Episode 106: Top 10 VHS Rentals of January 1986

In Episode 106 of the Sleepover Retro Countdown Show, Guido and Rob travel back forty years to January 1986, using the official Billboard Video Cassette Rental Chart dated January 11, 1986 to explore what Americans were actually renting during the peak of the VHS era. Working directly from the Top 40 rentals of that week, they count down the ten titles they would have brought home from the video store at the time—guided by in-the-moment rental instincts rather than hindsight, and including at least one title they hadn’t seen or barely remembered.

The episode offers a snapshot of mid-1980s rental culture, when tapes could remain popular for months, horror franchises were taking shape, teen movies dominated repeat viewings, and New York–set films helped define the cultural mood.

Our Top 10 VHS Rentals

• The Best of John Belushi
• Just One of the Guys
• Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend
• Starman
• Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
• The Terminator
• The Breakfast Club
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Ghostbusters
• Desperately Seeking Susan

Also Discussed

The episode closes with a look at the actual Top 10 rentals from that week—including Ladyhawke, Fletch, Gremlins, and Beverly Hills Cop—highlighting the difference between mass-market hits and deeper catalog favorites.

Recorded by Sleepover Trading Co. inside the historic Community Theatre in Catskill, New York.

Be kind. Rewind your childhood.