Father-son duo brings back the film classics

Before the rapid rise of video streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu, movie watchers of the 1990s and early 2000s recall fond memories of perusing the aisles of their neighborhood Blockbuster in search of a movie. They’d take it home on a DVD — or for anyone who really goes back, a VHS tape.

Those days are long gone for the once wildly popular video rental franchise, at least officially. The last remaining Blockbuster store in existence is tucked away in a central Oregon strip mall 170 miles east of Portland.

But Blockbuster has returned to Valley Stream — well, sort of. Christopher Castillo may be too young, at 11, to know when videocassettes reigned supreme. But his 44-year-old father, Alfonso Castillo, definitely remembers. And both hope others will feel a little nostalgia, too, as they revive the classic viewing format by opening up one of a number of free libraries of VHS tapes across the country.

The “Free Blockbuster” movement, as it’s called, was started three years ago in California by Brian Morrison, an ex-Blockbuster employee who turned an abandoned newspaper vending box into a collection of old tapes for anyone to borrow and lend. Since then, dozens of free Blockbusters have cropped up across the country.

Like Morrison, Castillo and Alfonso repurposed an old newspaper kiosk on the corner of Cornwell and Foster avenues, fitting them with DVDs and VHS tapes to share with the community. Movies include “The Usual Suspects,” “Gumby” and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

They were inspired to launch Nassau County’s first Free Blockbuster while locked down together at home during the coronavirus pandemic, spending their days as any family of classic movie buffs would — watching retro films of the ‘80s on VHS tapes. That’s when they decided to turn back the clock.

“It’s a way to share movies we think are really cool,” Alfonso said. “We filled the Free Blockbuster with tapes from our own collection. And in the last couple of days, people have dropped off their own movies, including a Blockbuster DVD that is very, very old.”

For Christopher, it’s all about learning more what it was like at his age for his father.

“It’s fun to imagine yourself in the ’80s,” he said. For Alfonso, it harkens back to his formative years as a young adult spent walking up and down the aisles in the search of the latest releases. In fact, Alfonso’s first job was at Silver Fun Video on Merrick Road, and later at Suncoast Motion Picture Co., in Green Acres Mall

“I grew up in the ‘80s, worked in a couple of video stores, and I’ve always been very nostalgic about VHS tapes,” Alfonso said. “We thought it was fun, you know, in part because I live relatively close to the old Blockbuster” that is now a 7-Eleven convenience store.

“For me, I sort of like that it’s a throwback to the days of going to the Blockbuster and renting a video on a Friday night.”

But there are no late fees at the Free Blockbuster, and while a rewind might be kind, it’s not required. Those lending and borrowing not only get their hands on tough-to-find films, but it also provides a distinct source of entertainment to many who might not have access to streaming services — or prefer to stray from it.

“I even think to seniors in the community who might still have (a) VCR in their house, that might be the last bit of technology that they really related to and understood,” Alfonso said. But those without a VCR will still have to go through the hassle of installing a special converter to get those tapes to work on their modern smart television.

Not Alfonso and Castillo, however. They prefer the traditional videocassette recorder.

“We have one in every room of the house,” Alfonso said.

But the two are no strangers to newer technology. They even have a YouTube channel, “The Heavenly ’80s,” where they discuss the movies from that decade they’ve watched and enjoyed. 

The Free Blockbuster is going strong, but there’s still nothing like the original. And Alfonso and Castillo already are planning their next retro adventure: Visiting that last Blockbuster on the other side of the country.

For Alfonso, it will be worth it. “It’ll be like walking into a time machine.”