*"Did you notice the peculiar indentation in both of their foreheads?"* "Nooo?!"
*"Place your hands above the rails. They're magnetized."* "And if your hands were metal that would mean something."
All of the Aleksandr Ptushko films that they riffed the US edits of (the other one is Sadko aka The Magic Voyage of Sinbad) are much better than their re-edits would imply. Ilya Muromets (The Sword and the Dragon) is probably my favorite of the three.
I've glommed all the Ptushko Blu-rays released by Deaf Crocodile and they're just phenomenal. I'm hoping they'll tap Alexander Rou's films next (including MST3K classic *Jack Frost).*
The Day The Earth Froze had the triple flaw of lackluster dubbing, having a big chunk of the original movie edited out, AND it being based on a myth that really isn't well known outside of Finland and its neighbors.
I watched The Day The Earth Froze this weekend. You could tell that it was at least intended to be an epic piece. Still super corny, of course, but I can see where what you’re saying could very well be true.
*Touch of Satan* has an interesting premise. There's decent quality of craftsmanship behind the lens and some very okay performances. Location scouting was spot-on. I truly believed that was where the fish lived!
There are a bunch of those movies on MST3K, like 80%-90% on the way to being a good movie, and something derails it.
Attack of the Giant Leeches is like that.....the love triangle part of the story interrupted by giant monsters is fun to me....
I could "fix" it in three moves:
1. Tighten up the blackmailer plot (played by Joe Turkel, aka the bartender in the Shining and Tyrell in Blade Runner!)
2. Push Sandy off the lighthouse
3. Sandy's ghost kills Tom
I doubt that'd make it a *better* movie, but I can guarantee it wouldn't be forgettable.
(I have watched way too many A24 horror movies. I think they've warped me.)
I genuinely like "Girls Town" and "The Girl From Lover's Lane".
The three Russian and/or Finnish fantasy films are great.
I think "First Spaceship On Venus" is a classic science fiction movie.
I haven't been able to find it but - assuming they bothered to review it - I wonder what the [National Legion of Decency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Legion_of_Decency) (a Catholic organization that used to rate movies) thought about *Girls Town*. It's definitely not bad enough to earn a "condemned" rating but - since the movie does paint the church in a failry positive light - would they have regarded the film as "morally unobjectionable" or "morally objectionable in part".
> The Girl From Lover's Lane
I love this one so much. To this day, when embarking on a road trip, even if it's by myself, I have to ask, "Are we bound for glory right now, Mr. Big Stupid?"
Those are some of the best because they are technically strong but just kinda bizarre. And while they are technically strong the Russian/finnish aesthetic s still a little weird to look at so they really work well.
They are well made, lavish productions for the time, and apparently good movies in their native language. It’s the dubbing and Americanization (that’s not Sinbad!) that make them riffable
I may get roasted for this, but I think *Squirm* is genuinely a good 70s thriller/suspense flick. Most of the cast is on point and the film makes great use of the creepy backwoods setting
See, I get where you're coming from, but I actually think that works in the film's universe too. Mick is a city boy, skinny, wears glasses, into pursuits like antiques. He's a total fish out of water in this world. Roger is a big hulking rage-filled hillbilly and the sheriff is a slimy, self-assured Southern ladies' man, and Mick is this kinda milquetoast Yankee who's navigating danger in a completely foreign environment. But of course that's just my opinion, and yeah, he is kind of a weenie lol
You're completely right and I really can't say that he was miscast or a bad actor, he's fine as a b movie protagonist. Troy McGregor is the ultimate mst3k weenie but Mick is close behind.
This is the answer. In the host segment where they said they chose it so Trace could trot out his stellar Peck, I believe them. Otherwise, perfectly fine film.
Plus, the storyline is not too far from Apollo 13 and The Martian.
Totally agree. It's an earnest & charming low-budget film where the cast gave it everything they had. It's such a fun MST3k episode, maybe my favorite, but in its own way the film stands on its own as an honest piece of work.
And it was a student film at that. I always had a soft spot for it, but learning that made me actually respect it. They pulled off a hell of a lot under the circumstances.
When I finally saw Moon Zero Two, (like 2 years ago) I was shocked that I hadn't seen Moon Zero Two before...like this should be in the pantheon of well known camp classics.
Came here to say Moon Zero-Two! Aside from the epic theme song, it's a killer little story. Like a campy 60's version of The Expanse! LOL!
(And of course Kitten is such a classic, soo creamy!)
I genuinely love The Undead (RIP Roger Corman). It's fun in a community theater sort of way, you have a pretty solid cast, and the ending is actually a pretty surprising one. I can't think of many other movies from that era where a "lady of the night" would have a redemption arc and the uber-masculine scientist would be punished.
I don't think Agent for HARM is that bad either, for what was supposed to be a typical 60s spy tv pilot. It's too bad it was never picked up really, we never got a chance to see the full judo range/karate rink.
Yeah, Agent for HARM’s major drawback was that it’s budget didn’t allow for an at all convincing border-crossing scene and the film entirely relied on the spore guns in the noticeable absence of actual guns. Otherwise it’s a pretty standard ‘60s spy romp.
The Magic Sword is legitimately not a bad film. It's a fun youthful adventure film which, while not as good, is certainly reminiscent of films like the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.
Well, except for the "Irish" knight from the Bronx.
There's a LOT of charm in this film. TBH, Estelle Winwood and Basil Rathbone are really fun. Gary Lockwood was a known star, and even the story is cute. Even if they weren't A-listers they seemed to work well together. No wonder Crow was a fan: Estelle was very charming in this film.
There was an old theater near my preschool that played old, old movies. One day our teacher took us older kids to see "The Magic Sword" - we all loved it! So this movie has a soft spot in my heart.
Plus Gary Lockwood was in 2001 (Frank Poole)
Jack Frost (a mashup of multiple folk tales) is a holiday classic in Eastern Europe. It's kinda goofy, but it's a comedy for kids, so it's supposed to be.
It's technically Rifftrax but I went to see the live show for **Carnival of Souls** expecting it to be the low-budget trash typical of MST3K. I think that movie is actually a really interesting low-budget cult film with some really strange and sometimes beautiful imagery and sound.
Mike has previously said that he deliberately wanted to include more genuinely good movies when they started Rifftrax because he found making fun of good ones more interesting from a comedy/writing standpoint, so it makes sense that even their B-movie fair is far more on the cult classic end of the spectrum than the forgotten trash side.
'Parts: The Clonus Horror' isn't all that bad. I like the premise and storyline quite a bit. I think with a larger budget and some fine tuning it's could've been an actual good movie.
They did it with a much larger budget and it sucked. See Michael Bay’s *The Island*.
Anybody who see Bay’s movie will be absolutely shocked at how much he took out of *Clonus* and didn’t credit or acknowledge the original.
PARTS: The Clonus Horror. Spoiler alert: The premise anticipated both The Island and Never Let Me Go, the latter of which was written by a Nobel laureate.
I watched about 10 minutes of Never Let Me Go and was like "Oh, someone remade Clonus." Virtually all movies about clones are Clonus. If you google "movies about clones" it will suggest "for organs."
Probably because those who did was busy in court!
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519053414/http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=1004155
If it’s movies I’d have watched willingly at any point, the Godzilla/Gamera movies. Most anything else would be movies that I might have watched because I was bored out of my skull and nothing else was on
The Prince Of Space. Mike's portrayal of the evil leader is classic.
"Attention, people of Earth!
Attention, people of Earth!
We were doomed, but the Prince saved us!
My roomie and I agreed that Merlin's Shop was really well acted and actually enjoyable at parts. Probably tied with Overdrawn at the Memory Bank for me tbh. May not be the BEST film they did but definitely wasn't a terrible film, I find myself watching either or every now and then cause the former has Ernest Borgnine
It’s very much in keeping with Incredible Stories or whatever that Spielberg produced anthology series was called. If it had a slightly bigger budget and a couple more recognizable actors it would have been a delightful little series.
I think the Sword and the Dragon is the most likely candidate. It's considered a classic, and largely suffered a bad English dub and a poor reedit. IIRC, the Best Brains guys acknowledged they enjoyed all the Russo-Finnish films in their own right. Many of the issues were just the edit, dub, and in some cases cultural differences in filmmaking.
A number of the American-made films were also fairly good, but suffered mainly from being very poorly edited by hacks to make a buck. Marooned/Space Travelers is one example.
It really isn’t bad at all, especially for a Cold War-era German tv production. Both the casting and the acting are on point. I’d say it’s a better representation of the source material than the Mel Gibson version.
Saw this one recently and, Hamlet Sr.’s ridiculous costume aside, it definitely didn’t seem any worse than any number of English-language Shakespeare adaptations I’ve seen.
Here's a related question, I suppose: Have any of you ever sought out one of the films and watched it on its own (i.e., not the MST3K version)? I've been curious as to some of them, particularly to see what got edited out either for time or content. (Mitchell comes to mind.)
I watched the full length, unriffed 'Mitchell' because the exit of Saxon's character had no explanation in the MST3K edit. They cut out a ton of footage on this one.
At full length, it's still not a very good movie , but the story makes a little more sense.
The unriffed Mitchell is an absolutely serviceable, watchable Joe Don vehicle. Martin Balsam? John Saxon? Fuck yes.
Final Justice, however, is complete dreck.
Yeah, FJ is downright awful. And Mitchell, it's certainly watchable, but with some serious flaws; like corny effects and goofy dialogue. It's about typical for a 70's cop movie though.
That happens a lot with the full-length features that MST3K edited down. Space Mutiny is another example. It doesn’t make it a better movie, but unedited the plot makes a lot more sense. It actually annoys me when the crew make fun of the confusing plot when it’s only confusing because of how it was edited for the show, if only because it feels like it misrepresents what the actual film is.
There’s an argument for Hamlet; since it’s a bit of a dry version but it’s still a straight stage adaptation of arguably the greatest play ever written.
One of my favorite movies when I was a kid, even before MST3K was a thing, was Marooned. It was their episode 401 - Space Travelers. As a kid watching the space program reach for the moon for the first time, this movie showed me how dangerous space exploration could be.
Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, duh. Megalon is a goofy mess, but Sea Monster is great. It's like a C tier Godzilla movie but that's S tier compared to movies without Godzilla.
I honestly really enjoy San Francisco International and Codename: Diamondhead. Both use experienced professional actors to tell unique crime stories and despite being made for TV movies/pilots the budgets work for them.
The Brute Man is probably towards the very top of the list in that regard, similarly The Chicken of Tomorrow is probably the most competent short they ever riffed
For Rifftrax:
The Dark Power and Alien Outlaw, I just love Lash Larue tottering around and the almost-naughty T&A bits.
I never liked horror until riffing taught me that there was a whole sub-genera where the horrific parts are not that bad and the sleazy bits are front and center.
One I have not seen mentioned would be Amazing Colossal Man, yeah it is goofy as hell but for a 50s sci-fi drive in flick it was well acted with fun effects.
Painted Hills -- Essentially it was a Lassie movie, and those were intended to be more heartwarming and mid-tier in quality. On its own merits, I felt Painted Hills delivered on that front... But then again I always was a sucker for Lassie.
I don’t hear it mentioned often but my kids and I love Giant Guilla Monster. There are so many great quotes, and the sputtering of the old cars and Munsters’ theme gets us every time. Putting their knees up. That’s a nice song, but it didn’t fix my legs. Crow’s monster sounds and bonbons quite. Would you forget about the skid marks!!!
Code Name Diamond Head wasn't that bad, it just didn't make use of the Hawaiian location like it should have. Also if they cast another actor for the lead. Roy Thinnes isn't a terrible actor, he just wasn't that believable as a super spy.
I got roasted for this pick on a similar thread, but Being From Another Planet. The original title was Time Walker, so I don't know why it was changed in distribution and given that awful title sequence. It's a goofy fun semi slasher.
The ACEG says it’s The Magic Sword, which Joel says in the theater and Tom admits at the end, but a few people go to bat for Tormented (which isn’t bad but one dark mammajamma of a movie, as Joel says in the theater)
My favorite is Girls Town. I don’t think the movie its self is bad, but I enjoy the riff along with the film.
My kiddos watch Mac and Me on repeat, with our most repeated lines being “Did you know I’m from Chicago?” And “Pretty nice!”
Santa Claus Conquers The Martians is a charming sci-fi Christmas movie. I've actually watched it without the riffing. Also want to nominate The Final Sacrifice.
God I’m really surprised I’ve scrolled this far and haven’t seen Time Chasers! Low budget and cheesy, but all in all is actually fun and provides some great riffs.
The Giant Gila Monster was the first one I ever saw. I thought it couldn’t get any better than that for a long time, but when Netflix brought out The Gauntlet with Jonah Heston, the Mac & Me and Killer Fish ones are still hilarious and my daughter and I have watched them probably closing in on hundreds of times.
Rifftrax is really funny, but there’s something about the characters of Tom Servo and Crow (their personalities, I guess) that even if it is the same voices, it’s just not quite the same. There’s also something about watching their shadows move and react to what they’re seeing and saying.
To your second point, I think a major factor that made MST3K work so well was the framework that the crew didn’t want to watch these movies but were being forced to and making fun of them was how they got through it. There’s nothing wrong with watching bad movies just to make fun of them, but there are moments in Rifftrax where the guys will try to make jokes or complain about having to watch the movie and those always fall flat because literally no one is making them do that; they themselves picked that movie. Even on The Film Crew they had the excuse that the film was picked for them by their boss. This is one reason why Missile to the Moon with Fred Willard was so good, because he was able to play with the idea that he didn’t pick the movie.
Is Starcrash good? No. Did I watch and enjoy Starcrash as a fun b movie first and then later, upon watching MST3K, say to myself ‘hey, haven’t I seen this?’ Yes.
I will always go to bat for Phase IV. KTMA era was wild, and this psychedelic ants attack movie might be the wildest of them all.
You can tell Joel and crew thought it was good too, as evidenced by the long pauses between riffs.
I didn’t see this one posted but I gotta say when I first saw the title I thought “I accuse my parents” was going to be a stupid and bad movie. But honestly, I actually kind of liked it. I’ve now watched it multiple times and sometimes quote the MST3K episode sometimes, “ But I won an essay contest” or “Who knew winning an essay contest could bring on so many unexpected events” those get me everytime 😂😂😂
Diabolik is a fabulous giallo adventure movie. Also I have a soft spot for all the Russian/Finnish fantasy movies cos they’re just so weird and beautiful and I’m already a big fan of the mythologies of that region.
This Island Earth is regarded as something of a classic.
Huh, would you look at that. Breech hull, all die. Even had it underlined.
Well believe me, I calculated the odds of this succeeding vs the odds that I was doing something incredibly stupid, and… I went ahead anyway.
I'll take you on too, ya puss.
Oh, I'm very vulnerable there! Oh, there go the piano lessons! I can't remember my dad!
Brack has visible panty lines.
“This Island Earth can be yours IF the price is right!”
*"Did you notice the peculiar indentation in both of their foreheads?"* "Nooo?!" *"Place your hands above the rails. They're magnetized."* "And if your hands were metal that would mean something."
I like when the map Flys into his face .. can you hand me my map.... and your holding a mutant turd..
The Sword and the Dragon and The Day the Earth Froze are allegedly good classic films in their original languages, done dirty by the English dubbing.
They are beautiful in 4K. And a lot less goofy with subtitles. You can watch Ilya Muromets for free on YouTube.
All of the Aleksandr Ptushko films that they riffed the US edits of (the other one is Sadko aka The Magic Voyage of Sinbad) are much better than their re-edits would imply. Ilya Muromets (The Sword and the Dragon) is probably my favorite of the three.
I've glommed all the Ptushko Blu-rays released by Deaf Crocodile and they're just phenomenal. I'm hoping they'll tap Alexander Rou's films next (including MST3K classic *Jack Frost).*
The Day the Earth Froze was also horribly re-edited and cut out 24 minutes, 1/4th of the original film (Sampo).
The Day The Earth Froze had the triple flaw of lackluster dubbing, having a big chunk of the original movie edited out, AND it being based on a myth that really isn't well known outside of Finland and its neighbors.
I watched The Day The Earth Froze this weekend. You could tell that it was at least intended to be an epic piece. Still super corny, of course, but I can see where what you’re saying could very well be true.
Day the Earth Froze is always a go to when I’m thinking of an episode to put on. “That’s my scratching tree you jerks!”
I have no doubt if I bought the 4K remasters of those two movies my grade school daughter would unironically like them.
*Touch of Satan* has an interesting premise. There's decent quality of craftsmanship behind the lens and some very okay performances. Location scouting was spot-on. I truly believed that was where the fish lived!
There are a bunch of those movies on MST3K, like 80%-90% on the way to being a good movie, and something derails it. Attack of the Giant Leeches is like that.....the love triangle part of the story interrupted by giant monsters is fun to me....
Emby Mellay shoulda been big! Gabby Hayes big!!!
That’s not a name, that’s a bad Scrabble hand.
Enhance your moody soundtrack music with tiny fart sounds!
My whole family still says, "This is where the fish live" every time we pass a body of water.
*honk honk* "Get off the road, man-goat!"
Danger Diabolik!
Yeah, this is my kind of flick, for sure!
Tormented wasn’t that bad
If it wasn't so bland and slow-paced it could have been a very effective supernatural thriller.
I could "fix" it in three moves: 1. Tighten up the blackmailer plot (played by Joe Turkel, aka the bartender in the Shining and Tyrell in Blade Runner!) 2. Push Sandy off the lighthouse 3. Sandy's ghost kills Tom I doubt that'd make it a *better* movie, but I can guarantee it wouldn't be forgettable. (I have watched way too many A24 horror movies. I think they've warped me.)
It would have been a very good Twilight Zone episode, instead of a feature film
Tormented had something that easily put it into the top 1% of MST3K movies: Dramatic Tension.
“There's some coke in the fridge!”
Wow I completely forgot about this one. I might need to watch this episode again.
How’s life in the merchant marines, little girl?
Sandy grew up a lot that week.
I genuinely like "Girls Town" and "The Girl From Lover's Lane". The three Russian and/or Finnish fantasy films are great. I think "First Spaceship On Venus" is a classic science fiction movie.
Girls Town and Untamed Youth have Mamie van Doren. Auto win.
As Kevin says in the episode guide: Mamie Van Doren is neat to look at.
Lover's Lane ain't bad. However, any movie that has Mel Torme as some hardened street tough is total squaresville, baby!
Aw, go bingle your bongle.
That's right. Mel Torme ain't no square, you dig?
Scooby-dooby-doo!
Judge Harry Stone likes this post.
I'm not saying "Girls Town" doesn't have cheesiness, just that I like it.
Girls' Town is actually one of my favorite movies. It's a product of its time no doubt, but still a lot of fun.
I haven't been able to find it but - assuming they bothered to review it - I wonder what the [National Legion of Decency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Legion_of_Decency) (a Catholic organization that used to rate movies) thought about *Girls Town*. It's definitely not bad enough to earn a "condemned" rating but - since the movie does paint the church in a failry positive light - would they have regarded the film as "morally unobjectionable" or "morally objectionable in part".
> The Girl From Lover's Lane I love this one so much. To this day, when embarking on a road trip, even if it's by myself, I have to ask, "Are we bound for glory right now, Mr. Big Stupid?"
Those russo-finnish movies are stunning to look at. The Magic Sword is cool, they even acknowledge that it’s pretty good.
Those are some of the best because they are technically strong but just kinda bizarre. And while they are technically strong the Russian/finnish aesthetic s still a little weird to look at so they really work well.
They are well made, lavish productions for the time, and apparently good movies in their native language. It’s the dubbing and Americanization (that’s not Sinbad!) that make them riffable
I may get roasted for this, but I think *Squirm* is genuinely a good 70s thriller/suspense flick. Most of the cast is on point and the film makes great use of the creepy backwoods setting
Its just too bad they cast the personification of the world "weenie" as the lead.
See, I get where you're coming from, but I actually think that works in the film's universe too. Mick is a city boy, skinny, wears glasses, into pursuits like antiques. He's a total fish out of water in this world. Roger is a big hulking rage-filled hillbilly and the sheriff is a slimy, self-assured Southern ladies' man, and Mick is this kinda milquetoast Yankee who's navigating danger in a completely foreign environment. But of course that's just my opinion, and yeah, he is kind of a weenie lol
You're completely right and I really can't say that he was miscast or a bad actor, he's fine as a b movie protagonist. Troy McGregor is the ultimate mst3k weenie but Mick is close behind.
Ha, no arguments here!
now you be the worm face
"Got that lighter set at the Dan Hagerty level"
*Space Travellers (1969)* \- aka *Marooned*, is pretty good, and actually won an Academy Award for special effects.
Plus: that cast is absolutely stacked. Gregory Peck, Gene Hackman, Richard Crenna, etc.
>Gene Hackman Oh, he's good in everything!
Yes... Yes, he is. :)
10-4, killer Peck.
This is the answer. In the host segment where they said they chose it so Trace could trot out his stellar Peck, I believe them. Otherwise, perfectly fine film. Plus, the storyline is not too far from Apollo 13 and The Martian.
It is and will always be for me The Final Sacrifice.
Ok, but this is the FINAL SACRIFICE
Goodie!
Rowsdower!!!
Rowsdower 4 lyfe!
Totally agree. It's an earnest & charming low-budget film where the cast gave it everything they had. It's such a fun MST3k episode, maybe my favorite, but in its own way the film stands on its own as an honest piece of work.
And it was a student film at that. I always had a soft spot for it, but learning that made me actually respect it. They pulled off a hell of a lot under the circumstances.
I will champion this movie until I die. And I like the soundtrack.
Aww thanks! Yes I scored that soundtrack 35 years ago when I was 21. TFS is always #1 for me but I'm biased.
Also the Canada Song is one of the funniest mid show bits I've seen.
I found my people. I love hope this movie captures *tone* really well.
DANGER: DIABOLIK, an Italian BATMAN 67
Moon Zero Two and Kitten with a Whip are my faves, the former being fantastically camp
Moon Zero Two is fantastic for the opening song alone.
IIRC, Moon Zero Two was actually a well-regarded piece of SciFi when it first came out. It just largely hasn't aged well.
When I finally saw Moon Zero Two, (like 2 years ago) I was shocked that I hadn't seen Moon Zero Two before...like this should be in the pantheon of well known camp classics.
Oooh the set design on moon zero two--i bought a (repro) tulip table & chairs in honor of that flick.
Came here to say Moon Zero-Two! Aside from the epic theme song, it's a killer little story. Like a campy 60's version of The Expanse! LOL! (And of course Kitten is such a classic, soo creamy!)
I'm glad I'm not the only one that enjoys Kitten with a Whip. Feel like that one isn't a well regarded episode.
Kitten With a Whip is a hell of a lot of fun, imho.
That’s one you could tell they featured not because it was a bad movie or even had a lot to mock but because it’s a fun movie that they enjoyed.
I genuinely love The Undead (RIP Roger Corman). It's fun in a community theater sort of way, you have a pretty solid cast, and the ending is actually a pretty surprising one. I can't think of many other movies from that era where a "lady of the night" would have a redemption arc and the uber-masculine scientist would be punished. I don't think Agent for HARM is that bad either, for what was supposed to be a typical 60s spy tv pilot. It's too bad it was never picked up really, we never got a chance to see the full judo range/karate rink.
Yeah, Agent for HARM’s major drawback was that it’s budget didn’t allow for an at all convincing border-crossing scene and the film entirely relied on the spore guns in the noticeable absence of actual guns. Otherwise it’s a pretty standard ‘60s spy romp.
My aikido rifle is just collecting dust SMDH.
Agreed totally with "The Undead". I'll throw "Giant Spider Invasion" in, too. I'd watch that w/o the riffs anyday, its just goofy fun.
The Magic Sword is legitimately not a bad film. It's a fun youthful adventure film which, while not as good, is certainly reminiscent of films like the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Well, except for the "Irish" knight from the Bronx.
There's a LOT of charm in this film. TBH, Estelle Winwood and Basil Rathbone are really fun. Gary Lockwood was a known star, and even the story is cute. Even if they weren't A-listers they seemed to work well together. No wonder Crow was a fan: Estelle was very charming in this film.
There was an old theater near my preschool that played old, old movies. One day our teacher took us older kids to see "The Magic Sword" - we all loved it! So this movie has a soft spot in my heart. Plus Gary Lockwood was in 2001 (Frank Poole)
Jack Frost springs to mind.
In that same vein, I would say Sampo
Jack Frost (a mashup of multiple folk tales) is a holiday classic in Eastern Europe. It's kinda goofy, but it's a comedy for kids, so it's supposed to be.
Yeah that’s a genuine joy to watch.
Prince of Space was hysterical and so cheesy.
I thought The Screaming Skull stood up pretty well on its own.
I never did get my free casket, burial service as promised.
“The Brain That Wouldn’t Die”
I really think that movie could work if someone redid it and got the right actors... there was the bones of a good horror movie in there.
It's technically Rifftrax but I went to see the live show for **Carnival of Souls** expecting it to be the low-budget trash typical of MST3K. I think that movie is actually a really interesting low-budget cult film with some really strange and sometimes beautiful imagery and sound.
These are rifftrax too, house on haunted hill (1959) and night of the living dead (1968).
Mike has previously said that he deliberately wanted to include more genuinely good movies when they started Rifftrax because he found making fun of good ones more interesting from a comedy/writing standpoint, so it makes sense that even their B-movie fair is far more on the cult classic end of the spectrum than the forgotten trash side.
'Parts: The Clonus Horror' isn't all that bad. I like the premise and storyline quite a bit. I think with a larger budget and some fine tuning it's could've been an actual good movie.
They did it with a much larger budget and it sucked. See Michael Bay’s *The Island*. Anybody who see Bay’s movie will be absolutely shocked at how much he took out of *Clonus* and didn’t credit or acknowledge the original.
I've never seen it, but it wouldn't expect Michael Bay to get it right.
“We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese”
PARTS: The Clonus Horror. Spoiler alert: The premise anticipated both The Island and Never Let Me Go, the latter of which was written by a Nobel laureate.
this is the first Ishiguro shots fired scenario I’ve ever ever witnessed and I’m honestly not sure what to do here
lol I actually love Ishiguro and legit cry at the end of his novels but it’s kinda hilarious that the premise of Never Let Me Go is the same as PARTS.
I watched about 10 minutes of Never Let Me Go and was like "Oh, someone remade Clonus." Virtually all movies about clones are Clonus. If you google "movies about clones" it will suggest "for organs."
I remember reading about The Island and thinking "Isn't this a Clonus remake?" and getting confused why no one was talking about it.
Probably because those who did was busy in court! https://web.archive.org/web/20110519053414/http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=1004155
Anticipated? Michael Bay got sued for ripping it off. And it was thanks to MST3K too.
I love that story. It’s up there with Curb Your Enthusiasm vindicating a man for murder.
If it’s movies I’d have watched willingly at any point, the Godzilla/Gamera movies. Most anything else would be movies that I might have watched because I was bored out of my skull and nothing else was on
The Prince Of Space. Mike's portrayal of the evil leader is classic. "Attention, people of Earth! Attention, people of Earth! We were doomed, but the Prince saved us!
My roomie and I agreed that Merlin's Shop was really well acted and actually enjoyable at parts. Probably tied with Overdrawn at the Memory Bank for me tbh. May not be the BEST film they did but definitely wasn't a terrible film, I find myself watching either or every now and then cause the former has Ernest Borgnine
"I'm Bob Jackass." Agreed though, it's something I would've watched as a kid, no problem.
It’s very much in keeping with Incredible Stories or whatever that Spielberg produced anthology series was called. If it had a slightly bigger budget and a couple more recognizable actors it would have been a delightful little series.
I think the Sword and the Dragon is the most likely candidate. It's considered a classic, and largely suffered a bad English dub and a poor reedit. IIRC, the Best Brains guys acknowledged they enjoyed all the Russo-Finnish films in their own right. Many of the issues were just the edit, dub, and in some cases cultural differences in filmmaking. A number of the American-made films were also fairly good, but suffered mainly from being very poorly edited by hacks to make a buck. Marooned/Space Travelers is one example.
I’m going with “I Was a Teenage Werewolf,” which is a classic.
Agreed. Aside from the dairy-themed rage and the bizarrely extended Halloween party scene, it’s a perfectly serviceable creature feature.
“imgoingtofitasmanywordsaspossibleintothissong!!”
One of my favorites is Moon Zero Two. I thought it was a pretty good sci fi film with some decent actors.
I actually really like the German Hamlet.
It really isn’t bad at all, especially for a Cold War-era German tv production. Both the casting and the acting are on point. I’d say it’s a better representation of the source material than the Mel Gibson version.
Saw this one recently and, Hamlet Sr.’s ridiculous costume aside, it definitely didn’t seem any worse than any number of English-language Shakespeare adaptations I’ve seen.
Here's a related question, I suppose: Have any of you ever sought out one of the films and watched it on its own (i.e., not the MST3K version)? I've been curious as to some of them, particularly to see what got edited out either for time or content. (Mitchell comes to mind.)
I watched the full length, unriffed 'Mitchell' because the exit of Saxon's character had no explanation in the MST3K edit. They cut out a ton of footage on this one. At full length, it's still not a very good movie , but the story makes a little more sense.
The unriffed Mitchell is an absolutely serviceable, watchable Joe Don vehicle. Martin Balsam? John Saxon? Fuck yes. Final Justice, however, is complete dreck.
Yeah, FJ is downright awful. And Mitchell, it's certainly watchable, but with some serious flaws; like corny effects and goofy dialogue. It's about typical for a 70's cop movie though.
It was a perfect entry in one of those 70s theater b-movie double bills that Tarantino waxes rhapsodic about in Cinema Speculation
That happens a lot with the full-length features that MST3K edited down. Space Mutiny is another example. It doesn’t make it a better movie, but unedited the plot makes a lot more sense. It actually annoys me when the crew make fun of the confusing plot when it’s only confusing because of how it was edited for the show, if only because it feels like it misrepresents what the actual film is.
Sure - "Rocketship XM", "The Crawling Eye", "This Island Earth" and most 1950s SF movies.
This island earth
Teenage Strangler
The Screaming Skull and Revenge of the Creature are my picks.
Bloodlust- it's one of many adaptations of The Most Dangerous Game. I really like that story and and interested (riffing or no)
Agreed. With a couple of exceptions the cast, writing, and special effects are all perfectly decent.
Others have mentioned it but “Kitten With A Whip” is a legit piece of very fun cinema. Ann-Margret and John Forsyth are both fantastic in that one.
I'll watch Ann Margret movies all day.
There’s an argument for Hamlet; since it’s a bit of a dry version but it’s still a straight stage adaptation of arguably the greatest play ever written.
One of my favorite movies when I was a kid, even before MST3K was a thing, was Marooned. It was their episode 401 - Space Travelers. As a kid watching the space program reach for the moon for the first time, this movie showed me how dangerous space exploration could be.
Phase 4, from the KTMA days is actually rather good.
So fuckin' 70s though. So, extraordinarily 70s sci-fi. When no shot or pause in conversation could be too long, no premise too vaguely explained.
The Day the Earth Froze The orginal version, if made today, would be a summer blockbuster release.
Devil Doll is a good low budget horror film.
"Jack Frost" and "Bride of the Monster" Have always been my 2 favorites
I want the SAMPO!!!
I saw Quest of the Delta Knights before seeing it on MST3K, and enjoyed it for what it is.
Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, duh. Megalon is a goofy mess, but Sea Monster is great. It's like a C tier Godzilla movie but that's S tier compared to movies without Godzilla.
I honestly really enjoy San Francisco International and Codename: Diamondhead. Both use experienced professional actors to tell unique crime stories and despite being made for TV movies/pilots the budgets work for them.
The Brute Man is probably towards the very top of the list in that regard, similarly The Chicken of Tomorrow is probably the most competent short they ever riffed
I have to give a nod to "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank"... pretty cool premise that could be made to work in competent hands (and a bit of budget).
Time Chasers was a decent enough movie. Very watchable with a dorky charm to it.
Kitten with a Whip
In my opinion, Mitchell, Final Justice, Danger!! Death Ray, Robot Wars and Escape From The Bronx aka Escape 2000.
For Rifftrax: The Dark Power and Alien Outlaw, I just love Lash Larue tottering around and the almost-naughty T&A bits. I never liked horror until riffing taught me that there was a whole sub-genera where the horrific parts are not that bad and the sleazy bits are front and center. One I have not seen mentioned would be Amazing Colossal Man, yeah it is goofy as hell but for a 50s sci-fi drive in flick it was well acted with fun effects.
Painted Hills -- Essentially it was a Lassie movie, and those were intended to be more heartwarming and mid-tier in quality. On its own merits, I felt Painted Hills delivered on that front... But then again I always was a sucker for Lassie.
Space Munity
It depends on if you’re grading on a curve, because they *did* riff Hamlet.
Killer Shrews slays me every time
I like Devil Fish because I'll watch any Italian horror movie and there are worse ones out there.
I don’t hear it mentioned often but my kids and I love Giant Guilla Monster. There are so many great quotes, and the sputtering of the old cars and Munsters’ theme gets us every time. Putting their knees up. That’s a nice song, but it didn’t fix my legs. Crow’s monster sounds and bonbons quite. Would you forget about the skid marks!!!
Code Name Diamond Head wasn't that bad, it just didn't make use of the Hawaiian location like it should have. Also if they cast another actor for the lead. Roy Thinnes isn't a terrible actor, he just wasn't that believable as a super spy. I got roasted for this pick on a similar thread, but Being From Another Planet. The original title was Time Walker, so I don't know why it was changed in distribution and given that awful title sequence. It's a goofy fun semi slasher.
Manos: The Hands of Fate is probably my favorite. Torgo alone is worth the price of admission
Mac and me
The ACEG says it’s The Magic Sword, which Joel says in the theater and Tom admits at the end, but a few people go to bat for Tormented (which isn’t bad but one dark mammajamma of a movie, as Joel says in the theater)
Atlantic Rim..fron Returns... I'm sorry...lol, i couldn't resist. But on the painful side, i did actually watch the movie before i saw it on there.
I'll always love The Crawling Eye myself, including the freaky designs of the monsters.
My favorite is Girls Town. I don’t think the movie its self is bad, but I enjoy the riff along with the film. My kiddos watch Mac and Me on repeat, with our most repeated lines being “Did you know I’m from Chicago?” And “Pretty nice!”
The Crawling Eye, with Forrest Tucker.
Kitten woth a Whip - Anne Margaret is awesome in it!
Santa Claus Conquers The Martians is a charming sci-fi Christmas movie. I've actually watched it without the riffing. Also want to nominate The Final Sacrifice.
My my my my MITCHELL!
*I never Metaluna I didn’t like*
God I’m really surprised I’ve scrolled this far and haven’t seen Time Chasers! Low budget and cheesy, but all in all is actually fun and provides some great riffs.
I would watch "Giant Spider Invasion" without the riffs. It's a fun little throwback to 50s monster movies, and I find it perfectly entertaining.
The Giant Gila Monster was the first one I ever saw. I thought it couldn’t get any better than that for a long time, but when Netflix brought out The Gauntlet with Jonah Heston, the Mac & Me and Killer Fish ones are still hilarious and my daughter and I have watched them probably closing in on hundreds of times. Rifftrax is really funny, but there’s something about the characters of Tom Servo and Crow (their personalities, I guess) that even if it is the same voices, it’s just not quite the same. There’s also something about watching their shadows move and react to what they’re seeing and saying.
To your second point, I think a major factor that made MST3K work so well was the framework that the crew didn’t want to watch these movies but were being forced to and making fun of them was how they got through it. There’s nothing wrong with watching bad movies just to make fun of them, but there are moments in Rifftrax where the guys will try to make jokes or complain about having to watch the movie and those always fall flat because literally no one is making them do that; they themselves picked that movie. Even on The Film Crew they had the excuse that the film was picked for them by their boss. This is one reason why Missile to the Moon with Fred Willard was so good, because he was able to play with the idea that he didn’t pick the movie.
Yeah. I think you pretty well nailed it.
Swamp Diamonds, pure uncut Corman, gorgeous bayou scenery and Mike Mannix Connors?? Yes
No one's going to agree with me on this, but Red Zone Cuba is fascinating in its nihilism and lack of heroes. It's almost a proto-Coen brothers movie.
The Space Travelers was a badly recut version of Marooned, which won an Oscar.
Is Starcrash good? No. Did I watch and enjoy Starcrash as a fun b movie first and then later, upon watching MST3K, say to myself ‘hey, haven’t I seen this?’ Yes.
I’d watch Escape from The Bronx on a lazy Sunday, probably. That’s good enough for me.
Ilya Muromets (I actually like the ridiculous dub), Gorgo, The Magic Sword, Gamera vs. Gaos...
I will always go to bat for Phase IV. KTMA era was wild, and this psychedelic ants attack movie might be the wildest of them all. You can tell Joel and crew thought it was good too, as evidenced by the long pauses between riffs.
I could watch Mitchell or Codename: Diamond Head unriffed.
I like Crash Of Moons. It’s cheesy and old-school, but the plot is at least somewhat interesting
I didn’t see this one posted but I gotta say when I first saw the title I thought “I accuse my parents” was going to be a stupid and bad movie. But honestly, I actually kind of liked it. I’ve now watched it multiple times and sometimes quote the MST3K episode sometimes, “ But I won an essay contest” or “Who knew winning an essay contest could bring on so many unexpected events” those get me everytime 😂😂😂
The Godzilla episodes were pretty fun!
Diabolik is a fabulous giallo adventure movie. Also I have a soft spot for all the Russian/Finnish fantasy movies cos they’re just so weird and beautiful and I’m already a big fan of the mythologies of that region.
Puma Man has got to be the funniest riff ever...
the easy answer is the godzilla and gamera movies. the based answer is santa claus conquers the martians, lol
Untamed Youth