Hundreds of VHS tapes are meticulously arranged and displayed. Garage rock tunes blare as guests browse the collections. Lively exchanges about “Scream” and “Halloween” fill the air. This isn't Blockbuster in 1999. It's a horror VHS trade-in in 2025.
The event took place at Slasher World, a horror-themed store filled with life-size replicas of characters like Freddy Krueger and Leatherface that opened in August. Clothing, action figures and accessories are for sale, but Slasher World in the Fairfax neighborhood is intended to serve as a home base for horror fans, like the so-called “tape heads” at the VHS swap.
Kiko Bailey stands next to a giant bust of Art the Clown from “Terrifier.”
(Salomón O. Smith / For The Times)
“One of my great reasons for opening [Slasher World] “I really love the horror community,” says owner Kiko Bailey. “I really feel like we need a safe space, a place to meet with like-minded people and in a nice horror environment. I think it's very important right now to just bring people together.”
Slasher World opened with the return of Slashback Video, which may be familiar to certain local horror fans. The concept began as an exhibit in 2017 at the Mystic Museum, a horror hub in Burbank. Once a temporary exhibit, featuring a slew of VHS covers, including classics like “The Shining,” “Carrie,” and “Hellraiser” to obscure ones like “Ghoulies,” “Dolly Dearest,” and “Troll,” Slashback Video is now on permanent display at Slasher World. It has also grown to include international versions of VHS covers. Bailey, who is of Japanese descent, says the additions underscore how universal horror fandom is.
Video covers and original artwork are on display in the Slashback Video exhibit.
(Salomón O. Smith / For The Times)
Alex von Klemperer, a ribbon seller known as Retro UFO and organizer of the exchange, says the event adds a tactile element to the display.
“I just thought, 'Well, we have this exhibit where the tapes aren't for sale; they're for display. And we have these vendors who actually sell a lot of these tapes that are on display so people can see them.' [them] home,” he adds.
For some at the tape event, rewinding to another time is more than a hobby. It's a way of life, a way of life that the original Slashback Video exhibition helped enrich.
“I saw what Kiko did at Slashback when it first opened in 2017, and it really looked amazing and inspired me,” says Matt Landsman, a tape seller known as Matt's Mortuary. “I was already collecting tapes, but that was the push I needed to start collecting them more seriously.”
A giant copy of Freddy Krueger's clawed, gloved hand sprawls across Slasher World merchandise.
(Salomón O. Smith / For The Times)
Slasher World's striking giant bust of Art the Clown is the first thing that greets visitors.
(Salomón O. Smith / For The Times)
Today, Landsman is the film programmer at Be Kind Video, a retro video store in Burbank, and manager of Quentin Tarantino's Video Archives Cinema Club in Vista.
“[Slashback Video] It's like a heavenly vision of what you wish your living room was like or what it was like growing up. It's like an idealized video store, and that inspired me to pursue a literal career path. That might not work for everyone, but it might inspire them to write a horror movie or it might spark some kind of nostalgic fascination,” Landsman says. “And obviously, [Bailey’s] made it much more than a video store. Now it is a community space. It is an exhibition for horror fans.”
Tape sellers Angela Medina and Miguel Alonso of Cheap Thrill Retro hang out at a tape swap at Slasher World while a customer watches movies next to a Candyman model.
(Salomón O. Smith / For The Times)
Tape sellers Angela Medina and Miguel Alonso of Cheap Thrill Retro have been collecting VHS tapes for five years. The thrill of coming across a hard-to-find movie is fun for them, but they say, more importantly, that physical media reminds them of their youth and brings them comfort.
When asked why a tape exchange like this is important to the community, Alonso says, “It keeps everything alive.”
The store “feels like home” to Bailey. And he wants those who visit him to also feel at home.
For the future, Bailey envisions more events, such as meet and greets, art shows and parties. Someday he would love to have a second location somewhere else.
“I feel like this is my life's purpose,” Bailey says. “I love being that place to hang out, make friends, be creative and have art shows.”
Kiko Bailey showcases the wide selection of classic covers in the Slashback Video exhibit.
(Salomón O. Smith / For The Times)
Slasher World is open from 11am to 7pm daily. It is located at 7660 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles. Admission to Slashback Video is $13. For more information visit the store website either instagram.
