Hellraiser VHS on the Bus Stop

Over the last 8 years of living in South London, there has been at least one copy of Hellraiser on VHS on top of the bus stop at East Street. The most I have ever seen up there is three. No idea how they get there, no idea who regulates it. But it has always been one of my favourite things, a little bit of solitude in the big city. But recently, for a considerable amount of time, there has been no sign of them. Removed by the council? Vandals? Who knows? Today, I saw a fresh copy had been placed. It made me feel like all was well in the world again.

A social media post describes a VHS copy of Hellraiser repeatedly appearing on top of a London bus stop in South London. The writer treats this mysterious, unofficial tradition as a comforting piece of solitude and feels relieved when a new copy appears after a long absence. The joke comes from the disproportionate emotional importance given to an abandoned horror-film tape in an ordinary city setting.

• @rzeczyzabawne / 12567 2023-10-06