Tonight I put on my leather action skirt and had one last Justice.
Wait, Sanka is still a thing?! That’s just wrong. We end this episode still not knowing what Joe Don’s deal is, but that’s ok. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know. And, no, we’re not having a drum circle.
Meanwhile, on the SoL, how do you know that you’re not a deadly amnesiac? I don’t recommend having someone attack you to check, but if you do make sure to film it. The two things I couldn’t help noticing in this sketch is that Emily’s the same height as Crow and Servo and how good Kelsey’s puppeteering was.
A reminder of how amazing it’d be if they got to riff that Seventies mainstay of “warmed-over spy stew”: Telefon. Cuz how could we not have saved room for another serving of Ham A La Pleasence?
I just watched Operation Whatever Title. You know, the one where Thunderball is trying to steal the geometric nucleus from Ator’s castle. And I think Bela Lugosi’s trying to stop him. I thought he was dead by this point, but who else can hypnotise people for no reason? I was a bit distracted trying to say “Hannah, Daryl Hannah” in my best Sean Connery accent, so I might have some of the details wrong.
We start off with our favorite talk show host clone traumatising Crow by informing him he doesn’t have an older brother. It’s fine, though, because later we see her softer side when she offers to make him one if it’ll make him feel better. Aww!
Anyway, splunge anyone?
Oh, yes, and there’s a brief behind-the-scenes clip after the episode where Joel talks about it.
Hey, I’ve got a great new game! Let’s all guess what Synthia’s trigger words are. Rumple Minze! Sheboygan!
I’ve been putting off Invasion USA because I just don’t like it. I get enough insane nationalism and repression in my normal life, and the short and movie highlight the toxic nature of the 1950’s. Mike and the bots do what they can, but the riffing can’t save this one for me. Still, there was a brief bright spot in the final host segment, with a toy Fozzie Bear that I had as a kid inexplicably sitting on the desk.
Anyway, this time Synthia’s hostbombed by Cousin Oliver M. Waverly again. The little guy’s growing on me. We witness an educational discussion about henchmen on the SoL, which we could all learn from. I make mine practice Wilhelm screams at least 30 minutes every day.
This one includes a documentary about Al Zugsmith, too, which thankfully isn’t all about this movie.
Starting off spooky month with the pizza dominatrix and our favorite technonecromancer, not to mention a cheesy guitar solo, in The Dead Talk Back.
Quite appropriately for a movie this crazy, Synthia seems to be having a mental collapse in this one (with more fun titles). I think she’s been eyeing up my fimble collection, which has that effect on the unprepared. Oh, and there’s an acknowledgement that we’re all obsessed with her mug.
Jonah and the bots talk about the dangers of Halloween candy, but they’re overthinking it. I just hand out Surly Ranchers (another fine Forrester product) and wait for the fun to begin.
We get another mini-documentary, with a meandering collection of recollections from the actor who played the rich kid DJ in the movie. It’s a bit strange, but I like when they put in these little snippets of background.
Time for watch The Unearthly! It’s not one I watch very often, but Halloween beckons!
Synthia and Jonah get some more mileage out of the legendary Lobo’s famous line in the intro. We also learn that Jonah’s seriously sleep deprived. I feel ya, buddy. And we get another of life’s great questions. Does Jonah fit in one of the bunk beds? That won’t help the sleep deprivation.
I love the Cyndi Lauper seance on the SoL, but I’m not sure I could handle the horror of calling up Joan of Ark…ansas. Shudder
Oh, I’m back now. I started the weekend off with a visit to friend of MST3K, Jan in the Pan in a classic bad horror movie. It’s a pretty sleazy film, but a great episode that feels appropriate this time of year.
Synthia asks a good question in this one. Me, I prefer tap dancing brains with dozens of spider legs, but I’ve also got a weak spot for flying brains. The occasional Brian’s also acceptable, but apparently Synthia doesn’t allow substitions, so they’re off the menu.
I liked the little domestic unrest on the SoL, and I think we all agree that Halloween on a Monday sucks. Is it just me, or does Crow claiming to work at a sauerkraut factory just feel right somehow?
Weirdly, the surveillance footage showed up in the middle of a scene for me. I’m not sure if that was by design or if something went a bit squiffy somewhere.
Tonight I turned into a 10 year old and sat around in the dark, holding a flashlight under my chin, and told scary stories! Or I watched Ring of Terror, which is about the same thing.
To discuss the subject of rings, Synthia turns to Servo, who’s been studying up on his German opera, but all for naught! It feels natural for him to be an expert on the Nibelung. Better him than me. I really enjoyed Jonah’s haunted house for bots, and how freaked out Crow got over the thought of M. Waverly having his oil drained. D’aww!
I’ve been saving my favorite two of the bunch for last, but I think they’ll have to wait until after a big serving of devilled ham this weekend.
Really good choices this month. MST3K has no shortage of horror films to feature for Halloween, but the ones they’ve rounded up here all really have that classic horror movie vibe to them. And – just realized – they’re all black and white, just like the first black and white movie of the revival era!
I might add Tormented to this month’s features myself.
It makes me wonder what kind of theme they’re going to go for next month. Joel has said that The Bubble is the new Manos in the sense of leaving you with a grungy creepy feeling. What kind of theme do you think they’re going to put together around that? What other films could they possibly pair with it?
It is a really good selection. They all have that Halloweeny feeling, but I’d be hard pressed to explain what that is. I think being in black and white plays into it, and I’m glad they’re not afraid to showcase black and white films in an era where so many people refuse to watch them.
I think we might see a “trapped” theme next month, which might give us things like Bloodlust or Spider Island, but if they did go for a seedy, unsettling theme they’d have to include Mixed up Zombies.
Checking out Bride of the Monster for the first time. I’m about 3/4 through. It’s a good one. There’s something about Tor that makes bad movies fun. I just saw the return of Waffly the Waffle, and it’s really clear they intended to do A Case of Spring Fever at some point during the Joel era.
I love this movie, so it was a lot of un-un-fun to watch it with Synthia. I know a lot of people think the sandwich scene is too long, but I think it’s amazing for being one long shot with a lot of props to manipulate and have to salute Kevin for pulling it off.
Anyway, we watch with Crow this time and discuss how we’re all technically undead. Emily and the bots talk about how horror franchises end up in space, but they shouldn’t worry. We’ve already survived Timmy. Oh, and Synthia was teasing us with her 3D glasses! Now, I need to find out where I can get an Heir Friar. For… reasons.
There’s something charming about Kevin just going into Bobo mode and goofing around for minutes on end. But I have to admit, I still wince at the thought of him slicing up Brain Guy’s brain.
The audio sync on the vault pick for Brain That Wouldn’t Die seems slightly off. Like the soundtrack is a second earlier before the visuals. Not on Synthia, just the episode itself. Does anyone else get that, or is it just something on my end?
