No doubt all MST3K fans are already well aware of (read: anxiously awaiting) the impending release of volume 16 of the beloved line of DVD sets, but if you’re like me, this collection might be the first opportunity you’ve had to witness at least a couple of the included episodes (I’m proud to personally own all of the sets to date). While Rhino’s offerings improved dramatically over time, since taking over the releases, Shout! Factory has really hit the ground running. We’re now getting a greater number of extras than ever before, and this release is no exception.
But quite obviously, the episodes matter, too. Volume 16 includes two season five, one season seven, and one first-season episode, and it’s a solid selection. Beyond the indescribably epic Santa Claus (which I’ll cover in plenty of detail in a moment), we’re treated to the hilarious (and fast-paced) Night of the Blood Beast, the “this isn’t Mad Max; it’s Sad Max” Warrior of the Lost World, and the vintage novelty of an episode The Corpse Vanishes (which—in all its season one glory—isn’t nearly as entertaining as the rest, but hey, chances are you haven’t seen it). And, though we’ll cover the extras more heavily later, you also get both the Turkey Day and the regular version of Night of the Blood Beast—a pretty cool addition.
The CG menus are a nice touch; here, we witness Santa Crow battling Tom Satan
As usual, here’s a breakdown of each episode, along with my personal opinion of its quality:
Santa Claus (episode #521 starring Mike)
Freaking uproariously hilarious. If you thought Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was a riot and you haven’t seen this Mexican-turned-American holiday stinker yet, you’d better buckle your seatbelt. I’m hesitant to spoil any of the experience through my description here, but let’s just touch on a couple of the major points. Bear with me here, okay?
Santa Claus doesn’t really live in the North Pole; in actuality, he lives above it, in a floating crystal palace in the sky (yes, I know, drugs, imagination, har har). Contained within this palace are all manner of sophisticated (and downright spooky) devices which he uses to spy on the inhabitants of Earth. Via an unsettling prepubescent chant about how it’s impossible to hide from Santa’s privacy-trampling eye telescope, he’s able to zero in on anyone, anytime, and examine their activities.
{hwdvs-player}id=924{/hwdvs-player}
Oh, the details get so much worse than that, but let’s move on for the sake of brevity. At the start of the film, Santa takes a seat at his in-house pipe organ (of course), where we’re then immediately assaulted by a multinational (and remarkably racist) sing-along that rolls through cultural stereotypes like my grandmother does stoplights. After that, it’s down to Earth we go, where old Saint Nick battles Satan for control of the planet.
Yes, my friends, this is the story of Santa Claus, a tale so enchanting that it could only be told through the magic of Colorscope. This is by far my favorite episode of the set, and one of my favorites in all MST3K. Own it at all costs. 10/10
Santa wears a look of volatile revenge as he sneaks up behind Satan to do battle.
Night of the Blood Beast – Featuring short “Once Upon a Honeymoon” (episode #701 starring Mike)
Another truly fantastic episode. The opening short is funny in that “what the hell is this supposed to be about anyway” sort of way. A businessman and his presumably sex-starved wife are about to embark on their honeymoon when his home phone rings. On the other end of the line is his boss, who informs him that if he doesn’t conjure up a catchy marketing jingle ASAP, there’ll be no honeymoon (don’t you just hate that?). And so our hero retreats to his piano, where he smokes his way halfway to lung cancer and laments his misfortune. Luckily, God has a sense of humor, and so he’s sent a guardian angel (a notably clumsy one at that) down to assist. Presumably in consequence, the man’s loving, supportive wife then breaks out into song about—what else?—their family’s desire for upgraded home appliances and decorating. As the house flashes into once-modernity all round, the husband immediately pens his song, and the rest is (soon to be forgotten) history.
{hwdvs-player}id=925{/hwdvs-player}
As for the movie, it’s a riveting tale (courtesy of the Corman brothers) of a dangerous alien which slaughters and impregnates humans as a means toward self-propagation. You’ll take a (long) peek inside what looks like NASA if the United States went broke (their most sophisticated form of ground transportation is an old flatbed truck), discover what it would look like if you could peer into your stomach after eating a bowl full of shrimp, and meet at least nine different people named Steve. Overall, it’s a classic episode, and well-deserving of its spot in the midst of the final season of Comedy Central-era MST3K. 9/10
Warrior of the Lost World (episode #501 starring Joel)
A cheesy, post-apocalyptic sci-fi action flick that “stars” the dude from The Paper Chase, post-dental surgery and all hopped up on Novocain. In THE FUTURE, everyone has spikes attached to the front of their vehicles and dresses like it’s the eighties.
Warrior of the Lost World is everything in excess. Excessive vehicular combat. Excessive motorcycle voice acting. Insurmountably excessive (and outright disgusting) kissing at the end. While it’s undeniably bad and the riffs are generally pretty funny, this episode isn’t quite as entertaining or sharp as the previous two. Part of that is undoubtedly due to the fact that literally half of the film is mindless action sequences bridged together by a disposable storyline, a crime which the director openly admits to in his interview (also included on the disc). One can only witness so many cars falling into a quarry and then exploding before the stunt loses its dramatic impact.
{hwdvs-player}id=927{/hwdvs-player}
Going back to my first point, this description wouldn’t be complete without greater emphasis on the god-forsaken motorcycle that the main character uses throughout the film. This horrid excuse for comic relief repeats a variety of phrases three times in a row throughout the entire film in a high-pitched, shrieking digital voice, complete with tactfully misspelled captioning. It’s so annoying that Joel and the ‘bots actually cheer its death as the best actor in the film, Megaweapon (an enormous Mack truck outfitted with the requisite spikes and armor), crushes it under its weight. 6/10
The Corpse Vanishes (episode #105 starring Joel)
Starring Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist, this movie details an evil plot to kill soon-to-be-married brides at their wedding altars. Why? Because then Lugosi’s character can extract their youthful hormones for use in his own wife, a process which purportedly keeps her looking young! As interesting as that sounds, the biggest problem with this episode isn’t the movie (obviously) so much as it is the riffing (of which there is merely a trickle in comparison to later episodes) and the overall quality of the show.
{hwdvs-player}id=926{/hwdvs-player}
Not much can really be said about this episode. Like the rest of season one’s offerings, it’s honestly really only appealing in that collectible sort of way. Yes, you get to see the vintage long-lost opening sequence, as well as the fabled Dr. Erhardt, whose portrayer also plays Tom Servo, but if none of that stuff sounds particularly interesting to you, there isn’t much here that you will find entertaining. It’s a well-known fact that the MST3K creators actually (successfully) petitioned Comedy Central to ensure the season one episodes would never be shown on the air, and frankly, there’s a good reason for that. I have to say, I personally wish Shout! Factory would simply release all of these “novelty” first-season ventures on some sort of combo set after the fact (or separately), and stick to season two and up when compiling the actual quote-unquote “mainstream” DVD sets. 3/10
Overall, the selection of episodes on this set is quite strong regardless. Even with the weak season one inclusion and the sometimes slow Warrior of the Lost World, the strength and appeal of Santa Claus and Night of the Blood Beast make this a set that no true fan should miss.
This angel is going to help a couple of people get laid.
The Special Parts – With Easter Egg Spoilers (OMG!!)
Naturally, now that we’re being treated to real DVD sets with real special features, part of the appeal here is the bonus content. Volume XVI doesn’t disappoint in this regard; it’s got a rich selection of extras which should appeal to any MSTie—everything from a 21-minute documentary detailing the history of Santa Claus to an interview with Warrior of the Lost World director David Worth. Here’s what you get in full detail:
-
Santa Claus Conquers the Devil: A 50-Year Retrospective (20:56) – This is an absolutely hilarious feature presented in the form of the opening credits of an epic superhero film. Kevin Murphy and Paul Chaplin are joined by film historians and others as they contribute to a fascinating, in-depth look at the cast and production behind Santa Claus. Their discussions range from the origin of the film to even such character-specific intricacies as why Pitch insists on prancing around so gleefully throughout the course of the film (he’s played by a dancer). There’s also a lot of conversation about the show in general; Paul Chapin, perhaps predictably, discusses his role as Pitch at several points throughout the series, including the Turkey Day marathon segments. Great stuff.
-
Original Santa Claus Theatrical Trailer (2:47)
-
Original Santa Claus Radio Spot (0:59)
-
Santa Claus – Still Gallery – Ten black-and-white still pictures taken during filming.
-
Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray in Colorscope (3:27) – This is just a ridiculous spoof movie trailer poking fun at the movie catalog of K. Gordon Murray. It’s pretty amusing stuff if you’ve watched a lot of MST3K.
-
Turkey Day ’95 Intros (11:43) – Classic stuff. This is a collection of the bumpers used during the 1995 MST3K Turkey Day marathons, and it just so happens to feature a number of staple characters from the series over the years, including Mr. B. Natural, Pitch (Satan’s servant), and Jack Perkins. What are they doing together? Why, enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner, of course. Kevin Murphy hosts the feature and provides his always-articulate reflection.
-
New Interview with Warrior Of The Lost World Director David Worth (10:24) – A visibly humbled David Worth speaks candidly about the inception of the idea for the film and the production that went into creating it in Rome.
-
Production Stills from Warrior of the Lost World (2:40) – Narrated by director David Worth.
-
Night of the Blood Beast (Turkey Day Version) – This is the same episode, of course, but with different, Thanksgiving Day-themed host segments.
-
Original Night of the Blood Beast Trailer (1:14)
-
Original The Corpse Vanishes Trailer (1:25)
-
4 Exclusive MST3K Mini-Posters By Artist Steve Vance
-
CG Menus featuring Crow and Servo
-
Collectible Tom Servo figurine (Special Edition)
-
Easter Egg: Making the Episode: Gift Exchange (1:48) – Kevin Murphy and Paul Chaplin briefly discuss the sort of mindset that they had when scripting the host segments, followed by an explanation of each of the Christmas gifts the bots received during the Santa Claus episode.
-
Easter Egg: Making the Episode: The Songs (1:51) – Kevin Murphy and Paul Chaplin share a conversation about what it was like writing songs for the show’s skits. Kevin mentions that Mike was the most musical of them all; considering Kevin’s glorious pipes and background in barber shop quartet—which he actually mentions in this segment—he’s probably just being modest.
Needless to say, it’s a pretty impressive roster of special features—not so much in terms of length (it’s still only an hour of extra content), mind you, but the quality and variety is notable. It’s a can’t-miss collection of supplemental features for followers of the series, if even just to hear Kevin and the gang’s reflections on what it was like doing Santa Claus.