10 Horror Comedies a True Fan MUST See
Matt Molgaard
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Every now and then we need a laugh from our horror. To take the macabre side of fiction and inject it with a dash of humor is doing it justice, as no one, ever, is entirely serious. We need a chuckle break sometimes, and these movies are going to give you plenty of chuckle breaks!
What We Do in the Shadows
Verdict: Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi crafted one hell of a raucous piece here. If batshit crazy were an adequate description, I’d leave it at that, but this one far surpasses batshit crazy!
Follow the lives of Viago (Taika Waititi), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), and Vladislav (Jemaine Clement) – three flatmates who are just trying to get by and overcome life’s obstacles-like being immortal vampires who must feast on human blood. Hundreds of years old, the vampires are finding that beyond sunlight catastrophes, hitting the main artery, and not being able to get a sense of their wardrobe without a reflection-modern society has them struggling with the mundane like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.
Young Frankenstein
Verdict: This outlandish film grows on you like a softball sized tumor. You may not love it after a single viewing, but after a return visit or two you’re going to adore the props and both Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman will absolutely steal your soul!
A young neurosurgeon (Gene Wilder) inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. In the castle he finds a funny hunchback called Igor, a pretty lab assistant named Inga and the old housekeeper, frau Blucher -iiiiihhh!-. Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather is only crap, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind…
The Cabining
Verdict: An insanely underrated movie that’s stuffed full of good jokes, The Cabining is a must see. We get a variety of comedic styles and that separates this from most. When it comes to satirical pictures this is one of the best of modern times.
Todd and Bruce, a hapless screenwriting team, get one last shot at success thanks to Todd’s wealthy uncle, Sarge. If they pen a worthy horror script, Sarge will fund the entire project. But there is one condition – the script must be complete in two weeks. With the deadline looming and no fresh ideas, Todd and Bruce head to Shangri-La, a serene artist’s retreat, with the hope that the peace and company of fellow artists will inspire greatness… or, failing greatness, at least enough for straight-to-DVD. Shangri-La proves to be anything but serene, as the artists die off one by one, seemingly by accident. Bruce convinces Todd to soak in this morbid atmosphere to help with the writing, but soon those two are fighting for their lives as well.
Zombeavers
Verdict: A beautifully cheesy throwback film that never, for one moment, forgets its love of 80s cinema. The animatronics and abundance of practical special effects look awesome, not that you’ll notice them much through the tears of hilarity cloud your vision.
ZOMBEAVERS is an action-packed horror/comedy in which a group of college kids staying at a riverside cabin are menaced by a swarm of deadly zombie beavers. A weekend of sex and debauchery soon turns gruesome as the beavers close in on the kids. Riding the line between scary, sexy and funny, the kids are soon fighting for their lives in a desperate attempt to fend off the hoard of beavers that attack them in and around their cabin.
Tucker & Dale vs Evil
Verdict: A glorious satirical piece that toys with every genre trope you can imagine, then throws them away like old trash. The daringness of the production is absolute beauty and two tremendous performers emerge as the perfect fit for backwoods terror… even if they are just cuddly good old hillbillies.
Two lovable West Virginian hillbillies are headed to their “fixer-upper” vacation cabin to drink some beer, do some fishin’, 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.
The ‘Burbs
Verdict: Often recognized as a comedic piece alone, The ‘Burbs actually has an extremely dark side. As our protagonists begin to put two and two together, and realize that they’re new neighbors may be hiding some awfully grim secrets, the tension shoots through the roof and we’re given a tremendous finale. A slept on 80s film, no two ways about it!
This story takes place in a typical American neighborhood, when some new neighbors come to live in the house next to Ray Peterson. These new people are really strange; nobody has ever seen them, their house is a real mess, and during the night you can hear weird noises from their basement. The only thing they know is their name: Klopeks. One day Walter (an old man of the neighborhood) suddenly disappears and everyone starts to suspect the Klopeks…
Evil Dead 2
Verdict: While Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead set out to terrify us, Evil Dead 2 sets out to terrify and disgust us, but most importantly, it makes us laugh our asses off. The comedy is brilliant, and somehow, quite organic. This is the piece that truly turned Bruce Campbell into a star, and we should all be eternally grateful for that!
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.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse
Verdict: The greatest zom-com since Zombieland, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse is filled with so many over the top sequences it’s almost hard to believe. Never in a million years would I have imagined any zombie film rivaling Evil Dead 2, but you’ll understand it is indeed a possibility the moment you see a zombie have his packer pulled off by a bare set of hands. Sadly, this is another underrated flick.
A reckless janitor accidentally releases a zombie from a laboratory of research. Meanwhile, the teenagers scouts Ben Goudy and Carter Grant decide to camp for the last time since they are too old to be scouts. The problem is that they do not want to harm the feelings of their friend Augie Foster and the Scout Leader Rogers. They have a flat tire after hitting a deer on the road and Carter’s sister Kendall Grant, her boyfriend and her friend Chloe stop their Jeep to see whether they need a ride. They invite Ben and Carter to go to a party in the night. The two scouts leave the camping during the night to go to the party. When they drive through the town, they do not see a living soul and they decide to visit a night-club since the bouncer is not at the door. They discover that people have turned into zombies and they team-up with Ben’s recent acquaintance Denise Russo, who is bartender in the nightclub, and Augie that was left alone at the camp and came to the town. Soon they discover…
Deathgasm
Verdict: I’m no metal head, but the great thing about Deathgasm – a story about metal heads who resurrect some really evil shit – is that you don’t have to be a metal head to enjoy it. It’s hilarious, it’s action packed, but best of all, it introduces us to some amazing characters!
Two teenage boys unwittingly summon an ancient evil entity known as The Blind One by delving into black magic while trying to escape their mundane lives.
