Horror comedies

[Stumpy Pepys]

I finally got around to watching Re-Animator this weekend, which was a film I'd been meaning to see for years. And I wasn't disappointed; it was an absolute hoot. Some genuinely intense performances, combined with gallons of blood and some brilliant humour in really poor taste.

Which led me to think that the horror comedy is a very difficult genre to pull off – something's that's genuinely funny and scary at the same time.

I would argue the best of the genre are:

* Re-Animator
* Return of the Living Dead
* An American Werewolf in London
* Shaun of the Dead
* Braindead
* Evil Dead 2

[tracteurgarcon]

Horror comedies

I'm not a massive fan of this genre but I have enjoyed "Dog Soldiers" and the New Zealand horror film "Black Sheep" in the past.

[evilC]

Horror comedies

'Braindead' is the king of these. One of my favourite films, regardless of genre.

'An American Werewolf In London' is also great and 'Re-animator' is fun too. I haven't yet seen 'Return of the Living Dead', but I shall have to remedy that.

On one level, 'Eraserhead' can be seen as horror comedy. It makes me and at least one of my friends laugh lots, anyway. "...and now I can't feel a goddamn thing!"

[hobbes]

Horror comedies

Zombieland is worth a mention here.

[dotmund]

Horror comedies

Braindead is brutal and magnificent. It's all you need from this genre, everyone else should just stop trying.

[evilC]

Horror comedies

I like the fact it got a small 'homage' in 'Pulp Fiction' too: the scene where the freshly-escaped Bruce Willis is looking around the room for ever-better weapons.

(Of course, I realise that this homage doesn't represent 'the hallmark of quality', like. I'm just saying.)

[Nigelwyn]

Horror comedies

Stumpy Pepys wrote:

Which led me to think that the horror comedy is a very difficult genre to pull off – something's that's genuinely funny and scary at the same time.

As James Corden found out with "Lesbian Vampire Killers".

[Crusoe]

Horror comedies

Killer Klowns From Outer Space?

Might not actually count as scary. Unless you don't like clowns.

(Sound's a bit out of sync in that clip.)

[Stumpy Pepys]

Horror comedies

Crusoe wrote:

Killer Klowns From Outer Space?

Might not actually count as scary. Unless you don't like clowns.

(Sound's a bit out of sync in that clip.)

I actually have that film on order at the moment, as I've heard good things about it.

And hell yeah; clowns are disturbing. As are old-fashioned ventriloquist dummies.

[Ginger Yellow]

Horror comedies

In TV-land, Garth Merenghi's Darkplace is genius.

Everyone knows how awesome Evil Dead 2 and Braindead are, so other than giving a shout out to Drag Me To Hell, I'll just point out that the Japanese do comedy horror better than anyone who is not called Sam Raimi.

Check out:
Wild Zero
The Machine Girl
Battle Royale (only loosely horror, but I reckon it counts in this context)
The completely bonkers Versus

In the West, I'd also recommend The Return of the Living Dead, the most quotable of all zombie spoofs.

[Eggchaser]

Horror comedies

Ah, Versus. Brilliant. Great ending, too.

I saw Zombieland on Saturday - very amusing. Neither I nor my wife have much truck with the horror genre, her especially, so it was nice to sit through a horror film we could enjoy. I very much fail to understand the attraction of the torture porn stuff like the Saw sequels, Hostel etc. The first Saw (which I have seen) at least had some sort of external plot to it rather than just seeing how much gore we can extract in unpleasantly graphic detail.

[hobbes]

Horror comedies

Word.
I've no more desire to see SAW and it's like than I have to see Passion of the Christ, or anything starring Costner.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Horror comedies

I enjoyed the first Saw film when it was released; a very original debut. Never bothered with any of the sequels.

[Eggchaser]

Horror comedies

Weirdly, a friend of mine who is a Baptist minister loves old school horror films. He even owns terrible stuff like Zoltan, Hound of Dracula. His wife, who herself is the daughetr of Baptist minister, absolutes loves the Saw-type stuff. Go, as they say, figure.

Certainly George Romero gave him a very odd look when my mate confessed his calling when he met him at a Sci-fi Convention a few years back.

[evilC]

Horror comedies

Eggchaser...

Firstly, never go down into the catacombs (or whatever they have, these days) of that bloke's church.

Secondly, 'Zoltan'! Classic! Surely one of the worst horror films ever made. (And it's got some stiff competition.)

I just discovered this film, earlier and now I want to see it: 'Daughter of Horror' (Dementia).

[Guest]

Horror comedies

apologies for talking about nothing but these films today but The Saw films are kind of great. They just get more and more strange and obsessive, going round and round in ever-decreasing circles to look at the same few events over and over, reinterpreting them from different viewpoints. It's quite an interesting progression.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Horror comedies

Zoltan, Hound of Dracula is a bit of a guilty pleasure, although it is rubbish really.

My sympathies are with the poor Doberman lead and those prosthetic gnashers he's forced to wear.

[Mitch]

Horror comedies

I really like the Japanese horror stuff like Machine Girl.

But some of it is really disturbing. There's a film called "Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl" which, unless I've completely missed the point, was one of the most racist things I've ever seen.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Horror comedies

Thanks chaps--I've seen Battle Royale, but I shall check out your recommendations.

[Eggchaser]

Horror comedies

evilC wrote:

Eggchaser...

Firstly, never go down into the catacombs (or whatever they have, these days) of that bloke's church.

Secondly, 'Zoltan'! Classic! Surely one of the worst horror films ever made. (And it's got some stiff competition.)

I just discovered this film, earlier and now I want to see it: 'Daughter of Horror' (Dementia).

I'm worried about his daughter, she's now at the In The Night Garden age (a joy I will no doubt experience in due course). I am given to understand that one of characters executes a fall onto their back at the end of each programme. He was saying how some friends came over to stay and on it came. At the end, the visiting parents said to their kids "Blow on the screen" and they did and he fell over. All very sweet. Not my mate. Him and his wife make pistols with their fingers and shoot the creature dead.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Horror comedies

Having just watched it, I need to add Tucker & Dale vs Evil to the list. (It's on Netflix, at least in my region.)

Gory, funny and sweet.

[Come along, Min]

Horror comedies

Cabin In The Woods

[Max Payne]

Horror comedies

A mention here for the Piranha film made about 5 years ago with him out of Sliders in it. And for those fans of 'so-bad-it's-almost-quite-good' Sand Sharks.

Does Snakes on a Plane Count?

[Ginger Yellow]

Horror comedies

Tucker and Dale... is great, but then I love anything Alan Tudyk does.

[via vicaria]

Horror comedies

Apologies if I've missed it, but Creepshow should be on the must-watch list in this category.