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RiffTrax Live!: Hobgoblins Blu-ray Review

RiffTrax takes on another MST3K classic.

Filmed at the Belcourt Theater in Nashville in 2021, the RiffTrax gang (Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy) whip up some new riffs on a fan favorite “Mystery Science Theater 3000” movie- “Hobgoblins.” Prior to the feature presentation, the trio tackle a short film titled “Life In A Medieval Town.” It’s an overlong short about Medieval business, finances, and people, but there are still some hearty laughs involving (but not limited to) Mike Ditka, goofy hats galore, and “The Simpsons.”

After the short, “Hobgoblins” starts right up. It’s always a tough act to follow such a beloved episode of MST3K, but thankfully, the veteran riffers and joke writers have no problem creating hilarious new material. The movie, for those that don’t know, revolves around hobgoblins from outer space living in an old movie studio lot vault. As one might guess, the vault is opened and the Hobgoblins are released out into the world. These creatures have the power to make fantasies come alive, but in the process, they could kill you. The “story” (if you want to call it that) focuses on a security guard and his group of friends.

Let’s face it, “Hobgoblins” is a truly terrible “Gremlins” rip-off. Sure, the puppets are kind of cool, but that’s all the movie has going for it. This is the type of bad movie that is better seen with MST and now RiffTrax. There are so many rewarding jokes here about The Talking Heads, the old man security guard, Golden Corral (naturally), Fish Licker, “Ghostbusters,” and, yes, even some welcome MST and RiffTrax callbacks. Is it on the level of the MST version? That’s up for debate, but it’s certainly a worthwhile new riff.

RiffTrax Live!: Hobgoblins is available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD or Digital here: https://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax-live-hobgoblins?utm_source=homepage_carousel&utm_medium=Carousel&utm_campaign=video%20all%20%2881%29

Video/Audio:

Presentation: Widescreen 1080p. How does it look? The ‘Medieval’ print is pretty rough, but “Hobgoblins” looks better than it ever has (especially compared to the MST print). The show itself is yet another fine production.

Audio Track: Dolby Digital 5.1. How does it sound? The riffs are always clear, but the audio from both ‘Medieval’ and “Hobgoblins” isn’t the best. That’s no fault of this disc, mind you, just the audio of the prints they used.

The lone extra is another hilarious pre-show video with faux trivia.

April 4, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Hobgoblins, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Rifftrax, RiffTrax Live! Hobgoblins Blu-ray Review