Jimmy Kimmel likes to have fun with guests on his show, and Quentin Tarantino's recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live was no exception. Toward the end of the wide-ranging interview, Kimmel pulled out a blindfold for the writer-director to wear while Kimmel read the descriptions on the back of old VHS tapes. Tarantino's job was to guess the names of the movies based on their descriptions alone... and his struggle was real.
Tarantino, one of the most well-known filmmakers of his generation, had a surprising amount of trouble guessing the names of the films that Kimmel described. He was half-right on his first videotape, Hard Bodies, but absolutely failed at guessing the Tom Hanks film Mazes and Monsters next. Tarantino was equally clueless as Kimmel rattled off the description for Dogs of Hell, but then successfully identified it by its original name of Rottweiler. The final VHS summary Kimmel rattled off, though, didn't stump Tarantino one bit. He correctly guessed that it was written for The Clown Murders, starring the late actor John Candy before he transitioned into comedy.
Here's a fun fact for anyone who was born after the year 2000: VHS (short for "video home system") tapes were the number one way to watch movies in the privacy of your own home, long before DVDs or streaming services were invented. Back in those days, people would have to walk fifteen miles in the snow, uphill both ways, just to rent their favorite movies in VHS form from something called a "Blockbuster" or a "Hollywood Video." They were dark times. But movie buffs persevered. Then the internet was invented, and life became much easier for people who love to consume entertainment.
All joking aside, Tarantino's reason for appearing on Kimmel that night was to promote his upcoming novelization for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The book is currently available for pre-order and officially goes on sale June 29. Watch the full interview with Tarantino below: