost home movie.’ A significant example of this isLandLocked(2020) byPaul Owens, who mixes the camcorder home movie aesthetic with subtle horror elements through clever editing. Comparatively, the divisiveSkinamarink(2022) byKyle Edward Ball, while shot digitally, drew heavy influence from the same home video aesthetic to tell its abstract andnightmarish tale of childhood hauntings.
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The medium has also proven financially viable and acceptable within artistic circles. From the minimalism of the Dogme 95 movement (Festen,The Idiots) to the passion projects of other directors, likeHarmony Korine’s uncomfortable comedyTrash Humpers(2009), the aesthetic of shot-on-video has consistently inspired provocateurs and outsiders of cinema.
At the same time, evoking the style of SOV cinema has also proved financially successful, from the unparalleled success of theBlair Witch Projectto the V/H/S franchise, with its ‘85’ and ‘94’ entry being the best example of utilizing the inherent unease that SOV cinema can create. Online has seen similar filmmakers work successfully with the style of SOV, whether it be grainy shock videos or such online phenomena as Kane Pixels', whose backroom segmentsled to him landing a deal with A24.
Essential and Noteworthy Shot-on-Video Movies to Watch
While a stark comparison exists between the tone and content of those working to re-envision how shot-on-video can be received by new audiences from the original movies using the medium for budgetary reasons, they are still intertwined, even if just in spirit. Still, to appreciate SOV cinema, one must check out the early stand-out titles and the fascinating way the genre has been envisioned. Here is a quick crash course of films to watch and where to find them if available.
