The world shouldn’t have to go without 1986 BMX racing drama Rad .
Columbia Tristar / Via the-lfb.com
Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and VOD give us the impression that there are a lot of movies at our fingertips available to rent or stream, but the truth is there are plenty more that aren't. Every time we make a leap in technology, from film reels to VHS to DVD to Blu-ray to digital, there are titles that get left behind, and even when they do get a re-release, there's no guarantee they'll stay in print. Which is one of the reasons Seattle's Scarecrow Video, home to the world's single largest collection of VHS tapes, LaserDiscs, VCDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays, is looking for a second life as a nonprofit.
As the end of the Blockbuster Era taught us late in 2013, times are tough for video stores, so Scarecrow is currently in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign to preserve its much-loved massive library and reopen as a nonprofit collective and archive for preserving film history. The Scarecrow Project provides an essential reminder of how many rare titles are still only available as physical media thanks to market forces, rights issues, corporate wrangling, and other reasons.
Here are 30 rare or out-of-print titles from the collection that Scarecrow is trying to keep available to the public — because the world shouldn't have to go without 1986 BMX racing drama Rad.
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) and The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
Scarecrow Video
These legendary documentaries from Penelope Spheeris (who'd go on to direct Wayne's World) are still only available on VHS. The first covers the Los Angeles punk scene, featuring interviews with and concert footage from (among others) Black Flag, X, and Germs, whose lead singer Darby Crash committed suicide just before the film was released. The second Decline of Western Civilization focuses on heavy metal and hair metal, and features the famous sequence in which Ozzy Osbourne cooks bacon and eggs in a kitchen, while talking about the music business.
Scarecrow Video
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