Much as I love Joel and the B&W B-horror movies, I got to go for the popular favorite, SPACE MUTINY.
Sparking repartee from Mike and the bots, mystical modern-dance sirens, hilarious space go-karts, bronzed beefcake, girls with no pants on, and Santa Claus. How can you top that?
Mitchell always makes me laugh. Wizard of the Lost Kingdom I and II were both great in the new season, too.
My all-time fave is Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues. Starring Charles B. Pierce, who legend has it, was the writer who came up with the immortal Dirty Harry line “Go ahead, make my day.”
This question is totally unfair, because there are so many tied for first, but, if I had to pick one, it would have to be the one that introduced me to MST3K, and that is “Mitchell.”
The original ‘Time of the Apes’. Classic.
I’m a sucker for any of the old Japanese imports. Time of the Apes, Fugitive Alien, the Gamera and Godzilla films. The Jet Jaguar song w/subtitles from Godzilla vs Megalon made me almost piss myself laughing the first time I saw it.
I’ll vote again for Mitchell. Which has the benefit that the movie is actually somewhat watchable unlike the long plodding stretches in Manos where it’s obvious they were trying hard to find anything funny (while nothing is happening).
From what I’ve seen on YouTube, I think Pod People.
80’s films are the only genre i cant take being riffed.
The short, The Home Economics Story.
Also, whichever episode featured this exchange. I’m the wind, baby!
My favorite episode is probably Pod People or Santa Claus (for years I would watch my worn out VHS of Santa Claus every Christmas time) but I think the ones that make me laugh the hardest are the Shorts.
The shorts are amazing and a lot of fun. I like “I accuse my parents”.
And “Date with your family”.
Space Mutiny is my choice, as well. The parade of ridiculous names for the hero (Big McLargeHuge! Slab Bulkhead!), the blatant re-use of FX footage from the original Battlestar Galactica (which they never comment on!), the sloppy editing resulting in a character who just got killed appearing in the very next scene (“It sure was nice of you to give that dead girl another chance, sir!”). It’s a goofy enough movie to get a lot of comedy out of, but not such a horrible movie that it becomes a chore to sit through.
That’s the potential weakness of MST3K, and one that infects several of the cheaper movies (especially the much-vaunted Manos)–if the movie is too dreary and boring, even the riffs can’t save it. The format works best when the movie itself is somewhat watchable.
Another favorite of mine, which doesn’t get a whole lot of attention in discussions like this, is the late Sci-Fi Channel era Track of the Moon Beast. I love Johnny Longbow’s world-weary recitation of the ingredients in his stew. And I honestly, un-ironically enjoy the song in that movie, “California Lady.”
Thank you for the tips…I haven’t seem some of these, haven’t watched Mitchell in years, and agree that the shorts often outshine the features. My favorite being the one with the Zoo Hunter working in the Everglades, with many of the riffs involving rooting for the animals, plus “I am SO ASHAMED of my species right now.”
Space Mutiny is also my probable favorite, but I love Prince of Space and Touch of Satan almost as much!!! :D:D:D:D:D
BTW, everyone here knows you can see most of the series fer free gratis at
right?
Oh yeah…Prince of Space, with Emperor Crack Whore, the spinning dingus on the alien spaceship, and “We like it VERY MUCH.” Defs in my top ten!
Might be a case of the first one you see making a bigger impression, but I loved Cave Dwellers
My husband and young daughter used to watch and they both loved The Final Sacrifice. I don’t know why or what was appealing in that, especially to a young girl, but they laughed their heads off every time…Myself, I really liked Devil Doll (the 1964 ventriloquist movie) starring the great Vorelli and Hugo. Because I have a love/hate affair with ventriloquist dummies.
The MST3K *moment *I remember most for some reason, came from I think episode 0505, The Magic Voyage of Sinbad. A woman appears on camera with a small white/yellow bird in her hand.
“Hello, breakfatht!”
…nearly killed me right there.