The WORST episodes of RiffTrax

#1 - The Hideous Sun Demon

Season 1 - Episode 198 - Aired 3/20/2015

This is the tale of a man who transforms into a violent lizard creature whenever he’s in the sun too long. No, he’s not the third wheel love interest in an upcoming Twilight reboot, he’s The Hideous Sun Demon! It’s the late 50s, a time when exposure to radiation still caused fun stuff, like superpowers and shape-changing, as opposed to less fun stuff, like, y’know, death. After some radioactive material falls off the toy train the scientists use to transport it through the lab (actual plot point, not a joke) mild-mannered genius drunk Dr. Gilbert McKenna is changed forever. Sunlight turns him into a reptile man-monster, presumably because that’s the rubber suit that was cheapest to rent when they made this movie. But not cheap enough for them to rent the bottom part of the suit, apparently, because he runs around in totally soaked khaki pants for roughly half the movie. Why are his pants so wet? That’s just part of the mystery! It’s a superhuman dose of old-fashioned nuclear mutation fun, stay out of direct sunlight and join Mike, Kevin and Bill for The Hideous Sun Demon!

#2 - RiffTrax Live: Santa Claus

Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/4/2014

Get your magic eye ready as Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett (also known as the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000) present a jolly ol’ riff that will keep you laughing all holiday season long!

#3 - RiffTrax Live: Anaconda

Season 6 - Episode 13 - Aired 10/30/2014

There’s riffs out there this big?? One of our favorites, the movie that’s been called “Probably one of the top four films in the Anaconda series,” Anaconda! Anaconda stars a pre-fame Jennifer Lopez, a post-fame Eric Stoltz, and an Owen Wilson who even then was somehow ashamed of his role in The Internship despite it not happening for another sixteen years. With the help of Ice Cube (Straight Outta Compton, F@%& Da Police, Are We Done Yet?) they set off into the Amazon in search of those drones they claimed were going to revolutionize package delivery.

#4 - RiffTrax Live: Godzilla

Season 6 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/14/2014

#5 - RiffTrax Live: Sharknado

Season 6 - Episode 11 - Aired 7/10/2014

Finally, the acclaimed smash hit RiffTrax Live event of 2014 is now available to own! Considered by many critics to be one of the greatest movies ever made in the “Tornado full of sharks” genre, Sharknado debuted in 2013 to unprecedented buzz. Not since Snakes On A Plane had the internet been so excited about a movie, and not since the late 90s had anyone been so excited about anything starring Tara Reid. From the moment it debuted, Sharknado was one of the most requested titles in RiffTrax history. It makes Jaws IV look like Jaws III, and Jaws III look like Jaws. Riffed LIVE from the State Theater in Minneapolis and broadcast to over 700 theaters across North America, this hilarious live event also features an all-new take on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan-favorite short A Case of Spring Fever starring Coily the Spring Sprite! Look, why are you still reading this? It has chainsaws, helicopters dropping bombs, and the aforementioned TORNADO FULL OF SHARKS! Make this new classic a part of your RiffTrax Library today!

#6 - RiffTrax Live: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Season 6 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/5/2013

Many have forgotten (or choose to forget) the Santa/Martian wars of 1964: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians bravely attempts to set the record straight. Martian parents Kimar and Momar become concerned that their children Bomar and Girmar (are you picking up the “mar” theme? BECAUSE IT’S VERY SUBTLE!) have become too attached to television programs from earth. Their solution is brilliant, if a bit of a non sequitur -- they launch a plan to kidnap Santa Claus! The nasty Martian villain Voldar (his face is coated in green oil and he has a huge mustache, therefore he’s evil) captures two earth children, Billy and Betty, who don’t hold out for even a minute but rat out our fattest, jolliest elf without a struggle. Voldar takes Santa and the children prisoner and heads off for Mars. Only the bravery of Billy and Betty and the bumbling of a stowaway and “the laziest man on Mars”, Droppo, can foil Voldar’s evil plans! Throw into the mix an insane short featuring a pixie named Snoopy, a horrific life size Jack in the Box, and a lion who is oh so proud of his candy eating ability, and you’ve got one of our funniest live shows to date. Please join Mike, Kevin, and Bill for RiffTrax Live: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians!

#7 - RiffTrax Live: Night of the Living Dead

Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/24/2013

A true cult classic -- and one of the scariest movies of all time. The dead are walking, and they hunger for human flesh. A group of panicked survivors are barricaded in a deserted farmhouse while the army of flesh-eating zombies hovers outside their door. Now experience the bone-chilling terror in color for the first time on DVD! With a 5.1 surround sound remix, and a hilarious commentary track by Michael J. Nelson, this is the most fun you'll ever have with the living dead!

#8 - RiffTrax Live: Starship Troopers

Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/15/2013

#9 - RiffTrax Live: Birdemic: Shock and Terror

Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/25/2012

If you loved the live show the first time you saw it, or missed it because you were too busy hangin' out, hangin' out with your family, now’s your chance to own it! There will be solrpnls, bark beetles and animals such as seals! Plus, the show kicks off with everyone’s favorite lovable loser, Norman, in the short Norman Checks In. Birdemic is one of our favorite bad movies of all time, and there’s no better way to watch it than RiffTrax Live. So grab a coat hanger, fire up your solar powered TV and for the love of god fully vest your stock options! Birdemic!

#10 - RiffTrax Live: Manos the Hands of Fate

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/16/2012

For those who missed it in theaters, this is a completely new riff of “Manos” The Hands of Fate, the Texas-fertilizer-salesman-directed classic made famous by Mystery Science Theater 3000. All new jokes, same old Torgo. See Mike, Kevin and Bill riff it all on stage in front of a live audience at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville! PLUS! Two extra-demented shorts. At Your Fingertips: Cylinders and Welcome Back, Norman which introduced us all to revolting folk hero Norman, along with his now famous (and also revolting) catchphrase.

#11 - RiffTrax Live: Jack the Giant Killer

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/1/2012

If you’re into cheesy stop-motion dragons, leprechauns in bottles, drunk Vikings, and Giants-Who-Need-Killing, then Jack the Giant Killer is for you! Actually that’s an odd set of things to be into, hypothetical person reading this, and frankly it’s about time you let us get to the point. Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett riffed this vintage 1962 epic live in Nashville, and now you can enjoy the show in the comfort of your own home, castle, or bottle you share with a leprechaun! Also! The guys riff the supremely weird short What Is Nothing? (spoiler: we still don’t know what nothing is). Plus two hilarious cartoons from Rich “Lowtax” Kyanka of somethingawful.com, a Behind-the-Scenes slideshow, and movie trivia slides done RiffTrax style! Make sure all these giants didn’t die in vain - join Mike, Kevin, and Bill for a full evening of great live comedy.

#12 - RiffTrax Live: House on Haunted Hill

Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/17/2011

Yes, horror classic House on Haunted Hill provides a mesmerizing walk down “people actually used to find this SCARY?!?” lane. Join the RiffTrax guys as they bring their special brand of rapid-fire comedic commentary to every skeleton-hanging-from-visible-wires, clumsy sexual overtone, and a stunningly inept test pilot whose “heroics” typically lead him to bloody his own nose after locking himself in a broom closet! The guys are joined by guest riffer Paul F. Tompkins, comedy person extraordinaire and quite a snappy dresser to boot! They also riff two vintage, never-before-seen shorts live on-stage: Paper and I, in which a small boy is haunted by a talking paper bag, and Magical Disappearing Money, about a supermarket witch whose main concern is that you don’t spend too much on rice. No, seriously, that’s what they’re really about! Join Mike, Kevin, Bill, and Paul for an unforgetttable All Hallow’s Eve of mind-melting comedy!

#13 - RiffTrax Live: Reefer Madness

Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/17/2011

In RiffTrax Live: Reefer Madness, Mike, Kevin and Bill deliver their trademark form of rapid fire comedy in front of a live audience! Lines could be flubbed! Tomatoes could be thrown! Mountain lion attacks are entirely possible! The performance not only includes the classic anti-marijuana propaganda film Reefer Madness, but also three shorts which quickly became instant classics: More Dangerous Than Dynamite, Frozen Frolics, and At Your Fingertips: Grasses. Among the most insane things the guys have ever riffed, they’ll clear up any questions you might have about washing your clothes in gasoline and whether corn is grass.

#14 - RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shorts-stravaganza!

Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/17/2010

The stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000® have a sackfull of delightful and demented shorts to riff live onstage. Some of the forgotten gems of Christmases past prove to be the perfect targets for the rapid-fire riffs of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. And if that wasn’t enough, they’re even joined by comedy legend “Weird Al" Yankovic for a musical short about the wonders of pork! It’s funnier than Ernest Saves Christmas and far less creepy than The Polar Express!

#15 - RiffTrax Live: Plan 9 From Outer Space

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/10/2009

The stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 meet the worst movie of all time to bring you RiffTrax Live. Join Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett live and onstage at the historic Belcourt Theater in Nashville as they riff along hilariously to Ed Wood’s classic B-movie blunder Plan 9 from Outer Space. Hosted by internet superstar Veronica Belmont, and featuring geek troubadour Jonathan Coulton, RiffTrax Live offers non-stop music and laughs. Also included is Flying Stewardess, a 40’s travel short that gets subjected to the guys’ signature brand of rapid-fire riffing.

#16 - Netriffs by Sid and Shadow: Atlantis The Lost Empire

Season 4 - Episode 826 - Aired 3/26/2015

Disney's Atlantis The Lost Empire. A little movie that began the death of Disney's Traditional Animated arm. Join us for an "exciting" movie with a submarine that almost has as much screen time as Darth Vader in Episode III. Marvel at a Civiliation that speaks their own language, yet can't read it.

#17 - Anaconda

Season 1 - Episode 197 - Aired 3/14/2015

There’s riffs out there this big?? One of our favorites, now available as a studio riff, the movie that’s been called “Probably one of the top four films in the Anaconda series,” Anaconda! Anaconda stars a pre-fame Jennifer Lopez, a post-fame Eric Stoltz, and an Owen Wilson who even then was somehow ashamed of his role in The Internship despite it not happening for another sixteen years. With the help of Ice Cube (Straight Outta Compton, F@%& Da Police, Are We Done Yet?) they set off into the Amazon in search of those drones they claimed were going to revolutionize package delivery. Then Eric Stoltz gets stung and paralyzed by a venomous wasp, so things are really looking up for our crew when they encounter Jon Voight. Voight has been obsessed with hunting down a deadly anaconda ever since the snake tricked him into selling his beloved Chrysler LeBaron to George Costanza. From then on, things spiral into a deadly game of cat and mouse, one where the cat is played by a snake, and the mouse is played by Danny Trejo. And, as if that wasn't enough, at one point the anaconda spits a monkey right at a man’s face! How many movies can say that? Don’t miss out! Original film made in 1997.

#18 - Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare

Season 1 - Episode 202 - Aired 6/5/2015

Rock n Roll Nightmare is what you’d get if Mötley Crüe guest hosted The Muppet Show. But it turns out it wasn’t Mötley Crüe, it was a Mötley Crüe tribute band. And it wasn’t The Muppets, it was some scrap foam from the Muppet factory that fused together when the dumpster behind the studio got too hot and a bum stuck googly eyes on it. And it wasn’t a Mötley Crüe tribute band, it was a sizeable pile of industrial ooze that was struck by lightning and achieved basic sentience and learned rudimentary musicianship. Wait, that actually may be Mötley Crüe... Yes, Rock n Roll Nightmare combines the exciting worlds of hair metal and hideous puppets! The Tritonz have rented a house in rural Canada. Their ambitious goal? To record ten new minutes of music. For this they have set aside an entire month. Little do they know that years earlier, or perhaps the previous day, an Oven Skeleton killed the family that lived in the house (just stay with us.) Needless to say, this causes any number of unspeakable horrors to happen, namely the full length performances of several Tritonz songs and the sight of singer Jon Mikl Thor’s butt in the shower. Also, a literal portal to hell opens up and the devil and several of his minions come through. Be warned, these scenes are not for the faint of heart, as a few of these puppets are slightly scarier and more grotesque than Baby Sinclair on Dinosaurs. Like Spinal Tap recording The Basement Tapes on the set of Labyrinth if it was written by Otto from The Simpsons, Rock n Roll Nightmare is some serious 80s cheese. Join Mike, Kevin, and Bill to talk about rock, around the clock, because their energy has got them where they wanna be.

#19 - That Guy With the Glasses: Mr. Bungle's Lunch-Room Manners

Season 4 - Episode 824 - Aired 10/8/2010

Today, The Other Guy joins That Guy again, as we take a look at a film about lunchroom manners, because…there was really nothing else to talk about back then. Sit back and enjoy…mmm, yes.

#20 - That Guy With the Glasses: The Good Loser

Season 4 - Episode 823 - Aired 3/3/2011

#21 - That Guy With the Glasses: The Snob

Season 4 - Episode 822 - Aired 11/7/2010

Today, Brad Jones joins the riffing, as they take a look at a short film that’s about, appropriately enough, snobs. Sit back and enjoy.

#22 - That Guy With the Glasses: The Bully

Season 4 - Episode 821 - Aired 9/19/2010

#23 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Season 1 - Episode 196 - Aired 2/27/2015

It is a tale as old as time: four turtles are exposed to a mutagen and grow up to annoy the living crap out of every adult within earshot. They form distinct, marketable personalities and headband colors: nerd, joker, leader who seems to not grasp that a long sharp sword can actually cut things, and cool but rude.* Then, when a major entertainment conglomerate deems it long enough since the last movie to be financially prudent, they emerge from the sewers and onto the silver screen. Occasionally Splinter makes a funny. This iteration was not without controversy, however! Turtles fans were outraged when Witwicky love interest Megan Fox was cast as April O’Neil. Many complained that she was completely wrong for the role, and that the only true April O’Neil was Judith Hoag, Paige Turco, Renae Jacobs, Veronica Taylor, or perhaps Sarah Michelle Gellar. Fortunately, Ms. Fox delivers a subtly nuanced performance, and is often the most realistic looking thing on screen. Mike, Kevin, and Bill take on the winner of our “Worst Movie of 2014” poll, TMNT! *It has come to our attention that there is a faction who interpret the theme song lyrics as “Raphael is cool but crude.” These people are literally worse than everyone who was tried at Nuremberg combined.

#24 - Alien Outlaw

Season 1 - Episode 195 - Aired 2/6/2015

When you see a title like Alien Outlaw, you know to expect one thing: a heavy focus on rural gunfighting shows and the agencies that book them to regional fairs. What’s that? You expect some quantity of alien outlaw activity? Well, there is some of that, sure, a small amount. But surely the next thing you expect is a healthy dose of elderly whipmaster Lash LaRue, sort of wandering around the set and shouting things at other characters? And that he’ll be shirtless at some point? Okay, good, glad we’re on the same page there at least. When last we saw Lash LaRue he was fighting ancient Native American zombies over a sacred rental property in The Dark Power. This time he and his protégé, the young pantsless gunfighting phenom Jesse Jamison, are defending a tiny mountain community from alien outlaws - no, that’s not a typo, despite the title Alien Outlaw there are actually multiple alien outlaws in this movie. It’s also not entirely clear that they’re outlaws, and it’s even less clear why they came to Earth or what their plans are at any point in the story. But one thing’s for sure: they love old-timey Wild West gunfights! Because okay, why not! Homemade Predator costumes, Lash LaRue AND his fat hillbilly sidekick buddy from The Dark Power, an alien killed with a fishing hook, what more could anyone ask for? For Lash to use the whipping talent that made him famous at some point in the movie, maybe? Good luck with that! It’s time for befuddlement and laughter, join Mike, Kevin and Bill for Alien Outlaw!

#25 - Kiss of the Tarantula

Season 1 - Episode 194 - Aired 1/30/2015

Did you ever watch the movie Carrie and think, “hm, pretty good, but her creepy home life wasn’t nearly creepy enough”? Then boy, have we got something for you! Meet Susan. She’s just like any other troubled teen, except her dad is an undertaker, their house is a mortuary full of corpses, she’s got a sleazy uncle who’s around a little too often, and a room full of pet tarantulas who do her bidding. And what’s her bidding, exactly? Revenge murder against those who’ve wronged her, of course! And how exactly do the tarantulas kill her enemies, given that tarantulas are really not that dangerous to humans? Well, they… um... you’ll just have to watch the movie and see if you can figure it out, because we really can’t. Some of the slowest murders in film history, a final sequence so drawn out that the first time we screened it we were in tears (the laughing kind of tears, mostly), and middle-aged teenagers galore! Time to pucker up for your Kiss of the Tarantula!