Those familiar with “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (hereafter “MST3K”) remember it primarily for its central premise, in which a human and two robots, trapped on a spaceship, crack wise at the bad movies forced upon them by their mad scientist captors.
Running for ten seasons over two networks (not counting its public access days), it was a show that continued to redefine itself as cast members came and went and creative energies changed accordingly. Despite having been cancelled more than 15 years ago, the series may be more popular now than ever, a boon aided by the routinely excellent DVD releases from Shout! Factory, the latest, volume 31, on shelves in time for this year’s Thanksgiving, and aptly titled the “Turkey Day Collection,” as much in spirit of the holiday as of the typically bad movies (i.e. turkeys) our protagonists are forced to endure.
What this latest collection drives home is the show’s undercurrent of community values, from the makeshift family formed by robots Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot, and Joel Hodgson or Mike Nelson (Joel, the original host, stepped down in the show’s fifth season, replaced by regular guest performer Mike) to the way the series always made a point to involve its viewers, regularly reading fan mail on the air, and, in the case of the Turkey Day marathons commissioned by Comedy Central in the early 1990s, even going so far as to create new material apart from the episodes themselves. The experience of watching any movie is dependent on the audience in question, and the dynamic of each episode is affected as much by the movie and the running commentary as the viewer or viewers watching it at home (or, as is more common of late, at public screening events).
The episodes in this box set include season two’s “Jungle Goddess,” season five’s “The Painted Hills,” season nine’s “The Screaming Skull,” and season ten’s “Squirm.” While one cannot account for taste, one of the often unspoken truths about “MST3K” is that not all of the movies they watched are altogether awful (although some, like “Hobgoblins,” practically define the term), and while much of the humor comes at the expense of clearly shoddy filmmaking, plenty is contextually based, almost postmodern, with cultural references flying left and right. Ranging from the highbrow (any episode could easily program an hour’s worth of questions on Jeopardy) to the juvenile (i.e. George Manas was the producer of “Squirm,” and just imagine what children on a playground would make of that last name), “MST3K” is as elastic as it is enduring. Film lovers are often divided on its merits, but it remains one of the most beloved, and frequently hilarious, of all cult television shows.
While none of these four episodes are particular standouts, there isn’t a bad one in the bunch, and each has its moments of greatness. The “Squirm” episode also includes a short educational film from the 1940s, “A Case of Spring Fever,” a relic so absurd that almost no riffing is required on the part of the hosts to result in gut-busting laughter. “The Painted Hills,” a classic Lassie film, isn’t a half-bad movie, and the episode is filled with sublime grace notes, such as Crow’s refusal to leave the theater before the final music cue. The special features, however, are the best thing in this package, from classic trailers for the movies in question to interviews with the original stars, as well as some new material with the “MST3K” creators and collectible posters. For those disenchanted by sports, this set just might jump start a new holiday tradition.
“Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXI” is now available on DVD.
Robert Humanick is a contributing writer for slantmagazine.com
Follow Rob on Twitter @rhumanick
