{"id":259216,"date":"2026-08-04T22:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/259216\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T22:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:04:11","slug":"what-will-you-find-at-lost-lizard-video-in-lawrenceville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/259216\/","title":{"rendered":"What Will You Find at Lost Lizard Video in Lawrenceville?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER<\/p>\n

Lost Lizard Video<\/a> gives grindhouse cinema a home.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Aug. 8 from noon to 6 p.m., owner Vincent Santis will launch a soft opening of the video rental shop on Butler Street in Upper Lawrenceville. You won\u2019t find Hollywood blockbusters or rom-coms there; the place specializes in B-movies, slasher flicks, cult classics, horror, sci-fi, exploitation films and other shockers on VHS, Betamax and DVD.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t have a VCR? Rent one along with the entire \u201cDark Shadows\u201d series!<\/p>\n

You can borrow a movie for $5 a pop or spring for a membership to get more bang for your buck. There are different membership tiers named after lizards. The top one, the Komodo, is $35 a month and includes unlimited free rentals, free entry to events and half-off celebrity meet-and-greets \u2014 plus, you get a membership card.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also be charged a late fee if you don\u2019t return the tape on time, either directly to Lost Lizard or at a designated neighborhood depository.<\/p>\n

If necessary, Santis says he will create a Wall of Shame exposing the unkind souls who failed to rewind.<\/p>\n

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PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER<\/p>\n

There are no apps to download or QR codes to scan in the 600-square-foot space, just knob-and-tube TVs to watch, 8-bit video game consoles to play, popcorn to eat and gory box art to ogle.<\/p>\n

Lost Lizard provides an analog activity in an age of algorithms. Santis hopes it will double as a third space for the horror community.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s already got me hooked.<\/p>\n

As someone who spent her teen years working at a mom-and-pop video store<\/a>, I was thrilled to hear the business model was rising from the dead. Sadly, Santis isn\u2019t hiring.<\/p>\n

The 39-year-old grew up in rural Ohio.<\/p>\n

Watching \u201cIn a Lonely Place\u201d starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame on the Turner Classic Movie channel made him want to be a filmmaker. Perusing Safari Video, the local rental shop, with his pals on a Friday night introduced him to the seedier side of his obsession.<\/p>\n

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PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER<\/p>\n

During this cinematic rite of passion, he saw movies once relegated to late-night horror shows such as WPXI\u2019s \u201cChiller Theatre.\u201d Thanks to the video store, he was able to watch low-budget nightmares around the clock.<\/p>\n

After graduating from high school, Santis moved east to attend the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The indie filmmaker has amassed a large collection of VHS tapes over the years, caring for them as if they were elderly relatives sensitive to light and heat.<\/p>\n

He hunted for obscure titles at Eide\u2019s Entertainment<\/a> Downtown, the former Incredibly Strange Video in Dormont and film distribution companies such as Vinegar Syndrome<\/a>, which opened a storefront on the South Side in 2025.<\/p>\n

For years, the indie film director hosted horror screenings in his Lawrenceville living room, interspersing the movies with the schlocky trailers and clips from insane splatterfests.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s doing the same thing on a professional level. His American dream\/nightmare is coming true.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s driving this VHS revival?<\/p>\n

Santis says nostalgia is a big factor, along with the fact that digital storefronts such as Sony and Apple can remove previously purchased movies from user libraries due to expired content licensing agreements.<\/p>\n

People want hard copies of the films they have a soft spot for, even if it is \u201cFaces of Death.\u201d<\/p>\n

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PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER<\/p>\n

But, just like in the \u201880s, as demand for VHS tapes and DVDs increases, so do the prices. Renting is the economical way to take ownership of your favorite flick. The image- and sound-quality of old VHS tapes aren\u2019t great, but that\u2019s part of their charm. Some newer movies, such as \u201cTerrifer,\u201d are getting limited edition VHS releases.<\/p>\n

Santis says he plans to offer a service that will digitize customers\u2019 old VHS tapes.<\/p>\n

He adds he\u2019d rather adjust the tracking on a grainy copy of \u201cThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre\u201d than watch a 4K Ultra HD version of Tobe Hopper\u2019s 1974 film.<\/p>\n

Some people, myself included, have a spiritual connection to physical media. If you want to see what all the static is about, attend the Retro Media Marketplace<\/a> on Sept. 13 at Monroeville Mall, where director George Romero filmed \u201cDawn of the Dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

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PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER<\/p>\n

Lost Lizard\u2019s soft opening will run for a few weeks. Santis says he plans to close Aug. 20-23 so he can promote the shop at Skull Fest<\/a>, an indie punk rock festival taking place at various locations in Pittsburgh, including Spirit in Lawrenceville.<\/p>\n

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SPIRIT IN LAWRENCEVILLE \/ PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER<\/p>\n

The store\u2019s grand opening will be held on Sept. 5.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to showcase little known films that people have never heard of,\u201d Santis says. \u201cIt\u2019s about discovery; it\u2019s a way of getting into a whole other subculture.\u201d\t<\/p>\n