50 Best Movie Spoof Moments

Features
By published

Top-drawer rib-ticklers

Scary Movie (2000)

Kung Pow: Enter The Fist (2002)

The Moment: The Chosen One (Steve Oedekerk) goes toe-to-hoof in a fight with a cow…

What’s It Spoofing: OTT kung fu movies – this scene tips it right over the edge.

Why It’s Great: We can finally tick “kung fu cow” off our bucket list.

Three Amigos! (1986)

The Moment: Parched during their ride through the desert, Lucky Day (Steve Martin) and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) discover they’re all out of water.

Meanwhile, Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase) wastes his – then gets out his chapstick, oblivious to his comrades’ ire…

What’s It Spoofing: Any film in which characters get baked dry in the desert.

Why It’s Great: You’ve got to admire Short, who easily gets the raw deal by having to swallow sand…

Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993)

The Moment: “Fascinating! I’m afraid I’m going to have to hurt you.”

Robin Hood (Cary Elwes) meets Little John (Eric Allan Kramer) on the toll bridge, leading to the most epic staff fight ever.

What’s It Spoofing: Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

Why It’s Great: It’s the ‘staff’ of Hollywood action brilliance. (Sorry.)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

The Moment: “Today’s gonna be the best day ever!” chirrups Little Nate. “Ain’t nothing horrible gonna happen today!” Then he gets cut in half.

What’s It Spoofing: The movie’s a spoof of every musical biopic out there, while this scene spoofs every OTT magic scene you’ve ever seen.

Why It’s Great: It’s just sort of savage, isn’t it? While also being really funny.

Black Dynamite (2009)

The Moment: Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White) remembers his time in the Vietnam war when he encountered a ‘Chinese’ child who spoke to him.

What’s It Spoofing: Any Vietnam war movie in which a character has a flashback to a meaningful encounter.

Why It’s Great: White’s straight-faced delivery is, yes, dynamite.

Mystery Men (1999)

The Moment: “I only knew that I’d know that you knew,” says Casanova (Geoffrey Rush), confusing Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear)…

What’s It Spoofing: Just about every superhero film in which the hero thinks he’s cornered the villain and gets all cocky about it.

Why It’s Great: Casanova’s sheer volume of evil gadgets is mind-boggling.

Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

The Moment: Chick Young (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Lou Costello) get a surprise when Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) wakes up…

What’s It Spoofing: Dracula .

Why It’s Great: It’s a spoof, but it’s also atmospheric as hell.

Our Man Flint (1966)

The Moment: “Repeat: my sole pleasure in life is to bring pleasure to my companions.”

A typical Bond girl is brainwashed by a snazzy-looking machine.

What’s It Spoofing: Bond films.

Why It’s Great: It manages to explain just how Bond is able to get his mitts on so many ladies.

Whats Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)

The Moment: Thanks to Woody Allen’s clever editing, the scene in which a bartender feeds a chicken to a snake becomes a pretend wedding between the two animals.

What’s It Spoofing: International Secret Police: Key Of Keys.

Why It’s Great: It’s a genius idea done really well, as Allen dubs over a Japanese film. This scene is a great example of when it works.

Joshua Winning

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.