Retro Injection is thrilled to feature this video interview with visual effects legend Richard Edlund, a founding member of Industrial Light and Magic. Mr. Edlund also founded the famed Boss Film Studios, which from 1983 to 1997 delivered the visual effects for more than thirty major motion pictures. A winner of industry accolades including four Academy Awards, Mr. Edlund has made an indelible impact on the lives of movie lovers. Join contributing Retro Injection writer Luke Worle on the Zoom call of a lifetime, as Mr. Edlund dishes out insider backstories about films such as the Star Wars tr ..read more

I'd like to introduce you to Rob Burman. You've likely seen his work. With hundreds of Hollywood films to his credit, Mr. Burman's practical effects and makeup wizardry have astonished audiences for decades. Retro Injection contributing writer Luke Worle chats with Mr. Burman about working in the effects industry, branching out into bronze sculpture, and that creepy Frank the Bunny mask from Donnie Darko. Today’s cinematic climate has largely shunned practical effects in favor of CGI. In what ways, if any, do you feel computer graphics have improved special effects? In your opinion, how and w ..read more

COPS isn't the first '80s cartoon that comes to mind for most people, but I have fond memories of watching it during the early '90s at my grandmother's house (which I've since inherited and built an arcade in). A syndicated program at the time, COPS aired well before the more popular cartoons like Tiny Toon Adventures and the Disney Afternoon lineup. (Darkwing Duck, anyone?) With its unusual timeslot and channel, COPS felt like a secret show. Every day I would worry that COPS wouldn't be on, and eventually it wasn't. Somehow, I survived. COPS lasted sixty-five episodes, spanning 1988 to 1990 ..read more

Hoss's Steak and Sea House, a dining staple of Pennsylvania, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in true retro style. Stopping at Hoss's is a family tradition as we make our way home from the Carlisle, PA Corvette show every year. Today the chain operates twenty-nine locations in Pennsylvania, and graces the lucky town of Martinsburg, West Virginia. There used to be a Hoss's in our town in upstate NY, and I was their first customer. Don't diminish my claim to fame! This Retro Injection entry is a labor of love, with no payout from Hoss's Steak and Sea House. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ ..read more

I somehow missed this PAC-MAN display when I walked into one of their gas stations today. When I saw it on the way out, my head almost exploded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI3NoBeNwfk 7-Eleven isn't paying me to plug their promo, so this post is pure PSA: Retro gamers and arcade aficionados are going to want to make tracks and gobble up some of the convenient store's crazy-awesome PAC-MAN goodies. I started this entry right after spotting that display, only to have my internet go down for five days! But the promo is still on (5/18/23), with chances to win prizes spanning from an official ..read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKSWnD-U5LA By Luke Worle, Retro Injection contributing writer. Cocaine Bear is an extravaganza of excess, a celluloid riptide that mirrors its intrinsically 1980s lifeblood. The characters are multidimensional and are given plenty of screen-time breathing room to prove themselves a motley crew of the bizarre, hapless and heroic. The premise is partially based on the real-life experience of narcotics cop gone rogue Andrew C. Thornton II and his fatal, ill-timed airplane jump while attempting to smuggle duffel bags chock full of the devil’s dandruff. But our adve ..read more

Alessandro Maggia operates Starlight Video Productions out of Italy. An editor extraordinaire, Mr. Maggia infuses his passion for retro cinema into awe-inspiring music videos. His “Fantastic Journey Through The 80s Movies” trilogy showcases some of the best films from the era. It's one of the most incredible movie mashups ever assembled, generating raw emotion that'll leave you feeling energized, and that there may be hope for humanity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAvQbEeTafk https://youtu.be/efeujWCkwKc After watching "A Fantastic Journey Through The 80s Movies" repeatedly for several ho ..read more

In the early '90s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise was riding the sewage wave of popularity: Live-action films; a syndicated cartoon; video games; comic books and an established toyline from Playmates all contributed to shell-shocked childhoods. Welcome to Retro Injection's fifth anniversary special! As Michelangelo would say, "It's gonna be mondo epic." I was once all about the Ninja Turtles, and I still appreciate TMNT for its anything-goes creativity and martial arts action. I've currently having a blast, revisiting the complete original cartoon series on DVD! There are tons of ..read more

I first met Derek when he showed up at the house to buy some VHS tapes. I found out he was a Tom Selleck fan, handed him a Retro Injection card, and he drove off. A couple of weeks later, he stopped by again to purchase my Dragon Quest V Super Famicom cartridge! He'd already checked out the blog. We talked a bit more, and I got the feeling he knew his stuff. I chanced that Derek wasn't a serial killer, and he did the same for me: He took me up on the invite to my home arcade, where we rocked The King of Fighters '98. It was the first time I'd had any real-life KOF competition in about twenty ..read more

The '80s was the golden era of horror movies. Everyone knows about the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises, but there's a treasure trove of lesser-known horror films lurking in that VHS bargain bin. Let's look at some, spanning everything from bugs to yogurt. You shouldn't be shocked that most of the video content here isn't for the squeamish. Prepare for therapy! This isn't a "top 10," because there are a metric ton of unsung '80s horror gems, and the movies are presented in no specific order. I own all of these cult-following films on physical media, and many were picke ..read more