Some movies hit the nail on the head when it comes to effortlessly blending elements of horror and comedy together to make something truly great. The mixture of these two genres should in theory be complete chaos, but done correctly they’re anything but. A comedy horror will utilise horror elements to terrify its audience and create tension but then call on comedic relief to break that tension. The audience almost has the opportunity to laugh at otherwise frightening scenarios.
Comedy horrors can provide a roller coaster of emotions for its viewers, having them laughing one minute and then hiding their eyes behind their hands the next. Categorized as parodies, black comedies, and spoofs, there’s a massive range of opportunities for unique storylines and imaginative execution. Filmmakers can really go as over the top with a comedy horror, embracing ideas that could otherwise be considered absurd. There have been many great collaborations of these two genres over the years that embrace the variety and excessively imaginative opportunities a comedy horror can provide in filmmaking.
10 An American Werewolf in London (1981)
An American Werewolf in London follows the unfortunate tail of two American college students as they visit Britain for a walking tour. The two friends are attacked by a werewolf; one dies, and one turns. The surviving friend starts having nightmares of hunting people down and then finds himself visited by the spirit of his dead friend, alongside his own fresh set of victims. The spirits urge him to kill himself due to the fact their souls are tethered in place due to their unnatural deaths and the only way to break that tether is to break the werewolf bloodline.
The movie features some truly gruesome moments delivered in a truly old-school style. However, there are many comedic moments scattered throughout as the newly turned werewolf tries to come to terms with his situation while trying to grip onto his humanity.
9 Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins is a cracking creature feature movie and a Christmas-time must-watch. There are only three rules you need to remember when looking after Mogwai; don’t expose them to bright lights, don’t feed them after midnight, and don’t get them wet! However, when little Mogwai Gizmo is gifted to Billy Peltzer, things don’t go accordingly to plan and rules are broken. Gizmo remains his cute fluffy self, but his spawn transforms into the highly destructive and deadly ‘Gremlins’. Endless chaos follows.
Littered with dark comedic moments, Gremlins provides a horrifying experience as you watch the destruction of the reptilian-like creatures unfold before you. However, the mood is lightened by its Christmas-time backdrop. While hardly filled with festive joy and instead with gore and terror, Gremlins provides an interesting blend of horror and comedy in that the comedic moments bring down the intensity of the horrific ones.
8 Scream (1996)
Scream is a slasher-style movie in its own league entirely. Sidney Prescott and her friends start receiving unusual phone calls from a man asking them weird questions; most notably the infamous line, what’s your favourite scary movie?’. They learn that these phone calls are coming from Ghostface, a crazed killer on the loose. The movie is filled with high-tension humour while the friends try to survive Ghostface, the killer out for revenge in a white mask and long dark robe.
Scream takes an interesting twist on well-known clichés and involves a pretty standard horror movie plot line as a self-aware parody. Filled to the absolute brim with satirical humour, it’s still incredibly eerie, especially that notable moment when Drew Barrymore is on the phone, home alone being asked about her favourite scary movie.
7 Shaun of the Dead (2004)
You don’t even need to watch Shaun of the Dead to know that it’s going to have some brilliantly comedic moments with Simon Pegg gracing one of the main roles. Chuck in Nick Frost for good measure and you’ve got an undeniably funny duo at it again and this time set to fight off the zombies that are overtaking London. Shaun times his attempts at getting back his ex-girlfriend rather poorly as he finds himself suddenly in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. However, with his newfound optimism he takes the potentially deadly situation as a moment to prove himself to everyone he knows with the underlying motive to win back his ex once the zombies are gone.
Even without the constant comedic gags abundant in this movie, Shaun of the Dead is just a really great zombie movie on its own. The blend of comedy and horror is effortless and makes for an absolutely brilliant watch.
6 Fright Night (1985)
Fright Night is up there as one of the best horror movies ever and in modern times is considered a cult classic. Charley Brewster is put in a particularly tricky, and potentially deadly situation when a vampire moves in next door. With the help of washed-up actor, Peter Vincent, Charley commits himself to saving his friends and family from their vampire neighbour.
The series of events that Charley finds himself thrown into throughout the movie make for some great moments of humour while you truly find yourself rooting for his success. However, the comedic moments do not deter attention away from the intensely dangerous situation Charley finds himself in and there are some creepy and shocking moments that remind you this is indeed a horror movie of the ages.
5 Ready or Not (2019)
Meeting the in-laws can be daunting enough and Ready or Not plays brilliantly on these already existing fears and truly creates an elaborated experience. Grace is primed and ready to make the best impression she can with her husband’s family, however nothing could have prepared her for what they have in store. The family have a horrific tradition of requiring the new bride to test her endurance in trying to survive her wedding night while being pursued by the rest of the family. They’re intent on killing her in order to complete a satanic ritual and she must last out till dawn if she is to survive.
Ready or Not is a black satire with a fresh and unique plot that can intrigue any horror loving viewer with its gripping tale and fast pace throughout. It’s got some moments that question your decency as you can’t help but giggle a little at the smooth implementation of intensely dark humour.
4 Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland follows Charlie and his mismatched group as they try to survive a world full of zombies. On his way back to his hometown, Columbus finds himself grouping up with three strangers as they all try to find a way to survive the zombie apocalypse. He’s got an over-the-top set of rules he lives his life by which he believes has kept him alive but get tested as the story unfolds. This movie is riddled with hilarious moments from the perfectly cast actors and some truly impressive writing. However, as funny as the movie can be, it also has a wonderful blend of heart-warming moments where you are provided more depth to each character, and you find yourself invested in their survival. The mere fact that there are zombies all over the place in this movie makes it a qualifying horror movie. You really do have some sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments as you watch the group try to survive their undead foes.
3 Beetlejuice (1988)
The movie Beetlejuice teaches a valuable lesson; Don’t you dare say his name three times if you don’t want to summon the terrifying Beetlejuice unless you’re really desperate. A recently deceased couple summon Beetlejuice to rid their home of its new occupants so they can haunt it in their new ghostly forms in peace. However, Beetlejuice is a sinister and selfish individual from the netherworld who has his own motives in mind than merely helping the couple out of their dilemma. Beetlejuice was so well received and remains so well-loved by a modern audience, that it’s since been adapted into a highly successful Broadway musical.
The movie succeeds in creating a character in Beetlejuice that is as equally campy as it is terrifying. The special effects team of this movie must have had a field day evidenced by the absolutely whacky and imaginative scenes throughout that stay true to the horror elements of monsters and ghouls, but hilariously keep the audience pleasantly entertained.
2 Young Frankenstein (1974)
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No doubt the story of Frankenstein and his monster is well known, and many adaptations remain fairly loyal to the original novel, however, none take on the same approach as Young Frankenstein. The movie follows the same idea of Frankenstein and his hideous monster but has a hilariously fantastic twist that ingeniously blends comedy into this classic horror.
Young Frankenstein is a cleverly executed horror parody following Dr. Frederick Frankenstein as he moves into his grandfather’s castle, the infamous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein, after inheriting the property Dr. Frederick Frankenstein begins meddling in experiments of his own in an attempt to recreate his grandfather’s work of reanimating the dead. Gene Wilder truly makes the character his own with his seamless ability to balance the sane, yet insane personality of the young doctor. Emulating the feel of the golden age of monster movies, Young Frankenstein brings something new to the table in a highly entertaining and engaging way.
1 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
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It would be almost criminal to not mention The Rocky Horror Picture Show as one of the best movies that blends horror and comedy perfectly. The movie is wild and daring and promotes fun and individuality.
Brad Majors and Janet Weiss are stranded on their journey and find themselves thrown into the world of cross-dressing Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The world of oddities that await them couldn’t be further from their somewhat boring and prude natures and viewers can find themselves amused at this clash of personalities. Dr. Frank-N-Furter eagerly unveils his latest creation yet, the wonderfully extravagant Rocky Horror. Brad and Janet slowly find themselves influenced by this new world, and it makes for a great story. This movie mimics many horror and science fiction movie elements while providing an exciting storyline with heaps of energy and pizzazz while providing plenty of laughs along the way.