My Top 5 Horror-Comedies
As I worked to narrow down my top 10 horror movies I quickly realized that there is a whole sub-genre I felt the need to talk about separately. There are many horror movies that do not intend to be funny but the poor acting, ridiculous plots and over the top kills make it more comedy than horror. However there are others that set out to purposefully blend the fear with the humour and often to wonderful results.
Unlike my general horror list, I had clear favourites when it comes to horror-comedies. There are many more which did not make the cut but I did not have to spend much time at all deliberating. I hadn’t heard of any horror-comedies prior to 1981’s Evil Dead but when I looked up some early films I was surprised to see a few films on lists that I thought to be pure comedy. There are plenty of older “classic” horror-comedies that I love such as Gremlins and Beetlejuice but all of my favourites were released within the last 15 years. I’ve listed them in chronological order, which is interestingly the actual order I watched them in.
I don’t remember how I came across Shaun of the Dead. It was the first time I was introduced to Simon Pegg, Nick Frost or Edgar Wright but it definitely was not the last! This film was really just an awesome comedy wrapped inside a horror wrapper. There are some bloody moments and tense atmosphere at times but I was laughing even into the climax of the movie. This movie opened my eyes to the potential of R-rated horror-comedies which I hadn't explored before.
This film feels like and American approach to what Shaun of the Dead nailed 5 years earlier but even gorier! The opening credits help you understand what you’re in for in terms of the gore as well as the comedy. The rules listed in the movie are something that I continue to quote to this day. They are not only funny but quite smart if you were in a zombie apocalypse. Unlike Shaun of the Dead I would count Zombieland more as a true horror-comedy with strong elements of both genres.
A “horror” movie even my husband likes! I think it helps that it was much more comedy than horror and had little to no jump scares. This movie was a wonderful parody of slasher films that never felt stupid like the Scary Movie(s) but not quite as smart as Cabin in the Woods felt. This movie worked well for both a fan of slasher movies and someone who avoids horror movies outright so it is pretty unique.
This movie was a must see when it came out in theatres. A Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard collaboration about deconstructing the horror genre sounded like an amazing movie – and it was! The International Movie Database (IMDB) doesn’t list comedy as a genre for Cabin in the Woods but I disagree. I imagine anyone who isn't a fan of horror movies may not get some of the jokes and parody references but there is definitely an underlying satire throughout the movie. This film is probably the goriest on this list… just for the last act of the movie alone.
This will be the least known movie on this list (and the only movie on this list not rated R). I watched The Final Girls at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Midnight Madness in 2015 and fell in love immediately. This film, while being hilarious and having some wicked deaths, made me really empathize with the main character and feel her sadness in a surprisingly dramatic scene. This is unusual for a horror movie and even a comedy. Ultimately, this movie is more of a comedy and much like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and Cabin in the Woods, it parodies the slasher genre primarily. What’s great is that they all did it in a different way which has left me with 3 different favourite movies to watch again and again!
What are your favourite horror-comedies? Do you enjoy any of my favourites? Drop us a line on social media!