If you, like me, are someone who misses the ridiculous ridicule and cartoonish commentary on cliche that come with parody movies (or spoof movies), I bet you will be happy to learn there is another Scary Movie sequel in the works right now. As we wait for Hollywood’s latest send-up of the best horror movies in recent memory, I have compiled a list of the greatest parody movies – along with a tip on how to watch them – that should keep you laughing for a while.
The Hot Shots! Movies (1991, 1993)
A skilled, but emotionally unstable fighter pilot (played by Charlie Sheen) is tasked with getting rid of nuclear weapons, and later enlisted to lead a rescue mission in Iraq.
Why they are some of the best parody movies: Jim Abrahams’ Hot Shots! basically takes the plot of Top Gun and adds an incessant run of ridiculous sight gags and Hot Shots! Part Deux targets Rambo: First Blood Part II (and many other classic action movies) with the same method.
Stream the Hot Shots! Movies on Hulu.
Rent or buy Hot Shots! on Amazon.
Rent or buy Hot Shots! Part Deux on Amazon.
Buy Hot Shots! on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Buy Hot Shots! Part Deux on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
The ridiculous coming-of-age misadventures of a group of high school students from various rungs on the social ladder.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: None of the best high school movies of all time are safe from uproarious send-ups in the deeply underrated Not Another Teen Movie, which stars Chris Evans in one of his earliest roles.
Stream Not Another Teen Movie on Amazon Prime.
Buy Not Another Teen Movie on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993)
To save England from a corrupt king (played by the late Richard Lewis), a talented archer and clever thief (played by Cary Elwes) puts together a band of “merry men” for help.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: A ‘90s movie that does not quite get enough love is Robin Hood: Men in Tights – a classic Mel Brooks parody that takes aim at a beloved legend.
Stream Robin Hood: Men in Tights on Hulu.
Stream Robin Hood: Men in Tights on Tubi.
Rent or buy Robin Hood: Men in Tights on Amazon.
Buy Robin Hood: Men in Tights on Blu-ray on Amazon.
MacGruber (2010)
A bumbling special forces agent (played by Will Forte), his former partner (played by Kristen Wiig), and a young lieutenant (played by Ryan Phillippe) race to stop a notorious terrorist (played by Val Kilmer) from unleashing a dangerous nuclear warhead.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: One of the most beloved movies based on SNL characters is MacGruber, which thankfully extends beyond the rigid conceit of the original recurring sketch in favor of poking fun at action movies.
Rent or buy MacGruber on Amazon.
Buy MacGruber on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Top Secret! (1984)
A rock star (played by Val Kilmer) becomes involved in a dangerous mission to rescue a scientist held captive in Germany.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: For their first major follow-up to Airplane! (more on that later) together, Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker took aim at classic spy movies with Top Secret!
Stream Top Secret! on Paramount+ with Showtime add-on.
Rent or buy Top Secret! on Amazon.
Buy Top Secret! on Blu-ray on Amazon.
I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
A soldier (played by Keenan Ivory Wayans) wages war on a powerful criminal who caused the death of his brother.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: An ‘80s movie that deserves more attention today is I’m Gonna Git You Sucka – a send-up of the Blaxploitation genre and one of the more underrated parodies by writer, director, and star Wayans.
Stream I’m Gonna Git You Sucka on Tubi.
Stream I’m Gonna Git You Sucka on Pluto TV.
Rent or buy I’m Gonna Git You Sucka on Amazon.
Buy I’m Gonna Git You Sucka on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Scary Movie (2000)
Ditzy teen Cindy Prescott (played by Anna Faris) and her buffoonish friends are stalked by a masked murderer.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Easily the Wayans Brothers’ most successful spoof is Scary Movie, which actually bears the original working title for Scream – the 1996 slasher genre revival (and deconstruction) from Wes Craven that also inspired most of the comedy’s story and jokes.
Stream Scary Movie on Max.
Rent or buy Scary Movie on Amazon.
Buy Scary Movie on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Airplane! (1980)
A disgraced former pilot (played by Robert Hays) becomes the only hope to bring a commercial plane to safety when the entire flight crew falls ill.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Abrahams and the Zucker brothers became the quintessential heroes of the parody movie with the instant classic, Airplane! – nearly a shot-for-shot recreation of 1957’s Zero Hour! with increasingly cartoonish hijinks.
Rent or buy Airplane! on Amazon.
Buy Airplane! on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Blazing Saddles (1974)
A Black man (played by Cleavon Little) rises from slave to hero after he is made the sheriff of a small, valuable town by an evil, greedy politician.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Arguably the best Mel Brooks movie also qualifies as one of the all-time best Western movies, because the Oscar-nominated Blazing Saddles is a remarkably bold satire that could only be a product of its time.
Stream Blazing Saddles on Paramount+.
Rent or buy Blazing Saddles on Amazon.
Buy Blazing Saddles on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)
King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his Knights of the Round Table encounter a series of ridiculous obstacles while searching for the lost cup said to have held the blood of Jesus Christ.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Co-directed by Terry Gilliam and the late Terry Jones, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is commonly considered the British comedy troupe’s finest cinematic achievement, thanks to such bits as a far too resilient Black Knight, a homicidal rabbit, very rude Frenchmen, and a hilariously abrupt conclusion that supposedly birthed the term “cop out.”
Stream Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Netflix.
Rent or buy Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Amazon.
Buy Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! (1988)
The bumbling Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) is tasked with foiling an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: From the creators of Airplane!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a sharp and criminally absurd cop drama parody spun off from the short-lived crime procedural spoof series, Police Squad!
Stream The Naked Gun: From the FIles of Police Squad! on Max.
Rent or buy The Naked Gun: From the FIles of Police Squad! on Amazon.
Buy The Naked Gun: From the FIles of Police Squad! on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (1997)
A hip, British secret agent (played by Mike Myers) learns that the cliches of classic James Bond movies do not have the same effect they used to after he wakes up from a 30-year cryogenic slumber to catch his arch nemesis (also played by Myers).
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Arguably the ultimate spy movie parody is Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which features some of Myers’ funniest quotes, many of which come from Dr. Evil.
Rent Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery on Amazon.
Buy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The grandson of an infamous mad scientist (played by Gene Wilder) is initially reluctant to acknowledge his heritage until he pays a visit to his lab in Transylvania.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Director Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (which he co-wrote with Wilder) serves as both a sequel and a send-up of Universal’s 1931 adaptation of Mary Shelley’s landmark horror novel.
Buy Young Frankenstein on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Dude Bro Party Massacre III (2015)
A young man (played by co-writer Alec Owen) infiltrates his slain twin brother’s popular fraternity in hopes of finding his killer: the notorious “Motherface.”
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Underrated horror-comedy movieDude Bro Party Massacre III goes beyond spoofing the genre and recreates it convincingly by framing itself as a VHS recording of a cable access rerun of a banned ‘80s slasher, complete with cheesy gore, crappy acting, and fake commercial interludes.
Stream Dude Bro Party Massacre III on Amazon Prime.
Stream Dude Bro Party Massacre III on Tubi.
Stream Dude Bro Party Massacre III on Pluto TV.
Buy Dude Bro Party Massacre III on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Spaceballs (1987)
An intergalactic pilot (played by Bill Pullman) and his “half-man, half-dog” companion (played by John Candy) are hired to rescue a princess (played by Daphne Zuniga) from the evil Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis).
Why it is one of the best parody movies: As you can probably tell, Spaceballs is, essentially, a reimagining of the Star Wars movies, from the mind of star, co-writer, and director Mel Brooks.
Stream Spaceballs on Max.
Rent or buy Spaceballs on Amazon.
Buy Spaceballs on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
An uproarious, raunchy, and simply out-of-control collection of fake consumer ads, faux movie trailers, and short films.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Before Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers made Airplane!, they wrote director John Landis’ The Kentucky Fried Movie – a hilarious anthology with no real structure or purpose, other than a shameless devotion to comedy.
Stream The Kentucky Fried Movie on Amazon Prime.
Stream The Kentucky Fried Movie on Peacock.
Stream The Kentucky Fried Movie on Tubi.
Buy The Kentucky Fried Movie on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
Aspiring actor Bobby Taylor (played by director Robert Townsend) struggles to navigate the world of show business.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: Townsend (who also co-writes with Keenan Ivory Wayans) famously self-financed Hollywood Shuffle, which takes aim at the movie business as a whole, but really zeroes in on the kind of stereotypical film roles Black actors would often be shoehorned into in the late 1980s.
Stream Hollywood Shuffle on Tubi.
Stream Hollywood Shuffle on Pluto TV.
Rent or buy Hollywood Shuffle on Amazon.
UHF (1989)
A hyperactive daydreamer (played “Weird Al” Yankovic) is appointed by his uncle to manage a dying television station.
Why it is one of the best parody movies: The world’s favorite parody musician brings his talents to the big screen by sending up the small screen in UHF, which was considered a failure upon release, but has grown into a cult favorite over time.
Stream UHF on Tubi.
Stream UHF on Pluto TV.
Rent or buy UHF on Amazon.
Buy UHF on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood (1996)
A young man (Shawn Wayans) is sent to live in the inner city with his grandmother, where he gets a crash course in the culture from his loose-cannon cousin (Marlon Wayans).
Why it is one of the best parody movies: If you have seen Menace II Society, South Central, Juice, or Boyz n the Hood, then you should know what you are in for with Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood – the Wayans Brothers’ inspired, thoroughly funny parody of ‘90s urban dramas with a brutally honest satirization of the realties those films reflect.
Stream Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood on Starz.
Buy Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood on Blu-ray on Amazon.
So, what do you think? Are these the funniest cinematic spoofs of all time, or do you assume I have been poking fun at myself this whole time?