April Fool’s Day might be the worst time to be a writer on the internet (ugh). But as they say, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. In honor of the dubious April Fool’s, we’re revisiting some of our favorite movie pranks. We wouldn’t recommend trying these in real life, but pay your respects to these elaborate gags and goofy hijinks past the break.
Carrie
Prank or torture? The prom scene gag in Carrie goes to the extreme, after Carrie’s classmates rig a bucket of pig’s blood so it will dump gore all over the awkward teen at prom. Luckily, puberty has uncovered Carrie’s telekinetic powers, and she pays them back swiftly . . . by killing them.
Home Alone
Little Kevin McAllister tries to defend his home from bumbling burglars after being accidentally left behind by his family during holiday. His homemade booby traps are vicious and transform his home into an epic house of horrors. Kevin spares the thieves no mercy. Even an a doctor thinks “Kevin has moved from ‘defending his house’ into sheer malice, in [his] opinion.” Impressive, kid.
Mean Girls
Never try to prank a mean girl, because she’ll turn your sabotage into the next big thing.
Grumpy Old Men
Jack Lemmon’s grumpy Gustafson delivers his pranks the old-school way. Keep it simple, stupid.
Stand By Me
A bullied pie-eating contestant turns his stomach into a hurling Willy Wonka factory. When the going gets tough, the abused get vom-y.
Matilda
The precocious Matilda’s miserable father gets his comeuppance after the six-year-old adds super glue to his hat, which creates an embarrassing scene in a restaurant. The end gives new meaning to the expression “just deserts.”
Amélie
Adults lie to children. Like, a lot. When young Amélie gets blamed for causing accidents (she becomes convinced her camera has some kind of diabolical power), she gets revenge on her lying neighbor by unplugging and replugging his television connection while he watches a soccer game.
Urban Legend
We’ve all heard the silly urban legend about eating pop rocks and drinking soda. Apparently the sugar-coated concoction will make your stomach explode. Of course, this isn’t true — but a student challenges a teacher’s disbelief in the aptly titled Urban Legend movie.
The Help
Don’t eat Minnie’s special pies, please — unless you’re a horrible, racist, entitled jerk.
Borat
The entire film is one long prank — and this group of women can’t even.