Product Details

• Actors: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy, Jim Mallon
• Writers: Joel Hodgson, Frank Conniff, Paul Chaplin, Mike Gandolfi
• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Rhino / Wea
• VHS Release Date: August 26, 1997
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1566053463
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,555 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

VHS Mystery Science Theater 3000

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best MST3K ever!, February 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly [VHS] (VHS Tape)

For what it's worth, this episode gets my nod as the quintessential "MST3K" episode. Aside from the feature presentation (more on that in a bit), this one boasts the two finest shorts ever featured on the show ("Posture Pals" and "Appreciating Our Parents"), indispensible time capsules of Eisenhower's America which, even without further commentary from Joel and company, would be sidesplittingly hilarious. Then there's the invention exchange: I don't think Dr. F was ever able to top himself after the madness of "Some Pills That Are Hard To Swallow," and the "Emilio Este-Pez" is certainly one of Joel's worthier efforts. But those are just appetizers to set you up for the succulent main course, a wonderfully Roger Corman-esque bomb with the priceless cast of John Carradine, Tor Johnson, and several anonymous, large-breasted female costars. Along the way we're treated to numerous Marx Brothers and "Fawlty Towers" references, Tom Servo's rendition of Tor Johnson doing Hamlet, and a tribute to BoweryBoyspeak. Add 'em all up, and you've got the perfect episode for introducing nonfans to the show. "Time for go to bed!"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tor-O! Tor-Uh oh!, August 17, 2002

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Sure, The Unearthly is a bad movie, but I can't say I have ever noticed any gaps in the comedic antics of Joel and the Bots. To my mind, this is one of the better (but not most outstanding) MST3K episodes made available commercially. Heck, it's got Tor Johnson, which is more than a lot of bad movies can say. Tor even gets a few lines here, including the eminently quotable "Time for go to bed." Then there's John Carradine, a decent actor who looks creepy enough to adequately fill the shoes of the overzealous yet typical mad scientist intent on achieving human immortality. The doctor's technique does have its risks, though; while it seems to consist of implanting an animate piece of link sausage he calls the 17th gland into a patient, shocking the dickens out of him/her with electricity, then letting the patient simmer for eight hours, it inevitably accomplishes only heretofore unheard of physical mutilations. But let me summarize the plot in Tor fashion: Tor work hard for crazy science man; catch man in garden; bring man to boss; Tor like pretty girl; pretty girl turn ugly; put man in ground; Tor get hit on head; Tor no remember rest.

The Unearthly is (mercifully) a pretty short movie; we are doubly lucky in this regard because it allows Dr. Forrester to slip in two great shorts before the film. Posture Pals is one of my favorite MTS3K shorts, while Appreciating Your Parents is a humorous attempt to indoctrinate children with an adult work ethic for performing household chores. The skits are also quality entertainment, especially the prologue in which the Bots film a "spontaneous" video (for America's Goofiest Home Videos) of Crow as a three-year-old girl sitting atop a stack of pajamas-filled boxes which Servo sets on fire. I've watched this particular 3rd-season MST3K experiment a number of times, and I still find it funny and enjoyable.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Time for go to bed..., August 11, 2000

By 

Jessie Bylander (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Somehow I don't think I should be laughing at Tor Johnson. After all, it wasn't entirely his fault that he is a big block of muscle with a far-off look in his eye and no acting talent evident. But knowing that doesn't stop me from laughing paralyzingly hard at every joke they make at Tor's expense. Equally terrific is John Carradine's organ playing (to which Tom Servo shouts "One more time" after the 15-minute piece is completed), the treatment of the mysteriously twitching resident in the basement (the penguin noises threw me into hysterics). The jokes start to lose steam as the movie wanders into a bland conclusion, but anyone who wants to admire the finest work making fun of a non-actor this side of "Mitchell" and "Eegah" should enjoy this. Also, read the "Van Damme" section of Mike Nelson's book for more slab-o-non-talent delights.