The following is a series of lists detailing all commercial DVD releases of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and related spin-off productions.
MST3K
Home video rights for MST3K originally were held by Rhino Entertainment and they began releasing episodes on VHS in 1996. In 2000, they began releasing DVDs of individual episodes. In late 2002, they began the "collection" format, releasing four episodes (or specials) together. When rights shifted to Shout! Factory in 2008, Shout! continued to release four episode sets. In 2011, Shout! began re-releasing single episode DVDs of material previously released by Rhino, but now out of print.
In addition to the TV episodes released by Rhino and Shout!, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie has also been released on DVD by various companies.
Finally, Best Brains, Inc. re-released some of their self-produced video compilations on DVD.
Rhino
Rhino single episode releases
The first Rhino DVDs were single disc releases of material previously available on VHS. When releases resumed after a break, it was with four-disc sets. One final single-disc release came out in 2008. The Giant Gila Monster was released to make the episode available to those who had purchased the original, withdrawn version of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Volume 10, which had featured Godzilla vs. Megalon.
All Rhino singles are out of print.
| Episode Number | Featured Film | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 506 | Eegah | April, 2000 |
| 513 | The Brain That Wouldn't Die | April, 2000 |
| 515 | The Wild Wild World of Batwoman | January, 2001 |
| 517 | Beginning of the End | January, 2001 |
| 424 | Manos, the Hands of Fate, with bonus Poopie! | November, 2001 |
| 512 | Mitchell | November, 2001 |
| 507 | I Accuse My Parents | March, 2002 |
| 619 | Red Zone Cuba | March, 2002 |
| 106 | The Crawling Hand | June, 2002 |
| 209 | The Hellcats | June, 2002 |
| N/A | Shorts, Volume 3 (bonus disc) | March, 2004 |
| 402 | The Giant Gila Monster | February, 2008 |
Rhino collections
Rhino began releasing collections in 2002, continuing to release episodes previously available on VHS. Some early sets were filled out with compilations of shorts, which had also been available on VHS. Episodes were not generally collected together in any kind of theme and were often not even arranged in episode order. One set, Volume 10, was recalled because Rhino did not actually have the rights to one of the included titles, Godzilla vs. Megalon. It was replaced by Volume 10.2, which featured The Giant Gila Monster in place of the deleted episode.
All Rhino sets are out of print, although Shout! is currently engaged in a program of re-issues (see below).
† Featured a bonus disc for purchases through the Rhino web site
Rhino bonus disc releases
Rhino released only one bonus disc, for ordering The Essentials from their web site.
| Title | Contents | Available with |
|---|---|---|
| Shorts | Shorts, Volume 3 | The Essentials |
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory collections
The sets from Shout! Factory picked up where Rhino had left off with mostly four-disc collections. After the "Anniversary Edition", the numbering continued from Rhino's (with the Anniversary Edition being the 13th volume), though they switched to Roman numerals.
It was announced that Volume XXXIX will likely be the final volume of unreleased episodes from the series' original run, owing to difficulty with licensing any further episodes.
* Also came in a "Collector's Edition"
† Featured a bonus disc for early purchasers
Shout! Factory collection re-releases
In June 2015, Shout! Factory announced Mystery Science Theater 3000 – Volume I, a box set that serves as a re-release of the first Rhino box set. The program has continued, re-releasing the Rhino sets in order. These re-issues contain new extras, but not the mini-posters that are a staple of Shout! Factory's regular box sets, nor the un-riffed versions found in some of the Rhino originals or any other Rhino extras.
| Volume | Episodes | Release date | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume I | Catalina Caper, The Creeping Terror, Bloodlust!, The Skydivers | September 1, 2015 | re-release of Volume 1 |
| Volume II | Cave Dwellers, Pod People, Angels Revenge, Shorts, Volume 1 | May 24, 2016 | re-release of Volume 2 |
| Volume III | The Side Hackers, The Unearthly, The Atomic Brain, Shorts, Volume 2 | September 27, 2016 | re-release of Volume 3 |
| Volume IV | Space Mutiny, Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, Girl in Gold Boots, Hamlet | January 31, 2017 | re-release of Volume 4 |
| Volume V | Time Chasers, The Touch of Satan, Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders, Boggy Creek II: and the Legend Continues… | May 16, 2017 | re-release of Volume 5 |
| Volume VI | Teenagers from Outer Space, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Gunslinger, Mr. B's Lost Shorts | October 17, 2017 | re-release of Volume 6 |
| Volume VII | Hercules Unchained, Hercules Against the Moon Men, Prince of Space, The Killer Shrews | February 13, 2018 | re-release of Volume 7 |
Shout! Factory re-release collections
Shout! Factory has put out collections that feature previously available material, either not yet collected together or from previous sets to which they have lost the rights to one or more featured films.
| Volume | Episodes | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| The Singles Collection | The Crawling Hand, The Hellcats, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Eegah, I Accuse My Parents, Shorts, Volume 3 | May 22, 2018 |
| The Lost and Found Collection | The Crawling Eye, The Mad Monster, Manhunt in Space, The Beatniks, Blood Waters of Dr. Z, Final Justice | September 25, 2018 |
Shout! Factory single episode releases
All Shout! Factory singles feature episodes that were previously available on DVD. Through 2012, most Shout! Factory singles were "manufacture-on-demand" titles, with only the two-disc Special Edition of "Manos" The Hands of Fate being a full retail release. Beginning with the single-disc Zombie Nightmare release in 2013, they have all been released to retail.
| Episode Number | Featured Film | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 517 | Beginning of the End | February 15, 2011 |
| 812 | The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? | February 15, 2011 |
| 511 | Gunslinger | June 21, 2011 |
| 1009 | Hamlet | June 21, 2011 |
| 619 | Red Zone Cuba | August 16, 2011 |
| 320 | The Unearthly | August 16, 2011 |
| 424 | "Manos" The Hands of Fate: Special Edition | September 13, 2011 |
| 518 | The Atomic Brain | October 18, 2011 |
| 908 | The Touch of Satan | October 18, 2011 |
| 515 | The Wild Wild World of Batwoman | March 20, 2012 |
| 1002 | Girl in Gold Boots | March 20, 2012 |
| 604 | Zombie Nightmare | June 17, 2013 |
| 103 | The Mad Monster | October 11, 2016 |
| 806 | The Undead | October 11, 2016 |
| 113 | The Black Scorpion | Q1 2017 |
Shout! Factory bonus disc releases
On occasion, Shout! has offered bonus discs with the purchase of a particular MST3K set directly from Shout! Factory's web site. Each of these bonus discs come in separate packaging from the set with which they were released.
| Title | Contents | Available with |
|---|---|---|
| Radar Men from the Moon | Radar Men from the Moon | Volume XXV |
| Serial Variety Pack | The Phantom Creeps, Undersea Kingdom, General Hospital | Volume XXVII |
| Summer Blockbuster Review | 1st Annual Summer Blockbuster Review, 2nd Annual Summer Blockbuster Review | Volume XXXVI |
| Fancy Hollywood Awards | MST3K Little Gold Statue Preview Special, Academy of Robots' Choice Awards Special | Volume XXXVII |
| Play MSTie for Me - Triple Decker DVD | Re-release of the Best Brains DVD. | Volume XXXVIII |
| The Complete Poopie! | Poopie!, Poopie! II and Poopie Parade of Values | Volume XXXIX |
| KTMA Segment Collection | All available host segments from the KTMA Era. | indefinitely postponed |
Shout! Factory full season releases
| Volume | Contents | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 11 Collector's Edition |
Season 11 | November, 2017 |
| Season 11 Standard Edition |
Season 11 | April 17, 2018 |
MST3K: The Movie
- Image Entertainment - May 27, 1998
- Universal (Region 2, Germany) - March 15, 2007
- Universal - May 6, 2008
- Shout! Factory - September 3, 2013 in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack "Collector's Edition"
- Umbrella (Region 4, Australia) - August 3, 2016
Best Brains
- Play MSTie for Me - Triple Decker DVD (contains all three original VHS volumes of "Play MSTie for Me")
- Tom Servo's Favorite Host Segments Vol. I with bonus feature, Poopie!
Mike Nelson commentaries
In 2004, Michael J. Nelson began working with Legend Films, releasing various public domain films newly colorized and featuring a "MST3K-like" commentary by Mike.
- Reefer Madness - April 20, 2004
- Night of the Living Dead - September 7, 2004
- Carnival of Souls * - March 29, 2005
- House on Haunted Hill * - September 6, 2005, repackaged alongside the film The Last Man on Earth (which has no Mike commentary) as The Vincent Price Double Feature, January 25, 2011
- Plan 9 from Outer Space *† - June 27, 2006
- The Little Shop of Horrors * - June 27, 2006
- The Three Stooges in Swing Parade * ** - March 27, 2007
* Also featured an autographed pre-release edition.
† Standard edition has additional features
** See Three Stooges section below.
RiffTrax
In 2006, Mike Nelson and Legend launched RiffTrax, an online service where Mike and, eventually, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy would riff various films, releasing only an .mp3 of the riff, thereby circumventing the need to license the films or limit themselves to public domain features. In 2009, DVDs of various public domain films (some already released with a "Mike solo" riff) and collections of shorts were released by Legend. Also in that year, RiffTrax began a series of live theatrical broadcasts, which were later released on DVD. The final category is "Christmas with RiffTrax", which features either a set of shorts or a feature and shorts, along with "host segments" with Mike, Bill and Kevin. Since splitting off from Legend, RiffTrax has continued to release DVDs, but at a much slower pace. In 2015, RiffTrax partnered with Kino International, providing commentaries for DVD and Blu-ray releases.
All RiffTrax DVDs are in print, with the exception of The Crater Lake Monster.
Shorts collections
- The Best of RiffTrax Shorts, Vol. 1, June 16, 2009
- The Best of RiffTrax Shorts, Vol. 2, June 16, 2009
- Shorts-Tacular Shorts-Straveganza, January 26, 2010
- Wide World of Shorts, January 26, 2010
- Shorts-A-Poppin, September 14, 2010
- RiffTrax Plays with Their Shorts, September 14, 2010
- Order in the Shorts, January 25, 2011
- Shortstoberfest, January 25, 2011
- Shorts to-Go, July 19, 2011
- Olde Tyme Shorts Roundup, July 19, 2011
- Hand-Crafted Artisanal Shorts, March 27, 2012
- Shorts to Astonish!, December 5, 2012
- May the Shorts Be with You, October 21, 2013
- Shorts Assemble!, June 23, 2015
- RiffTrax Presents Bridget and Mary Jo: Short and Sweet!, November 29, 2017
Feature films
- Carnival of Souls, June 16, 2009
- House on Haunted Hill, June 16, 2009
- The Little Shop of Horrors, June 16, 2009
- Missile to the Moon, June 16, 2009
- Night of the Living Dead, June 16, 2009
- Plan 9 from Outer Space, June 16, 2009
- Reefer Madness, June 16, 2009
- Swing Parade, June 16, 2009
- Planet of Dinosaurs, January 26, 2010
- Voodoo Man, January 26, 2010
- Maniac November 30, 2010
- Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, March 8, 2011
- The Crater Lake Monster March 6, 2012
- The Galaxy Invader, March 6, 2012
- Ghosthouse, November 15, 2013
- The Guy from Harlem, April 15, 2014
RiffTrax Live!
- Plan 9 from Outer Space, January 25, 2010
- Christmas Shorts-Straveganza, September 14, 2010
- House on Haunted Hill, May 17, 2011
- Reefer Madness, May 17, 2011
- Jack the Giant Killer, May 1, 2012
- Manos: The Hands of Fate, May 6, 2014
- Birdemic, November 11, 2014
- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, November 25, 2015
- Santa Claus, November 25, 2015
- MST3K Reunion Show, November 29, 2016
- Time Chasers, November 29, 2016
- Samurai Cop, November 29, 2017
- Summer Shorts Beach Party, November 29, 2017
Christmas with RiffTrax
- Magic Christmas Tree, May 1, 2012
- Santa's Village of Madness, November 25, 2013
Combo packs
- Double Feature: The Best of RiffTrax Shorts, Vol. 1 / Night of the Living Dead, March 2, 2010
Box sets
- RiffTrax Boxed Lunch!, December 12, 2017
- Bridget and Mary Jo: Short and Sweet
- RiffTrax Live: MST3K Reunion / RiffTrax Live: Birdemic / RiffTrax Live: Manos, The Hands of Fate
- Hand Crafted Artisanal Shorts / RiffTrax Live: Time Chasers / May The Shorts Be with You
- Santa and The Ice Cream Bunny / Santa’s Village of Madness / Shorts Assemble
Kino releases
- The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant, November 24, 2015 (release from Kino w/optional RiffTrax)
- The Astro-Zombies, October 11, 2016 (release from Kino w/optional RiffTrax)
The Film Crew
In 2005, Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy formed The Film Crew, recording four episodes for Rhino. Legal wrangling with Jim Mallon led to a delay and a change of distributor, to Shout! Factory. The episodes finally saw DVD release in 2007.
- Hollywood After Dark, July 10, 2007
- Killers from Space, August 7, 2007
- The Wild Women of Wongo, September 11, 2007
- The Giant of Marathon, October 9, 2007
Cinematic Titanic
In 2007, MST3K creator Joel Hodgson announced his new project, Cinematic Titanic, where he and fellow riffers Josh Weinstein, Mary Jo Pehl, Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff would riff on bad movies in much the style as on MST3K, including a silhouette of the riffers superimposed on the film's image. Throughout 2008 and 2009, seven studio recorded episodes were released. Since then, five additional DVDs have been released, featuring recordings of Cinematic Titanic's live performances.
All individual Cinematic Titanic titles are now out of print.
Studio episodes
- The Oozing Skull, January 9, 2008
- The Doomsday Machine, June 19, 2008
- The Wasp Woman, August 7, 2008
- Legacy of Blood, October 9, 2008
- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, November 20, 2008
- Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks, January 8, 2009
- Blood of the Vampires, March 19, 2009
Live DVDs
- East Meets Watts, December 16, 2009
- The Alien Factor, February 23, 2010
- Danger on Tiki Island, June 16, 2010
- War of the Insects, December 2, 2011
- Rattlers, July 17, 2012
Complete Collection
Shout! Factory released Cinematic Titanic: The Complete Collection on August 8, 2017. It contains all twelve previously released titles, along with two extras: Between the Riffs and A Look Back with J. Elvis Weinstein.
Other releases
Star Wait
Star Wait is a documentary fan film that covers a group of Star Wars fans waiting in line to see Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. It was released on DVD in 2005 to coincide with the DVD release of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The extras include commentaries on the various chapters of the documentary. Two segments are riffed by Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu and Josh Weinstein, the first time they riffed together since Season 1 of MST3K.
Three Stooges
Beginning in 2004, Legend Films released a series of DVDs featuring Three Stooges material in the public domain. Three of these releases have connections to MST3K.
- The Three Stooges in Color, April 26, 2005
- "Comedy Wraparounds by The Film Crew (Mike Nelson and the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000)"
- The Three Stooges - Greatest Routines, March 27, 2007.
- "Hosted by Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy of Mystery Science Theater and RiffTrax.com"
- The Three Stooges in Swing Parade, March 27, 2007
- "Contains bonus commentary by Mike Nelson of RiffTrax"
- The Three Stooges Triple Whammy, March 27, 2007
- Greatest Routines alongside the Three Stooges "Extreme Rarities" and "Live and Hilarious" discs (which do not feature Mike or Kevin)
See also
- List of released episodes
- List of VHS releases
- List of Blu-ray releases
- List of Laserdisc releases