Mutant Reviewers From Hell
Encyclopedia
Mutant Reviewers from Hell (commonly abbreviated "MRFH") is a website devoted to reviewing offbeat or "cult
" films. Founded in 1997 by college students Justin Olivetti and Kymberlie McGuire, the site's stated goal is to provide an alternative to stuffy, pretentious movie critics by offering humorous reviews from a more relatable perspective. Originally devoted solely to cult flicks, today MRFH covers a variety of films from all genres, both obscure and mainstream, with 1900+ unique reviews of more than 1100 movies. Updated approximately six times a week, MRFH's name (shortened from the original "Revenge of the Mutant Movie Reviewers from Hell VIII") is an homage to classic B-movies of the past. In addition to reviews and articles, the site includes forums divided by subject matter (films, TV, video games, books & music, etc.), including "My Suggestions," where readers can recommend movies for review. In 2009, MRFH switched to a blog format, and is in the process of moving old reviews over while continuing to post new ones.
Longtime contributor PoolMan enjoys semi-retired mutant emeritus status, with freedom to submit reviews as he sees fit. Former Mutants include Kym, Toni, Andie, DnaError, Bobby, Alex, Clare, Rich, Nancy, and Shalen.
Week, Superhero Week, Gender Clash (in which male and female reviewers partnered up and assigned each other traditional "guy" or "girl" movies), James Bond
Week, Police Academy Week, 80s Week, Trek Wars Week, and House Party Week. In addition, every October 31 brings HalloHorrorWeen, a day of multiple reviews and articles devoted solely to horror/sci-fi/monster movies.
, and FHM
Australia, as well as Fark.com
. It was SciFi.com's Site of the Week in December 2005, and a Cool Site of the Day in January 2005. It is also listed in the "Critics" section of Rotten Tomatoes
.
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
" films. Founded in 1997 by college students Justin Olivetti and Kymberlie McGuire, the site's stated goal is to provide an alternative to stuffy, pretentious movie critics by offering humorous reviews from a more relatable perspective. Originally devoted solely to cult flicks, today MRFH covers a variety of films from all genres, both obscure and mainstream, with 1900+ unique reviews of more than 1100 movies. Updated approximately six times a week, MRFH's name (shortened from the original "Revenge of the Mutant Movie Reviewers from Hell VIII") is an homage to classic B-movies of the past. In addition to reviews and articles, the site includes forums divided by subject matter (films, TV, video games, books & music, etc.), including "My Suggestions," where readers can recommend movies for review. In 2009, MRFH switched to a blog format, and is in the process of moving old reviews over while continuing to post new ones.
Staff
MRFH is composed of a staff of 11 reviewers, with numerous others having left or "gone into retirement." (In 2007, to celebrate the site's 10th anniversary, a series of articles featured past and current Mutants sharing their favorite memories of writing for MRFH.) In the early days, anyone who asked was allowed to become a staff member. Today's standards are more stringent, with applicants required to submit sample reviews and be voted on by the site's leaders. Current staff members include:- Justin, co-founder of MRFH, responsible for the upkeep of the site
- Kyle, California wild child and horror film buff
- Lissa, science nerd and avowed Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
fangirl - Sue, known for a love of horses and handling jokes about her age with good grace
- Drew, highly sarcastic (but not surly) comic book geek
- Al, fan of martial arts films and karaoke
- Mike, goateed artist and Joss WhedonJoss WhedonJoseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
expert - Kaleb, longtime forum poster and animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
devotee - Eunice, movie news reporter, reviewer, and part-time Fraggle
- Heather, MST3K groupie and global transient
- Courtney, college student and requisite fiesty redhead
Longtime contributor PoolMan enjoys semi-retired mutant emeritus status, with freedom to submit reviews as he sees fit. Former Mutants include Kym, Toni, Andie, DnaError, Bobby, Alex, Clare, Rich, Nancy, and Shalen.
Features
Aside from reviews, MRFH offers a wide range of articles pertaining to cult subjects. Some of the most popular recurring features include:- Cult TV, devoted to DVD reviews and discussions of cult-related shows
- Mutant Viewings, where staff members type up their thoughts on movies while watching them, in the manner of DVD commentaries
- Year in Review, in which Mutants look back at the past year of movies and discuss what they're looking forward to in the coming months
- Mutant Summits, chronicling those rare occasions when staff members meet in real life; the largest to date was Justin's wedding in 2005
- MRFHline, where reviewers answer questions provided either by readers or each other
- The Annual Mutant Awards, in which staff members choose irreverent categories and nominees, then allow readers to vote on the winners
Theme weeks
Occasionally the site will host theme weeks where all reviews and articles pertain to a given subject. Past theme weeks have included Whedon Week, RockyRocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
Week, Superhero Week, Gender Clash (in which male and female reviewers partnered up and assigned each other traditional "guy" or "girl" movies), James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
Week, Police Academy Week, 80s Week, Trek Wars Week, and House Party Week. In addition, every October 31 brings HalloHorrorWeen, a day of multiple reviews and articles devoted solely to horror/sci-fi/monster movies.
Recognition
MRFH has received write-ups in Premiere, USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, and FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
Australia, as well as Fark.com
Fark.com
Fark is a community website created by Drew Curtis that allows members to comment on a daily batch of news articles and other items from various websites. As of June 2009, the site boasts approximately four million unique visitors per month, which puts it among the top 100 English language websites...
. It was SciFi.com's Site of the Week in December 2005, and a Cool Site of the Day in January 2005. It is also listed in the "Critics" section of Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.