Why You Should Own a VCR

It’s old, it’s bulky, and sometimes it’s been damaged a bit. It’s still wonderful. It’s the VCR, and it’s accompanying VHS tapes.

My family still owns over a hundred of these, and I have at least 50 of my own. It may seem like a goofy collection but to my sister and me especially, it’s fantastic. I love watching movies that we loved growing up and rediscovering some at the thrift store to add to our collection.

We love that we can buy great movies for such a low cost, so if we end up liking it we own it, and if we don’t we don’t feel bad for giving a 50 cent tape away.

Another perk is that a VHS tape never loses your place. It can’t. It’s a physical tape that’s stuck where you leave it.

VHS tapes are sometimes the only copy that’s been made, meaning unless you own a VCR anyway for watching the rest of your collection, you can’t take home a movie that’s in the “Disney vault” unless you find the VHS tape on the thrift store shelf.

Also, you don’t have to sit through obnoxious previews or FBI warnings. You hit fast-forward and the tape has to obey, meaning you get to your movie faster. That is, unless you want to relive your childhood and watch that “The Little Mermaid” trailer that you remember seeing over 15 years ago, then be my guest.

Did I mention that if it gets a scratch you just sit through it and in a second the problem is usually solved. This is vastly different than going back to scene selection and hoping you can find the right spot among the screenshots, without finding spoilers.

VCRs and VHS tapes aren’t perfect, but there’s so much more character to it, and it’s cheaper for those of us who like to own movies but don’t have $20 to fork over for one.