This post is inspired by an entry at Marty McKee's blog. You can read all about it here. Basically, people are selling VHS like it is going out of style. Well, I guess it is going out of style. While I haven't been able to hit a sale as good as $1 a tape, I have found a few nice bargains. The store I used to manage is selling VHS for $2 each (10 for $15). I picked up Gary Daniels' RIOT and RECOIL (thus completing his PM "R" trilogy with RAGE). A true shame the current management doesn't believe in the power of PM.

However, the best deal I have found is a guy on eBay selling literally thousands of VHS tapes. The prices range from .08 to .69 cents each and you rarely get into a bidding war. Then again, I usually buy crap. My criteria is

1. If it sounds cheap and exploitive, buy it!
2. If the IMDb has one review saying, "This is the worst movie ever!", buy it!
3. If there is no IMDb entry, definitely buy it!

Of course there is shipping but I usually end up getting 10 tapes for roughly $20. Recent acquisitions include

-SLOW BULLET
-THE TRAINKILLER
-THIS IS A HIJACK!
-KARATE COP
-MOB WAR
-MOB WAR (different one)
-PLUNGE INTO DARKNESS
-SAVAGE DAWN
-WATCHED!
-TERROR IN THE SWAMP
-CITY KILLER
-FEAR NO EVIL
-HELL FIRE
-SCARED TO DEATH
-GANGSTERS
-NINJA ASSASSINS
-KILL POINT
-ASSAULT ON AGATHON
-OPIUM STRIKE FORCE
-DEMONOID

Of course I have limited space for these but I can't help myself. I am a certified VHS junkie. So who else is enjoying the decline of VHS?

It's an interesting topic, and a good post by Mr. McKee on his blog.

I don't have a lot of disposable income, and most of what I do have usually ends up buying books, the occasional bottle of scotch, or actually going to the movies. I do sometimes, though, stop by a local video store -- it's the one Ms. Duffy used to work at -- and see what they've got for sale. They're usually priced at two bucks each, although recently they've started a bargain bin with them priced at a stone cold .69 each.

I try to pick up either direct-to-video stuff, movies that likely won't show up on dvd anytime soon (although I suspect that, rather like cds, in the long run pretty much everything will end up on dvd), or junk that I'd never want to track down on dvd. Like COLD COMFORT FARM. Which sets up this weird dynamic where I'm looking for stuff that likely I'm gonna think is junky once I watch it, but there you are.

I should do this at more stores. The big problem with this particular store is that it's in a university area, which means there's not nearly enough junky crap for sale out there. I'm particularly perturbed by the lack of cheesy erotic thrillers.

I have TO KILL A CLOWN on top of my tv set right now, and one particularly good thing I got there was the great DIE HARD knockoff INTERCEPTOR.

Hell, maybe I'll go today.

doug

Strangely enough, TO KILL A CLOWN was one of the $1 titles I picked up.

Some of these I have seen, but most of them I haven't, and a few I don't know a darned thing about them beyond what little is on the IMDb. Any reviews or advice will be appreciated!

AMAZON WOMEN (aka GOLD OF THE AMAZON WOMEN) (Bo Svenson Donald Pleasence)
AMERICAN CYBORG: STEEL WARRIOR (Joe Lara Nicole Hansen)
THE ANDERSONVILLE TRIAL (William Shatner Richard Basehart)
ANGEL OF DEATH (Christopher Mitchum Fernando Rey)
BEHIND ENEMY LINES (Robert Patrick Lydie Denier)
BLOODMATCH (Thom Mathews Hope Marie Carlton)
THE BLUE LIGHTNING (Sam Elliott Robert Culp)
THE BOUNTY HUNTER (Robert Ginty Bo Hopkins)
THE CHICKEN CHRONICLES (Steve Guttenberg Phil Silvers)
THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE (Bruce Li Bruce Lai)
COUNTERFORCE (George Kennedy Robert Forster)
DANGEROUSLY CLOSE (John Stockwell Carey Lowell)
DEATH CHASE (Paul Smith Jack Starrett)
DEATH STALK (Vic Morrow Vince Edwards)
DOUBLE EXPOSURE (Michael Callan Joanna Pettet)
THE FIRST POWER (Lou Diamond Phillips Tracy Griffith)
GETTING EVEN (Joe Don Baker Edward Albert)
THE GREAT ESCAPE II (Christopher Reeve Judd Hirsch)
THE HARVEST (Miguel Ferrer Henry Silva)
HIGH BALLIN' (Peter Fonda Jerry Reed)
HOT ICE (aka MR. INSIDE/MR. OUTSIDE) (Hal Linden Tony LoBianco)
HOT STUFF (Jerry Reed Dom DeLuise)
HUSTLER SQUAD (John Ericson Karen Ericson)
THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN (Alex Rebar)
JUNGLE HEAT (aka DANCE OF THE DWARFS) (Peter Fonda Deborah Raffin)
LAST EMBRACE (Roy Scheider Janet Margolin)
A NAME FOR EVIL (Robert Culp Samantha Eggar)
THE NAVY VS. THE NIGHT MONSTERS (Anthony Eisley Mamie Van Doren)
NO SAFE HAVEN (Wings Hauser)
OCTOPUS 2
OPERATION DELTA FORCE (Jeff Fahey Ernie Hudson)
OUT OF CONTROL (Betsy Russell Sherilyn Fenn)
OUT ON BAIL (Robert Ginty Kathy Shower)
PLATOON LEADER (Michael Dudikoff)
PRAYER OF THE ROLLERBOYS (Corey Haim Patricia Arquette)
PRESSURE POINT (Michael Madsen Jeff Wincott)
RAGE AND HONOR (Cynthia Rothrock Richard Norton)
RAW COURAGE (Ronny Cox Art Hindle)
RAW NERVE (Glenn Ford Jan-Michael Vincent)
RED ALERT (William Devane Adrienne Barbeau)
RED HEAT (Linda Blair Sylvia Kristel)
RETURN FIRE: JUNGLE WOLF II (Ron Marchini Adam West)
THE ROSEBUD BEACH HOTEL (Peter Scolari Christopher Lee)
RUN (Patrick Dempsey Kelly Preston)
SAVAGE STREETS (Linda Blair John Vernon)
SCARRED CITY (Stephen Baldwin Tia Carrere)
SCORCHY (Connie Stevens William Smith)
SHAKMA (Roddy McDowall Christopher Atkins)
SIDEWINDER 1 (Marjoe Gortner Michael Parks)
SKATEBOARD (Allen Garfield Chad McQueen)
SKELTON COAST (Ernest Borgnine Robert Vaughn)
SPECIAL DELIVERY (Bo Svenson Cybill Shepherd)
SURVIVAL RUN (Peter Graves Ray Milland)
SURVIVOR (Chip Mayer Richard Moll)
SWEET REVENGE (Martin Landau Nancy Allen)
TERROR ON ALCATRAZ (Aldo Ray)
TO KILL A CLOWN (Alan Alda Blythe Danner)
TRAINED TO KILL (Henry Silva Chuck Connors)
UNDERGROUND ACES (Dirk Benedict Melanie Griffith)
ZAPPED! (Scott Baio Willie Aames)

I was doing this awhile ago, a couple years ago actually, buying VHS in masse, but nowadays I kind of only buy vhs at garage sales and discount stores, when the price is, as you say, cheap.

If you are a VHS junky, this is definitely the time to be one.

BLOODMATCH (Thom Mathews Hope Marie Carlton) - Albert Pyun mess. If anything, you get to see Benny the Jet Uriqudez as a janitor.

THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE (Bruce Li Bruce Lai) - Watch this now! From the man who produced CHALLENGE OF THE TIGER. Easily one of the greatest Bruceploitation movies ever and infinitely quotable.

"Hey, that looks like...you know!"
"Bruce Lee. I heard they brought him in"

The nude beach scene is killer.

"What we need girls is a man!"

DEATH CHASE (Paul Smith Jack Starrett) - I bought this a few months ago. Fun enough action flick where a guy inadvertently falls into a deadly game of tag amongst assassins.

LAST EMBRACE (Roy Scheider Janet Margolin) - Just bought this a few weeks ago. Jonathan Demme's nod toward the Hitchcock thriller. Roy Schieder is tops.

RUN (Patrick Dempsey Kelly Preston) - I saw this in the theater and enjoyed it quite a bit. Plot is soooo minimal but it is fun. This would actually make a perfect double feature with DEATH CHASE.

TO KILL A CLOWN (Alan Alda Blythe Danner) - Worth seeing for Alda's performance. The male lead is supposed to be sympathetic but I wanted him to be torns to shreds by those dogs.

If ZAPPED! is the movie I think it is, it's a disappointingly tame attempt to cash in on PORKY'S-mania.

The one to get is PRIVATE SCHOOL, with Matthew Modine in drag. A timeless classic.

doug

Hell yeah!

I've been doing this for a little while now too. Anything involving explosions, martial arts, PM entertainment, or plain old sleaze I'll pick up. Ebay is great for tapes under 10 cents (+shipping of course), although I've had some problems getting shorted on my bulk purchases from certain sellers. Hollywood Video is also selling off their VHS inventory at $3 a tape (excluding mainstream titles). I find this is good for purchasing movies where the DVDs are far more expensive.

I've always thought this was a terrific thriller. Wonder why it is MIA on DVD...?

Beats me. I agree that it's a very good movie. You would think a thriller with Roy Scheider and Jonathan Demme's names on it would sell well on DVD.

HOT STUFF is a minor but pleasant 1979 comedy with Reed, Deluise, and Suzanne Pleshette involved in stolen goods trafficking. Nothing special but I tuned into every so often on HBO way back in the day.

I really enjoyed it during the winter of 2006. I bought like 150 VHS at ridiculous prices.

Got some Italian commando action films- I am beginning to love those:

ROLF THE LAST MERCENARY
STRIKE COMMANDO parts 1, 2
DOUBLE TARGET
BORN TO FIGHT
LAST FLIGHT TO HELL
CROSS MISSION
TORNADO
HELL'S HEROES
DELTA FORCE COMMANDO parts 1, 2
WARBUS 2
BYE BYE VIETNAM

I got some Italo-crime films of the 70s:

TORINO NERA
CORLEONE
IRON HAND OF THE MAFIA
DEATH RAGE
NAPOLI SPARA/WEAPONS OF DEATH
MILANO VIOLENTA
BIG FAMILY
BLUE EYED BANDIT
RING OF DEATH
KNELL BLOODY AVENGER
THE NEW GODFATHERS
MIAMI COPS
THE GUN

Some great exploitation films:

HANNA D THE GIRL FROM VONDEL PARK (I loved it!!!!!!!!!)
MALOMBRA
SENZA SCRUPOLI
THE HAWK AND THE DOVE
RING OF DARKNESS
SKIN DEEP with olga carlatos
MIDNIGHT BLUE
BLUE ISLAND (BLUE LAGOON rip-off starring Sabrina Siani!)
A WOMAN FOR 7 BASTARDS

Also i got almost every Richard Harrison Ninja film on Greek VHS plus tons of Greek porn films of the 80s- some of those really hard to get. And lots of Alfonso Brescia (Al Bradley) films. I am really proud for those :P


actually I got a few of those through trades. I am really happy with the amount of VHS I got this winter. Hoping to get more soon as I am a VHS junkie too! :D

I was able to snag some pretty cool OOP stuff recently, including a bunch of those old 1970's TV horror flicks. A few things I picked up just for the cool art on the big clamshell boxes.

THE MUMMY'S REVENGE
HAUNTS OF THE VERY RICH
THE DEAD DON'T DIE
SHE WAITS
THE SAVAGE BEES
TERROR OUT OF THE SKY
THE HANGING WOMAN
THE STRANGER WITHIN
CASTLE OF THE CREEPING FLESH
FAKE OUT
THE POSSESSOR
MONSTER HUNTER
THE FINAL EXECUTIONER
ZOTZ!
DR. STRANGE

....and about a dozen of those Godfrey Ho Ninja flicks with Richard Harrison spliced in.

I'm officially flabbergasted: Marty McKee has never seen THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN!?

I could dismiss this FIRST MAN INTO SPACE ripoff as grade-Z junk...but that's exactly what Marty WANTS me to say. :P Okay, amend that: it's grade-Z junk with a fantastic title and wonderfully putrescent title character courtesy of a young Rick Baker. Reason enough to pick this one up, but be aware I think there's also a German DVD of this title available. But for the full grindhouse experience, a battered VHS tape with tracking issues is de rigeur.

Wow, I remember being fascinated by the premise of this one as a monster-obsessed pre-teen: pics in "House of Hammer" magazine whetted an immature appetite unduly for what subsequently turned out to be an underwhelming experience (about a decade later)...but my Melting Man craze even led to picking up the paperback novelisation, which is far better and quite a bit different from the film. For starters, there's a lengthy Mars flashback sequence which obviously proved too cost-prohibitive for the filmmakers to attempt...

But it's worth the slog for a scene wherein the titular putrescence rips the head off a hitchhiker (IIRC), chucks it into a river...and we watch as it goes over a waterfall and splatters on the rocks below. If my memory is playing tricks here, I expect someone will step in to supply the requisite corrective data.

Like a sad junkie, I just got a box of stuff and immediately bought more. I picked up the following:

-THE VERONIA INCIDENT
-MR. INSIDE/MR. OUTSIDE
-ANGEL OF FURY
-THE DARK RIDE
-HEAT STREET

Is your video titled MR. INSIDE/MR. OUTSIDE? Mine (and I just watched it last night) carries the title HOT ICE on the box and (video-generated) on the print.

It's one of producer Philip D'Antoni's million attempts to rip off his own THE FRENCH CONNECTION, but as a TV pilot starring an unknown-to-TV-audiences Hal Linden (later the star of BARNEY MILLER) and Tony LoBianco (who was in FRENCH CONNECTION). It's surprisingly gritty and "realistic" for a '70s TV-movie, but I'm not sure where a series could have gone with these characters.

I haven't received it yet but on eBay it was listed with that title.

ok yesterday I got the titles below on VHS:

LETHAL HUNTER (indonesian)
A VERY DEBAUCHED GIRL (porn with lilli carati)
JUNGLE HEAT (indonesian action)
THE JUNKMAN (original audio track)
WALKING TALL
VENGEANCE SQUAD (probably a philipino commando film)
BLACK COBRA 3: THE MANILA CONNECTION
WOODEN OVERCOAT (italian mafia/giallo)
DAREDEVIL COMMANDOS
DEATH FORCE (1978)

just posted a new topic about LETHAL HUNTER :D

I didn't like this uneven thriller as much as some others do. I agree that Alda is very good in it, much better than he was in a similarly psycho role in the later WHISPERS IN THE DARK. Director George Bloomfield's varied career includes episodes of SCTV, and he's still working in Canadian television. Blythe Danner looks a lot like her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow, and if you've been wondering what Blythe would look like nude, TO KILL A CLOWN is your chance to find out.

I liked the score and Georgie Fame's theme song, even though I never quite figured out the significance of such a bright tune bookending such a downer film.

Took in a major haul today at $1 a pop plus tax. Got 73 tapes and I would have gotten more except I was about to crap my pants and all the neigborhood bums kept filing in and out of the bathroom ahead of me. Tomorrow I'll have to crap first and then finish going through their inventory. The only downside to my purchase is that the tape cases are filthy. My hands get black when I touch them, and they make me itchy! I'm trying to repair the original boxes (which have been cut) so I can get rid of those awful cases. Anyway, here's what I got:

ACT OF AGGRESSION: Dir: Gerard Pires; Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Louis Trintignant
ALLEY CAT: Dir: Edward Victor; Karin Mani; Hooker + 2 Armed Losers On Box
AMERICAN COMMANDOS: Dir: Bobby Suarez; Chris Mitchum, John Phillip Law
AMERICAN SPLENDOR: Dir: Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini; Paul Giamatti
ANGELS OF THE CITY: Dir:Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Armed Hookers on Box, PM Ent.
THE ANNIHILATORS: Dir: Charles E. Sellier; Musclemen w/ Phalic Weapons On Box
ARMED RESPONSE: Dir: Fred Olen Ray; David Carradine, Lee Van Cleef
ARMY OF ONE: Dir: Vic Armstrong; Dolph Lundgren, Fireball on Box
THE ART OF DYING: Dir. Wings Hauser; Wings Hauser; PM Entertainment
THE ASSASSIN: Dir: ???; Sonny Chiba
ASSAULT OF THE KILLER BIMBOS: Dir: Anita Rosenberg; 3 Bimbos on Box
ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON: Skeleton Policemen Shooting Guns on Box
BLACK ORPHEUS: Dir: Marcel Camus; Berno Mello, Marpessa Dawn
BLACULA: Dir: William Crain; William Marshall
BLOOD WARRIORS: Dir: Sam Firstenberg; David Bradley
THE BRAVE BUNCH: Dir: Dacosta Carayan; “Sybil Danning’s Adventure Theater”
BREAKER! BREAKER!: Dir: Don Hulette; Chuck Norris
BRONX EXECUTIONER: Dir: “Bob Collins” “Michael Dudikoff presents,” Cannon
BURY ME AN ANGEL: Dir: Barbara Peeters; Dixie Peabody, Bimbo w/Shotgun on Box
CABOBLANCO: Dir: J. Lee Thompson; Charles Bronson, Jason Robards
CATCH THE HEAT: Dir: Joel Silberg; Rod Steiger, Bimbo Shooting Gun on Box
CHANCE: Dir: Lawrence Hilton Jacobs; Dan Haggerty, PM Ent., Exploding Car on Box
COLD VENGEANCE: Dir: Jalal Merhi, Christina Cox, Bomb + 2 Armed Losers on Box
DEADLY FORCE: Dir: Paul Aaron; Wings Hauser Gritting Teeth on Box
DEATH FEUD: Dir:Carl Monson;Frank Stallone,Chris Mitchum,Bimbo+Fireball on Box
DUEL IN THE ECLIPSE: Dir: J.L. Martin; Lang Jeffries, Fernando Sancho
DOUBLE REVENGE: Dir. Armand Mastroianni; Joe Dallesandro
DOUBLE TEAM: Dir: Tsui Hark; Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman
EAGLE SHADOW FISTS: Dir: Hdeng Tsu & Zhu Wu; Jackie Chan
ELEPHANT: Dir: Gus Van Sant;
EQUALIZER 2000: Dir: Cirio Santiago; Richard Norton, Exploding Car on Box
EXTERMINATOR 2: Dir: Mark Butzman; Robert Ginty, Flamethrower on Box
AN EYE FOR AN EYE: Dir: Steve Carver; Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee
FIREPOWER: Dir: Michael Winner; Sophia Loren, James Coburn, O.J. Simpson
A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE: Dir:Sergio Leone; Rod Steiger & James Coburn
FIVE GIANTS FROM TEXAS: Dir: Aldo Florio; Guy Madison
GORDON’S WAR: Dir: Ossie Davis; Paul Winfield, Motorcycle Jump on Box
HARD CORE LOGO: Dir: Bruce McDonald; Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith Rennie
HEAT STREET: Dir: Jospeh Merhi; Del Zamora, Girl in Bikini Holding Scepter on Box
HELL UP IN HARLEM: Dir: Larry Cohen; Fred Williamson
HIGH CRIME: Dir: Enzo G. Castellari; Franco Nero, James Whitmore
THE HUMAN SHIELD: Dir: Ted Post; Michael Dudikoff, Expoding Factory on Box
HUSTLER SQUAD: Dir: Cesar Gallardo; John Ericson, 3 Armed Bimbos on Box
JACKIE CHAN’S CRIME FORCE: Dir:???; 4 Armed Bimbos + Fireball on Box
JOHNNY FIRECLOUD: Dir: William Allen Castleman; Victor Mohica
JUNGLE WARRIORS: Dir: Ernst von Theumer; Sybil Danning’s Boobs on Box
KILL POINT: Dir: Frank Harris; Leo Fong, Richard Roundtree, Cameron Mitchell
THE KILLING ZONE: Dir: Addison Randall; James Dalesandro, PM Entertainment
KNIGHTRIDERS: Dir: George Romero; Ed Harris in Homoerotic Pose on Box
KNOCK OFF: Dir: Tsui Hark; Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rob Schneider
L.A. CRACKDOWN: Dir: Joseph Merhi; Pamela Dixon, Patricia Parks
L.A. VICE: Dir: Joseph Merhi; Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Bimbo on Box, PM Ent.
LUST FOR FREEDOM: Dir: Eric Louzil, Chained Bimbo on Box, Troma
MONKEY SHINES: Dir: George Romero; Jason Beghe, Killer Monkey on Box
MS. 45: Dir: Abel Ferrara; Zoe Tamerlis “R” version
THE NAED CAGE: Dir: Paul Nichols; Golan/Globus, Women’s Prison Riot on Box
THE NAKED MAN: Dir: J. Todd Anderson; Michael Rappaport, Written by Ethan Coen
NAM ANGELS: Dir: Cirio Santiago; Brad Johnson, Hell’s Angels Firing Guns on Box
NIGHT FORCE: Dir: Lawrence Foldes; Linda Blair, Fireball + ‘80s Cheese on Box
THE OMEGA CODE: Christian Propaganda Film, thought I was buying OMEGA MAN
ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 3: Tsui Hark; Jet Li
PICASSO TRIGGER: Dir:Andy Sidaris; Dona Speir, Motorcycle Jump+ Bimbos on Box
PENITENTIARY 2: Dir: Jamaa Fanaka, Leon Isaac Kennedy, Mr. T
PERMANENT MIDNIGHT: Dir: David Veloz; Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Hurley
RAPPIN’: Dir: Joel Silberg; Mario Van Peebles, Golan/Globus
RED RIVER: Dir: Howard Hawkes; John Wayne, Montgomery Clift
RETURN OF SUPERFLY: Dir: Sig Shore; Nathan Purdee
RISKY BUSINESS: Dir: Paul Brickman; Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay
SILVER CITY: Dir: John Sayles; Chris Cooper
SKYSCRAPER: Dir: Raymond Martino; Anna Nicole Smith, PM Entertainment
THE STICKUP: Dir: Rowdy Herrington; James Spader, Leslie Stefanson, David Keith
THIEF: Dir: Michael Mann; James Caan, Jim Belushi
UNDERCOVER: Dir: John Stockwell; David Neidorf, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Cannon

Be careful. If the boxes are filthy, the tapes may be just as bad. Look each tape over first. Press that little button and lift up the flap that covers the tape. If it looks flaky or scratched or buckled, etc., don't put it in your machine. You risk damaging your VCR just to watch a $1 tape. Just throw the bad tapes out. At that price, you can afford to.

Unless you have an old spare VCR you can afford to take a chance with. Even then, I wouldn't recommend it if the tape really looks damaged. It's just not worth it.

I've got a lot of those same movies on tape or disc, Ian. You're gonna have some good times!

Ha! I love those descriptions. Obviously your criteria is very similar to mine. ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON, great box and all, is a Tomas Milian Italian crime flick. Great stuff.

This was the first one I watched of the bunch. When I picked it up off the shelf, I was hoping it was the Milian/Merli/Lenzi crime flick, but I figured it was something else since none of their names appeared on the credits. Still, how can you pass up a movie with skeleton police officers shooting guns, and distributed by Cannon as a part of "Sybil Danning's Adventure Video."

Danning's intro and extro are interesting enough as curios, although not nearly as entertaining as the ones a drunken Michael Dudikoff did for Cannon around the same time. The credits are all fake, but I actually liked the credit scene a lot because it brought back the skeleton police.

And by the way, the movie itself is awesome! Merli showcases his acting range by operating in a psychotic rage the entire film. Lenzi throws an endless parade of scumbags in front of him, so Merli never has to go more than a minute or so without killing or bitch slapping somebody. It was also probably my favorite performance that I've seen out of Tomas Milian. I bet if somebody like Blue Underground or No Shame released this on R1 they could make a decent amount of money, as it is IMO one of the best movies of the Italian Crime genre.

It is my understanding that Grindhouse actually has the US rights to this. The trailer has been featured in their "Coming Soon" sections on DVD for a while. Of course when they get around to releasing it is another question.

Tonight I hit up the last of the Hollywood Video stores in town for their $1 blowout sale. Of the 200+ tapes I've bought from them this week, one of the finds I was most happy about was the obscure, mondo-style documentary THE POLICE TAPES that I bought tonight.

However, when I put the video in my VCR it was not THE POLICE TAPES. It was hermaphrodite porn.

Was that here in Seattle? If so, I have to tell my friend who used to be the assistant manager that!

Las Vegas (the store on Decatur and Flamingo if any locals want to know where they can get some $1 gendertwist porn). But go ahead and tell your friend, I'll be happy to swap him my video for a copy of THE POLICE TAPES if he wants. ;)

I picked up a bunch of stuff on LD for a few bucks each, including some of the titles mentioned. Watched HIGHBALLIN' a couple nights ago, and found it a typically underwhelming mid-70's Peter Fonda flick. Next up was NIGHTFORCE, a Linda Blair starrer which incredibly has garnered only negative (and I mean negative!) comments from IMDb users but which is definitely an 80's trash classic.

NIGHTFORCE is an awesomely ludicrous ripoff of RED DAWN based around the notion that five Beverly Hills teenagers can drive a Jeep and a U-Haul trailer all the way to Central America and shoot it out with dozens of terrorists who have kidnapped their friend. Mindless boobs-and-bullets action teams up with a gloriously absurd premise to make a watchable exploitation item with a "name" cast.

I'm a big fan of RED DAWN, which while kind-of ludicrous does have a Hawksian feel about. It was the title that soon popped into my mind while watching NIGHTFORCE, but equally quickly popped out because it's such an unabased slice of cheap explotation that wallows in its own absurdity. I don't know if it's just a happy accident that it turned out so enjoyable or if the makers really had a handle on what they were doing. My one annoyance was my own inability to spot Chad McQueen; I kept looking at the leads trying to see a resemblance in one of them to his dad but just couldn't!

I think Chad and his (late) sister look more like their mom. In NIGHTFORCE, Chad is the hot-headed teen that goes on the rescue mission and fires a bazooka from a moving, bouncing U-Haul trailer directly into the car that's chasing him.

Well, a longtime favorite video store near me recently closed, and another one dumped its VHS stock, so I went on a buying spree. All of these I got for between $2 and $5; some of them I'd seen before and want to see again, others aren't on DVD and I want to see, a few I bought to sell on ebay, and a couple I got just because the box looked old or cool. It wasn't till I had them all stacked up at home that I realized, maybe I went a little overboard:
Fury of the Wolfman
Straight to Hell
Rest in Pieces
Curtains
Specter of Edgar Allen Poe
The Visitor
Devilfish
Madhouse
A Day of Judgment
Tomorrow Never Comes
The Silent Scream
Next of Kin
Wizard of Speed and Time
Sole Survivor
Silent Scream (1980)
The Sender
Hide and Go Shriek
Wes Craven’s Chiller
Thunder Road
The Last Innocent Man
Lady with the Dog
Try and Get Me
The Scarlet Letter (Wenders)
Last Summer
The Underworld Story
Stacey! (1973)
Blood Rage
Tales from the Darkside vols 1,3,5,6,7 (Thriller video label)
True Confessions
The Naked Face
Rowan Atkinson Live
Howard Stern’s Underwear and Negligee Party
Scarecrows
Mr. Sorge
Full Moon in Paris
Just Another Pretty Face
When the Wind Blows
I, The Jury
Blood of the Vampire
P.I. Private Investigations
Beyond Therapy
The Unseen
Criminal Life of Archibaldo de le Cruz
Bullfighter and the Lady
Execution of Private Slovak
Tunnel Vision
Lepke
Dead Bang
Kamikaze 1989
Summer
Rendevous in Paris
Le Beau Marriage
Claire’s Knee
My Night at Maude’s
The Sicilian Connection (1972)
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean
Terror Vision
The Intruder (Trintignant)
The People
Never Give a Sucker and Even Break
Scandal Man
The Strawberry Statement