HALLOWEEN HORROR: The VHS Nightmare Fuel That is "The White Screen of Death"

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Well, since we're experiencing that festive time leading up to Halloween and it's all shrieks and scares till the end of October I made this little video for fun and feel like it'll fit in perfectly with that... at least in a campy sort of way. While this video was done in a very oddball comedic matter, it does genuinely deal with subject matter that used to scare not only me as a child, but many an 80s and 90s kid who grew up in the age of the VHS. This video is about what is commonly know as the "WHITE SCREEN OF DEATH"... or rather, that really obnoxious way that professionally made VHS tapes ended. As silly as it seems, it is also an interesting piece of technological history, albeit a long since dead piece of history. But hey, it's still got a small niche group of channels on KZbin!

[@shada9324]

this is actually a test card at the end of many vhses. it serves the same purpose as the famous color bars. the manufacturing/knowing when tape stops explanations are the reason test cards were included at the end of vhses in general, so those reasons make sense.

[@Firecracker66]

Super creepy fragilistic extra hellish dopeness

[@eieiw32424]

true

[@SpongeyBubby]

Even without the screens, the end of VHS tapes after the logos always made me tensed up and unnerved as a kid to the point where I would leave the room or hide behind the door to my room. Sadly that feeling is still kind of there even as an autistic 17 year old but it's ALOT more calmed down now that I'm older.

[@AyanoAishisdaughter]

This never scared me at all. The first time I heard this I was straight up confused and thought it was a tv glitch so i stayed in the room until my mom came and said it was the end of the vhs

[@Firecracker66]

Because of how many woke me up it always was the in-between World between unconsciousness and Consciousness and yes horrible things were in there this is a great video awesome

[@StevetheAmateurHistorian]

Thanks! I was nerding out on some niche VHS history stuff and really wanted to do my own video about something and definitely knew this was something kids of the 80s and 90s would connect with.

[@computerkid1416]

This always frightened me as a kid as well. I would make a run for the VCR as soon as the credits started rolling to avoid having to see it.

[@KLEARSKITHEKREEPER]

Very creeeeeeepy! 💀👍Poltergeist

[@GlassOwl84]

Right? I will never... sleep... again.

[@michellelangdon5134]

Carol Ann- "They're here".

[@rudyiraheta80]

sign off

[@haumea420]

Lol! That intro was pretty bad ass!

[@sammerz50]

The white screen of death appeared on VHS tapes by these companies including: Paramount MCA/(Universal) Home Video Random House Home Video Golden Book Video View-Master Video Mattel, Inc. Connor Toy Co. Fox Video J2 Communications Warner Home Video (on early pressings of Batman) Family Home Entertainment/International Video Entertainment Price Stern Sloan Video

[@sammerz50]

The phone beeps appeared on (mostly) Disney VHS tapes.

[@NicholasAtwood]

The high pitched one

[@michellelangdon5134]

The white screen of Death! And then you needed to return the tape to Blockbuster on time or get charged for an extra day. Be Kind. Please Rewind. ☠️💀⚰️⚱️

[@Lindaisbeautiful2024]

0:54 Yikes!

[@SuperSpaceGirlHDTV]

Try the PBS P-Pals Id from 1993, that really scares me.

[@rudyiraheta80]

that reminds you to sign off the vhs