I was watching “Alien From LA” recently, and was noting one commenter’s post about how, for her, the movie summed up the 80s, fashion-wise anyway. I then thought about how many of my favourite episodes (“Outlaw,” “Pod People” “Warrior of the Lost World,” “Zombie Nightmare” and the last few from Season 8) are 80s movies–whether that’s because bad 80s movies have a special kind of cheese not found in movies from other decades (big hair, shiny costumes, and the “no-earth-tones” look inspired by “Miami Vice”), or whether it’s because I turned 20 in the early 80s and so remember that decade with a special kind of fondness (what I remember of it, anyway).
So here’s my suggestion: what decade of movies do other MSTies cite as their favourites? The cardboard-studio black-and-white 50s? The handmade, 16mm quality of a lot of the best of the worst 60s movies? The Made-for-TV 70s? he big-hair/low budget 80s? Each decade seems to have its own special quality, and demands its own style of riffing–and, no doubt, has its own set of fans.
Me I gotta go with the 50s, the era of the best giant bug and goofy spaceship movies.
What’s your pick?
) to help our users cope with "trolls" and other commenters whom they find annoying. Go to our
I will go with the older 50-ish, B&W movies like “Revenge of the Creature”, “The Leech Woman”, and “Horror of Party Beach”. I don’t care about the sci-fi stuff in any of the older movies as much as I love the seeing some of the awful stereotypes . A WOMAN is a scientist? That would never happen!; Dr. Talbot’s nurse sticking up for herself;… and of course anything involving Eulabelle.
Now that we covered that topic, let’s all go to Jack Taylor’s to celebrate!
I like the 50s because the sheer goofiness of those movies really worked well with the tone of the show. I think, however, that the absolute insanity of some of the 80s and 90s stuff lead to stronger riffing.
Perhaps because I’m working my way thru season 4 right now :), but the late 50’s, early 60’s movie making produced a great batch of MST-able goodness! So many serious characters spouting that goofy dialog.
I would have to say that the 70’s and 80’s movies they riffed were the most memorable for me…and not just because I was a kid back then.
The ’50s (and early ’60s) were best for cheapy sci-fi/monster movies, the ultimate B movie era/genre.
The ’60s were best for exploitation movies – and generic rock ‘n’ roll music for the teens in the movies to dance to.
The ’70s were more in disturbing bad taste, a bit too gruesome (less so the movies on MST3K, though) in B moviedom.
The ’80s, being a really cheesy decade (more than the ’70s, to me. Or at least the ’70s cheesiness is more fun), works for movie mocking. However, it would’ve been fun if MST3K could’ve taken on instructional home video from that time. You know, the type parodied occasionally on “Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon”. Or, maybe those riff themselves already.
So, objectively I say the 1950s. Subjectively, the groovy ’60s is my favorite.
50s wins with 60s a close second.
Unfair question. My favorite episodes are all over the place. But I think if I’d have to choose, probably the 1980’s. I think that’s the decade which made most of my personal favorite episodes like MASTER NINJA 1 and 2, SPACE MUTINY, PUMAMAN, DEVIL FISH, etc.
Hey David francis White,
There IS a Rifftrax for Titanic. Came out last year I think. Pretty funny.
I just love the goofy monster era of the fifties and sixties – definitely, the Corman era, if anything can qualify. The best MSTie movies have something you can attack (eye-eye monsters, Jan-in-a-Pan, walking carpets, etc.). I’ll even stick Torgo in there, even if he’s a little later. Goofy monsters are goofy monsters, even if the characters don’t notice anything wrong.
Proof? Get this book (when the price drops below $60), even if — horrors! — the author has no use for MST3K.
http://www.amazon.com/Watching-American-Science-Fiction-Fifties/dp/0786442301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385952239&sr=8-1&keywords=keep+watching+the+skies+21st
The 1960s. Manos, Gamera, Incredibly Strange Creatures, Hellcats, Fu Manchu, Danger: Death Ray…and the tender touch of Coleman Francis!
I once heard a speaker say “There are good bad movies and there are bad bad movies.” The ones from the ’50s are definitely the best and most entertaining bad movies.
cant decide,every decade has its own great turkeys
I echo Sampo’s vote for the 50s.
However, I have recently become more interested in a strange and not often talked about beast, and that would be the sci-fi flicks of the early-mid 1960s. MST didn’t really do a lot of these – I’m thinking of movies like Navy vs. the Night Monsters. (Cinematic Titanic DID do a wonderful riff of The Doomsday Machine, which, despite its 1970s release date was mostly filmed in the late 1960s). I find these films fascinating. THey are usually in color, and women’s hairdos are different, but in most other respects, including plotting and general aesthetics they are not really distinguishable from 50s rocketship/big bug/monster movies. I’d enjoy a whole book (or at least a chapter or two) dedicated to these unjustly unloved and largely neglected movies.
Ah yes, Kali up in 59 reminds me that I already own that book. Oh well.
90’s all the way! The list is short, but spectacular. When the filmography includes the likes of Werewolf, Future War and Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders, how can you go wrong? It takes me back to lazy summer days watching cable and thinking, “Really, this is the best this channel has to offer me?” Personally, I’m still waiting for a 90’s classic called “Tiger Heart” to get the Rifftrax treatment.
It’s a tough call for me, too. I enjoy almost all of the genres and eras which got the MST treatment, but if I had to choose only one decade, I’d have to vote with Sampo and pick the 1950s. The rocketship and giant bug movies are among my favorites; I’m watching “Manhunt in Space” right now, in fact, and just finished “Fire Maidens of Outer Space”.