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It Follows, The Boondock Saints, and more: The 12 best movie drinking games to play while watching the films

Spice up movie night with fun drinking games

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Netflix

Watching something can be a great way to stave off the boredom that everyone faces from time to time. Whether it’s a great show or movie available on Netflix or Amazon Prime, streaming services have ensured that we’ll always have something to watch. Just having something to watch often isn’t enough, though. In fact, what some people need is a game that goes alongside the latest thing that’s streaming, which is why we’ve developed this list of fun drinking games that are perfect for Amazon Prime or Netflix subscribers.

You don’t need to follow along with these games to get to a good drinking game with anything you’re watching. What you might find, though, is that these movie drinking games have been carefully calibrated to ensure that you have as much fun as possible. Once you see a game that looks like fun, just grab a case of cheap beer or whatever your preferred drink might be and get started. You can also check out our guides for board games and card-drinking games if you’re looking for a drinking game that doesn’t involve a screen at all.

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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
91m
Genre
Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle
Directed by
Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Watch on Netflix
British humor, silliness, and swordplay take the stage in this wonderful and classic comedy. Like any low-budget film, this glorious movie pairs best with some low-budget beer.

Drink when:

  • There are butt trumpets.
  • Someone says, “I’m not dead yet.”
  • Lancelot kills someone.
  • The Black Knight loses a limb.
    • The king is ignored by someone.
  • A cat screams.
  • Someone runs away.

Finish your drink when:

  • The police intervene.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
90m
Genre
Science Fiction, Mystery, Drama, Thriller, TV Movie
Stars
Fionn Whitehead, Craig Parkinson, Alice Lowe
Directed by
David Slade
Watch on Netflix
If you thought that movie drinking games were interactive enough just because you’re getting drunk, you’re dead wrong. Bandersnatch adds a “choose-your-own-adventure” element that changes the game entirely.

Drink when:

  • Someone says “Bandersnatch.”
  • Netflix is mentioned.
  • You have to make a choice.
  • You have to repeat part of the movie.
  • Someone smokes or does drugs.
  • Someone mentions a parallel universe.
  • Someone dies.

Finish your drink when:

  • You reach an ending.

tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)

tick, tick... BOOM!
120m
Genre
Drama, Music
Stars
Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús
Directed by
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Watch on Netflix
The perfect movie to drink along to if you’re among singers or the theatrically inclined, tick, tick…BOOM! is all about struggling artists, and features plenty of singing.

Drink when:

  • Anyone spontaneously bursts into song.
  • Bradley Whitford shows up.
  • You happen to spot a theater legend.
  • Anyone alludes to Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent.
  • Someone runs dramatically through New York City.
  • Jonathan Larson mentions running out of time.

Finish your drink when:

  • The credits roll.

Gerald's Game (2017)

Gerald's Game
104m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas
Directed by
Mike Flanagan
Watch on Netflix
A hallucinogenic, ultimately triumphant thriller, Gerald’s Game follows a woman who finds herself chained to a bed with no obvious solution for escaping from her predicament.

Drink when:

  • Something new appears in the shadows.
  • Jessie passes out.
  • A dead character tries to help Jessie work through a problem.
  • Jessie discovers or remembers a new piece of information.
  • A single character speaks uninterrupted for more than 30 seconds.

Finish your drink when:

  • Jessie finally manages to cut her own hand off.

Fear Street: 1994 (2021)

Fear Street: 1994
107m
Genre
Mystery, Horror
Stars
Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr.
Directed by
Leigh Janiak
Watch on Netflix
An ode to the horror movies of the ’90s, Fear Street is set in a cursed town where young people just keep dying without any real explanation.

Drink when: 

  • You recognize a ’90s horror trope.
  • The main character does anything particularly angsty.
  • You notice a brief cameo from someone famous.
  • You see any flannel.
  • You hear an iconic early ’90s jam.
  • A character unexpectedly survives danger.

Finish your drink win: 

  • Someone dies in horrific/brutal fashion.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
123m
Genre
Comedy, Music
Stars
Rachel McAdams, Will Ferrell, Pierce Brosnan
Directed by
David Dobkin
Watch on Netflix
A delightful romp about a small-time Icelandic group who inadvertently find themselves competing at the annual Eurovision song contest.

Drink when: 

  • Anyone’s accent seems to slip.
  • Pierce Brosnan seems to disapprove of his son Will Ferrell.
  • Rachel McAdams starts to sing.
  • “Ja Ja Ding Dong” is performed.
  • Demi Lovato shows up on screen.
  • Dan Stevens does anything unusually hot.

Finish your drink when: 

  • Fire Saga finally manages to win Eurovision.

It Follows (2014)

It Follows
101m
Genre
Horror, Mystery
Stars
Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto
Directed by
David Robert Mitchell
Watch on Amazon
If you want to get drunk and be terrified at the same time, check out It Follows. The movie follows a young girl who has to vanquish the demon chasing her to avoid passing it on to someone else.

Drink when: 

  • Any figure looms ominously in the background.
  • Anybody you’re watching with jumps.
  • Two characters are “getting busy.”
  • Anyone seems confused or doesn’t believe the main character.
  • The main character attempts to confront the monster following her.

Finish your drink when: 

  • The central friend group thinks they’ve finally vanquished their assailant.

RRR (2022)

RRR
187m
Genre
Action, Drama
Stars
NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn
Directed by
S. S. Rajamouli
Watch on Netflix
A movie that’s a total blast whether you’re drunk or sober, the joy of this saga about two friends who are driven apart by imperial conflict will only be enhanced by the presence of alcohol.

Drink when: 

  • Any white character does something insane or stupid.
  • Either central character does some sort of absurd stunt.
  • You wish the two friends at the story’s center would just kiss already.
  • A new musical number starts.
  • A flashback starts.

Finish your drink when: 

  • A character does battle with a CGI animal.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
140m
Genre
Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Stars
Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe
Directed by
Rian Johnson
Watch on Netflix
Benoit Blanc is invited to a private Greek island under mysterious circumstances, only to discover that one of the guests at the private party he has infiltrated has been poisoned. A delight from beginning to end, Glass Onion is better to drink to once you already know where it’s going.

Drink when: 

  • Benoit Blanc offers a vintage pearl of Southern wisdom.
  • A surprise celebrity cameo happens.
  • Kate Hudson wears something fabulous and slightly ridiculous.
  • Miles Bron does something shifty.
  • The hourly “DONG” sound happens.
  • Someone is murdered (or “murdered.”)

Finish your drink when: 

  • A major plot reveal occurs (it doesn’t have to be the final whodunnit reveal).

Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (2022)

Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical
117m
Genre
Family, Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Alisha Weir, Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch
Directed by
Matthew Warchus
Watch on Netflix
Is it a movie for kids? Maybe! But Matilda: The Musical is a great comfort viewing to drink along to, especially if you know many of the beats of the Matilda story already.

Drink when: 

  • A character breaks into song (obviously).
  • Miss Trunchbull makes references to her history as a champion hammer thrower.
  • Miss Honey does something sweet.
  • Matilda is reading.
  • Matilda uses her powers.
  • A student is punished.

Finish your drink when: 

  • Miss Trunchbull finally gets what’s coming to her.

The Boondock Saints (1999)

The Boondock Saints
108m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus
Directed by
Troy Duffy
Watch on Amazon
A classic from the turn of the century, Boondock Saints follows a pair of Irish twins, played by Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus, as they carve a “righteous” path of violence through Boston’s criminals and mobs. FBI agent Willem Dafoe is brought on to bring them to justice, while struggling with questions of right vs. wrong. Billy Connolly plays the role of Il Duce. Give it a watch and you will see why this is an unforgettable cult classic.

Drink when: 

  • Rocco says f@$#. (This will happen many, many times, so be safe and take small sips).
  • The brothers talk about religion or morality.
  • Paul Smecker struggles with moral dilemmas.
  • Detective Greenley says something stupid.
  • Whenever someone watching the movie says a line just as it’s being spoken on screen.

Finish your drink when: 

  • Papa Joe dies.

Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver
113m
Genre
Action, Crime
Stars
Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James
Directed by
Edgar Wright
Watch on Amazon
Baby (Ansel Elgort), a young man with tinnitus and amazing skill behind the wheel and the right playlist for any moment works as a getaway driver for the crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey). After many jobs working for the man to pay off his debt, Baby thinks he is done when Doc coerces him into one more job — a job that seems doomed from the moment the hired robbers clash. Now stuck amid violent criminals (Jamie Foxx, John Hamm, Eiza González, and others) and with the people he cares for in danger, Baby must use his wits and skills to see himself and the people he loves safely through the ordeal.

Drink when: 

  • Someone says “Baby.” (Take small sips — this happens over 70 times).
  • You notice the music sync perfectly with an action on screen. (This happens many times as well, so be safe).
  • You hear Baby’s tinnitus.
  • The scene goes on in one, long take.
  • Someone Baby cares about is threatened or in danger.

Finish your drink when: 

  • Baby and Deborah get their ending.
Group of young friends watching a movie on a building rooftop terrace, eating popcorn, drinking beer and having fun
Shutterstock

More drinking games …

If playing drinking games while a movie plays in the background is more your thing, here’s a list of drinking card games to add to your shopping list — remember to play responsibly:

  • Cards Against Humanity
  • Sotally Tober
  • Buzzed
  • Under the Influence
  • Last Call
  • Incohearent
  • These Cards Will Get You Drunk
  • Truth or Drink
  • Tipsy Chicken
  • Beer Pressure
  • Do or Drink

This is just a short list of the options out there, but any of these drinking games will definitely up the fun factor of movie night.

Movie images and data from:
Joe Allen
Contributor
Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…
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