{"id":16987,"date":"2022-04-22T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/?p=16987"},"modified":"2022-04-21T22:45:03","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T02:45:03","slug":"video-visions-all-hail-tubi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/video-visions-all-hail-tubi\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Visions: All Hail Tubi and the (Kinda) Return of the Video Store"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Black<\/p>\n

Quick show of hands, how many of you out there in the transom miss the video store? Yeah, streaming is easy, and you don’t have to be kind and rewind. Kindness in general is in short supply this day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But, who pines for the Friday or Saturday trips to the video store (it could have been Blockbuster, Sun Coast Video, or the local mom and pop like the one I named this column after), browsing the aisle of front facing VHS boxes, carefully making your selection and maybe grabbing a little bag of freshly popped popcorn?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"VHSYou always made sure you watched the movies you rented all the way to the end credits, even if it was a groaner like <\/span>Microwave Massacre<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>Rabid Grannies<\/span><\/i>. I mean, you spent money on gas, the rental fee, the inevitable late fee, and time. The movie may suck, but it was YOUR movie, and you damn well were going to subject yourself to every single minute.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the demise of the video store, I’ve become something of a streaming addict, always looking for that quick and easy horror fix. On my Roku, I bounce between Shudder, Prime, Hulu, Netflix, Discovery Plus (when I need some paranormal TV love) and now, because I got addicted to <\/span>Yellowstone<\/span><\/i>, Peacock. I pay for them all, some more than others, but there’s a little ol’ free streaming service that has taken me back to my glory days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That service is Tubi<\/a>. When the pandemic first hit, I found Tubi while trapped in my house when I was looking for some Roger Corman films. Tubi saved my sanity by serving up <\/span>The Terror Within, Battle Beyond the Stars, Forbidden World<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Galaxy of Terror<\/span><\/i>. As a <\/span>Star Wars <\/span><\/i>first generation kid, I was always on the lookout for space adventures in the ’80s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While I worked from home during the day, the free Corman classics would be on in the background, commercials and all. When I logged off at 5:30, I would pick one and watch it all over again with my undivided attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then I went back to work and Tubi became the little icon on my Roku home screen that was mostly forgotten. I mean, I was <\/span>paying<\/span><\/i> for these other services, so I needed to get my money’s worth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Things changed about the fall of 2021. My fellow horror fiends kept texting or tweeting about these forgotten or unknown ’80s horror gems they were finding on Tubi. I had to check it out. Boyo, was I surprised. When I hit the horror section, it was like being transported back to the Video Visions store in my neighborhood! Sure, I’d seen some of these movies on other services, but there was so much more to discover on Tubi. I thought I was a card-carrying ’80s horror maven. Little did I know how much I had actually missed. Anyone could have seen <\/span>The Funhouse<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>April Fool’s Day<\/span><\/i>, but how many people in my twisted little community had seen or remembered seeing <\/span>Scared to Death<\/span><\/i> (a Xenomorph-like beast sucking spinal fluid from men and women alike while prowling the sewers) or <\/span>X-Ray<\/span><\/i> (starring gorgeous Barbi Benton trapped in the darkest hospital ever with a maniacal killer)?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, the movies on Tubi get interrupted by commercials from time to time, but Tubi is also cool by letting you know how many commercials you’re in for with each break. For a guy in his fifties, that’s a confident bathroom break! To be honest, I don’t mind the commercials. I grew up with them, so again, I feel like I’ve gone back in time since I don’t watch regular television anymore, unless it’s for sports. Plus, there is this one commercial with a dancing woman that always catches my eye. But I digress\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

And look, I know not everyone can afford to keep up with all of these streaming services. It’s getting kind of ridiculous. As a horror fan, you can cut the cord on most of them and make Tubi your go-to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Perusing their horror selection, which even has a category dedicated to Full Moon Features, makes me feel like I’m a teen again. These are the movies that we were drawn to, the strange and unusual, the bizarre and unknown. My favorite girl and I would rent five at a clip, always taking a chance on at least two that we’d never heard of or seemed out of our comfort zone. That girl is my wife now, and we can spend a happy hour just scrolling around looking for movies to add to our list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s gotten to the point where I was recently sick and thrilled that I could stay home and watch flicks on Tubi until my eyes got fuzzy and my ass was sore. I managed eleven movies in short order. It was quite upsetting when I was better two days later and had to drag my sore ass back to work. “But I still have forty-two movies on my watch list!” I lamented. “Don’t worry,” my wife reassured me. “You’re old and you’ll be sick again soon enough.”<\/span><\/p>\n

I mean, is there a job out there where I can get paid to watch their stellar collection? I’m happy to find movies they missed, write the synopsis, pick the thumbnail, even screen all of the commercials. Tubi isn’t just a streaming service anymore in this house. It’s an addiction. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, Tubi has given me a reason to keep on exploring and feeling like I live within the old Video Visions walls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don’t believe me? Well, since we live in a society that loves lists, here are 7 of my favorite movies I’ve watched within the past 2 weeks:<\/span><\/p>\n