As much as I like Mystery Science Theater, it's hard not to blame the show for some of the problems of the world. The series, which ran on the Sci Fi Channel before migrating to Comedy Central, became an instant hit with geeks (a group I count myself among, before you accuse me of name-calling). But in so becoming a mini-phenomenon, it inspired legions of copycats -- and not just Rifftrax, the project that several of MST3K's stars have created in the years since we last spent time aboard the Satellite of Love. No, Mystery Science Theater has inspired far too many regular folks who not only believe it's perfectly ok to talk, comment and joke throughout a movie, but that we other audience members somehow welcome their running commentary. These people couldn't be more wrong. For starters, none are as funny as Joel Hodgson, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and company (and believe me, they aren't). They also don't seem to understand that we watch and love MST3K for the jokes that run over it, but in any other environment we'd like to actually hear the movie. So to those of you who consider yourself amateur MST3Kers: consider yourself on notice.
With that out of the way, let's talk about another of Shout! Factory's excellent DVD box sets of the late and lamented series, Mystery Science Theater 3000 Vol. XVI, containing four new features from the shows' days on Comedy Central: The Corpse Vanishes, Warrior of the Lost World, Santa Claus and Night of the Blood Beast. They're all terrible, making them perfect for the MST3K treatment.
If I've got a standout favorite in the collection, it's probably Santa Claus, a Mexican import that finds St. Nick battling Satan. It's just the kind of movie that offers the perfect storm for the MST3K crew: terrible production values, bad dubbing, a ludicrous and hilarious plot and a big overriding joke-carrier like Christmas. Night of the Blood Beast has its charms, too, mostly because the wrap-around segments all deal with Thanksgiving (this was the show's annual "Turkey Day" installment). These two entries make Mystery Science Theater 3000 Vol. XVI especially enjoyable around the holidays; they could easily became an annual tradition.
Shout! Factory continues to do a fantastic job with their Mystery Science Theater sets. Vol. XVI comes with some neat extra features, including retrospective pieces on both Santa Claus and Warrior of the Lost World, the latter in the form of an interview with director David Worth. It's interesting to see movies removed from the context of commentary by Crow and Tom Servo, and it's interesting to see people talk about these movies years after they were skewered on MST3K. Really, we should be thankful there are any extras at all. The episodes on their own would have been perfectly acceptable.
I forgot to mention the coolest extra of all: the collector's set comes with an excellent Tom Servo figure. Now you can joke along with him at home during movies, and you don't even need to be shot into space.
DVD Details
- Release Date: 12/1/09
- Running Time: 360 minutes
- 1.33:1 Full Frame Presentation
- Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English)
- Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Bonus Features
- New Interview with Warrior of the Lost World Director David Worth
- Santa Claus Conquers the Devil 50-Year Retrospective
- "Turkey Day" Version of Night of the Blood Beast
- "Turkey Day '95" Intros
- Original Theatrical Trailers
- MST3K Mini-Posters
- Tom Servo Collectible Figure
