A Redditor popped the trunk on a ~200-tape VHS rescue and asked the community what to keep. The haul reads like a weekend at a 1999 video store: Return of the Living Dead (Thorn clamshell), The Exorcist, The Lost Boys, Titanic, Jerry Maguire, Gone With the Wind, even old UFC tapes. Comments swing from pure envy to smart triage advice—check for mold, sort by condition, and prioritize the rare or culturally fun stuff first.
The preservation angle matters. Moldy or degraded magnetic tape can wreck a VCR; pros recommend nitrile gloves, isolating suspect cassettes, and avoiding playback until they’re cleaned. Library of Congress archivists advise cool, dry storage (~30–40% RH), and the community now has better tools—like a 3D-printed VHS cleaner designed to remove mold safely before digitizing. We’ve included practical tips and the most useful comments to help decide what to clean, what to capture, and what to retire.
1. Dumpster dive find.
A proud cloverboy77 took to Reddit to share his nostalgic find.
2. “~200 Tapes Pulled From a Dumpster”
My only question is what he was doing for those two days if not posting about it?
3. Horror & Cult Row
Boxes and carpet spreads stacked with Candyman, Gremlins, Witchboard, and other late-night staples.
4. (Mostly) ’90s Shelf Hits
Rental-era big titles—Pulp Fiction, Total Recall, Jurassic Park, and more—lined up like a Friday night at Blockbuster.
5. The Boxed-Up Stash
Top-down of mixed spines in moving boxes. Suburbia? The Wedding Singer? Somebody pinch me.
6. Titanic Towers
Stacks on stacks, with Titanic peeking out—plus comedies, thrillers, and oddball fitness tapes.
7. ’90s Crowd-Pleasers
Chasing Amy, Jerry Maguire, The Mask, Stand By Me, Reservoir Dogs, Jumanji—pure time capsule.
8. “It’s **** Amazing”
The vibe check: “It’s f—ing amazing and you know it’s f—ing amazing.”
9. “Return of the Living Dead is a great find.”
Commenters call out the Thorn/EMI clamshell as a keeper.
10. “Titanic AND Jerry Maguire?!?”
Dumpster-diver solidarity and haul envy in one comment thread.
11. “Tell us more about this ‘dumpster’”
For those of us who have done lots of digging, diving, and thrifting, we know that sometimes there’s more where that came from.
12. Mold Warning + Star Wars Flex
Practical reminder to check inside shells for mold, plus a brag about unedited Star Wars tapes.
More ’90s analog vibes
- Early MP3 Players: Portable Music Before the iPod — when “digital audio” still felt experimental.
- 32 Photos That Show What Life Was Like in 1990 — everyday scenes at the start of the decade.
- 411 Video Magazine Issue 5 (1994) — the skate VHS issue kids rewound to death.
- 13 Nostalgic AOL Images That Take You Back Online — screenshots you can hear.
- This Abandoned McDonald’s Is a 1993 Time Capsule — fast-food nostalgia frozen in place.
