Let’s be real—spoof films don’t actually take over theaters any longer. But looking back, there was a moment when they reigned comedy, turning entire genres on their sides and reminding us just how silly our beloved films could be. From parodies gone wild to smart love letters, these spoofs left us with a lasting legacy in comedy as well as pop culture.
10. Superhero Movie (2008)
Yes, it’s no masterpiece, but it has a place here. Superhero Movie was one of the last gasps of the parody phenomenon before it blew out in the 2010s. Directed squarely at early comic-book mania, particularly Spider-Man, it may lack the cutting edge of the classics, but it’s a good time capsule of when spoofs still stood a chance at the box office.
9. Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
This one parodies all the teen-movie cliches and amplifies them to ridiculous extremes. From the oblivious jocks to the “ugly duckling” transformation, there’s nothing sacred. It’s loud, raunchy, and tacky—but also an ideal time capsule of late 90s/early 2000s pop culture, illustrating how spoofs were beginning to tip into outright parody rather than loving homages.
8. Scary Movie (2000)
The Wayans brothers attacked Scream and the other late-’90s slasher movies, making them a comedy free-for-all. It’s raunchy, it’s disgusting, and totally relentless in its gags. Aside from the laughs, Scary Movie launched a franchise that grossed almost a billion dollars, demonstrating there was still a massive hunger for spoofs at the time.
7. Top Secret! (1984)
From the same team that gave us Airplane!, this Cold War spy parody throws in Elvis musicals for good measure. It’s absurdity at full throttle, with blink-and-you ll-miss-it gags and nonstop wordplay. The Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker crew were the masters of ‘80s parody, and Top Secret! is their underrated gem of pure chaos.
6. Hot Shots! (1991)
What if Top Gun were roasted along with all the other action-movie clichés? That’s Hot Shots! in a nutshell. Directed by Jim Abrahams (Airplane!fame), it transfixed the same frenzied energy to the action genre and became a comedy classic of the early ’90s.
5. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Technically more of a homage than a spoof, Edgar Wright’s “rom-zom-com” is too groundbreaking to omit. Rather than satirizing zombie films from afar, it gets in there with genuine affection, yet still jokes at the expense of all zombie conventions conceivable. Intelligent, sincere, and side-splitting, it demonstrated parody could move beyond gibe cheapness.
4. Spaceballs (1987)
Mel Brooks was already a parodist legend, and with Spaceballs, he targeted sci-fi. From Star Wars to Star Trek, nothing was sacred in the space saga department. Full of one-liners and silly sight gags, it’s a cult phenomenon that influenced a generation of comedy enthusiasts.
3. The Naked Gun (1988)
What began as a brief television series (Police Squad!) grew into one of the greatest spoof movies ever. Leslie Nielsen’s deadpan delivery against absurd situations made The Naked Gun a laughter machine that wouldn’t stop. It parodied cop shows, but it also redefined the way physical comedy and deadpan could be used together.
2. Blazing Saddles (1974)
Before Airplane!, Mel Brooks was already ripping genres in half. Blazing Saddles satirizes the Western but also targets racism and Hollywood as a whole. Half satire and half silliness, it led the way for decades to follow.
1. Airplane! (1980)
The final spoof. Stealing the plot of the straight-faced disaster movie Zero Hour!, Airplane! Ran with it and turned it into a whirlwind of wordplay, slapstick, and dreamlike jokes. Not only did it succeed—it set the tone for modern comedy. Its influence is omnipresent, from sitcoms to sketch comedy to internet memes.
Spoof films might not rule the box office any longer, but their influence is undeniable. They created generations of comedy, provided us with innumerable quotable lines, and demonstrated that the easiest thing you can do to be funny at times is take something seriously—long enough to render it absurd.