ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jennifer Upton is an American (non-werewolf) writer/editor in London. You can listen to her podcast at https://thecinemajunction.com. Her latest book is Japanese Cult Cinema: Best of the Second Golden Age. She writes for Horror & Sons and Drive-in Asylum. She has also appeared on the podcasts Japan on Film, Making Tarantino, Making Scorsese, The Rad Revivalhouse and contributes to Cinemaforce. For links to her work, please visit https://www.jennuptonwriter.com or follow her on Instagram @jennxlondon. 

April 15: TV to Movies — Let’s decry the lack of originality in Hollywood. But first, let’s write about a movie that started as a TV show.

The movie version of the on-again-off-again OG of movie riffing TV shows. It’s shorter than any single episode and features human Mike Nelson, robots Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo and Gypsy all stuck on The Satellite of Love forced to watch “bad movies” for an evil scientist named Dr. Clayton Forrester. Yes, he’s named after the scientist is War of the Worlds. Which is one of the reasons I fell in love with the show. 

I’m probably not the best writer to write objectively about this film because I have been a huge fan of the show since around 1994 when I discovered it at midnight on Comedy Central. I worked evenings and nights for better part of the e1990s and 2000s and the first 10 seasons of this show felt like it was written for me. 

A girl brought up on Curse of the Werewolf, Curse of Bigfoot and Track of the Moon Beast. I never have and do not think of many of the films riffed on MST3K as “bad.” I have great affection for the 1960s Gamera and Godzilla films and all the other films they riffed. However, I do acknowledge that is not typical audience thinking. I’m a cult movie hound and MST3K’s reference-dropping humor got me through more hard times than I care to divulge here. Life if just too short to take any movie too seriously. 

MST3K: The Movie answers the question, “…if you’re wondering how he eats and breathes and other science facts…”  within the first five minutes on the SOL’s bigger budget version of the bridge. The first time I saw Tom Servo hover float down into the frame using his hover skirt, it felt almost as magical as that moment in The Muppet Movie when a whole generation of kids got to finally feast their eyes on Kermit’s fully functional legs. 

This time, Dr. Forrester (minus his sidekick Frank) sends his subjects This Island Earth. I love this movie, riffed or unriffed and I do not consider it an insult to point out that the aliens have foreheads that “grow like the mighty oak.” They do! 

The boys’ riff on This Island Earth does not quite measure up to the show’s best episodes, but it is a worthwhile entry in the canon for fans and new viewers alike. Some of the references feel a bit dated in 2026 but the Top Gun reference was fresh as ever. My favorite riffs all involve Mike doing Rex Reason’s voice. “Joe! I’m in one of these boxes! FIND ME!!!” 

This movie disappeared quickly. I don’t even remember it playing in L.A. in the summer of ’96. The show’s fanbase has resurrected this show no fewer than 3 times and we’re about to get new episodes from the Sci-Fi Channel era. My personal favorite. 

The movie is available streaming on Amazon, Apple and of course, you can find it on DVD so you physical media folks can watch it on your home-built interocitor.  Here’s how you build one: 

Welp….I’m off to the local Head-Butt Days festival to meet up with Brak. Peace out.