Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XXXIV

This 34th compilation of the cult TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 follows the longstanding formula of screening really bad movies with snarky commentary delivered by a man and his robot companions imprisoned on a space station. All four movies roasted here hail from the B&W horror-fantasy ‘50s era of legendary cheapo studio American International Pictures. B-movie legendary director Roger Corman's self-explanatory The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957) is roundly mocked by Joel Hodgson (and robots), who also does the honors for filmmaker Bert I. Gordon's War of the Colossal Beast (1958), which follows the rampage of a deformed mutant giant through Mexico and California. Mike Nelson serves as wisecracking host for the other two AIP releases (both inspired by the ‘50s "Bridey Murphy" reincarnation craze): Edward L. Cahn's The She Creature (1956) and Corman's The Undead (1957). Nelson and the 'bots hilariously scold Leonard Maltin for giving the latter a positive write-up in his movie guides. Extras include new introductions by MST3K bit player Frank Conniff, and the full-length documentary It Was a Colossal Teenage Movie Machine: The AIP Story—a gossipy oral history of the company, featuring Corman, among others. Highly recommended. (C. Cassady)