“Terror on Tape” (1983)
Studio: Continental Video
Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Michelle Bauer, Mark Fenske, Tim Noyes
Directed by: Robert Worms
Rated: Unrated
Running Time: 90 min.
Synopsis: A compilation of horror movie clips from Continental Video.
REVIEW
Chris Woods
Terror on Tape is the first compilation film that I have reviewed for Schlockarama. Terror on Tape is a compilation of different horror movie clips that were under the Continental Video banner. Most compilation movies just feature trailers, but this one shows actual scenes from the films. I always love watching trailers, but watching the scenes is a little bit better. Sometimes the trailer is much better than the film because of the way it is edited and marketed, but when you view scenes you get a better feel for the movie. I first saw Terror on Tape in the early 90’s and always enjoyed it and consider it one of the best compilation films out there.
Horror vet actor, Cameron Mitchell, plays the video clerk from hell and is the host of Terror on Tape. Mitchell is dressed up like a horror host and his video store is decorated with all sorts of Halloween decorations. There is even a fog machine pumping out mist all on the floor. Three different customers come in looking for videos to rent and Mitchell shows them some clips to some frightening horror movies. One customer is a nerdy guy who ends up getting terrified with the clips he is shown, the other is a construction worker who is looking for movies with blood and guts and T & A, and the last customer, played by scream queen, Michelle Bauer, who is dressed in a sexy black number, wants Mitchell to scare her. She has seen almost all horror movies and never gets scared and thinks there is something wrong with her. All she wants is to be terrified.
The bits are very entertaining and add to the film greatly. None of the bits go on too long and they get straight to business with showing the horror movie clips, which is the best part of the whole film. Continental Video released Terror on Tape and the video showcases films that were distributed by the company. There are movie clips from the campy scary alien flick, The Deadly Spawn, crazed zombies from City of the Walking Dead (a.k.a. Nightmare City), horrifying monsters from The Slayer, and a number of demonic films such as The Eerie Midnight Horror Show, Cathy’s Curse, Frozen Scream, and To the Devil a Daughter.
Other film clips that are shown are Herschell Gordon Lewis and David Friedman’s Blood Trilogy films, Blood Feast, Two Thousand Maniacs, and Color Me Blood Red. Other clips that are included are the underrated slasher film, Nightmare, the hot and sexy Vampire Hookers, the out of this world deadly creature from Alien Prey, the underwater monster from Blood Tide, and terrors on an Indian burial ground in Scalps.
Continental Video was also one of the great video distributors during the 1980’s. The company put out mostly horror films, but also released a number of action, sci-fi, and exploitation films. The company also put out their films in big box form, which most companies did in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Continental also featured some great box covers from many of their classic cult horror films that they have released. Terror on Tape has a great box cover that features a monster’s hand grabbing on to a VHS tape.
Terror on Tape is a great film if you want to get just a taste of some classic horror films from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. It is a great help and I know after I first watched the film I went out and tried to find the films I’ve never seen that were featured in the movie. As I mentioned before, Terror on Tape is one of the best compilation videos that also features a well done and very cool wrap around segments featuring Cameron Mitchell as the creepy video store clerk. Check out this excellent collection of horror movie clips if you haven’t all ready.