Customer Reviews

The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 11 (Ring of Terror / The Indestructible Man / Tormented / Horrors of Spider Island)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This set features one episode from season 2, two from season 4, and one from season 10. Three episodes feature show creator Joel Hodgson as host, while one features head writer Mike Nelson as host. These are four really funny episodes and there should be no hesitation in buying this set!

Episode 206- THE RING OF TERROR (with short: THE PHANTOM CREEPS PT 3)
This black-and-white (b/w) 1962 "thriller" features the largest group of the oldest medical school students ever found at one time in any US college. After the "thrilling" opening in which a man endlessly searches for his cat, "Puma", the film unfolds a less-than-suspenseful tale about a fearless medical student who must come to grips with the one thing that does frighten him. The film stars no one, little happens, the comic relief in the film revolves around cheap shots taken at an overweight couple, and the terrifying climax is more likely to induce sleep paralysis than fear paralysis. Why do the students all behave like undergraduates when this is post-graduate medical school? Who cares, the whole thing is so inept, it's hilarious! The MST3K host segments are all top-notch funny, particularly the "old school sketch" and the sketch recreating the autopsy scene from the film. The short is another installment of Phantom Creeps with Bela Lugosi and the MST3K writers get lots of great comedy mileage out of that one. This is another GREAT episode from legendarily hilarious season 2. Don't miss it!

Episode 409- THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN (with short: UNDERSEA KINGDOM PT 2) Lon Chaney, Jr. is one of those movie greats that didn't always say no when offered a less than stellar role, especially it seems as available parts dried up for him as he got older. This 1956 film is one he probably should have turned down unless he was really desperate for the paycheck, but we benefit from his choice to appear in this film as it is quite amusing all on its own. Chaney plays "The Butcher", an executed thug who ends up mute but not quite dead after his execution. Most of the film involves him silently seeking revenge on those who sent him to death row, with lots of really odd close-ups of his eyes. Joel and the `Bots hammer this film mercilessly in a non-stop manner with one great joke after another; it's just terrific! The short, Undersea Kingdom part 2 with Ray "Crash" Corrigan, is also "ROTHLOL" funny.

Episode 414- TORMENTED
This 1960 b/w film is a Bert I. Gordon "classic" about, Tom Stewart, a guy who doesn't save his old girlfriend from an accidental fatal fall after she threatens to mess up his wedding plans to a New England high society girl. Throughout the rest of the film he is "haunted" by her ghost and driven to the brink of madness and more murder. The haunting scenes could not scare a small child, but they are hilariously cheesy fun to watch. Is a ghost really haunting Tom or is his conscience just getting to him? You'll be laughing too hard to care much about that! You'll also be reciting, "Tom Stewart killed me, Tom Stewart killed me" like a litany after the credits roll.

Episode 1011- HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND
This 1962 b/w film is a German-Yugoslav co-production and the dialogue dubbing adds much to the hilarity of this inept film. A group of female dancers is stranded on an island with only a few men and lots of excuses to show as much skin as possible without any actual nudity. The scantily clad pretty girls seem to be most of the reason this film got made and mostly what the film's makers expected would get people to watch it. The giant spiders and the "horrific" results of their bite are about the poorest special effects and make-up one could expect from a film regardless of what year it was made. This is a very strong episode from MST3K's final season.

Extra features on this set include MST3K Video Jukebox Volume 2, Original Theatrical Trailers (for all except "Ring of Terror"), a "Tormented" Reunion (with Bert I. Gordon, Susan Gordon and Joe Turkel) and the MST Hour "Jack Perkins" Wraps for "Tormented" featuring Mike Nelson as "Jack Perkins".

Given the fact that some of these MST3K DVD sets go out of print rather quickly due to issues with rights over the films used in the show, I'd recommend buying this set right away. Don't miss these four great episodes. Movie sign!

If history has taught us anything it is this, you can't depend on the new MST3K sets to be available for long, so if you're interested it's best to get them while you can. Case in point, Mystery Science Theater 3000 volume 10... available for purchase for about three months and then it was suddenly pulled from the shelves in a quiet recall with no replacements ever sent out. I myself had to get Volume 10 off of eBay (at a hefty premium at that) because I waited too long thinking it was a buy I could put off for a little bit. How wrong I was. The moral of the story is, when Volume 11 comes out, (as well as volumes 12, 13, 14 and so on), it's better to hedge your bets and get it as fast as possible before they vanish all too soon.

Oh, and my reason for giving Volume 11 here a 5-Star rating sight unseen... that's just me being the loyal Mistie fan-boy that I am. =^)

If you're a fan of MST3K,then you'll want to get this right away,in case they lose the rights to some of the movies and of course,some of their funniest episodes are right here.If you love bad movies and have never seen MST3K,then what are you waiting for?? Do some movies that are really bad give you nightmares or shake your head as to what you've just seen??Then,let MST3K take that away from you and let them make fun,so you won't have to.Their pain is your enjoyment..I must admit that watching RING OF TERROR wasn't easy,but at least MST3K was there to make it more enjoyable.Thanks guys!! This is a great collection from a show that was nothing short of pure genius..Funny stuff indeed.Looking forward to each volume.Not only for classic episodes from MST3K,but the extras Rhino will include as well..Keep up the great work!!!

A mixed set with Joel and Mike as hosts. One was completely ruined for me.

RING OF TERROR: Quite a few of these reviews were written BEFORE this set was released. I wonder if anyone has experienced this problem. In my set (purchased directly from Barnes and Noble), "Ring Of Terror" is practically unwatchable. It is NOT in black and white! The entire movie, including daytime scenes, are in dark blue and black. The only time I could actually see the actors was when they wore white shirts. I've never seen Joel before buying the sets, and like him almost as much as Mike Nelson. The rifftrax are hilarious and I wanted so much to see how they fit in the movie, but I simply couldn't. It was too dark. Most of the time I had practically a black screen. The Host segments were clear as a bell. I loved the take on how OLD these "students" were.

Okay, that being said, I really enjoyed this set.

HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND. One of my favorites because it makes great fodder for Mike and the Bots. The plot revolves around a bunch of really sad looking, plump Euro-tarts and their manager, hired to "dance." Okay, one of the funniest plot points occurs when they're in flight and THEIR JET CATCHES FIRE AND DIVES, NOSE FIRST INTO THE SEA!....Then, we see all of the passengers on a life raft (??), without a bruise. The mindless twits murmer and in no time find land. We see the gals walking to shore still wearing shoes and holding handbags. The accent of one woman changes so often it's a hoot. A foreigner attempting a Southern accent. Then the horror ensues and Mike and Bots have a field have a field day. Love it!

TORMENTED: I had a slight problem with the movie soundtrack and trying to hear the riffs. But Joel and the Bots do a great job. This is a 50's black and white movie that uses a lighthouse as a backdrop. I can't help but wonder why a blind woman would go into one....and climb to the top. But that's what makes great MST3K material.

THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN. Not one of the better MST3K movies. The riffs aren't as funny. However, it's a hoot to see a woman who looks like an Avon saleswoman portray a stripper. There's very little stripping (for that, you'll have to get The "Incredible Strange Creatures who Stopped Living and became Mixed Up Zombies)." I was saddened to see an aging Lon Chaney Jr. in the title role. The main female character is appropriately stupid, constantly placing herself in danger.

I did pre-order this set, so I didn't pay full price. I also agree with folks who suggest a pre-order. BUT wait until Rhino mentions which movies will be on the set. Then you won't be disappointed with the Joel and Mike mix.

This MST3k set contains three Joel episodes from the Comedy Central years, and on Mike Episode fro the Sci Fi years. The episodes are:
Ring of Terror. A film about as terrifying as stale bread, it is about a college student (who looks like he is middle age) who goes into a crypt as a faternity initation, and dies of fright. A good Season 2 episode.
2. The indistructible man. The great horror film star Lon Chaney Jr stars as a convict who is executed. Two scientists take his body for expriments. They bring him back to life and he kills them. He then goes out to kill those responisble for his execution. Joel and the bots roast this one without mercy.
3. Tormented. A Bert I Gordon "classic". The main character, Tom Stewart is engaged to be married. His former girlfreind, Vi, is upset about his engagement, and one night when they are on top of a lighthouse, she falls to her death, and Tom did nothing to save her. Her ghost starts to haunt him, saying "Tom Stewart killed me over and over. Tom kills a man who finds out about what happened atop the lighthouse, and Tom dies after falling from the lighthouse. Another great Joel episode.
4. The Horrors of Spider Island. The next to last episode of MST3k, the plot has a plane load of women that crash into the ocean. They all survive and make it to an island with their male escort. The island has spiders as scary as plush toys, the effects so lame. Mike and the bots really let this joke of a film have it.
All in all, a great set. Keep them comming, Rhino.

Although MST3K had quite a good 10-season run, I felt that seasons 2-4 were when the show was at its peak--when Joel was the host of the show. While this set doesn't contain some of the best episodes of the series, they're still really fun to watch. Three of these are from the Joel era and one is from the Sci-Fi era.

"Ring of Terror" is one of the earliest episodes from the Comedy Central era; This was when the MST crew devised a new tactic to riff on movies: instead of ad-libbing the riffs--which incidently they did during the KTMA era--the riffs were carefully scripted ahead of time. ROT is one of the much better achievements of the second season, and while most of the riffs are chuckle-worthy, there are still some laugh-out-loud moments. Add that to the plotline of the flick which is hardly about a ring. 8/10

"The Indestructable Man" from the show's fourth season is my favorite of the set. As badly executed this film is, the riffs are pure hilarity as the Lon Chaney's creepy eyeball close-up is easily poked at in one of the host segments. 9/10

"Tormented" only ranks above average. One of Bert I. Gordon's least memorable flicks isn't exactly as badly constructed as some the worst movies the MST crew riffed on. Plus there's this annoying running gag that Joel and the bots kept doing during the beach scenes. Still, there are some hilarious moments. 7/10

"Horrors Of Spider Island" from the show's last season seemed like a horror film that's not really horrifying--the giant spider in particular, looked like he was meant to be drawn for a cheesy cartoon. Rather, it's just a cheap way to look at half-naked chicks. Still, this episode is pretty funny when you got Mike and the bots to riff on it. Tom Servo faints a couple times over the buxom babe fighting scenes, as the riffs run at fairly steady rate. 7/10

In addition, there are some small extras: the original theatrical trailers for "The Indestructible Man", "Tormented", and "Horrors Of Spider Island" are included, but "Tormented" gets the bulk of the extras with the episode's MST Hour snippets hosted by Jack Perkins, and a Reunion featurette with director Bert I. Gordon, his daughter Susan Gordon, who played as the little girl in the movie, and actor Joe Turkel. This is a real treat for film buffs, as they talk about filming the movie and Susan's claim to fame as her dad was promoting her before the film.

Overall: 7.5/10

I gave a bad revew to another MST3K set, so I am not a totally blinded reviewer of these sets. This one is up to the standard I expected. Fans are too quick to give these sets 5 star ratings, because being an MST3K fan requires a certain loyalty. You feel like you "get it" while other people don't.

But, you won't even have to "get it" on this one. Very entertaining. I used this set to introduce my fiancee to MST3K. She is now a devoted fan, always asking when we are getting the next set. "Soon", I answer....."Soon".

Mystery Science theater has been around for quite some time and what a pleasure to see it once again on DVDs. It is outrageously funny. A man and robots must watch and review B-rated sci-fi movies as punishment. Yes, it is a strange premise, but it works. Throughout the movie they sit and make comments about the dialogue or the scenes. You can't help but laugh at the constant lines that override the original movie. To really understand why this series is so funny, try one. Mystery Science Theater is well worth having in my library of movies.

I've been a mystery science theater fan since I was a small child, and have loved both hosts Joel and Mike. I must say that these are all great episodes, three of them featuring the original host Joel Hodgson and one featuring the second host Mike Nelson. I strongly recommend this dvd set if you are a Joel fan. Mike fans also get a great episode, it is, however, just one episode. EVERY episode will having rolling on the floor with laughter, I guarantee it! The bonus feature "Video Jukebox" is also very entertaining. This feature allows you to watch various "music videos" from different seasons of MST3K, each one of them as funny as the next.

I have them all and will continue to grow the collection as they are released. I wish they could come back to Sci-fi and do new shows with some of the awful films of today, it would be a hoot!