As A) A Minnesotan and B) A film lover with a sense of humor, I am a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

For you heathens that are not familar with MST3K, the series started out at a UHF station in the Twin Cities, then ended up on The Comedy Channel (aka Comedy Central).

A mad scientist has stranded a man on a space station and forces him to watch B (and C and D) movies. To keep his sanity, Joel created a couple of robot companions, Tom Servo and Crow T Robert. The three of them provide snarky running commentaries over the cheesy flicks.

So I am pleased as punch to report that Shout! Factory has announced they will be releasing Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition on October 28th.

The Four DVD set includes four films:

FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS
In the 1960 sci-fi thriller First Spaceship On Venus, a mysterious magnetic spool found during a construction project is discovered to have originated from Venus. A rocket expedition to the mysterious cloudy planet is launched to discover the origin of the spool and the alien race that created it.

LASERBLAST
In 1978’s Laserblast, young actor Kim Milford plays an ostracized teenager who stumbles upon the remains of murdered mutated alien in the California desert. Along with the alien’s remains, a high-tech laser gun and power source are accidentally left behind by the extraterrestrial murderers. While examining the equipment, the teen inadvertently mutates himself with a laserblast, and embarks upon a murderous rampage.

WEREWOLF
1996 horror flick Werewolf begins with an archeological dig in an Arizona quarry. The Native Americans at the dig site recognize an unearthed skeleton as the remains of a werewolf, yet the team of archeologists are skeptical. When a dig assistant becomes infected and transforms into a werewolf, the ambitious team leader begins a horrific experiment, infecting the oblivious townspeople with the werewolf virus.

FUTURE WAR
In 1997’s action-packed Future War, a race of evil cyborgs kidnap humans from Earth’s future to use as slaves, and take dinosaurs from the past to use as trackers. A determined slave, the “Runaway”, escapes and makes his way to present-day Los Angeles. There he must fend off the cyborgs and their trackers, the police, and the government, befriended by a prostitute-turned-nun who runs a halfway house.

In addition to these classics, the set also includes interviews and comments from cast members Joel Hodgson, Jim Mallon, Trace Beaulieu, Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy and Elvis Weinstein.

Also included is footage from the 20th Anniversary Reunion panel (Why not include the whole damn thing??), collectible lobby cards and a figurine of the world famous Crow T. Robot – all assembled in a collectible embossed tin.
MSRP is $69.99