Slasher World, an amazing horror store, opens in Melrose

Hundreds of VHS tapes are carefully organized and displayed. Garage rock tunes while guests browse the collection. High-spirited exchanges about “where” and “Halloween” fill the air. This is not a 1999 blockbuster. It’s a VHS swap of horror in 2025.

The event took place at Slasher World, a horror store filled with life-size replicas of the likes of Freddy Krueger and Leatherface that opened in August. Costumes, action figures and accessories are for sale, but Slasher World in the Fairfax neighborhood is meant to serve as a home base for horror fans, much like the “tape heads” at VHS Swap.

Keiko Bailey stands next to a giant statue of Art the Clown from “Terrifier.”

(Solomon & Smith/For The Times)

“One of my biggest motivations for opening [Slasher World] “I just love the horror community so much,” says owner Kiko Bailey. “I really feel like we need a safe place – a place to meet like-minded people and be in good spirits. I think that’s so important right now and just bringing people together.

Slasher World opens with the return of Slashback Video, which may be familiar to some local horror fans. The concept began in 2017 as an exhibit at the Mystic Museum, a horror center in Burbank. Once a temporary exhibit featuring a plethora of VHS covers, including classics like “The Shining,” “Carrie” and “Hellraiser” to obscure ones like “Ghoulies,” “Dolly Dearest” and “Troll,” Slashback Video is now on permanent display at Slasher World. It has also expanded to include international versions of VHS covers. Bailey, who has Japanese ancestry, says the addition shows that horror fandom is global.

Video covers and original artwork are featured in the Slashback video exhibition.

(Solomon & Smith/For The Times)

Alex von Klemperer, a tape seller known as Retro UFO and organizer of the exchange, says the event adds a tactile element to the exhibition.

“I just thought, ‘Well, we have this show where the tapes aren’t for sale; they’re for display. And we have these vendors who actually sell a lot of these tapes that are on display so people can actually buy them. [them] Home,” he adds.

For some at the tape event, going back in time is more than a hobby. It’s a way of life — one that helped enrich the original Slashback video show.

“I saw what Kiko did for the first time at Slashback in 2017, and it looked really amazing and inspired me,” says Matt Landsman, a tape seller known as Matt’s Mortuary. “I was already kind of collecting tapes, but that was the push I needed to start collecting them more seriously.”

A giant replica of Freddy Krueger’s clawed hand is hitting Slasher World merchandise.

(Solomon & Smith/For The Times)

The first thing that greets visitors is a giant statue of Slasher World’s art clown.

(Solomon & Smith/For The Times)

Today, Landsman is a film programmer at Bekind Video, a throwback video store in Burbank, and director of Quentin Tarantino’s Video Archive Cinema Club in Vista.

“[Slashback Video] Like a glimpse of what you want your living room to look like or what it was like growing up. It’s like an ideal video store, and it literally kicked me down a career path. It might not work for everyone, but it might inspire them to write a horror movie, or it might create some kind of nostalgic desire,” says Landesman. “And obviously, [Bailey’s] It has become much more than a video store. Now, it’s a community space. This is a show for horror fans.”

Tape dealers Angela Medina and Miguel Alonso hang out in a tape exchange at Cheap Thrill Retro’s Slasher World as customers watch movies near a Candyman model.

(Solomon & Smith/For The Times)

Tape dealer Angela Medina and Miguel Alonso of Cheap Trail Retro have been collecting VHS tapes for five years. For them, the thrill of reaching for a hard-to-find movie is fun, but more importantly, they say, physical media reminds them of their youth and brings them comfort.

When asked why a tip change like this is important to the community, Alonso says, “It keeps everything alive.”

The store “feels like home” to Bailey. And he wants it to feel like home for those who visit, too.

For the future, Bailey envisions more events, such as meet and greets, art exhibits and parties. One day he likes to go to another place.

“I feel like this is my life’s purpose,” Bailey says. “I love being a place to come, make friends, be creative, have an art show.”

Keiko Bailey showcases a wide selection of classic covers in a Slashback video showcase.

(Solomon & Smith/For The Times)

Slasher World is open daily from 11am to 7pm. It is located at 7660 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles. Admission to the Slashback video is $13. For more information, visit the store web page or Instagram.