Horror Director James Cullen Bressack Ditches Digital to Shoot I Have Proof Entirely on Vintage VHS-C Tapes

Director James Cullen Bressack is returning to raw horror roots with his new film, I Have Proof, shot entirely on vintage VHS-C cassette tapes.

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TL;DR

• I Have Proof will be filmed entirely on VHS-C videocassettes
• Bressack purchased roughly 30 used tapes from eBay, recording over old home movies
• The psychological horror film explores a “deteriorating sense of reality”
• Production begins in Los Angeles this month

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Writer-director James Cullen Bressack is shooting his new psychological horror feature, I Have Proof, entirely on vintage VHS-C videocassettes. The bold creative choice marks a sharp turn from his recent big-budget work — and a deliberate return to where it all began.

Plot details are being kept under wraps. But the film is described as psychologically charged, exploring a deteriorating sense of reality.

Bressack says the project favors “texture, imperfection, and immediacy over polish.” The low-fi aesthetic is designed to match the tone and intention of the script itself.

To make the film, Bressack had to source the now-rare cassette format creatively. He purchased around 30 tapes from eBay, buying people’s old home movies to record over. It is a production method as unconventional as the film’s concept itself.

The idea did not come from a studio pitch or a trend report. It came from a single online comment.

“This is me going back to raw, stripped-down horror,” said Bressack. “I saw a review on Letterboxd from someone who liked my early work and said they missed when I used to make grungy horror films. It stuck with me.”

He described the project as a direct response to that reader. “It pushed me to return to that space and make something that feels immediate and real for those that watched my films in the beginning,” Bressack said.

The sentiment carries weight. His previous films, like To Jennifer and Hate Crime, both used imperfection to create texture and drive narrative. I Have Proof appears to revive that same instinct — deliberately and unapologetically.

The choice to shoot on VHS-C is not only aesthetic. Bressack framed it as a philosophical declaration.

“We’re leaning fully into analog to create something AI couldn’t replicate and wouldn’t even know how to approach — something human and raw,” Bressack said.

The statement lands with particular resonance in 2026. AI-generated imagery now dominates parts of the entertainment industry. Shooting on decaying magnetic tape is, in that context, an act of artistic defiance.

Larsen Deane and Lilly Van Der Meer star in I Have Proof, with Kelly Lynn Reiter (Slotherhouse) and B.J. Hendricks in supporting roles.

Bressack produces via his Sandaled Kid Productions banner alongside David Josh Lawrence. Hendricks executive produces with James Rundquist of Robotic Donut. Kay Day co-produces.

I Have Proof marks Bressack’s return to the horror genre after a decade away. During that time, he helmed action films, including the Jean-Claude Van Damme-led Darkness of Man, as well as features starring Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson.

An award-winning filmmaker, Bressack received two Emmy nominations for production in both 2023 and 2024. His pivot back to horror — and to VHS — signals a filmmaker choosing creative freedom over commercial comfort.

Production on I Have Proof begins in Los Angeles later this month. A release date has not yet been announced.

Whether the film becomes a cult artifact or a mainstream horror moment remains to be seen. What is certain is this: in an era of sleek digital perfection, James Cullen Bressack is choosing the hiss, the grain, and the glitch. And for horror fans who grew up rewinding tapes in the dark — that might be exactly what they have been waiting for.