How to Buy Hard-to-Find Movies
We live in an age saturated with movies, from DVDs and Blu-Rays to downloadable movies and video-on-demand. With so many options out there, it's hard to believe that some titles are still difficult to find. But many forgotten cult films have a way of slipping through the cracks, while others are tangled up in legal machinations which prevent them from seeing a proper home video release. Once you locate an obscure movie, it's simple enough to pony up the cash for it. The trick is knowing where to look and making sure you get a decent copy of the film when you do.
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Instructions
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Research the movie you're looking for on the Internet Movie Database and similar websites. Look for the director's name, the names of the principle actors, the studio which released it, and the names of any alternate titles under which it may have appeared. The more concrete information you have in your hands, the more easily you can find the precise movie for which you're looking.
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Search for online sources such as Best Video and Movies Unlimited. They specialize in obscure movies and hard-to-find DVDs. Their charging and delivery service tends to be reliable, and they offer a number of titles that aren't readily available elsewhere.
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Check pages like Amazon.com and eBay. Amazon serves as a gateway to a number of smaller dealers who may have obscure or out-of-print titles available. Private collectors trying to get rid of a cult film may post a copy on eBay for auction. Both sites offer certain consumer guarantees as well, allowing you to return the movie if it's not what you had in mind.
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Attend a science fiction or horror movie convention in your area. The dealer's room at such events often has retailers selling hard-to-find movies at reasonable prices. You may have to dig through their stacks a bit, but the hard work is worth it if you come up with that coveted title.
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Seek out flea markets, swap meets and garage sales. Though not as reliable as science fiction conventions for locating hard-to-find videos, you may find someone looking to unload a collection. The benefit of finding a movie in such places is that the prices are often rock bottom.
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Tips & Warnings
Be prepared for poor transfers and image quality problems on hard-to-find movies. Many of them have not undergone the restoration efforts which more popular movies have, and come from old or scratched prints. In addition, you may have to buy the movie in an outdated format, such as VHS, rather than get it on DVD. Some hard-to-find movies are not officially available, which means any copies for sale will likely be bootlegs. Purchasing bootlegs is illegal, and while the FBI won't kick down your door for buying one, you should consider whether you want to encourage the spread of piracy in such a manner.
