Videodrome: A Hot Spot for Atlanta's Indie Film Buffs

"Long live the new flesh!" If you've ever seen David Cronenberg's Videodrome, then merely reading this line may conjure grotesque images of murder and sleaze. Therefore, encountering a store by the same name in Atlanta may raise some eyebrows.

Whether or not you're a fan of the Cronenberg film, you have to admit that "Videodrome" is quite the awesome name for a video store. And once you enter this particular store, located in Atlanta's Poncey-Highland neighborhood (at 617 North Highland Avenue, to be specific), you'll understand why.

Videodrome is certainly not your family-friendly "Blockbuster." Though it has a small section of popular new releases, the majority of its customers wander in seeking those rare cult films, treasured classics, and obscure documentaries that otherwise might have to be found online.

In the Mood for...?

Catering to a variety of tastes, Videodrome has entire sections dedicated to specific directors, especially those with cult followings.

Among them: the abovementioned Cronenberg (The Fly, Naked Lunch); Peter Jackson (besides just Lord of the Rings, tasty choices like Bad Taste and Dead Alive); David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet); Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, The Holy Mountain); Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation); Sam Raimi (the Evil Dead series, Spiderman) and the Coen brothers (The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men). Believe it or not, that's only the tip of the iceberg.

As you enter the store, tucked into a small corner to the right of the entrance is Videodrome's fabulous horror/cult film section. If you and your lover are out for blood tonight, so to speak, then these shelves offer everything from John Carpenter (Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13) and Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Last House on the Left) to Dario Argento (Suspiria, Opera) and Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer).

An added plus is the fact that Videodrome contains not only a single "foreign film" section, but entire shelves dedicated to films from individual countries. Among them are works from Germany, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, and France; pick your poison.

To further set Videodrome apart from its "family video store" counterparts, the former features a small "adult" film section, containing a few X-rated and/or NC-17 films. Lest you think that this lowers the store's standards, however, most of the offerings are cult classics, such as Emanuelle in America; the notorious Caligula, starring Malcolm McDowell and Peter O'Toole; Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS, the infamous Nazi exploitation film, and its sequels; and Suicide Girls: The First Tour.

Questions Gladly Accepted

While some chain video stores have a resident "movie expert," it's unlikely that they'll compare, knowledge-wise, to the managers and staff of Videodrome. The employees all have their favorite genres, of course, but they may even be able to recommend a film based on word-of-mouth as well.

Speaking of favorites, if you happen to be seeking an obscure (or for that matter, widely known) cult film, as mentioned above, the store carries DVDs that may never have even crossed your mind. Highlights include Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (the Joss Whedon web series), Godspeed, You Black Emperor, "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF, and Valley of the Dolls.

About the only movies you won't find at Videodrome are the more extreme adult films (stop by Inserection for that), and "snuff films" (although they do happen to carry a documentary about the latter, entitled Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera).

Midnight Express

Although the title, in this instance, doesn't specifically refer to the film Midnight Express (which they surely carry), Videodrome has its own "Midnight Movies" section, which is basically a mini-B-movie "horrorshow" (to use the wording of Alex from A Clockwork Orange).

For anyone who's ever watched the "SyFy" (formerly Sci-Fi) channel late at night, this section will surely carry some recognizable titles: Pumpkinhead; Hell Hotel; Midnight Meat Train; The Descent; Killer Klowns from Outer Space (also found in the "cult movies" section; and Ice Twisters. Perhaps you've never seen any of these; rest assured, most of them are awful, but in an amazingly funny, memorable way. My fiancée and I are still fond of quoting horrible lines from the extensive list of midnight movies we've seen, especially around Halloween.

Of course, there is the possibility that you may find a rare horror gem in this section, but don't count on it. If you're looking more toward the artful/masterpiece horror films, rent something like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, or the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (directed by Tobe Hooper).

The Most Disturbing Films Ever Made?

Earlier, I wrote an article entitled 15 Disturbing (But Good) Films You Should See; many of the films I included on this list I had only seen thanks to Videodrome. Among those are Saló, or the 120 Days of Sodom; Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer; Nekromantik; Requiem for a Dream; and Cannibal Holocaust.

Others that had not been included on that list, but might have been had I seen them, are I Spit On Your Grave, Sweet Movie, In a Glass Cage, and Maniac. Last I checked, Videodrome carries all of these; if you have the stomach for them, give them a view.

While these films, like any, certainly don't appeal to all tastes, they seem popular among many horror film enthusiasts and art film aficionados. Therefore, if you live in Atlanta, I highly recommend visiting Videodrome for the chance to add this type of variety to your midnight movie screenings.

Right in the Neighborhood

To sum up, Videodrome is one of the coolest video stores still doing things the old school way. Their owners are just as likely to enjoy films as you do; they carry many rarities not even found on Netflix or other such sites; the staff are extremely knowledgeable, and willing to help you find the movies you want; and the store itself is just an awesome place to hang out, if you're looking for like-minded film lovers.

Next time you're in the Poncey Highlands, stop by this store with the giant bald-headed, bespectacled mural on the side: you can't miss it.