Great Horror Comedies

Humor and fear are very similar. Each evokes involuntary responses. A scream is as much a reflex as a laugh. They are both our physiological ways to deal with the unexpected. Horror comedies mix the two different responses and swap them. Sometimes you need to scream and you wind up laughing but sometimes you expect to laugh but let out a shriek. The mixture fills several emotional needs at the same time.

Even those who tend to shy away from horror movies can usually appreciate the ones with humor. Horror comedies combine chills and tension with perfectly timed laughs, making them highly entertaining. The films below will all have you screaming with laughter. This list as usual is in no way in any order of best, worst, or in between. It is just a list that came off the top of my head. And yes I am sure I left out some great ones, so if I did, then comment and tell us about it.

I Sell the Dead

This is a movie that should be more well known. I really enjoy it. Here is the premise; 18th century justice catches up with a pair of grave robbers. With only a few hours to go before his date with the guillotine, Arthur Blake tells his life story to Father Francis Duffy. Before long, Arthur spills the beans on how he got started in the grim corpse peddling business with seasoned body snatcher Willie Grimes. Great cast, good effects and a solid story. This is one I scratch my head over, why it is not liked more.

Evil Dead 2

Most horror fans know who Ash is. How many horror Icons have a chainsaw and double barrel shotgun with luck like he has a pocket full of four leaf clovers. Here is the story in a nutshell. Ashley Williams travels to a secluded cabin in the woods with his girlfriend Linda where they find a tape recording of a professor and a book of evil. This unleashes a bunch of evil spirits that constantly terrorize Ash. Meanwhile a journalist comes to the area to study the book of evil. Ash and her end up having to survive this swarm of evil until morning comes. Remember since they lost the rights of the Evil Dead, they had to reshoot it and continue the story. So for the timeline, everything after he is being flung through the forest, is new, everything before it is a retelling of the first film. Everyone clear? Beginning to Ash being flung through the forest is pt1. From the mud puddle to the end is pt2.

Evil Dead 3 Army of Darkness

More of a continuation of the part 2, than a new movie. Ash is transported with his car to 1,300 A.D.(which we saw at the end of the last film), where he is captured by Lord Arthur and turned slave with Duke Henry the Red and a couple of his men. Ash wins respect of Arthur's army. The Wiseman points out Ash as The Chosen One that will retrieve the Necronomicon. When he learns that the only way to return to his time is using the Necronomicon, Ash decides to travel to the unholy land of the Deadites. However, Ash messes up and an army of the dead resurrects to attack Arthur fortress and recover the Necronomicon. The battle between the living and the dead is about to start, Ash and Arthur against the army of darkness. This movie is practically a quote. Everything Ash says is worthy of a meme.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

I know people who think all clowns are horror. Just the sight of a clown brings sheer terror for these people. Coulrophobia is just as terrifying as other fears. However, I am not one of those people. I love clowns, and their acts(yea I know it is geared toward kids, so what). This movie has a cult following for good reason. When a small town is invaded by aliens from outer space who are capturing and killing the townspeople, the only ones who notice are some teens, but no one takes them seriously. Why? The aliens all look like circus clowns, use weapons that look clown props (who doesn’t love balloon dogs). So they try and rescue their friends and save the town, possibly the world. Here is another movie I never understood why we never got a sequel.

What We Do in the Shadows

This is a mockumentary about four vampires sharing a flat(house) together. That was the tag line I read before watching, I did not have any idea what to expect. What I got was one of the funniest mockumentaries ever. Here is what you get; Following the lives of Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav three flatmates(roommates) who are just trying to get by and overcome life's obstacles like being immortal vampires or interacting with other supernatural beings. Hundreds of years old, the vampires, try to survive while modern society has them struggling with the mundane, like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming roommate conflicts.

Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters is considered by most as a classic. Four guys living in an old firehouse building start a business to rid New York City of paranormal phenomenon at anytime of the day, but for a price. They make national press as the media thinks the Ghostbusters are the cause of it all. Thrown in jail by the EPA, the mayor takes a chance and calls on them to help save the city. Unbeknownst to all, a long dead Gozer worshiper erected a downtown apartment building which is the cause of all the paranormal activity. They find out the building could resurrect the ancient Hittite god, Gozer, and bring an end to all of humanity. So. Who are you gonna call?

Death Becomes Her

This one is either a hit or miss for most people. They like it, or not(I like it or it wouldn’t be on the list). It is a story about a Broadway narcissist actress Madeline Ashton. Then she receives her rival Helen Sharp, who is an aspiring writer, and her fiance Ernest Menville, who is a plastic surgeon, in her dressing-room. Soon Menville calls off his commitment with Helen and marries Madeline. Years later, Helen is obese in a psychiatric hospital and obsessed in seeking revenge on Madeline. In a few years the marriage of Madeline and Menville is finished and he is no longer a surgeon but an alcoholic caretaker. Out of the blue, they are invited to a party where Helen will release her novel Forever Young and Madeline goes to a beauty shop. The owner gives a business card of the specialist in rejuvenation. When the envious Madeline sees Helen thin in a perfect shape, she decides to seek out this rejuvenation and buys a potion to become young again. However she is advises that Madeline must take care of. The violence is so good in this.

Gremlins

This is really the first horror film I was allowed(with permission) to go watch in the theater. I loved it(I enjoy little monsters in movies). This is a big gateway for kids in the 80‘s to horror. Here is what it’s all about. Miniature green monsters tear through the small town of Kingston Falls. Hijinks ensue as a mild-mannered bank teller releases these hideous things after gaining a new pet and violating two of three simple rules: No water (violated), no food after midnight (violated), and no bright light. Hilarious mayhem and destruction in a town straight out of Norman Rockwell. So, when your washing machine blows up or your TV goes on the fritz, before you call the repair man, turn on all the lights and look under all the beds. 'Cause you never can tell, there just might be a gremlin in your house.

Gremlins 2

Just like the first, just in a different place. An army of malevolent little monsters take over a high-tech corporate skyscraper when our favorite pet is exposed to water. The "Mogwai's" owner joins forces with the head of the corporation to regain control. Best part is we get new kinds of Gremlins.

Mars Attack

Who doesn’t love those old 1950‘s invasion movies. Picture this; It is a normal day for everyone, until the President of the United States announces Martians have been spotted circling Earth. The Martians land and a meeting is arranged, but not everything goes to plan, and the Martians seem to have other plans for Earth. Are they just misunderstood beings or do they really want to destroy all of humanity? Nah they are evil.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

Some people hate most horror comedies because they lack gore. Well here is one that overflows a truckload(pickup truck) of blood. Two lovable West(by God)Virginian hillbillies are headed to their "fixer-upper" vacation cabin to drink some beer, do some fishin', drink some beer, fix the cabin, drink some beer, and have a good time. But when they run into a group of preppy college kids who assume from their looks that they must be in-bred, chainsaw-wielding killers, Tucker & Dale's vacation takes a bloody and hilarious turn for the worse.

Little Shop of Horrors

What makes a horror comedy better? Singing. Seymour is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik's, a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker Audrey, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day as Seymour is seeking a new plant, he finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood. Will Audrey II take over the world or will Seymour and Audrey defeat it?

Monster Squad

A throwback to the days of black and white horror. We get all the old favorites. A true monster mash. Dracula is alive. In fact, he plans to rule the world and that is why he seeks the help of other legendary monsters(Frankenstein, Wolfman, Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon). However, a bunch of kids regarded by their peers as losers uncover the devious plan and prepare for a counter strike.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The longest running theatrical film ever. It has ran since it opened in 1975, so it must be good. On a wild and rain-swept late-November evening, somewhere at an empty stretch of road outside Denton, Ohio the blissfully-affianced, prudish, and boringly innocent young pair of Brad Majors and Janet Weiss find themselves stranded on their way to visit an ex-tutor. Instead, the couple will inadvertently unearth the cross-dressing Dr Frank-N-Furter's spooky lair of inexhaustible oddities, just in time to partake in the out-of-this-world mad scientist's proud unveiling of his latest, delightfully extravagant, and most daring creation--the ultimate male and the perfect sex symbol: the flaxen-haired, Rocky Horror. But, little by little, as the effervescent transgressive force gobbles up whole the unsuspecting visitors of the night, Brad and Janet slowly begin to embrace the potent fascinations of seduction, while Rocky roams free in the mansion. Remember kids, “Don’t dream it, be it”.

Beetlejuice

One of the most quoted movies ever. It has a ton of memorable quotes. Here is why. Adam and Barbara are a normal couple, who happen to be dead. They have given their precious time to decorate their house and make it their own, but unfortunately a family is moving in, and not quietly. Adam and Barbara try to scare them out, but end up becoming the main attraction to the money making family. They call upon Beetlejuice to help, but Beetlejuice has more in mind than just helping.

 

Critters

If you liked Gremlins but wanted just a little more adult content? Then Critters might fill that bill. A massive ball of furry creatures from another world eat their way through a small mid-western town followed by intergalactic bounty hunters opposed only by militant townspeople. This is just a fun movie. It is corny and campy like a lot of movies from the 80‘s.

Shaun of the Dead

Zombies, beer, and friends. Sounds like a great plot of a movie to me. Shaun doesn't have a very good day, so he decides to turn his life around by getting his ex to take him back, but it is in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But for him, it's an opportunity to show everyone he knows how useful he is by saving them all. All he has to do is survive, and maybe get his ex back.

I didn’t include classics, like Young Frankenstein, Killer Tomatoes(yes it is a classic), or Scary Movie. Those are classified as Parody.