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Weekend Discussion Thread: Ten Essential MST3K EpisodesWell, this wasn’t what I was going to do this week, but then the gang at The Onion’s “A.V. Club” posted this article in which they list their 10 “essential” episodes. And I KNEW this would lead to days of people discussing where the list went right and where it went wrong. So why not just make it the WDT and leave it at that?
So, to be clear, this ISN’T your 10 FAVORITE episodes. It’s the 10 episodes you think everybody should see. Here’s my list: What’s yours? (We had a little glitch and comments got closed [and I also fixed those wayward question marks]. Sorry. Open again.) 92 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: Ten Essential MST3K Episodes”Commenting at Satellite News
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1 Track of the Moonbeast.
2 Ring of Terror.
3 Wild Rebels.
4 Prince of Space.
5 The Starfighters.
6 Teenage Strangler.
7 Beast of Yucca Flats.
8 Manos the Hands of Fate.
9 Eegah.
10 Hamlet.
It’s hard to differentiate the two, but here it goes ( I focused on quality of movie, seminal value to the show and take on certain genres:)
1. Manos (not my fave but it has been talked about so much, it is a good litmus test on people’s willingness to watch.)
2. Mitchell (for its take on its genre and what it meant to the show.)
3. Santa Claus vs. the Martians (see Manos.)
4. Cave Dwellers (toss up w/ Pod People but its take on its genre is worth it.)
5. I Accuse My Parents (genre and general cluelessness of the lead.)
6. Violent Years (my closest lean to personal faves.)
7. Gamera (best intro to this genre – you could also go Gamera vs. Guiron but we’re getting into personal faves.)
8. Village of the Giatns (given its star power..)
9. Space Mutiny (genre and tremendous riffing.)
10. Crawling Eye
Hmmm, 10 that I’d advise folks to see? Well, in no particular order….
Robot Monster – Perhaps one of the best of Season 1, and a perfect view of the team just getting into a real rhythm.
Pod People – The crew at their finest. A perfect marriage of riffs and skits.
Eegah – Another one the crew pretty much hits out of the park.
Manos the Hands of Fate – Do I really need to justify this one?
Mitchell – A fond farewell to Joel and an introduction to….
The Brain that Wouldn’t Die – …Joel, the new guy, and a new dynamic established between the Host and the Bots.
Samson vs the Vampire Women – Farewell to Frank, and an under-rated episode in my opinion. This movie exists for riffing.
The Revenge of The Creature – The Sci-Fi Channel Era begins.
The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who… – there is just SO much to riff on in this one, the crew seemed to be in
heaven.
Soultaker – Joel and Frank drop in to make an already solid episode a must-see. You can sense the end approaching – and although other Season 10 episodes might be funnier, this one seems to be most of the old class prepping for the final farewell.
I know many people think Manos is too slow and too weird to be an introductory episode, but come on, it is SO INCREDIBLY ESSENTIAL. There have been puppet shows, there’s a sequel in the works, there’s a documentary, there’s an iPhone game. So no list is complete without Manos. I know many fans have come to the show through that episode, so clearly it does work as a gateway drug.
Here’s my 10. I’m more inclined to include episodes that have already been released on DVD, so newbies can get the highest quality episodes. Besides, Shout! has gotten a lot of the classics out in recent years.
207 – WILD REBELS (I prefer this to Sidehackers for biker exploitation)
210 – KING DINOSAUR
303 – POD PEOPLE (“It stinks!”, etc.)
316 – GAMERA VS. GUIRON (the goofiest of the Gameras)
404 – TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE
424 – MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE
521 – SANTA CLAUS
813 – JACK FROST (completely agree with the AV Club: a good starter episode)
820 – SPACE MUTINY
1003 – MERLIN’S SHOP OF MYSTICAL WONDERS
I made my list with a focus on the show’s diversity and it’s journey on the airwaves.
110 Robot Holocaust – Great example of the show’s infancy.
212 Godzilla vs Megalon – The show’s rise to glory.
301 Cave Dwellers – It’s permanence in glory.
303 Pod People – Ditto.
424 Manos – No explanation needed.
512 Mitchell – The torch is passed.
619 Red Zone Cuba – Example of how MST3K made a depressing drama exciting.
820 Space Mutiny – Best EP of the show’s later years.
904 Werewolf – Or maybe this one is?
1006 Boggy Creek 2 – Or this one?
Shorts: “Mr. B Natural” and “Are You Ready For Marriage?”
Robot Holocaust
Wild Rebels
Pod People
The Beatniks
Manos
I Accuse My Parents
Night of the Blood Beast
Time Chasers
Puma Man
Boggy Creek II
And this will change by next month.
Mine in no particular order:
10. Invasion Of The Neptune Men
9. Santa Claus
8. Manos The Hands Of Fate
7. Gamera
6. Hobgoblins
5. I Accuse My Parents
4. Master Ninja 1 & 2
3. Castle Of Fu Manchu
2. The Beatniks
1. Bride Of The Monster
Since we are talking essentials, I’m assuming that this is not just for newbies, but for experienced MSTies also. The first must is all of the episodes with transitions. So, here goes:
106 The Crawling Hand – Although The Crawling Eye is the first episode, this is the ep where Joel explains the premise of the show.
201 – Rocketship X-M – Our introduction to TV’s Frank and the explanation for Erhardt’s disappearance
512 – Mitchell – Joel’s farewell and Gypsy’s tour-de-force
513 – The Brain that Wouldn’t Die – Mike’s entrance, and that which has been already mentioned, the different dynamics between the host and the Mads and the host and the bots.
624 – Samson vs. the Vampire Women – Frank’s departure. And the only Mexican wrestling movie of the run.
701 – Night of the Blood Beast – Although not quite introducing Mrs. Pearl Forrester, she does move in.
706 – Laserblast – Goodby Green Jacket. Hope the new Clayton is greater than the last.
801 – Revenge of the Creature – Welcome back to Mike and the Bots, although they are in the new universe of the Sci Fi Channel. New Crow and Pearl’s in charge. Also a new theme song.
1013 – Diabolik. End of the run. Sob.
And to round it out: 423 – Bride of the Monster. How can you beat this episode (although Manos can also be inserted here.
Robot Monster
Godzilla vs. Megalon
Fugitive Alien
Rocketship XM
Mitchell
The Brain that Wouldnt Die
Laserblast
Samson vs the Vampire Women
Revenge of the Creature
Soultaker
#101: The Crawling Eye
#206: Ring of Terror
#301: Cave Dwellers
#419: The Rebel Set
#517: The Beginning of the End
#604: Zombie Nightmare (on a certain level, this one captures the essential ethos of the show for me)
#701: Night of the Blood Beast
#817: Horror of Party Beach
#903: Puma Man
#1012: Squirm
I changed my mind several times while constructing the above list, which simply demonstrates the greatness of the show.
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
Mitchell
Manos
Teenage Strangler
Horrors of Party Beach
Soultaker
Eegah
Laserblast
Space Mutiny
Cave Dwellers
No particular order.
212 – Godzilla Vs. Megalon
321 – Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
424 – Manos, Hands Of Fate
502 – Hercules
506 – Eegah!
512 – Mitchell
622 – Angels’ Revenge
814 – Riding With Death
903 – The Pumaman
1013 – Diabolik
Since I favor Mike’s episodes, I’ve decided to cheat and give two lists of top 10. One for Mike and one for Joel.
Joel’s top 10.5 (episode 319 doesn’t really count as I would only show the Mr. B short)
212. Godzilla vs. Megalon
303. Pod People
311. It Conquered the World
312. Gamera vs. Guiron
319. War of the Colossal Beast (only because of Mr. B Natural short!)
321. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
323. The Castle of Fu-Manchu
410. Hercules Against the Moonmen
411. The Magic Sword
416. Fire Maidens of Outer Space
422. The Day the Earth Froze
Mike’s top 10
513. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die
604. Zombie Nightmare
606. The Creeping Terror
617. The Sword & the Dragon
620. Danger!! Death Ray
624. Samson vs. the Vampire Women
701. Night of the Blood Beast
806. The Undead
813. Jack Frost
816. Prince of Space
Robot Monster: You need a sample of Season 1, and this gives an old-school B-movie just when the Brains are hitting their stride.
Gamera vs. Guiron: Gamera is another crucial element. I pick this primarly because (as Jim Mallon noted) Guiron was Gamera’s most worthy opponent.
Bride of the Monster: Speaking of crucial, you’ve got to have some Ed Wood. This one has the corny mad science schlock that comes to mind when you bring up his name.
Manos: Because y’know, Manos.
Mitchell: Due to the change of host.
Laserblast: For Dr. F.’s farewell.
Revenge of the Creature: A strong restart for the series with a classic B-movie.
Jack Frost: The goofiest of the Russian/Finnish productions (not an easy task).
Soultaker: For the guest appeances by Joel and Frank.
Diabolik: The series finale which ends with a loop of sorts.
Well my wife isn’t much of a fan, she’s only seen Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and a few shorts but agreed to go with me to the Rifftrax showing of Manos in a couple of weeks (got tired of going to those shows by myself) so my essential guide is aimed directly at her.
Time Chasers
Touch of Satan
Teenagers from Outer Space
Catalina Caper
Mr B. Natural
What to do on a Date
The Home Economics Story
Is This Love?
Swamp Diamonds
Eegah
Hopefully I can get her to watch a couple of them before Manos. I don’t want to turn her away for good.
In no particular order, I’ll say:
Pod People
Manos
Mitchell
Soultaker
Werewolf
Hobgoblins
Prince of Space or Invasion of the Neptune Men (they’re kind of interchangeable)
Bride of the Monster
Space Mutiny
The Deadly Mantis (because at least one ‘giant mutated bug’ movie is essential)
Ok, for newbies, you wouldn’t want any plot in the sketches to explain, so-
Pod People
Fugitive Alien 1
Planet Of The Prehistoric Women
I Accuse My Parents
Manos
Red Zone Cuba
Werewolf
Prince Of Space
The Violent Years
Trying to think of another “introductory” episode with Mike…..oh hell yes, Space Mutiny.
For bonus eps, no xmas gathering is ever worse from a screening of MST’s “Santa Claus Conquers The Martians” or “Santa Claus”.
1. Angels’ Revenge: Great riffing, big stars apparently needing something to be in, and Greydon Clark.
2. The Creeping Terror: A totally messed up movie and excellent riffing.
3. Eegah: Arch Hall, Jr., Roxie, Richard Kiel in one of their choices that yes, makes you want to take a shower when its over, but is engaging and funny throughout. Honk if you love Eegah!
4. The Final Sacrifice: “If one can measure these things, the worst thing ever to come out of Canada!” (Hope I got that quote right). Rowsdower, Mike Pipper, Troy, and Satorus(sp?). The Canada Song. Hilarious.
5. Godzilla Vs. Megalon: Of all the giant monster movies, I think this one is the best (barely edging out Gamera Vs. Guiron).
6. Prince of Space: The host segments, featuring the theme of going through the wormhole, has consistently funny host segments (including the one time any of the characters are outside, correct?) and very funny riffing throughout.
7. Riding With Death: The adventures of Buffalo Bill and Lazy Rider. A great treatment.
8. Laserblast: Possibly could have been the end of the series, and they did a funny and touching farewell (happily it wasn’t the last). And another 1970s movie (must be specific there, otherwise Servo might yell at me for being sloppy) that gets exquisitely slammed.
9. Skydivers: Gotta have Coleman Francis, and this was the best one.
10. Werewolf: Wonderful combination of host segments and riffing, and the ending credits sequence is one of their greatest moments.
Wow, this was tough, but I tried to stay with the ten best and not my ten favorites. Keep ’em coming- another great opportunity to have some ready made marathon lists.
Going to limit this to one per season:
1. Robot Monster
2. Godzilla vs. Megalon
3. Cave Dwellers
4. Manos: The Hands of Fate
5. Mitchell OR The Brain that Wouldn’t Die
6. Skydivers
7. Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell
8. Space Mutiny
9. The Final Sacrifice
10. Track of the Moon Beast
1. Robot Monster (Early on in the show, you get to see/hear Josh, it’s just starting to find its polish, PLUS an iconic Monster!)
2. Gamera VS Gurion (Gamera is iconic and really neat, a fine intro to the Japanese monster/superhero films, and really really silly)
3. Santa Claus Conquerors the Martians (Decent Santa Claus, annoying sidekick, incompetent bad guys and cheap sets. PLUS the wonderful segments make it one of the best all-around episodes)
4. Teenagers From Outer Space (30something Teenagers + Ultra-cheap feel makes it rather enjoyable. The behind-the-scenes stuff makes it even more so)
5. Manos The Hands of Fate (Slightly advanced due to the awful and occasionally upsetting nature of the film, but everything from the iconic villain to the inept acting to the inappropriate music to … you get the idea.)
6. Mitchell (70s Shlock and an unlovable hero. Plus…Joel leaves us)
7. Space Mutiny (How many shows get one of their most memorable and quotable episodes 8 years in after numerous cast changes? It’s all pure cheese, and a great one to show anyone interested in the show)
8. Hobgoblins (Unlikeable Idiot teenagers! Cheap Puppet Villains! A director who seemingly gave up halfway through!)
9. Jack Frost (An actually decent, enjoyable film with tons of weirdness and bad dubbing. It looks pretty nice to boot.)
10. Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders (Last new episode shown, wildly inappropriate ‘kids film’ and recognizable actor Ernest Borgnine.)
Catalina Caper is a good introductory episode, as the movie is easy to watch, and the riffing is solid.
Cave Dwellers, for its EXCELLENT riffing!
Pod People also has superb riffing, and features many riffs that became catchphrases. However, make sure your new MSTie is fully awake or that you have some caffeine on hand for this one.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, need I say more?
Monster A-Go-Go, because this movie is an excellent example of what not to do when making a film.
Manos, for same reasons as above film.
Mitchell, because it’s Joel’s swan song.
The Creeping Terror, this one is a great one from the excellent sixth season.
Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, just to show my new MSTie that PBS does not necessairily equal quality programming, even though it usually does.
Girl in Gold Boots, another one that’s just fun to watch.
Gosh Sampo, I wish you could have made this our twenty essentials. I feel like I could still go on here.
OK, here we go:
104: Women of the Prehistoric Planet – For Hi-Keeba!
201: Rocketship X-M – The first episode I saw all the way through, not to mention the debut of TV’s Frank
316: Gamera Vs. Zigra – Goofy even for a Japanese monster movie, and Coke is it
424: “Manos” The Hands of Fate – Come on, it’s “Manos”! tHe MaStEr WoUlD nOt ApPrOve of it not being considered essential
507: I Accuse My Parents – Jimmy needs all the help he can get
621: The Beast of Yucca Flats – Coleman Francis in all his glory, not to mention a couple of pretty good shorts
706: Laserblast – Not one of my favorites, but a bridge to the SciFi years
813: Jack Frost – Just enjoy the ride
903: Puma Man – Seems like it was specifically created for this show
1001: Soultaker – Almost the whole gang back together again
So many great episodes, so little space, so much second-guessing in my heart, so I finally just decided to list the ten that popped into my head first:
1. Manos: The Hands Of Fate
2. Santa Claus
3, Eegah!
4. Gamera Vs. Guiron
5. Fugitive Alien
6. Final Sacrifice
7. Jack Frost
8. Skydivers
9. Creeping Terror
10. Werewolf
All subject to change without notice.
1. Godzilla Vs. Megalon
2. Pod People
3. Santa Clause Conqures the Martians
4. Manos the Hands of Fate
5. The Creeping Terror
6. Laserblast
7. Prince of Space
8. Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
9. The Final Sacrifice
10. Soultaker
I posted this on Facebook’s Mystery Science Theater page – ?10 Essentials, they’d have to be milestone eps or knock-’em-outa-the-park fan favs. There are 10 seasons, so each one should be represented, to show the evolution of the show. “The Crawling Eye” gets everything started with Season 1’s very first ep, and “Rocketship XM” is not only a fan favorite from Season 2, it introduces Frank. Season 3’s best, now that things are rolling along, is of course, “Pod People,” Season 4 is of course, “Manos.” In season 5 we lose Joel and gain Mike, “Mitchell” wins here, Season 6 has many really great eps, including Coleman Francis’s films, but we say goodbye to TV’s Frank in “Samson vs. the Vampire Women.” Season 7 – “Laserblast” says farewell to Dr. Forrester, and season 8’s “Revenge of the Creature” brings it all back again with Forrester’s Mom, Pearl Forrester, taking over. Season 9 holds “Pumaman” – possibly the most fan-popular episode, at least for the Sci-Fi years. Then we finish off the series in season 10 with “Diabolik” and Mike & the bots final farewell. Not necessarily all “series best” episodes, but definitely essential. There you have it.
IF we were to be allowed an additional 10 we could go into eps that were meaningful in other ways, like a Gamera film, Christmas episode, Coleman Francis film or Russo-Finnish film, the Night of the Blood Beast – Turkey Day connection, episodes that gave us “Rock Climbing” (Lost Continent), “Deep Hurting” (Hercules Against the Moon Men),” “Hypno-Helio Static-Stasis” (Radar Secret Service), “Hai Keebah!” (Women of the Prehistoric Planet), or the closest thing we got to a “reunion episode” (Soultaker).
I’ve got to be honest, I think they’re ten “essentials” are just fine. I’m really satisfied that they didn’t go with anything too obvious, Mitchell and Werewolf probably being the most popular. But they deserve to be mentioned and are legitimately good and accessible compared to other popular episodes that I just don’t get (and some of those were relegated to the “further viewing” section which I’m fine with too). I’m especially impressed with the selection of Side Hackers and Angels Revenge seeing as how they aren’t popular at all (Side Hackers more so) and yet are both great anyway. Side Hackers is even more of an odd choice since the film will probably turn plenty of people off, but I for one think they do a brilliant job countering it’s nastiness, especially since it’s such an early episode (Season 2 in general just doesn’t get enough credit/love).
If I could go with my own “essential” episodes though, I would try to pick one from each season (which they almost did) and say:
1. 110 – Robot Holocaust: Simply because they continue to call back to this is one many times in future episodes, possibly more than any other experiment from Season 1. I think it’s really important that people actually start from the beginning and if not watch the show in order, at least skip around some of the lesser ones, but not go in a totally random order (which is what I did actually, heh…). It’s also a fairly solid experiment for Season 1 and unlike Robot Monster (the other popular one from this season) which I find dull, is funny and consistent throughout.
Honorable mention, 112 – Untamed Youth: Yeah, okay, this one’s actually my favorite Season 1 episode. Sadly, not everybody is into these delinquent/crime films, but they’re probably my favorite genre featured on the series, and I find the riffing here is funnier and more memorable than any other Season 1 episode! Just a lot of fun all around.
2. 207 – Wild Rebels: Another one that gets many callbacks in later episodes (or at least it feels like it does, I recall hearing many instances of “Youandyoufriendsaretheonlycreepsinthisplace”, even as late as Season 5) and definitely the funniest and tamest of the biker flicks this season (all of which I enjoy).
Honorable mentions, 208 – Lost Continent: Not a huge favorite of mine, but it’s well known enough for the rock climbing sequence and has solid riffing throughout. 210 – King Dinosaur: Features the first short that isn’t from a serial (and it rules) and another Lippert picture that doubles as the first made by Bert I. Gordon to be featured on the series (and it also rules). Very funny and overlooked.
3. 309 – The Amazing Colossal Man: Possibly the most solid and consistent episode of Season 3, and another one that gets at least a decent amount of callbacks later on (I find the callbacks very essential to viewing MST. They do ones for Aztec Mummy and Ring of Terror in Cave Dwellers which is of course one of the more frequently recommended episodes. And yet I find it dull. Just not a fan of these sword and sorcery/fantasy films I guess). Not the funniest episode, but a good enough one with a very suitable film that’s already something of a well known B-movie/cult classic (Right? I’m kind of young and not an expert on this subject, so what do I know…).
Honorable mention, 302 – Gamera: This is another one I’m really glad to see on AV Club’s essentials list. Definitely my favorite of all the Gamera films, and much funnier and more enjoyable than the two popular episodes that surround it.
4. 402 – The Giant Gila Monster: Teenagers is a suitable choice from Season 4, but I think this one works even better. I don’t think it’s too heavy on callbacks and it’s just another really fun, solid episode featuring a dumb, memorable film.
Honorable mention, 405 – Being from Another Planet: If there was one unpopular episode that deserves popularity (or at least more recognition) it’s this one. Why do some people not just find it uninteresting, but absolutely HATE it? There may not be anybody or anything incredibly memorable about it, but it’s such a great example of a perfectly laid back and consistently funny episode to me. I especially adore the moments when we see through the mummy’s eyes and Crow and Tom get scared, possibly my favorite running gag even! That’s infinitely more funny and charming than crap like “DEEEEP HURRTIIING” and “SAAAAAANDDDSSTORRRRRRMM” from that god awful Moon Men episode (which, if I could have my way, should be avoided at all costs. If anything, watch every episode from Season 1 before checking out that turd. Then again, plenty of other people seem to like it, so whatever).
5. 501 – Warrior of the Lost World: A big, dumb, stinky, 80’s, Italian made, dystopia, Mad Max-esque rip off that gets a solid thrashing and is a riot from beginning to end. Just a great start to a great season.
Honorable mentions, 512 – Mitchell: No argument there, this is as significant as they get with Joel’s departure and the torch being passed to Mike. And it’s damn funny too. 517 – Beginning of the End: Another solid choice from the AV Club. 5 episodes in, and Mike has proven to be great. I actually think his first 6 episodes are all really solid, with the rest of the season fairing very well too (the last 4 all being excellent, I’m just not fond of movies like Outlaw and I’ve only seen Radar once [great short though]). Brain that Wouldn’t Die and Batwoman are my favorites of those 6, but BOTE features a film that’s nowhere near as bleak as the former or as incomprehensible and grating as the latter. Also stars Peter Graves, is a great giant monster/bug flick (another one of my favorite genres on the series), as well as being from Mr. BIG himself. May take a couple of viewings for it to sink in, but it’s definitely a winner.
6. 601 – Girls Town: A lot of Season 6 is made up of bleak, poorly made and/or incomprehensible films that should probably be held off until you’ve had more experience with the show. This one is quite possibly the best made film from the season and is definitely one of the funniest episodes. Dumb songs, kooky gals (how can you not love Mamie?), Mel Torme as a bad guy (lol). It’s a blast.
Honorable mention, 606 – The Creeping Terror: Again, wait a bit until you check out the REALLY bad movies, but definitely make this one of the first ones you see. I doubt you’ll ever forget it.
7. 706 – Laserblast: Trace’s final episode and the end of an era. Perhaps not as funny as Mitchell, but definitely as significant, if not even more so. We’ve seen a couple of dumb 70’s films up to this point, but this is just a great example all around and feels like it could have fit into the Sci-Fi era rather well.
Honorable mentions, the rest of the season. Come on, it’s only 6 episodes in total! Everything just works here. And save for Trace, the writing staff is pretty much the same exact people from the final three seasons. A weird, but very enjoyable and consistent transitional season. My personal favorite is The Incredible Melting Man (I couldn’t believe how hard I was laughing the last time I watched this one, and it only slowed down and got a little boring during the last 15 minutes!), while my least is Deathstalker (again, not a fan of these types of movies, and the riffing takes awhile to get going, but it’s still solid).
8. 810 – The Giant Spider Invasion: Deservedly well known and consistently funny. And after 9 back to back black and white films (most of which are actually really great), this is a real breather for those who either dislike or can’t take that many similar movies all at once. Just a great middle episode from the best Sci-Fi season.
Honorable mentions, 811 – parts the clonus horror: An actually good idea for a movie (that was even ripped off years later) with poor execution and acting is more than suitable for the show and results in an incredibly funny episode. 820 – Space Mutiny: I’m kind of down on some of the more popular episodes. Cave Dwellers nearly puts me to sleep, Pod People is just a little too depressing and has some bad running gags and Pumaman I simply do not find consistently funny or memorable despite the dumb movie and it’s poor special effects. Space Mutiny simply works. If there is any one episode that should have any sort of universal appeal, it’s this one. It’s not the funniest episode I’ve ever seen, but I can easily see why it’s so beloved by nearly ever MSTie. A no brainer.
9. 904 – Werewolf: Okay, it’s getting hard for me to differentiate from the AV article here. Season 9 is actually my least favorite season besides 1. It’s a huge step down from the magnificent 8th and only a handful of it’s 13 episodes really click with me. The rest is either simply good or dull. Werewolf is another popular episode that really works with an incredibly dumb and more recent movie that’s funny on it’s own. A definite winner.
Honorable mention, 911 – Devil Fish: I just find this one underrated. I didn’t like it the first time I saw it, but the second time was a blast. A suitable, ugly film with consistent riffing makes for one of the better experiments of the season for me. I could go on about other popular episodes like Final Sacrifice (another one that works despite some repetition that becomes grating), but I’m sure others will cover them (or have already).
10. 1004 – Future War: The movie itself is a riot. I think I could easily watch this one on it’s own and have a real good time. The riffing actually slows down in some spots and isn’t as funny as the movie, but it’s still a consistent and memorable episode. This one and Werewolf probably have more appeal to younger folk than some of the older films too.
Honorable mention, 1001 – Soultaker: Another more recent film, great riffing, significant for Joel and Frank’s cameos (although they’re both a bit off). Nothing else needs to be said really (btw, I find 10 to be a huge improvement over 9 and even Hamlet isn’t enough to bring it down).
Most of this was rushed and is embarrassingly long, but I tried, I really did!
I like Sampo’s list and many of the others here a lot more than the one on AV Club I was looking at yesterday. Much more like something I’d compile and while I’m at it here’s one of my own though it’s tough as always to come up with just ten or not duplicate many suggestions already made:
– Women Of The Prehistoric Planet (a great early episode that spawned a catch-phrase used for years on the show), alternatively the already suggested Robot Monster because it’s so well done and the type of film is at the core of what the show is all about
– Rocketship X-M (my favorite, also first show of season 2, Frank appears, Murphy takes over Servo, it’s a space ship adventure film that demonstrates in an iconic way the tone and feel of the show very well, also it is hilarious!), alternatively I’d have to agree with the already suggested Lost Continent as it established so many show standards of tone and humor
– Wild Rebels (demonstrates extremely well how MST3K dealt with low grade films in non-SF genres and a great, hilarious episode)
– Cave Dwellers (really funny, first show season three, MST3K is in top form), alternatively Amazing Colossal Man is one of their best episodes ever and it’s the kind of implausible old SF film that is a prime example of what inspired the show and its following
– Godzilla Vs. Megalon (it doesn’t get much better than this, also shows they can riff a famous movie)
– Teenagers From Outer Space (another iconic SF film fully representative of the show at its best)
– Manos (the episode that proves to this day that they could make a terrible and obscure film into something everyone would want to see)
– Mitchell (sadly, farewell to Joel)
– Outlaw of Gor (Post Joel MST3K at its very best, this to me is the show that proved they could still do something great without him)
– Space Mutiny (again, one of the absolute best later episodes of the show and one that returns MST3K to its low budget SF inspiration)
These are the movies I force my unordained MST friends to watch.
1. Eegah
2. Mitchell
3. Space Mutiny
4. Werewolf
5. Skydivers
6. Prince of Space
7. The Phantom Planet
8. Hobgoblins
9. Soul Taker
10. Future War
the 10 people should see if you want to get into the show are
107-robot monster
212-godzilla vs megalon
303-pod people
321-santa clause conquers the martians
424-manos
512-mitchell
604-zombie nightmare
706-laserblast
820-space mutiny
1003-merlins shop of mystical wonders
Zombie Nightmare, Beast of Yucca Flats, and Creeping Terror, played in endless rotation. Don’t need any others.
OK, except for Final Sacrifice.
OK, once a day break the monotony with Werewolf on odd-numbered days, Track of the Moon Beast on even. That’s all you need.
Rats. Wild World of Batwoman. And Red Zone Cuba. E basta.
Forgot Pod People and Hobgoblins…dammit, this isn’t working.
OK, start from the other end. Leave out Ring of Terror and Radar Secret Service.
Godzilla vs. Megalon
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Pod People
The Day the Earth Froze (IMHO, the best of the Russo-Finnish films..plus it has “Doing it Clown Style” in the short)
Space Travelers (“..take for example these plastic self-cleaning ducks.”)
Wild Rebels (for the kicks)
Gamera vs Guiron (“…no more traffic accidents”)
It Conquered the World (“He learned too late that man is a feeling creature…”)
Prince of Space
The Incredible Melting Man (the perfect movie plus the skits parodying the making of “MST3K – The Movie”)
Close runner ups: Daddy-O and Track of the Moon Beast
I think Manos is the last thing you show a Newbie. It’s a great episode but the movie has the potential of scaring people off.
In no particular order:
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Manos
Mitchell
Revenge of the Creature
Eegah
Riding with Death
Pod People
Boggy Creek 2
Soultaker
Giant Gila Monster
So, to be clear, this ISN’T your 10 FAVORITE episodes. It’s the 10 episodes you think everybody should see.
Well, somebody should tell that to the Onion–They posted THEIR fanboy list of favorite episodes, without any real explanation of why they were “essential”, apart from just favorite Mike-merchandised catchphrase riffs.
You can tell I’m taking this seriously :) , so I ended up thinking, what were the “Essential” episodes that sum up the arc of the series? (As in, it’s amazing how forgettable “Crawling Eye” and “Diabolik” are as individual episodes, despite bookending the series.)
If we’re talking “Essential”, that would be:
1) ROBOT MONSTER – Tough call between the three Robots (Holocaust and Mummy) to symbolize the homegrown seat-of-the-pants riffing of Season 1, but Ro-man seems to be the icon of our idea of Bad 50’s Movies. The Brains said they didn’t even want to do the movie at first, since it’d become too pop-identified with the Golden Turkeys, but that there was just too much good material there.
2) ROCKETSHIP X-M – The first blossoming of silly scripted riffs, and the refining of host segs into comic art. What was just a local cowtown series found its groove.
3) SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS – Could the show do a Christmas episode? Not only that, but the one default kiddy-matinee a generation had been subjected to every year.
4) MONSTER A GO-GO – Yes, of course it’s paint-drying torture. But unlike Castle of Fu Manchu, it’s so bizarre, jury-rigged, slapped-together paint-drying torture, the show is ABOUT watching our characters get through it, and how silly the riffs can erupt when the mind rebels.
5) POD PEOPLE – There’s just so much of the entire Joel-era show wrapped up in this one episode: Cheap production. Scene-specific host segs. And that particular naivety of a homemade bad movie that’s so earnest yet bizarre in its attempt, it practically writes a riff every time the characters open their mouths. This IS the “If you had to watch one episode”, to understand the series. :)
6) MAGIC VOYAGE OF SINBAD – Did we…(shakes head)…no, I’m sorry, must be my mistake, did it look for a second as if we had a list of “Essential” episodes that DIDN’T include the two Joel-era Russo-Finnish fairytales (as examples of just how bizarre the movies could get?) No, wait, that has to be a misprint on the Onion’s part, even a raving fanboy would have at least put “Day the Earth Froze” up there, and I didn’t want to put both up there to be redundant.
7) MANOS – Of course. (Had anyone heard of this before its MST3K immortality?)
8) MITCHELL – It said “Essential”, not “Favorite”–And if you want to know what happened to the tone of the show in transition once the Mike Era arrived, it’s all here to see in concentrated symbolic form for posterity. And from the looks of it, what happened ain’t pretty.
10) WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN – The “last hurrah” of the naively-silly “Where did they come from??” movies of the Joel era–And coming in so soon after Mitchell, a reminder to the new regime that in the old days, the movies Dr. F sent up weren’t as easy as they looked: It ain’t just fat people and Canadians, sometimes it’s a movie that just goes beyond human explanation…
11) MERLIN’S SHOP OF MAGICAL WONDERS – See above: M&tB had gotten so lazy by the end of S9, you had to give them an “Oh. Dear. GODS. 0_0 ” movie, like a Tingler-shock in their theater seats, to get the riff juice flowing. And as Mike said in the disk intro, you’d think it was a kiddy-rental from the title, “but there’s just Satan all over it.” Due to rights problems, this was the one they ended the series on, and this was the one they should have ended it on.
And okay, so it was Eleven–If you want to drop one, drop Mitchell, but it’s important we don’t close our eyes to the tragic parts of history.
Wanted to squeeze Eegah, Cave Dwellers, Bride and/or Robot Holocaust in there somehow–and had whole paragraphs for why “Hobgoblins”, before I realized I’d forgotten Pod People, but it said ten, so had to concentrate on series overview.
As for the Onion’s fanlist, if someone has two or three spare hours, can they explain to me why “Werewolf” or “Spider Invasion” are “essential” episodes by any stretch of the imagination? Oh, and without quoting any favorite catchphrase riffs, like a good SciFi-trained parrot.
#1 The Hellcats alot of the jokes about drugs and bikers are still relevant for any newbie to the show
#2 Santa Claus conquers the Martians, a horrible movie that begged to be riffed and all around up there with a Charlie Brown X-mas to be a yearly tradition for Mistys and non Mistys alike.
#3 Earth vs The Spider, a movie by the Roland Emmrich of yesteryear (his movies are good and the riffs are hilarious) plus one of the best shorts ever SPEECH perfect episode for anybody to watch
#4 Manos so bad it is now considered good. Any one wanting to experience true Mst3k should consider this classic. Creepy music horrible acting and Torgo!!!
#5 Hercules the best Mst3k eps are somtimes the movies about larger than life characters The muscles grease and riffs fly in this italian film about the greek hero
#6 Invasion USA another good type of movie is the pro-american military movies of the 1950’s Hilarious cold war riffs and barbs of soviet drinking, any one (commie or not) should begin with this gem
#7 Teenage Werewolf Micheal Landon and the 1950’s a movie considered not that bad back in its day it still begs to riffed with all its teenage angst great episode for starters
#8 Parts the Clonus Horror a creepy movie with a still relevant plot with A&E’s Peter Graves and a goofy faced clones with no noses, this episode its excellent for starters
#9 Touch of Satan, a true 1970’s piece of crap. But thanks to the bland acting and dumb story Mst3k makes it a delight to watch, even your evil murderous hideously burned grandmom who lives in the back room will love it
#10 The Final Sacrifice arguably the greatest eps ever, it features Canadian wilderness a noodly arm boy and ROSDOWER. The riffs are abound from start to finish it is Mst3k at its best and brightest, this is the episode to start with for anybody
Hard to pull my favorites aside, but based on range of the show; as in, there has to be at least one Gamera movie, one Russo-Finnish movie, one Hercules movie, one Ed Wood movie, one Corman movie, one hicksploitation movie, and something from each decade of the 50s-80s.
Robot Monster
Cave Dwellers
Gamera vs Gaos
Hercules against the Moon Men
The Day the Earth Froze
Bride of the Monster
Manos the Hands of Fate
Mitchell
Revenge of the Creature
Boggy Creek II
Runner-up: Space Mutiny.
Wow…. choosing an essential 10 eps. is tough but of course im gonna go with personal favs… I am a Big Mike fan and usually gravitate to his episodes..
Blood waters of Dr. Z
Night of the Blood Beast
Werewolf
Space Mutiny (we’ll be reaching speeds of 3)
Boggy Creek II
Giant Spider Invasion
Track of the Moon Beast
Zombie Nightmare
Squirm
Puma Man
and as a bonus :: Future War and Escape 2000 (Leave the Bronx)
#17: Manos and Red Zone Cuba would KILL newbies, but I like your character-building list. :-)
Any list of essentials will have to include the following:
The Crawling Eye (obviously)
Rocketship X-M (New Tom Servo voice)
Mitchell/The Brain that Wouldn’t Die
Samson vs. The Amazon Women (aloha, TV’s Frank)
The Night of the Blood Beast
Laserblast (bye, Doctor F.!)
Revenge of the Creature (hello, new channel, and hello, new Crow!)
Diabolik (goodbye, MST3K. Hello, pop culture cult status!)
So if we include all the “key moment” eps, we’ve already hit 9. Which means that either we just throw a personal favourite into the mix, or just expand the list. In either case, the 10th would have to be one of the following for me…
Manos: The Hand of Fate (It’s Manos! How can you not?)
The Beast of Yucca Flats/Red Zone Cuba/The Skydivers (the world needs to be made aware of Coleman Francis’ existence, if only to ensure another one never develops).
Any of the Gamera/Godzilla movies
Girl in Gold Boots/Racket Girls (cause I’m down for the crime stuff)
The Sinister Urge/Bride of the Monster/The Violent Years
Beginning of the End
POD PEOPLE
GAMERA VS GUIRON
THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE
HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN
BRIDE OF THE MONSTER
I ACCUSE MY PARENTS
MITCHELL
GIRLS TOWN
MERLIN’S SHOP OF MYSTICAL WONDERS
BOGGY CREEK II: AND THE LEGEND CONTINUES
My list would mainly pull from the mid to late years of MST3K (Not that there weren’t amazing episodes prior to Season 3, but I think that’s when they really started hitting their stride) and try to focus on episodes that really tick all the boxes when it comes to cheesy movie, great host segments, and being able to stand on their own without too much backstory.
01) Cave Dwellers This is the place I always start new MSTies. The movie is pure late-night cheese, the riffing is top notch and pulls from an impressive number of obscure references, plus the host segments are all great, and the foley demonstration is both educational and fun (and sure to grab the heart of anybody who’s done amateur theater).
02) Master Ninja I Another cheesy classic, and one of the best of the “let’s pass off two television episodes as a movie” genre. While the plots of the “movie” are rather stupid, I think they’re slightly easier to follow than that of Fugitive Alien or Time of the Apes. Plus, who doesn’t love to hate on Timmothy VanPatten?
03) Secret Agent Super Dragon One of my favorites of the spy movie genre. It’s sort of a toss up between this and Operation Double 007 in my books, but I think the host segments edge Super Dragon narrowly out in the lead.
04) Mitchell Essential, not just because it introduces Mike, but also because it’s a darn funny episode.
05) Outlaw The pinnacle of cheesy sword and sorcery movies, and possibly the best musical host segment ever. If I had to pick two episodes to get somebody interested in MST3K, it would be this one and Cave Dwellers.
06) Santa Claus Much as I love Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, this episode is just so… perfect. And who doesn’t want to see Santa duke it out with the prince of darkness?
07) Prince of Space Not only do you have the epic wormhole host segments, but the movie itself is one of their funniest Japanese films. Unlike some of the Gamera flicks which all sort of bleed together, this one just keeps piling on the crazy, and is pretty quick-paced for being a B/W film.
08) Time Chasers Another strong episode with a relentlessly cheesy movie and hilarious host segments.
09) Space Mutiny Arguably one of the greatest episodes ever. Of course I’ve got to recommend it.
10) Diabolik While I suppose seeing how the series ends isn’t vital to your enjoyment of MST3K, this is one of their better spy movie outings, and of course, the host segments are wonderful.
Difficult but I will do my best:
Lost Continent
Pod People
The Amazing Colossal Man
Manos, the Hands of Fate
Mitchell
Brain that Wouldn’t Die
Red Zone Cuba (though Violent Years would do just as well)
Horror of Party Beach
Space Mutiny
Final Sacrifice
I went for quality over trying to represent the changes in the show, but still tried to represent the various eras and seasons as much as possible.
I like to give newbies a sense of what it was like to watch MST on Comedy Central back in 1996 so I just give them a copy of Giant Gila Monster and have them watch it over and over again.
I’ll put my personal biases aside and just go with what I consider the essentials:
Women of the Prehistoric Planet
Moon Zero Two
Project Moonbase
Robot Monster
Robot Holocaust
The Crawling Hand
The Crawling Eye
Untamed Youth
The Slime People
The Corpse Vanishes
#35 EricJ
Wow. Talk about dislike of Mike Nelson infecting your views.
Repeat to yourself it’s just a show. I should really just relax.
1) MST3K: The Movie- It’s short, sweet, hilarious and explains the premise. Perfect to show a newbie.
2) Pod People- A goofy alien, some stupid people and some of the funniest riffing ever.
3) Cave Dwellers- This episode almost made me choke to death. I’ve since learned to never eat while watching the show.
4) Manos- The legendary episode. No one can deny it’s one of the series’ best.
5) Mitchell- Joel’s last is a great episode.
6) The Brain That Wouldn’t Die- Mike’s first is already firing on all cylinders.
7) Jack Frost- Russo-Finnish goofiness. The best of the four.
8) The Touch Of Satan- This IS where the fish lives.
9) The Sinister Urge- Ed Wood and so will you.
10) The Creeping Terror- A tough movie saved by top notch riffing.
My suggestion: a lot of people know MST3K memes, but don’t know the source, so that might be a good place to start. Seeing them in context would provide the viewer with a connection. It helps that those memes come from very good episodes.
1. Women of the Prehistoric Planet (Hi-keeba!)
2. Fugitive Alien (He tried to kill me with a forklift)
3. Invasion of the Neptune Men (The Hitler Building)
4. Alien from L.A. (Dull surprise!)
5. Manos (Torgo and his tender theme)
6. Pod People (It stinks!)
7. Santa Claus (Nightmare fuel)
8. Werewolf (This is absolutely fascinating…)
9. Space Mutiny (David Ryder’s names)
10. Mitchell (The one exception to the meme rule–this is just a crucial episode)
The Brain That Wouldn’t Die
Track of the Moon Beast
Werewolf
Prince of Space
Final Sacrifice
Boggy Creek II
Soultaker
Touch of Satan
Zombie Nightmare
The Human Duplicators