| “ | It is - as promised - creeping and terrible. | ” |
| - Trace |
A live streaming show in which the Mads (Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff) riff the 1963 alien invasion movie The Creeping Terror.
The Movie[]
- Main article: The Creeping Terror (film)
Synopsis[]
A bizarre alien creature wreaks havoc in a small town. The local police attempt to stop its rampage.
The Show[]
Callbacks[]
Running Jokes[]
Quotes & References[]
- "Thanks, Elon!"
- Billionaire Elon Musk has built a reputation as an innovator in civilian spacecraft. At the time of this livestream event, his company SpaceX had recently had a successful rocket launch after several notable failures.
- "Herbie's been arrested!"
- Herbie the Love Bug is a Volkswagen Beetle race car that has appeared in several comedy films from the Walt Disney company.
- "All those Wanted posters? They're looking for the director! I'm not kidding!"
- Arthur Nelson, director of The Creeping Terror, was reportedly a con artist who had legal troubles throughout his life.
- "The House on Haunted Vacant Lot."
- A play on the title of the horror movie The House on Haunted Hill, which has been a RiffTrax presentation.
- "Steals shrubbery from the rich, gives to the poor..."
- Frank seems to be combining two references from Monty Python projects. An episode of the TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a highwayman character named Dennis Moore who stole lupins (a flower) from rich people and gave them to the poor until he was told how unhelpful this practice was. The character had a theme song, the tune of which Frank sings here. The film Monty Python and the Holy Grail features an intimidating group of Knights Who Say "Ni!", who insist on being appeased with a shrubbery.
- "It's a Chris Christie breakfast burrito!"
- Former New Jersey Governor and Republican Presidential contender Chris Christie is a heavyset man. Frank Conniff has frequently joked about Christie's weight and supposed gluttonous habits.
- "In the meantime, enjoy this drum solo from an arthritic Buddy Rich."
- Buddy Rich was a notoriously ill-tempered jazz drummer. He had previously been parodied in the Cinematic Titanic presentation of The Wasp Woman.
- "A tiger? In Alhambra?"
- Referring to a scene from the comedy film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life in which a British army officer stationed in Africa awakens to find that his leg is gone. His doctor speculates that it was eaten by a tiger, and the officer is confounded by the idea of there being a tiger in Africa. Alhambra is a city in Southern California.
- "Millions of old men are yelling at that right now."
- This is a reference to an episode of the animated TV comedy The Simpsons in which the elderly Grandpa Simpson gets his driver's license re-instated. Rather than posing for a new photo, he asks if he can use an existing one. He then produces a newspaper clipping with a picture of himself scowling and open-mouthed, holding his fist up to the sky. The headline reads "Old Man Yells at Cloud". The image has since become a popular meme, shorthand for an out-of-touch person displaying irrational or misplaced anger.
- "It's a James Franco acting class."
- Actor James Franco has been accused of becoming physically involved with women who take his acting classes, with varying degrees of consent.
- "And yet they still expect us to watch his stand-up special on Netflix."
- In the years leading up to this livestream event, several prominent stand-up comedians had been credibly accused of sexual misconduct. The streaming service Netflix has subsequently been criticized for continuing to produce content with these comedians. It is unclear if Frank is referring to any one specific comedian.
- "The Adventures of Eraserhead's Smarter Brother."
- Eraserhead is a 1977 sci-fi/horror film directed by David Lynch. The character on screen resembles the protagonist slightly. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother is a 1975 comedy film that was written, directed, and starred in by Gene Wilder.
- "He's having a wet dream about the Creature from the Black Lagoon."
- The Creature from the Black Lagoon (aka the Gill Man) is one of the famous Universal movie Monsters. Movies featuring the Creature have been used by both Mystery Science Theater 3000 and The Mads Are Back. A wet dream is a (usually erotic) dream that results in a (typically involuntary) emission of semen.
- "I've looked at that cloud from only one side now."
- A twist on a lyric from the song "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell, which goes "I've looked at clouds from both sides now".
Behind-the-Scenes[]
- The livestream of The Creeping Terror was the twelfth new performance by The Mads of 2023 and the fifth event of Season Four.
- The livestream was produced by Chris Gersbeck.
- The Mads were joined once again by author and historian Kliph Nesterof before and after the movie.