From shining a light on contemporary social issues to offering an escape from the oppression of mundanity, there’s no understating the importance of movies in popular culture. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that meta-cinema has existed since the dawn of the artform, with storytellers exploring the impact that these films can have on our lives while also having fun commenting on ever-evolving cinematic trends.
Now that Radio Silence’s new Scream is a bona fide hit, I think it’s safe to say that audiences are still hungry for a bit of meta-storytelling within the horror genre, and that’s why we’ve come up with this list celebrating of six of the best fictional horror movies featured inside other media. After all, the mere idea of a good time at the movies can sometimes be just as entertaining as the real thing, and these fake horror flicks can tell us a lot about how filmmakers view real scary movies.
Naturally, the non-existent productions on this list weren’t selected according to objective quality or even realism, but rather their entertainment factor and the sheer creativity behind their wacky premises. That being said, these obviously aren’t the only fictional horror movies worth discussing, so don’t forget to comment below with your own fake favorites if you think we missed one.
Now, onto the list…
6. Garden Tool Massacre – The Blob (1988)
Chuck Russell’s remake of 1958’s The Blob is already a loving homage to the horror flicks of yore, updating the ’50s monster movie formula for (then) modern audiences. That’s why it makes sense that the film would feature a scene where the main characters are having fun watching an original slasher at the local theater, adding another level of genre-savvy satire to this entertaining throwback.
Presenting audiences with a psycho killer wearing a hockey mask in a clear parody of the Friday the 13th franchise, Garden Tool Massacre actually looks like a fairly entertaining tongue-in-cheek slasher flick. The “wait a minute, hockey season ended months ago” line cracks me up every time, and this fake film only ranks low on this list because of how brief the gag is.
5. Mant – Matinee (1993)
Another love-letter to retro cinema, Joe Dante’s Matinee is boosted by a powerhouse performance by the always-lovable John Goodman, who portrays a William Castle-inspired filmmaker with a love for cheesy monster flicks. While the film itself is a highly underrated meta-comedy, it repeatedly teases us with glimpses of the fictional Mant, which I believe to be the best part of the movie.
Featuring period-appropriate radioactive shenanigans that create the titular human/ant hybrid, Mant sounds like the perfect Saturday-morning creature feature, boasting all the mad science and exaggerated military action that the genre is known for. The over-the-top advertising featured in Matinee is just the cherry on top, making me wish that Mant was a real life B-movie.
4. Joelho-Alto Prejuízo Moral – Community (2009-2015)
Featured in the second episode of Community’s sixth season, Joelho-Alto Prejuízo Moral (a very poor translation of “Knee-High Hijinks”) is a fictional Gremlins knock-off supposedly produced in 1980s Portugal. One of Abed’s favorite movies, this silly mockbuster boasts one of the best faux-trailers to ever grace television, making the most of the show’s genre inspirations.
Featuring charming practical effects, cheesy one-liners (made even more entertaining through the bizarre use of Portuguese) and schlocky set-pieces, this is one off-brand Gremlins sequel that I would love to see brought to life in all of its faux-80s glory.
3. Jaws 19 – Back to the Future Part II (1989)
There’s no denying that Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future Part II is a fun sequel, but it wasn’t exactly written by Nostradamus. Most of its futuristic predictions didn’t quite pan out like the filmmakers expected, and this sadly includes the mythic Jaws 19. Introduced by a holographic ad which briefly harasses Marty McFly during his visit to Hill Valley in the distant future of 2015, it’s a damned shame that the real Jaws franchise never got that far.
Curiously, this throwaway gag became such a phenomenon that Universal actually commissioned a tongue-in-cheek teaser trailer for the fake movie back in 2015, promising audiences that, this time, it’s really, really personal. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to watch all those unmade sequels… even if the shark still looks fake.
2. Werewolf Women of the SS – Grindhouse (2007)
Tarantino and Rodriguez’s love-letter to ’70s schlock may have resulted in two of the most entertaining films in both of their careers, but there was a lot more to their double-feature than just Planet Terror and Death Proof. Grindhouse also entertained audiences with a series of faux trailers for absurd exploitation flicks, each directed by a different superstar filmmaker.
Honestly, you can argue that all the other fake previews are just as entertaining as this one, but Rob Zombie’s particular brand of exploitation insanity makes Werewolf Women of the SS my personal favorite of the bunch. Featuring bizarre historical references and homages to the Ilsa films of the 70s, not to mention Nicolas freakin’ Cage in a brief yet memorable appearance as Fu Manchu, I often revisit the extended cut of this trailer on its own as a highly entertaining short film.
1. Stab Franchise – Scream 2 (1997) to Scream (2022)
When it comes to fictional horror flicks, Scream’s long-running Stab franchise really takes the cake as the most memorable of the bunch. Not only are these movies hilarious, especially with their dated stunt-casting and Hollywood in-jokes, but they’re also important to the plot, keeping Ghostface’s legend alive and inspiring copycat killers in the sequels.
From the first Stab’s humorous recreation of iconic moments from the original Scream (this time directed by Robert Rodriguez and starring big names like Luke Wilson and Tori Spelling) to the incredibly meta opening of Stab 7 and this year’s silver-masked Ghostface with a flamethrower, these hilariously self-referential movies are a huge part of what makes the Scream sequels so damned interesting. Not only does this franchise-within-a-franchise poke fun at the inherently silly aspects of slasher flicks, but it also reminds us of why we love these scary movies in the first place.
The post Ghostface With a Flamethrower?! – 6 Fake Horror Movies Within Real Ones! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.