Wow! What A Difference! Blockbuster Video!

That was the old slogan from the video rental franchise known as Blockbuster Video. I can remember hearing that in their commercials. Alas, they’re almost completely gone. The last remaining store is located in Bend, Oregon. It’s pretty much a tourist spot now. But back in the day, it was my weekend escape. I miss roaming the aisles of that store, looking for the latest movies or something I hadn’t seen or hadn’t seen in a long time. Most of the anime I watched when I was in high school came from Blockbuster…and it was on VHS! Oh Gen-Z, you have no idea what you missed!

Why am I talking about this little piece of nostalgia? Two reasons. One: I found my old Blockbuster card. It’s in great condition considering it hasn’t been used in about twenty-six years or more. Two: I’m working on the next book in the Our Lady of Righteous Rage series, and I went back through some of the other books in the series. There’s a chapter in the very first book in which a young Amy Edwards and a young Dee Seybrook go to a local Blockbuster to rent a few movies. Amy picks up a copy of Poltergeist while Dee grabs The Thing, two of my favorite movies.

This card reminded me of yet another way in which things have changed. Yes, we have streaming services and you can watch almost anything on line nowadays. You can still borrow DVD’s from your local public library. But this was special. This made you get up and leave your house or apartment or whatever, and actually go to a place and browse, and interact with other humans. Sitting at home and streaming is just too easy. Now you can watch a movie and then move on to the next movie. Back then, I rented a VHS tape and had to remember to “be kind and rewind”. Part of my childhood is stamped on that membership card. Part of my childhood got buried in the pile of rubble that used to be my local Blockbuster, after it was torn down.

This was a nice memory to visit, and I’m glad I was able to work it into one of my books. Afterall, your memories and your experiences make for excellent source material. If you have any fond memories you’d like to share (or any Blockbuster Video stories) please feel free to comment below.

Keep writing, everyone.