When this show was on the air I never watched it because I couldn’t get past the skits they do before commercial break. But what I’ve recently discovered is, if you can get past the skits, those guys are actually pretty damn funny.
Anyway, I watched The Pod People last night and it had me in stitches the whole way through.
I’m thinking about watching “A Touch of Satan” next because the title itself seems so comical.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
“Manos, The Hands of Fate” is one of the quintessential MST3K films.
“Mitchell” is one of my favorites. Pretty solid all the way though.
I didn’t care for Manos, MST3K classic as it is, because the movie itself is just so bad. Long boring patches where there isn’t even anything funny to say beyond “wow, this is long and boring”. Still, a whole lot of people would call it a classic episode so that’s just my minority opinion.
“ATouch of Satan” is one of my favorites, along with “Space Mutiny” and “Prince of Space”
keep circulating the tapes
Yeah, “Mitchell” is pretty good too. So is “Hercules Against the Moon Men” (“My backpack’s full of pecs…”)
Also, don’t underestimate the shorts. Some of them are the best part of the show, IMO. (Not the skits–the old '50s school hygiene films and industrial films given the MST3K treatment).
“Touch of Satan” is good because (IMO) it’s not that bad of a movie. Nice eye candy.
I also liked “The Unearthly”.
Also give Rifftrax’s shorts a look see. Hee-larious.
Mitchell is good. I also like Cave Dwellers.
I trust you have seen MST3K The Movie?
THIS ISLAND EARTH!
“Puma Man” is hilarious. I’d also recommend “The Final Sacrifice”
Yep. This is the one that got me into MST3K. Strongly recommend it next. Otherwise the usual suspects for great episodes are:
Space Mutiny
The Final Sacrifice
Puma Man
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (I personally love this one)
Manos
Pod People
Werewolf
Prince of Space
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Santa Claus (not be confused with the above)
I Accuse My Parents
Time Chasers
Those should keep you plenty busy. Also, just have a stroll through the MST3K shorts. The Spring Fever one is one of my favorites.
Actually, let me just point you here. These are MST3K episodes sorted by “laughs.” Just work your way down them.
You could do worse than to work your way down this list:
pulykamel’s list looks pretty good too.
“The Sidehackers” is my absolute favorite.
I love Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues.
Santa Claus is my favorite episode. Also Pod People and Outlaw.
“It Stinks!” <---- Reference to Pod People.
Touch of Satan is a great one.
Final Sacrifice and Space Mutiny are great too.
I also loved “Danger Death Ray” and “Future War”
I second Werewolf, Prince of Space, A Touch of Satan, Space Mutiny and Overdrawn at the Memory Bank.
I’m a big fan of The Brain/Head That Wouldn’t Die and Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonder as well. I’ve used this thread in the past to get an idea of which MST3Ks to watch.
All the Gamera and Godzilla movies.
Operation Double 007
Samson vs. the Vampire Women
The Girl in Lovers Lane
Another vote against Manos as a gateway MST3K episode. It’s the most overrated episode in the canon; it’s just not that funny, though as a specimen of train-wreck cinema, “Manos” itself is pretty hard to surpass. Someone recently found the master print and was going to make a Blu-Ray of it; I admit to being intrigued.
Touch of Satan is a solid B-plus episode. There are better ones, but it’s an entirely satisfying effort.
My suggestions to start with:
Mitchell
The Final Sacrifice
Agent for H.A.R.M.
I Accuse My Parents
Teenagers from Outer Space
And no knock against the OP —what you like is what you like — but the host segments are, to my mind, an essential part of the experience and helps to make the show what it is. I’m the first to admit they can be hit or miss, but the best of them — I’m thinking of Owner of a Lonely Heart, Air on a Delta Knight and, most insane of all, the Holo-Clown Emitter —are as funny as anything in the movies.
Not many which are bad, really. Well, Hamlet perhaps. But you should sample some Joel shows and some Mike shows and see which you like best.
I do like Mutiny in Space, but also the Rocky Jones episodes, because I watched those as a kid.