Saturday, April 11, 2009

Jackpot VHS collection - five blocks from my house! And it might be for sale!

Christian and I went to eat at this Thai place we always go to that's right by my house earlier today. When we were leaving, I said, oh, let's look into this store that's right next to it, because it looked like it had old VHS players in there, like my beloved Gigantor top loader from back in the day. The place looked kind of like a shop where old electronics go to die. Cool in and of itself, right? Even cooler is the AMAZING collection of horror VHS in there! I almost exploded! He had some big boxes like you wouldn't fucking believe - including all the Midnight Videos (Microwave Massacre has GOT to be one of my most favorite VHS boxes of all time) in pristine condition and the much sought after Torture Dungeon (!), a ton of Thriller videos, clamshells out the wazoo, I was literally about to freak out and possibly throw up. I could fill in a lot the gaps in my personal collection with the pieces from this one. So while I'm doing flipping my shit and fondling all the boxes, Christian's like, stay calm, I'll ask him if they're for sale or rent. So the guy tells him they're for rent, but he's willing to sell them for two or three dollars (!!) given that he can get replacements (which I'm not really sure what he meant, I know he's not just gonna go out and get an original big box of Make Them Die Slowly at Wal-Mart or anything, but Cannibal Holocaust is readily available on DVD, which makes it replaceable, right?). I don't know if the guy knows that these things are worth anything to collectors and that's why Christian's like, Jenn, remain calm. Stop hyperventilating - we'll leave and come back in a couple of days and play it off like, oh hey, we liked these movies when we were kids, is it cool if we buy a couple? I'm the worst at situations like this - I just want to scream and start jumping up and down like a fool and pile all the movies on the counter and give the guy a 20 and have that be it and walk outta there just like that. But then he'll know that he could put these things on ebay and make a good deal of money. I was literally buzzing when we left the store and then I had to take Christian to work and got on the highway going in the wrong direction and then I couldn't drive and had to pull over at a school. Just the thought of those movies being for sale for a very low price made me insane. 

Christian made me promise not to go back after I dropped him off at work and I didn't, even though I was tempted. We'll go back Tuesday or something and do the whole I don't know that these things are worth anything and I don't even really like horror movies or collect rare horror VHS tapes that much really either, so can I buy these routine. You know, the oldest trick in the book. It'll either work or it won't. If it does, you're likely hear I've spontaneously combusted. 

There's another spot in town with a rival (even better, really) collection - but that dude knows what that collection is worth and it is NOT for sale. He was recently profiled in a fairly well-known horror mag, so so much me acquiring any piece of that. But this seems promising! 

Viva la VHS! And long live shops like this - I love retailers that specialize in throwbacks and wind up being throwbacks themselves.

6 comments:

  1. I've found that Charity shops are often a great place for finding obsure VHS at cheap prices, which is were I found a whole bunch of Random X files stuff for Lily. The added bonus of buying at these places I guess is that your helping charity, while getting somthing in return.
    VHS outside of these shops is becoming increasingly hard to find here in the UK, with the only real place to find it being ebay, which is notorious for sellers jacking up thier prices.
    Glad to know that I'm not the only person refusing to give up thier VHS :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I will never give up the VHS! It's mostly a nostalgia thing with me, and I am also crazy about the box art. I even got VHS tapes tattooed on me. I always check the thrift stores too - who knows what you'll find.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm right there with ya on the VHS thing. I still love them and check every shop I think has even the slightest chance of having a single VHS for sale in hopes of finding that gem i've been looking for. Last year there was a yard sale down the road from me that had tons of rare horror flicks on VHS. Turns out the woman used to own a video shop that had the largest horror selection on the island and she decided to get rid of 'em all for $1 a piece on her front yard. Found lots of booty there. I also found an old school video shop in my area that still has buttloads of horror vhs. I'll have to go back in there sometime soon and ask the guy if he'll sell any!

    Glad to see there's others out there who are still buying VHS and haven't let them get lost in the wake of HD and superior formats!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I know those feelings exactly. Coming upon a store that is or may be selling their entire VHS stock (those that still linger) is akin to stumbling on Biblical artifacts that glow when your flesh makes contact with them. I'm still stumbling upon video goldmines and apple orchards in recent years, and it's so hard to not spend every spare penny I have...but I do come close. Personally, I'm not impressed with remastering and would happily buy a DVD containing a grainy print littered with all the snaps, crackles and pops that feel as if they belong in vintage horror/exploitation.
    Good luck & happy scavaging.

    P.S. Anyone who pulls from a John Waters film for their blog title can't be all bad.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know those feelings exactly. Coming upon a store that is or may be selling their entire VHS stock (those that still linger) is akin to stumbling on Biblical artifacts that glow when your flesh makes contact with them. In recent years, I've managed to still stumble upon video goldmines and apple orchards, and it's so hard to not spend every spare penny I have...but I do come close. Personally, I'm not impressed with remastering and would happily buy a DVD containing a grainy print littered with all the snaps, crackles and pops that feel as if they belong in vintage horror/exploitation. Respect for aspect ratio would be my only request.
    Good luck & happy scavaging.

    P.S. Anyone who pulls from a John Waters film for their blog title can't be all bad.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So far dude has sold me Make Them Die Slowly, in the big box. Demoniacs, also in the big box, and Blackenstein. Next time I go back, I'll hit him up for a few others, slowly draining his inventory over time. And it's easier on the bank account that way too :)

    And kudos for recognizing where the blog title comes from. You are the first to acknowledge such :) I used to have a big picture of Divine behind the title. I have a huge collection of all things Waters and Divine as well, including a rare photo of Divy with Santa Claus. It's one of my prized possessions.

    ReplyDelete