Suspect Video and Culture

unbelievable selection of videos for the cinephile. and an unreasonable staff that overcharges for late fees and applies them at random and without cause. return your movies on time even if you’re mother is stuck under a train car, or your plane was delayed because of a blizzard, or you were in the hospital. suspect video doesn’t care, even if you’re their best customer.

Great selection of obscure stuff. The only problem is a lot of their more oddball stuff costs a bit to buy (understandable but an issue if on a budget). Fun to look through even if you don’t buy anything.

Very cool video store. I was visiting from LA and I stumbled on this place. they have everything for the true obscure and horror movie enthusiast. I wanted to stay longer because there is so much to see. The guy behind the counter was a bit of a creeper, constantly watching my every move, I’m not stealing anything I can assure you. Even with the creeper, the store is a great find.

love the selections here. my only complaint is that most movies for sale seem to be a tad overpriced. by a few dollars at least. but hey, its a great collection of film.

I have been going here for years. It is my home away from home. The staff are very friendly and super knowledgeable, their selection is endless and their hours can’t be beat. I would write more but I actually have two movies from Suspect to watch.

I suspect I will never forget my favourite movie shop again!
Suspect is a subterranean mecca for film nerds, people looking for something rare to watch or just people longing for an evening in a pre-​Netflix society. The whole place just runneth over with with nostalgia, if you have any space in your heart for any film ever.
After getting some cheap sushi on Bloor (at Sushi On Bloor, obviously) my person and I did some shopping at Honest Ed’s and after zig zagging through awesome, cheap stuff we exited through the drug store door on Markham. There Suspect was! My long forgotten video store.
This evening in my triumphant return to movie renting I rented Hannah And Her Sisters and The Life Aquatic. Two excellent movies that aren’t available for streaming. The cost? $ 7. Older movies are $ 3.50 each and you get to keep them for a full week.
PEPPER POINTS: All of the everyone points.

I went absolutely GONZO over this place when I happened upon it during a mini-​vaca in TO. Living less than two hours away in Buffalo, I get to the area fairly regularly but I had yet to stumble on this place; it quickly went to my «top ten reasons if I get filthy rich I will move to Toronto and get duel citizenship.» I absolutely NEED to live in walking distance from this place so I can relive the glory days of my 20’s, wondering into the local video rental place with friends and spending more time oohing over selections than it will actually take to watch mine once I get home with it.
Their selection is just amazing! I have extremely diverse taste in movies and litterally every color of my personal film rainbow was represented and more — animé, foreign films of every ilk, crappy 80’s action films (hello, Dolph Lundgren), serious indie stuff, black comedy, obscure art house, horror and sci fi (from the B-​movie to the big budget). The typical drama, rom/​com & blockbustery stuff was represented too, and I won’t lie and say I don’t sample my fair share of such offerings from Netflix at present (lacking well, almost any video store in Buffalo, and none near me).
I was in awe. No, literally I kept saying «awwwww» ’cause I was bummed I couldn’t rent anything.
I thought the layout and organization were excellent. It’s such a tiny space, but you didn’t feel cramped and everything was very easy to read. Nice employees and a wide variety of customers — no douchey hispter vibe that one may expect from such a place. This reminded me of everything awesome about the now defunct Mondo video in Buffalo except with 10x more selection, plus all the more mainstream stuff to please a wider crowd (and those like me who like a little bit of everything).
I heard this may be forced to move after the sale of a big piece of Mirvish Village! No!!!

This place makes you wish you had more time and/​or the right collection of friends to really take advantage of this one stop nerd shop. A lot is packed into this fire hazardish place. Quirky foreign films, quirkly sci fi/​horror. All manner of cult classics. Films are even filed by director, a guess a sign of a real auteur. The passive aggressive notes on some of the videos are worth the visit just to browse and read.

This movie store is awesome: They got new releases, obscure stuff and even adult section.

Great selection and an awesome staff. This is my kind of video store. You can go to the front counter and tell them a title you like and that you are looking for something similar. The suggestions I have gotten from them (all the staff is helpful) have been awesome and often something I might never have picked out on my own. This is a great video store!

Suspect video is way more than just a video store, it is a media culture hot spot which boasts an impressive collection of rare films and a cool spread of toys, comics and graphic novels.
The staff there are indeed quite helpful and friendly and know a fair amount about good films and other forms of media for those who may have some questions for them.
What really sets Suspect apart from other video stores though is the atmosphere of the store itself. The set up is really quite fun, with new films for sale behind retro fit cages and the walls littered with various films posters and retro images, not to mention the way they separate genres into fun sub categories like blacksploitation and samurai films.
Located on Markham just down from honest eds and just up from a series of amazing bars, Suspect is really at the center of the art scene in Toronto. Where else can you find a place that has it’s own 70’s porn section?
Gotta love those afro’s and I’m not talkin’ about the ones that sit atop your head…

Your friendly neighbourhood movie store. I stopped in the other day to pick up a DVD and was really impressed by the friendly service. Though the shop itself isn’t terribly large, they still stock a wide selection of hard-​to-​find and obscure titles, particularly horror and cult films. And speaking of obscure, if you still have a working VCR they also have a pretty robust collection of videotapes too.
The rental is cheap ($ 3.50) and while I was in there they were giving one of their regulars a break over late fees. I like that. That said, do make sure to read their list of «top five lamest excuses» for returning a movie late. I enjoy any store that uses humor to make the point: don’t be a jerkface.
I shall return!
Obligatory Title Pun: Not your usual SUSPECT.
Menu Readability: Actually, I think their sign is virtually unreadable.
Need to mention: Open from noon to eleven every day.
What this place teaches me about myself: I love movies!

Seriously, excellent hot spot for movie geeks, culture fiends, and everyday joe blo’s alike. Great selection. Awesome English, and non-​English language selection, too. Plus they are dog friendly (got to love dog friendly vid stores).
I could mention a store clerks name, but I won’t — instead, I’ll describe him generally as being: knowledgeable, intelligent, down to earth, passionate about films, and easy to like!
I love this place!

No doubt, the best place for DVD rental in the city.
Sure you can find more @ blockbusters but if you’re looking for the special edition or rare films and festival films, then Suspect is the place.
A good comparison is, do you like a big mall or the cool indie boutique ?
Now, for some people, it might look messy, but for those who understand !, it’s great, it’s like going to a underground clubs (but full of DVDs)
Yes, there is Queen video, but the staff are a bit snoby. or 2Q video (false pretenders)
Suspect has a very relaxing atmosphere which for me it’s a bonus.

This is a superb video store for finding a lot of underground films and documentaries. They also carry a few underground books and magazines.
The store clerks are knowlegable about worldwide filmmakers past and present. People here can definitely be described as artsy.
If you are looking for a particular title that is not mainstream, be sure to contact Suspect Video.

When it comes to video rental stores Suspect Video is a Toronto landmark. I’ve been going to Suspect on and off since the early 90’s and as far as I know they are Toronto’s first true independent video store to offer rental of movies that lie on the fringe of filmmaking. This place is for the die-​hard film junkie who wants something more profound than whatever blockbuster fodder Hollywood offers up each week. You can up your cool factor +1 just by walking into Suspect Video, +2 if you get a membership and ask to see their Nakada Hideo directed horror films.
Whether you are looking for an old British TV sitcom, blood squirting Japanese samurai movies, vintage porn, 1930’s Film Noir, animé, 80’s screwball comedies or some small budget documentary that won an award at the 2001 Venice Film Festival, Suspect Video probably has it somewhere in their vast stock. In a nutshell you go to Suspect Video to rent those otherwise impossible to find movies that Blockbuster wont touch. Heck they still carry VHS!
Aside from video rentals Suspect Video has DVDs for sale, a magazine rack of alternative culture magazines as well as the odd horror inspired figurine and energy drinks that look like blood IV bags. The store is small (how they manage to fit in new stock I can’t imagine) and you’ll probably need to dig your way through the racks in order to find what you want. The staff are always friendly and helpful in finding you what you are looking for or suggesting something you may like. Not only, you can probably find helpful notes written on DVD covers denoting exactly why the film is cool or is otherwise a must-​see.
As far as prices go Suspect Video continues to be one of the most affordable video rental stores in Toronto. In fact even for new releases I don’t think anyone beats their rental fees. Icing on the cake is their «Staff Picks» section where you can rent some cool flicks recommended by the staff for a mere dollar!
I’ve considered dropping a star in rating of Suspect Video because they’ve yet to carry Blu-​Ray and that they rarely have multiple copies of movies. But really if you think about it Suspect is as it always was, a small indie video rental store that carries a lot of cool films. They filled a niche in the movie rental business before anyone else had the guts to. Video stores have come and gone but the original Suspect Video is still around and much loved by it’s patrons.
If you live within reasonable distance of the store I strongly recommend getting a membership here. It’s a treasure trove of film and you never know what goodies you may come away with every time you visit.

Everyone knows that Blockbuster is only good for current movies and video games. If you want something old, cult following, rare, or foreign, you’re gonna need to go to Suspect.
There is a complicated system that I can never figure out, but i just try to go without anything specific in mind and I usually find a gem.
I get all the hot documentaries here.
It’s also cheap and you get a password with your membership so that you don’t have to remember a card.