The horror-comedy subgenre has a stylistic palette that’s quickly attained acclaim. There’s an argument to be made that layers of comedy can sometimes water down the lasting effects of a horror film. One could instead argue that expanding the appeal and tonality of a horror film is essential, especially in this day and age where viewers have shorter time spans and more content to watch than ever before in any sort of film genre. It’s also important to comprehend that horror and comedy are both two visceral approaches to movies with almost bodily reactions (which both depend upon tension and release) that seemingly fit perfectly together. The purpose of a horror story is to scare you, while the purpose of a comedy is to ignite laughter; both create bodily responses unlike any other genre.
Creating a balance as a filmmaker is one of the best steps a person can take in order to benefit the audience one intends on serving. Instilling diversity in plot lines, not only through the experiences of different people but with different tones, will reel in additional audiences who may not have wanted to view a traditional horror film. Balancing out the gore with some dark comedy is a skill that’s elevated some films from good to great, and these are some of the funniest horror comedies ever made. Whether you’re too scared or just laughing too much, remember to breathe.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Freaky
Universal Pictures
Vince Vaughn shines bright in his role as the notorious Blissfield Butcher in Freaky; you almost forget that his character is a ruthless murderer, simply because everyone seems to love Vine Vaughn a million times over. The Blissfield Butcher switches bodies with 17-year-old Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) after his black magic dagger causes him and Millie to have a Freaky Friday sort of situation. Frightened the next morning of the apparent switch, the petrified teen learns that she has only 24 hours to get her identity back before she looks like the aging (no shade, Vince) psychopathic killer forever. And psychopathic he was; the Blissfield Butcher was not playing with his victims at all, slicing and dicing left and right and making this otherwise funny film often gruesome and horrific.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Jennifer’s Body
20th Century Studios
Demonic possession never looked so good (sorry, Jesus). Jennifer’s Body is one of those films that easily gets to you, deep inside your psyche, turning people off of concerts for a while after watching Jennifer (Megan Fox) get kidnaped by a rock band. Jennifer was sacrificed by the band Low Shoulder at a local bar as an aspect of musicians’ black magic ritual on a virgin in their pursuit to achieve mainstream fame. Something obviously went wrong, because Jennifer, who was 100% lying, was not a virgin. She then transforms into a flesh-eating succubus, seducing all the guys in her school and shortly thereafter killing them in this dark, sexy horror comedy. Jennifer’s friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) attempts to end the killings and restore Jennifer back to her once-human persona. Some of us would have just moved to another continent and changed our whole identity, but you go, Needy.
7 Scream
Dimension Films
The original Scream played almost every other hour on television during its time in syndication over the past 20-plus years and, whatever the reason why, we were all sitting in front of our television sets not complaining. What’s so unique about Wes Craven as a director is his ability to incorporate an extensive range of human thought patterns and perspectives into one scene. Let’s use a not-so-fun encounter with Ghostface himself: one actor is visibly shaken up, another provides undertones of comedic relief and the third actor is probably dead. With the fifth film returning success and acclaim to the franchise, Scream has proven to be one of the greatest, more postmodern amalgams of horror and comedy we’ve ever seen, and has probably the best cold open in horror history.
6 Scary Movie
Speaking of Scream, Keenen Ivory Wayans created one of the most memorable and iconic parodies of all time, staring his famous brothers Shawn and Marlon, with Scary Movie out-parodying every single historical pop culture parody of its time, and collects great jokes about everything in the cultural lexicon circa 2000. The film takes jabs at scenes from Scream, The Matrix, I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Blair Witch Project. There really hasn’t been a great parody since this original installment in the Scary Movie franchise, as it dominates pretty much every other pardy of the past two decades. This can be compared to LeBron out-shooting the opposing team in the last period to the point where the other team doesn’t stand a chance at retaliating back. After 18-year-old Drew Decker (Carmen Electra) is chased outside her home and murdered, a la Scream, a not so bright group of friends realize a killer has invaded their lives in this horror comedy staple.
5 Child’s Play
United Arts; Elevation Pictures
In Child’s Play and the subsequent Chucky films, a notorious serial killer frequently escapes death by performing an impromptu voodoo ritual in order to transfer his soul into a creepy ginger doll, Chucky. Child’s Play is an effortless slasher film with components of dark humor, sometimes getting campy before rapidly reverting to being deeply disturbing. Since its initial release in ‘88, the franchise has produced a total of six sequels, numerous television series, and a remake. A PSA for mothers: please make it a point to gift your children with tons of Fortnite and Roblox gift cards, instead of possibly bringing them a possessed toy doll. Your children will indeed thank you.
4 American Psycho
Lionsgate Films
Telling the too-familiar tale of living two lives, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) works by day as an ultra handsome executive, and by night lives life as a frightful serial killer. It’s so mind-blowing to see the transformation from day to night of Bateman. It reflects just how comfortable he was, dedicated and flawlessly shifting personas being two different people, yet Bale plays it perfectly by maintaining the same amount of smarm and arrogance throughout. With toxic masculinity combined with affluent male privilege oozing through the screen and practically staining any carpeted floors red, now is a perfect time to revisit American Psycho, which humorously but appalingly shows how people turn a blind eye to obvious signals that something may not be right, so long as a person is privileged and rich.
3 You’re Next
The much-hyped indie horror project You’re Next showcases an enormous display of violence, presenting over-the-top bloodbaths and nonstop carnage in an extremely tense way; don’t let your ego get deflated if you find yourself sleeping with a nightlight on for a while (don’t judge). The thing is, the gore is often hilarious, with scenes like a bloody blender kill and hilarious reactions from the actors providing some comic relief to the thrills. Ready or Not took the same premise and ran with it, but You’re Next will have you rooting for Sharni Vinson’s badass character Erin one minute, and hiding behind the pillow through jump scares the next. While the film is a bit heartbreaking, it’s still one of the most exciting debuts from a director in quite some time.
2 Tragedy Girls
Gunpowder & Sky
Horrifyingly funny though deeply disturbing, Tragedy Girls brilliantly incorporates elements of true crime, flat-out horror and borderline maniacal tendencies; McKayla Hooper and Sadie Cunningham are complete savages here, making having no friends in high school sounds like the American Dream. Both high school seniors, McKayla and Sadie deeply commit to running a true crime blog titled Tragedy Girls in their tiny Midwestern town of Rosedale. After writing extensively on an insane serial killer, the two girls make the decision to commit killings themselves after the initial murderer abruptly stops. The girls begin to boost traffic through social media after each murder, catapulting them to instantaneous online stardom. Manipulative, violent and death-obsessed teenage girls make puberty and menstruation sound like a cakewalk in this funny but surprisingly brutal film.
1 Young Frankenstein
20th Century Fox
A total parody of the traditional horror genre, but mostly spoofing acclaimed film director James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein has to be added into the history books as one of the most iconic works of art ever in cinematography. Although many films began incorporating color into their projects long before the ’70s, director Mel Brooks strived to make his parody in black and white due to his long time affection for the stylistic era.
The film tells the story of respected medical professor Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder). After inheriting his grandfather’s estate in Transylvania, Dr. Frankenstein abruptly dedicates his time to recreating his grandfather’s experiments, with the help of servants Igor (Marty Feldman), Inga (Teri Garr) and the fearsome Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). Although he successfully creates the monster commonly known as Frankenstein (Peter Boyle), problems abruptly rise to the surface when complications emerge. Young Frankenstein is actually kind of beautiful in how it tells the story of an outsider who’s striving to find his place in the world, but this doesn’t stop it from being the funniest and most visually stimulating send-up of horror films ever made.
