Customer Reviews

Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XVI (The Corpse Vanishes / Warrior of the Lost World / Santa Claus / Night of the Blood Beast)[Limited Edition]

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This set features two episodes hosted by show creator Joel Hodgson and two hosted by series head writer Mike Nelson. All are from the Comedy Central era of the show.


105- THE CORPSE VANISHES with short: COMMANDO CODY PT 3

This 1942 black and white thriller features Bela Lugosi as, surprise, a mad scientist who kills young women for glandular fluid that he uses to keep his own aging wife young and alive. He has two evil assistants, again surprise, a malevolent dwarf and a huge oaf. Commando Cody (Radar Men From The Moon) Part 3 is also riffed by the crew of the SOL. Tom Servo's head explodes for the first of many times in one of the host segments. Commando Cody and Bela Lugosi in the same episode equals much fun.


501- WARRIOR OF THE LOST WORLD

A color film from 1983 by David Worth and starring Robert Ginty ("The Paper Chase Guy"), Persis Khambatta and Donald Pleasance. This "High Plains Drifter" knock-off with motorcycles and post-apocalyptic geeks is a laugh riot from beginning to end. The talking motorcycle, slinky Nastasia (Khambatta) evil dictator Prossor (Donald Pleasance), and Megaweapon are must-see entertainment. The running gag regarding the refusal to "remember" the starring actor's name is hilarious. Tom Servo riffing on dozens of people in under one minute is legendary. A really strong episode.


521- SANTA CLAUS

This 1959 color film is a Mexican import courtesy of K. Gordon Murray. It is bizarre in the extreme. Santa lives on a cloud in outer space with children from all over the Earth as his helpers. The opening of the film showing the various cultures of the children is out-dated, weird, possibly offensive and achingly funny. The film only gets stranger from there as Santa has to go to Earth to deliver toys using all manner of wizardry conjured up by his assistant, the wizard Merlin. The host segment featuring Mike and the 'Bots as the rock band "Santa Klaws" is worth the price of admission all by itself.


701- NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST with short: ONCE UPON A HONEYMOON

A black-and-white Roger Corman film made in 1958 is about an astronaut who returns to Earth seemingly dead at first, but he later turns out to be alive and pregnant with alien young! If the premise of the film isn't funny enough, MST3K certainly makes it so. Filmed in Bronson Canyon like many other fun films (e.g., Robot Monster, It Conquered The World), it also features re-used props from other Corman films. This is one of only seven episodes in MST3K season seven and features the beginnings of the Pearl Forrester character in Deep 13 after the departure of Frank Conniff from the show. Pretty much any Roger Corman film used on MST3K made for a good episode of the show and this one is no exception.

Extras:
* New interview with "Warrior of the Lost World" director David Worth
* Santa Claus Conquers the Devil: A 50-Year Retrospective
* Santa Claus original radio spot
* Santa Claus still gallery
* Teaser trailer for "Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray in Colorscope"
* Night of the Blood Beast Turkey Day host segments
* Turkey Day `95 bumpers
* Original theatrical trailers
* Four exclusive MST3K lobby cards by artist Steve Vance
* Also, in a limited-edition version there's a Tom Servo figurine

Shout Factory delivers us another tremendous volume of MST3K experiments. Not only do we get 5 (that's right FIVE) episodes (sort of) we also get a Tom Servo figure. Looking at this set ...

MST3K EPISODE 105 THE CORPSE VANISHES W/ ANOTHER CHAPTER FROM THE COMMANDO CODY SERIAL
Bela Lugosi stars in this low budget (aka cheap) effort capturing young females with a special perfume and using the females to make his wife beautiful & young again. Believe it or not the serial is more entertaining - as serials tended to be non stop action - Cody continues to fight evils from the moon. - This marks the 3rd set in a row with a Season 1 episode. Some fans really dislike these episodes,but if you look at why it is being done, it actually makes sense. First off, sooner or later there will be a lack of easy to license Joel titles - having Season 1 titles extends the 2 Joel and 2 Mike variety for those that like the combination of both hosts in their volumes. 2nd, this is a public domain episode and super easy to get onto DVD via MST3K. So why not ? Watching season 1 allows us to see how the show started and grow.
UPDATE - great transfer and certainly was a lot of fun to watch..you can tell that Joel & the bots were starting to grow in this one. The silhouettes in this movie were green as they tried to replace the gray with a darker color. The green color is as rich as Ive ever seen thanks to the transfer. The host segment with Joel getting his hair cut by Crow and Joel's chiropractic invention exchange came right out of the KTMA era. I found it to be a very underrated episode. Radar Men from the Moon isnt all that bad, it was during the classic serials era where most were pretty good to decent. I will also say you have to go through a few skips to get to the main menu..lots of advertisements..

MST3K EPISODE 501 - WARRIOR OF THE LOST WORLD - This is a popular episode - the premier episode from the 5th season. The recently deceased late great Robert Ginty (the paperchase guy) rides around on an annoying motorbike looking for trouble or saving humanity. This has Megaweapon which became a cult hero of sorts & was the highlight of the movie. This is basically a Mad Max rip-off in a post apocalyptic world. Donald Pleasance from many a movie is the villain. A very entertaining episode - not just the movie, but the segments with Joel as Ginty's character and the riffs are great as well..too bad the scene near the end of the movie where there is a decent song was cut due to time limitations.
UPDATE - Another great transfer & the bonus features with David Worth are priceless - his story about how he got on this project plus the photos of him and the crew during the making of this film were really cool.

MST3K EPISODE 521 - SANTA CLAUS - at long last this episode finally comes on a set..Jose Luis Moreno as Santa Claus as he fights the Devil ( Pitch) An extremely memorable episode with Santa fighting Pitch and all sorts of weird characters. This was a K Gordon Murray distribution (he brought in all sorts of Mexican horror and scifi to USA theaters)
A great segment has Kevin Murphy as Santa Claus fighting Pitch (Paul Chaplin, This is absolutely hilarious and there are a few songs to enjoy..watch it at Christmas or anytime you will laugh your arse off. The main bonus feature of Santa Claus a 50 Year Perspective with not just the MST cast (Murphy & Chaplin) but of Mexican film historians is really interesting (& funny) Kevin Murphy is just funny as Tom Servo, Bobo or just as Kevin Murphy..

MST3K EPISODE 701 & TURKEY DAY SPECIAL - NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST WITH THE SHORT ONCE UPON A HONEYMOON
Another hugely requested episode. And you get BOTH VERSIONS of this movie, with the Season 7 segments and the Turkey Day segments...so if you count the 2 version PLUS the other 3 in this set you get your 5 episode set...
The DVD has a menu inside of Tom Servo's belly that lets you pick the version you want to see
This is a Roger and Gene Corman schlocker with a man is gets impregnated (??) by the Blood Beast (another ridiculous Corman creature. Michael Emmet is the host for the monster (he was Cal in the Giant Leeches)and the cast is pretty much the usual Corman characters...
And yes once again you get both versions of the movie with both Season 7 and Turkey Segments included ! How good is that. Of course the short is very entertaining as well..Corman's films were cheaply made at the time but still highly entertaining and fun..

Here are the Extras:
New interview with "Warrior of the Lost World" director David Worth (he was also at an MST convention to talk about this episode as well)
Santa Claus Conquers the Devil: A 50-Year Retrospective (as mentioned before this is really a great feature)
Santa Claus original radio spot
Santa Claus still gallery
Teaser trailer for "Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray in Colorscope"
Night of the Blood Beast Turkey Day host segments (not correct as you get the entire episode)
Turkey Day `95 bumpers
Original theatrical trailers
Four exclusive MST3K lobby cards by artist Steve Vance
Also, in a limited-edition version there's a Tom Servo figurine (yes a long awaited Tom Servo figure !!! And its cute !! )

Shout has done nothing but bring excitement back into the sets..the high anticipation, the announcement of the sets & what they come with ...
December 1st is the release date and I can hardly wait...and hopefully Volume 17 will be around the corner :) !!

Keep up the great work Shout Factory !

In this "Limited Edition" set, there are two movies hosted by Joel and two from Mike Nelson, so if you're strictly a Joel or Mike fan, check this out.

#105 - "The Corpse Vanishes." Joel Hodgson hosts this cheap and cheesy movie with Bela Lugosi. After making "Dracula," lugosi sadly declined into silly movies like this one. Before BOTOX, you had to kill young Brides to make a youth serum for vain women, like Lugosi's wife (why are only young Women always killed??) Joel and the Bots do a decent job of riffing this silly movie about a mad scientist, youthful wife and killer orchids.

#501 - "Warrior of the Lost World" - Joel hosts this movie about a dusty hero with a talking motorcycle and evil dictator. There are more explosions than you can count, with some even in slow-motion. Dummies, are thrown off buildings in an attempt to make them look like the bad humans. Stars Robert Ginty and Donald Pleasance.

#521 - "Santa Claus" - Mike Nelson and the Bots keep it alive with this dreadful movie made in Mexico in 1959. The beginning is a bunch of kids singing the longest song ever recorded in any movie...ever made. Add in the devil, Merlin the magician and Santa being in Space instead of the North Pole. The dubbing into English is also laughable.

#701 - "Night of the Blood Beast" - Mike Nelson and the Bots host this Roger Corman movie that stars Ed Nelson. The short is "Once Upon a Honeymoon." The guys always loved to riff Corman and shorts from the 50's. They do a good job on both. Don't pay too much attention to the plot about an Astronaut who is a breeder for aliens. This is NOT the one with Sigourney Weaver. That's what makes it Hilarious.

The icing on the cake is that you get your own little Tom Servo in this Limited Edition set. I must have him to keep my Crow T Robot company!

Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition [Limited Edition]

My boys introduced me to these idiots! They are funny, quick and witty! There's also some dumb spots, but overall, it's funny.

"Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XVI" is another winner from our friends at Best Brains and Shout Factory. Again, this set finds Joel, Mike and the Bots mocking four laughably bad movies from all across the cinematic horizon, and thoughtfully adds deluxe packaging with a miniature Tom Servo statuette and four mini posters.

While these films aren't my all-time favorites from the series, they are thoroughly mocked, and filled with many extras (my favorite are the Turkey Day 1995 spots and "Santa Claus Conquers the Devil") that make this an unbeatable package. The four films are "The Corpse Vanishes," "Warrior of the Lost World," Santa Claus," and "Night of the Blood Beast."

"The Corpse Vanishes," with a "Commando Cody" short (Episode 105) was the most trying of the episodes for me. Despite a hammy performance by Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist (what a shocker,) who has invented a special scent to further his evil plans, I just couldn't get into this movie. I view this as worthwhile mostly as a historical relic, as it's from the first season, showing off the humble KTMA roots of MST3K, complete with an even cheesier look than normal and, of course, the original voice of Tom Servo courtesy of J. Elvis Weinstein. Even at this early point in the show's run, the wit of Joel and the Bots is sharp, but no number of well-honed barbs can make the plodding pace of the film or short overly enjoyable. I generally dislike the old serial shorts, and particularly "Commando Cody." This is worth viewing, but unless you really love early horror films, probably not more than once.

"Warrior of the Lost World" (Episode 501) is an absolute gem of an episode. This episode has everything you could want: a ridiculous post-apocalyptic sci-fi plot, great hammy acting, and truly ridiculous technology. Written and directed by David Worth, and starring Robert Ginty, Persis Khambatta, and Donald Pleasence, this film actually contains far more talent than most MST3K episodes, but that talent is hilariously squandered in this film. This is another Joel episode, and Joel and the Bots have rarely been in better form. The riffing is pointed and hilarious, and Joel dressed up as Ginty in one of the host segments is unforgettable. The plot concerns a renegade biker and his talking motorcycle. This is no ordinary talking motorcycle, it's an extremely annoying motorcycle with very high-tech detection equipment that can spot and call out the presence of "geeks" and more at a mile range or so. Ginty, who sadly passed away last year, is best known for his roles in "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "The Paper Chase," leading to him becoming known as "The 'Paper Chase' Guy" by Joel and the Bots, to great comedic effect. Persis Khambatta stars as the beautiful love interest while Donald Pleasence hams it up in one of his most hysterical bits of over-acting ever, playing the same role he always does as the crazy bad guy. The highlight of the episode is the interaction with the technological wizardry of the bike, and especially the fan favorite scene of Ginty and the bike versus "Megaweapon," which is a dump truck. This movie has to be seen to be believed and is one of my favorite MST3K episodes ever. As a special treat, the extras include an interview with David Worth about the project, and it is both entertaining and interesting.

"Santa Claus" (Episode 521) is a stupid Mexican kid's movie made by K. Gordon Murray, and features a truly bizarre re-telling of the Santa tale, ultimately boiling down to a good-versus-evil morality play. Along the way Santa (who lives in a castle in the clouds, and has some very unusual spying apparatus) confronts Pitch, the devil, who is the hammiest demon in the universe (I especially enjoyed his dancing.) We meet characters like Lupita, a girl who is poor but only wants a doll for Christmas, and her evil counterparts, three boys who plan to kidnap Santa in an unsporting manner. Without question my favorite scene has to be the opening shot where the children of the world sing and dance culturally appropriate songs (Not!) while Santa plays his organ. There is space in the extras devoted to this to very good effect, and despite my love for "Warrior of the Lost World," I think this is my enduring favorite of the set because of the juxtaposition of surrealism on a really stupid children's movie. "Weird enough for you, folks?"

"Night of the Blood Beast" with the short "Once Upon a Honeymoon"(Episode 701) was the "Turkey Day" 1995 episode, and receives lots of attention in the extras. This is one where the short was, for me, better than the movie. A guardian angel, Wilbur, comes down to preserve the honeymoon of a newly married couple, but the film turns into an exercise in writing a song ("The Wishing Song") and discussing appliances. Hear the actress sing lines like "I want a refrigerator with a door that will close and will stay closed...and a phone, a bright red phone, a kitchen phone!" The commentary from Mike and the Bots is absolutely priceless and makes this one of the highlights of the entire series, much like "Hired!"

"Night of the Blood Beast" only requires two words to fully grasp: Roger Corman. The film is about an astronaut who goes into space in an utterly ridiculous spacecraft, only to have something horrible happen to him: not only does he crash, he's impregnated by a Blood Beast, which must be seen to be believed (I especially like the animations under the microscope in the lab.) Of course the whole thing ends like every other movie in the genre does (it reminded me especially of "Zontar, The Thing From Venus,") with tragic deaths and a hope of renewal. It's a good episode, and I like it, but it will forever be overshadowed by the short.

This is a great set for lovers of cheesy movies everywhere, and I highly recommend it.

I just received my set and it was worth the wait, the packaging for the movies is a lot easier to open when compared to the 20th anniversary tin. The best part of the set is that it has 701.Night of the Blood Beast in both versions. You have the choice of watching the episode with the Turkey Day segments or the regular host segments. Or the turkey day segments can be watched separate with an intro by Kevin Murphy. Also includes episodes 501.Warrior of the Lost World, 521.Santa Claus and 105.The Corpse Vanishes. And the Tom Servo figurine is a nice plus, I am glad I bought this as a Christmas present for myself.

The first DVD, The Corpse Vanishes, Show 105, stars Bela Lugosi as a MAD scientist who kidnaps Brides to keep his wife young and pretty and insane. This DVD also has the third episode of Commando Cody & The Radar Men From the Moon. We also get to see the early Tom design plus one of the funniest invention exchanges of the first season.
The second DVD, show 501 is the Warrior of the Lost World. No, sadly there is no dinosaurs, but there is a Megaweapon and it was made in Italy. The basic story of a world after a nuclear holocaust, a police state, a small band of rebels, so on. Kind of Star Wars without the money, writing, well known actors. And a bookeeper. Check out the movie's credits.
The fourth DVD is show 521, Santa Claus, a Mexican made movie about Santa Claus vs. the Devil! A Snow Day! Mike's Family! Kind of. And tons of bonus features.
The fifth DVD is show 701 is the movie Night of the Blood Beast. Some bonus features but the movie is the meat and potatoes of this DVD and boy, is it bad. Two versions, The Low Fat Regular Version and Thanksgiving, the Turkey Day, Version.
I also got the Tom Servo to fight against my Black Dalek.
ENJOY!

Another great selection of movies from the long-lived show tailor-made for nerds, geeks, and all things I love in the world worth mocking. The miniature Tom Servo's color was browner than I'd expected, but of a solid make and really it's just there for more nerdy trinkets to put on shelves and display your devotion to a show devoted to making fun of the "worst" of cinema.

Two Joel era episodes (including a first-season with the ultra-low budget opening and set, along with Tom Servo's original voice), a Mike Nelson Christmas episode from when Frank and Dr. Forrester were still around, and a Thanksgiving episode from around that similar time, though Frank's gone and Mother Pearl is in his place. The best part of that last one is the DVD includes the host segments made to be played around the MST3K marathon they had that day, the cut of the show that featured clips that related to the Thanksgiving theme, as well as the one with aired with different host segments in repeats. Good choices.

The Corpse Vanishes is my favorite on this set. Bela Lugosi is featured and it is a real treat to watch the boys riff on this one. Solid host segments and the inclusion of commando cody is fantastic. This really early episode (105) is a treat to watch and is a must if you are a newer fan who has never seen earlier episodes. Nice to see Dr. Laurence "Larry" Erhardt (Josh "J. Elvis" Weinstein - original Tom Servo voice) in the set.

Santa Claus: What a messed up trip of a movie. Does not disappoint. Creepy factor helps make this one a good addition to the set.

Night of the Blood Beast:
Roger. Corman.
Fun to see the debut of Pearl. Her interactions with Crow are great. Also like the thanksgiving clips and the plot of alien pregnancy/mind control is quite fun.

Warrior of the Lost World:
This post-Apocalypse talking-bike episode rounds out the set quite nicely. Good riffing.

Oh yeah... Tom Servo figurine included makes it even better. He now rests proudly on my desk. I hope they do Gypsy next... wish I had gotten Crow.

One of my favorite overall sets that I own.

***Did normal/free shipping. It came right away, faster in fact, than it said it would. I was quite happy with that aspect as well.

ANOTHER MST3K MASTERPIECE, I REALLY MISS SEEING THIS SHOW ON TV BUT HAVING THE MST3K SETS REALLY MAKES UP FOR IT, PLUS THE ADDED BONUS OF HAVING NO ANNOYING COMMERCIALS. THIS SET IS ANOTHER MUST HAVE SET FOR THOSE WHO MISS THIS SHOW.

I JUST HOPE THAT THESE TYPE SETS KEEP ON BEING PRODUCED.