The Midnight Hour (1985) VHS Collection

This would certainly not be the first time I've posted about the1985 Made-for-TV Halloween classic, The Midnight Hour. In fact, it’s not even the first time I’ve posted some of my VHS copies of the movie (you can see that HERE). Regardless, The Midnight Hour is one that always deserves all the love, and I sure as hell don’t mind giving it some. That, and I have picked up a handful of very cool foreign VHS copies of the movie since I last posted about it in 2016, so I figured it would be a great time to share my updated collection with you. 

Vidmark (United States) 

Vidmark (Screener Copy)

Anchor Bay Clamshell (United States)

This copy is one that I bought when it was released in 1999, and this is more than likely the first time I had seen the movie again since its original TV airing. As a result, this release holds a very special place in my heart.

United Video Kauf Cassette (Germany)

Ixion (Japan)

Record Vision/MidWest (Spain)

Video Films/Video Elit (Greece) 

Each of these releases are simply very cool looking, but I find myself going back and forth between the Greek and Spanish releases as my favorite in terms of cover art. Both VHS covers just really hit that sweet Halloween horror spot for me. 

With that being said, I hope you've enjoyed this trip through my VHS collection of The Midnight Hour. If you haven’t seen the movie for yourself as of yet, then you absolutely owe it to yourself to do so, and what better time than this Halloween season?! Heck, you can watch the entire movie right down below!

My Favorite Halloween-themed VHS Tapes!

It’s been many years since I have done anything Dumpster Diving for Gold related, but that doesn’t mean I’m not always out looking for a good deal. Be it on the internet or in the dreaded real world, I am still hunting hard for deals on VHS tapes, Blu-rays and the occasional DVD. Seeing as it is indeed the season of scary, on top of the fact that I have a sizable VHS collection of Halloween-set films and television specials, I thought it would be fun to share with all two, maybe three of you some of my very favorite Halloween-themed VHS tapes!   

The Midnight Hour (1985)

Originally airing on ABC in 1985, The Midnight Hour is one of the very best Halloween movies and certainly a favorite of mine. I’m lucky enough to own three VHS copies of The Midnight Hour: the Anchor Bay clam, a German release and a sealed Vidmark screener. If you haven’t seen this one, and are even remotely into Halloween, then you need to get on that joint ASAP!

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 Hack-O-Lantern AKA Halloween Night (1988)

Two names, two releases, one film, Hack-O-Lantern was released by Legacy Entertainment under the Hack-O-Lantern title in 1988. In 1990, the film was released by Atlas Entertainment Corps under the title Halloween Night. Both releases are quite hard to come by, especially Halloween Night, so owning these two tapes makes me want to throw up a set of awkward grandpa devil horns.

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HauntedWeen (1991)

While I adore all of the tapes featured in this post, I would have to say my favorites have to be these two copies of HauntedWeen. Self-distributed under the one-and-done label Consumer Video Distributors, HauntedWeen was a long-time holy grail tape for me, so to own not only one copy, but TWO copies is pretty rad. Furthermore, as you can see from the image, one of my copies was signed by director Doug Robertson, while the other copy is factory sealed, making things all the more rad.

REVIEW OF HAUNTEDWEEN

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 Hollow Gate (1988)

Both of these copies of the supremely silly and equally entertaining Halloween-set Slasher flick, Hollow Gate, were released by City Lights Home Video in 1988. As expressed in my review from a few Chucktobers ago (link below!), I have a HUGE soft spot for this movie, and owning both of these VHS releases makes me so happy that I would almost consider not drinking alone in the kitchen while my pussy son embarrasses me with his lack of apple bobbing skills.

REVIEW OF HOLLOW GATE

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Halloween (1978)

Seeing as Halloween is my all time favorite horror film, this final Halloween-related VHS tape holds a very special place in my heart. It’s also a bit of a conflicting one, as the slipcover of my copy is the 1979 MEDIA release – which is the second ever official VHS release of John Carpenter’s masterpiece – whereas the actual tape itself is the original (also 1979) MEDA VHS release.

Both releases are hard to come by, but the MEDA VHS is definitely the rarer of the two. Both the MEDIA and MEDA releases are longtime holy grail tapes for me, so sort of having both is pretty cool, but it’ll be a lot cooler when I actually own the MEDIA tape and MEDA slip to complete the Halloween package. Who knows when that’ll ever happen, but the hunt for such things is always a huge part of the fun!

Freddy's Halloween Dance Party!: The Midnight Hour of Power Edition!

The time is finally here, tonight is the night where everyone can be a little more evil than they normally are, a night where all hell is free to reign its sinful ways through the most innocent of people. This is the night where the freaks DO come out, and they come out in droves to dance and celebrate with pizzazz. This is a night when even the hideous can cover up and become attractive, a night where the beautiful can disfigure themselves and become frightening, a night where we can all become something other than what we are. It's All Hallow's Eve, or, All Hallow's Evil if you are looking to have a little fun with things, and that's what we are here to do tonight in this special Halloween edition of Freddy's (not quite) Friday Night Dance Party! 

Tonight's special dance of the dead is brought to us by the 1985 made for television Halloween treat, The Midnight Hour. The song, Get Dead (which is often mistakenly referred to as I'm Dead, You're Dying), is performed by one of the film's stars, Shari Belafonte-Harper, who would also be the sassy little vixen giving us this fantastical performance we have here.

While I do own what I believe is an unopened VHS copy of The Midnight Hour (it's in one of many boxes of VHS tapes I have), I have not seen it since it played on television in the 80s. It's clearly a fun film based off of this clip, and I remember it being so, but I also recall it being pretty scary for a made for TV movie that played on ABC, particular the graveyard scene where the creatures rise from their graves. I know Anchor Bay released the movie on DVD some time after the VHS had come out in '99, but The Midnight Hour seems to be pretty rare and just as under known, or at least under mentioned. It's a shame that it isn't played on TV every year during Halloween, but I think I may have to do a little digging to see if I can find it and take another long overdue look at it.

Either way, I hope you all are having a great Halloween, and I hope the spooky filled day has spilt over into an equally spooky night with plenty of haunts to remind you why Halloween is truly the best time of the year! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!