Mystery Science Theater 3000 Alumni Give You Triple the Laughs

I consider Mystery Science Theater 3000 to be the funniest TV show of all time. Sure, there were some lackluster episodes; but when it was “in the zone”, MST3K contained more laughs per minute than anything The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, and Monty Python’s Flying Circus, or any other classic comedy could dish out.

If you’re unfamiliar with MST3K, feel free to read up on it on Wikipedia. Go ahead; do it now. I’ll wait. Done? Anywho, since the MST3K’s cancellation in 1999, fans of the show (called MSTies) have been hankerin’ for some fresh movie mocking fun.

Now, past writers and performers have teamed up for three ongoing projects that riff away at bad movies, similarly to Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Michael J. Nelson (Michael Nelson on the show), Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo #2), and Bill Corbet (Crow T. Robot #2) have developed RiffTrax, standalone audio MP3s that you sync up to DVDs of movies you already own. Since they’ve gone this route, they focus more on newer films, blockbuster movies, and even current TV series. I’ve seen (or should I say, listened to) the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone RiffTrax, and I nearly pissed in my pants from laughter.

The same trio mentioned above are also The Film Crew, poking fun at older B-movies in the classic MST3K style. The Film Crew have released four DVDs with hilarious commentary available for purchase at the Shout Factory Store.

Another group of MST3K actor and writers, Joel Hodgson (series creator and original host), Trace Beaulieu (Dr. Clayton Forrester and Crow T. Robot #1), J. Elvis Weinstein (Dr. Laurence Erhardt, and the first voice of Tom Servo and Gypsy), Frank Conniff (TV’s Frank), and Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester) have formed Cinematic Titanic, another group that specializes in lambasting cheesy flicks. Their first DVD, The Oozing Skull, can be bought here.