Here at FIC, it's no secret that we love 1980s movies. But truth be told, our nerd-dom goes even further than that: we also love the fictional movies that appear inside of 80s movies! That's right... some of our favorite filmmakers have created realities so textured they contain their own fictional film industries! Join us as we deep dive into this alternate reality of our favorite fictional films.
Jaws 19
From Back to the Future Part II (1985)
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) arrives in the future (the year 2015, to be specific) where holographic movie posters are a thing, and Jaws 19 is playing on the silver screen! We're wondering... do you have to watch Jaws 5 through 18 for this one to make sense?
Our biggest disappointment about the year 2015 is that holographic movie posters (and hoverboards!) never became a reality. But we're happy to see that Jaws is still pursuing his life-long passion--terrorizing Amity Island!
Those Darn Amigos!
From ¡Three Amigos! (1986)
¡Three Amigos! features three clueless gringos (Martin Short, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase) who, back in their glory days, starred as heroic gunslingers in a in a series of black and white silent films. We are treated to a glimpse of Those Darn Amigos! early in the film, and several other fictional films are mentioned by name, including Dueling Cavelier, Shootin' For Love, Little Neddy Grab Your Gun, Little Neddy Goes to War, and Amigos! Amigos! Amigos!
See You Next Wednesday
From The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Coming Soon (1982), Trading Places (1983), Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983), Into the Night (1985), Coming to America (1988)
Legendary director John Landis hid the fictional movie title See You Next Wednesday somewhere within most of his films throughout the 1980s. While the title remains the same, the fictional film portrayed has morphed into many different genres.
In The Blues Brothers, (first image above) we see a billboard featuring a King-Kong style monster flick. Trading Places (second image) portrays See You Next Wednesday as a vintage romantic drama. And in Coming to America, it's a sci-fi movie poster we glimpse at a subway station (third image).
See You Next Wednesday appears at least 16 times (that we can count!) in Landis films from 1973 through 2006. This presents you, dear readers, with a Pokemon-style challenge... can you collect 'em all?
Co-ed Frenzy
From Blow Out (1981)
In the criminally underrated Blow Out, John Travolta stars as Jack Terry, a sound technician recording sound effects for a low-budget, Psycho-style-knockoff slasher film, Co-ed Frenzy. While gathering spooky sound recordings at a park late one night, he inadvertently records a murder, and becomes entangled in cracking the case.
While we'd definitely watch the fictional Co-Ed Frenzy for all its campy glory (and excellent sound effects), we'd prefer to re-watch Blow Out itself. Travolta shines, and you gotta see a young John Lithgow playing the role of a total creep!
The Mutants of 2051 AD
From Strange Brew (1983)
Strange Brew begins with a fictional movie, The Mutants of 2051 AD, a low-low-budget film created by bumbling, beer-drinking Canadian brothers, Bob and Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, respectively). During the Mutants theater debut, the film melts down, and the audience leaves disgruntled and demanding refunds.
While it wasn't a hit with the fictional audience... we'd love to see this hilariously conceived, poorly executed film in its entirety. Also... 2051 isn't sounding that far away these days... should we be preparing for a mutant invasion?
Somethin's Cookin', Pistol Packin' Possum, Babes in Arms, Herman's Shermans, The Wet Nurse, Roger's Baby Buggy Blunder
From Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
A blink-and-you'll-miss-it addition to our list, we invite you to catch a glimpse of Roger Rabbit's faux filmography. In the gag-filled Who Framed Roger Rabbit, we take a spin through movie exec R.K. Maroon's (Alan Tilvern) office, where the walls are filled with fictional cartoon productions from Maroon Studios, making Toontown feel like it has its own rich cinematic history.
Out of the titles we can spot, we're most intrigued by Roger's Baby Buggy Blunder, which apparently introduces Jessica Rabbit as an up-and-coming star!
