MST3K
Advertisement


"Okay, so he's mad that he's losing, but that's the way he likes it??"
- Tom, reacting to "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead, serving as the opening song


The Movie[]

Main article: Zombie Nightmare (film)

Synopsis[]

A voodoo practitioner resurrects a recently deceased athlete to exact revenge on those who have wronged her. Corrupt local law enforcement complicates the situation.

The Episode[]

Host Segments[]

VoodooMST3K

The SOL crew uses black magic

Prologue: Crow and Tom are Secret Service agents "protecting" Mike. Of course, they inflict more injuries than they prevent.

Segment One: The Mads are really into voodoo, so they send a voodoo kit to the SOL. Mike, Tom, and Crow use black magic to do nice things for people. First, they give Jimmy Carter a hug. Then they give NPR’s Cokie Roberts a scalp massage. They then use it to taunt Dr. F.

DrFVodoo

"You know what me and Frank are into this week? Vodoo!"

Segment Two: Crow is sitting, reading quietly and enjoying chocolates, when suddenly Tom runs him down with his little red car, paralleling the action of the movie.

Crowbatmanplay

Mike and Servo put on Crow's Batman play

Segment Three: The bots are enjoying a hot tub until Mike surfaces wearing a snorkel mask and bearing a fish on a spear.

Segment Four: Crow has abandoned his Batman play, but he forgot to tell Tom and Mike, who are in costume. Tom doesn’t want to take his Batman costume off, as he believes it gives him special powers.

Segment Five: Mike and the bots have written letters to Adam West. Frank has inadvertently turned Dr. F into a zombie, and doesn’t know how to reverse the spell.

Stinger: As the voodoo priestess finishes her incantation, the zombie screams.

MST3K cast[]

Regular cast

Guest cast

Trivia[]

  • Comedy Central held this episode back from television broadcast while showing it on their "Fresh Cheese" tour, in which premiere episodes of the network's programming were screened on college campuses across the country.
  • This episode finally premiered as the fourteenth and last during Turkey Day '94.
  • Mike and the Bots use their voodoo kit to give Cokie Roberts a scalp massage. Right before "Movie Sign" Mike makes a voodoo doll "dance" while he and the Bots hum the theme music for National Public Radio's All Things Considered.
  • This was the first episode produced to feature Mike's new navy blue jumpsuit (though because episodes in this period were aired out of order, the first appearance broadcast was in The Violent Years).

Callbacks[]

Goofs[]

  • When they go to Commercial Sign at the end of the Prologue, the light above the door switches on, but the corresponding light on the desk does not.

Obscure References[]

  • "Pride of the Zombies!"

The 1942 film Pride of the Yankees is a tribute to the famous New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig. It emphasizes his relationship with his parents, his friendships with players and journalists, and his romance with his wife Eleanor.

  • "Marcia Wallace in the stands today! And here's George Wendt....!"

Marcia Wallace was a red-haired American actress known for playing Carol the receptionist on The Bob Newhart Show and the voice of Edna Krabappel on The Simpsons. George Wendt is an American actor who was known primarily for his role as Norm Peterson on the popular sitcom Cheers. He is a heavyset man.

  • "Well, I'm sure strolling in Howard Beach won't be a problem!"

In 1986, a racially motivated attack on three black men by a white mob took place in Howard Beach, a neighborhood in Queens, New York. Two were severely beaten, one of whom was killed.

  • "A young Joe Pepitone ponders his fate."

Joe Pepitone is a retired first baseman and outfielder who played for the New York Yankees during the 1960s.

  • "Hey look!...It's 'St. Elmo's Fire!'"

Servo starts singing the song St. Elmo's Fire (Main in Motion) by John Parr, which was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1985 film of the same name starring Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore. Although it was a box office hit, it was savaged by critics for glorifying reckless teen behavior similar to what Jim and his friends demonstrate throughout the experiment.

  • "The age of Aquarius!"

"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," a song from the 1967 musical Hair, was released as a single recorded by The 5th Dimension. It is commonly called "The Age of Aquarius."

  • MST3K_604_Promo

    MST3K 604 Promo

    "I used to like you when you were a Caped Crusader, even better than Darth Vader."
Two references to DC comics superhero Batman, and Darth Vader from Star Wars.
  • "These Young Life weekends are getting out of hand."

Young Life is a Christian youth organization.

  • "Hey, how come there's no pictures of Italians on the wall?"

“How come you ain’t got no brothers up on the wall?” is a line from the Spike Lee movie Do the Right Thing.

  • "It's the Kids in the Hall!"

The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch-comedy troupe that had a TV show from 1989 to 1995. The footage, of asphalt and storefronts shot from a moving car, resembles the opening of their show.

  • "Boy, things have really changed since Vatican II!"

The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was held from 1962–1965 and resulted in significant modernization of the Catholic Church's doctrines and rituals.

  • "She's probably Missouri Synod, they're really hardcore!"

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, Confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States.

  • "Is she playing tennis with Kraftwerk?"

Kraftwerk is a German band widely considered as innovators and pioneers of electronic music.

  • "John Cage on the soundtrack!"

John Cage was an experimental music composer best known for his work 4′33″, in which performers are instructed not to play their instruments during the entire duration of the piece. The piece consists of the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed, although it is commonly perceived as "four minutes thirty-three seconds of silence."

  • "Enya!"

Enya is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician, whose work is often described as "New Age", though she does not apply the classification herself.

  • "Grady! This fall on NBC!"

Grady is a short-lived spinoff of Sanford and Son, which featured the character of the same name.

  • "What is up with Mark Trail?!"

Mark Trail is a long-running comic strip about an adventuring naturalist.

  • "I see Garrison Keillor is laughing."

Garrison Keillor is an American author and humorist known for being the creator and host of the radio program A Prairie Home Companion. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, it aired across the states and most episodes feature music and comedy routines.

  • "This giant..." "Like L.T.?"

Lawrence Taylor, nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as a linebacker for the New York Giants.

  • "Stiv Bator is pissed!"

Stiv Bators was an American punk rock vocalist and guitarist best remembered for his bands The Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church.

  • "This scene was cut from The Program."

The Program is a 1993 film about a college football team. A controversy erupted when some teenagers reportedly died imitating a scene in which characters lie down in the middle of a busy freeway. The scene was ultimately removed from the film.

  • "Auditions for the band Fear!"

Fear is a Californian hardcore punk band whose popularity peaked in the early 1980s. They played Saturday Night Live at John Belushi's suggestion, and the mosh-riot that broke out resulted in several thousand dollars worth of damage to the studio. The infamous performance gained them national prominence.

  • "The Three Faces of Steve!"

The Three Faces of Eve is a 1957 film about a woman with multiple personalities.

  • "I'm gonna go work on my M.A.N.T.I.S. script!"

M.A.N.T.I.S. is a short-lived superhero TV series from the mid-1990s.

  • "Watchtoweeeer!"

The Watchtower is an illustrated magazine published by Jehovah's Witnesses.

  • "The zombie drives a K-Car!"

"K-Car" is a catch-all name for the many vehicles that were built using the Chrysler K platform.

  • "'This spot reserved for Viper'?"

In the TV series Viper, the hero drives a Dodge Viper with high-tech weapons capabilities.

  • "Garrick Utley..."

TV journalist and correspondent Garrick Utley was a frequent substitute anchor for NBC Nightly News during the 1980s and '90s.

  • "Miss Jane Pittman!"

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is a novel in which a 110-year-old African-American woman recounts the events of her life as a slave, and was made into an acclaimed made-for-TV movie in 1974.

  • "Rick Baker you've done it again!"

Rick Baker is a retired special effects make-up artist and actor known for his creature designs and effects! His work spanned from well-known productions like An American Werewolf in London and Thriller; to lesser known works that would also become future experiments like The Incredible Melting Man, Track of the Moon Beast, and Squirm.

  • "Sniff... You were the bestest Batman ever!... Goodbye Cesar Romero!"

A reference to Adam West and his co-star from the original Batman television series and movie in which Cesar Romero played the Joker rather than Batman. Cesar Romero also co-starred in the previous Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment Lost Continent. Romero died on January 1, 1994, the year that this episode was first broadcast.

Video Release[]

Zombiedvd

MST3K DVD Cover

Advertisement