Liverpool's last surviving video rental shop is hosting a weekend of 90s films, arcade games and tunes

The last surviving video rental shop in Liverpool is hosting a weekend of pure ‘90s nostalgia with classic films, arcade games and tunes from the decade.

VideOdyssey in Toxteth, Liverpool is one of only a handful of shops left in the UK renting out and selling vintage VHS tapes.

It’s also got an arcade of retro games including iconic titles like Ms. Pac-Man, Street Fighter II, Donkey Kong, and Double Dragon.

Now VideOdyssey has teamed up with FACT to transport movie fans back to the era when VHS was king, showing six cult classics from Friday October 25 to Sunday October 27.

As part of FACT’s Cinema in the City film programme, the weekend will have double feature screenings of Pump Up The Volume starring Christian Slater plus 90s slacker comedy Kicking and Screaming on Friday, Juice starring Tupac and Boyz N The Hood with Cuba Gooding Jr on Saturday, and on Sunday it’s Swedish coming of age story Show Me Love followed by Natasha Lyonne in satirical comedy But I’m A Cheerleader.

In addition to the back-to-back double-header of films, there’ll be a chance for audiences to sharpen up their gaming skills with unlimited access to the arcade, and bring back some memories with a soundtrack of ‘90s music.

VideOdyssey, based at the old studios of Toxteth TV on Windsor Street, was opened in 2018 by self-confessed ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia lover Andy Johnson, as a tribute to his favourite director Quentin Tarantino. He believed that in a world of streaming, other people felt just as passionately about saving and watching old films in a physical format as he does.

Lewis Eyles, Film & Events Officer at FACT, says that’s what makes VideOdyssey the ideal location for the weekend pop-up event.

He says:

“Since 2021, FACT has been hosting Cinema in the City events to showcase films beyond our Wood Street art centre and bring incredible cinema to unique locations and audiences across the city. When we decided to create a retro throwback season, VideOdyssey was the perfect choice, as it is one of the last remaining video stores in the UK.”

The six films featured across the weekend will be shown on original VHS, meaning everything has a genuine feel.

“There are countless iconic films from the ’80s and ’90s that shaped entire generations and continue to influence today’s cinema landscape,” adds Lewis. “Screening each film from an original ex-rental VHS tape adds an authentic layer of retro charm that we hope will transport viewers back to the era of videotape rewinding.

“It was difficult to choose just six for the weekend because we had a very long list of films we wanted to showcase from both the ’80s and ‘90s.

“In the end, we chose these six ’90s films because they are coming-of-age classics. With the programme, our focus was on highlighting a decade of cinema that defined a generation—allowing those who saw these films the first time around to relive the nostalgia, while giving newer film lovers a chance to connect with these incredible stories and feel the lasting impact of retro cinema.”

Doors open at 6pm and the first film starts at 7pm on all three nights. There’ll be drinks and food, from Fozia’s Kashmiri restaurant on Friday, Scottabocca Pizza on Saturday and Moi Bakeshop on Sunday.