Five Great Spoof Movies

With Vampires Suck now in cinemas, Movies.ie looks at five of the best spoof flicks!

Young Frankenstein

 

 

What is the formula for a great spoof? Place Mel Brooks in the director’s chair and cast Gene Wilder. That’s it! No wonder Mel Brooks did this more than once, but his best collaboration with Gene Wilder has to be YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Wilder plays Dr. Fronkensteen, a scientist wgo denies his lineage to the infamous scientist who created a monster, until he realizes he may be able to succeed where his predecessor failed…

 

Shaun of the Dead

 

 

So what would you do if your job sucked, your girlfriend just left you, and the world has just been overrun by zombies? Well, if you are Shaun- aka Simon Pegg – you do the obvious: grab a cricket bat and go to town on some old-fashioned, slow-moving zombies with your loyal yet ill-mannered best friend Ed, all in the name of saving the day and getting your girl back. Playing tribute to the Romero classics, this is Simon Pegg at his best.

 

SCARY MOVIE

 

 

From its intro, Scary Movie offers a hilarious send up of Scream, which is all the more impressive as Scream is a part send-up itself of the films that preceded it. While the second half of the movie  may tail off, when it strikes gold it happily braises the funnybone.

 

ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS

 

 

While this might not be Mel Brooks finest film, it makes the list for two reasons: the presence of Dave Chappelle (in his first film role) and the unforgettable “Men in Tights” musical number. There are multiple references to previous Robin Hood flicks, most notably Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the Kevin Costner-starrer that had been a huge hit two years prior.

 

THE NAKED GUN

 

 

You can throw the TV show Police Squad! in here, too. The adventures of Frank Drebin may not have convincingly spanned the sequels, but the first Naked Gun film is a flat-out delight. It’s not as sly in some of its references, but it is very, very funny, and Nielsen has never been better in a comedy role.