Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, Chris Farley and David Spade, Tom Hanks and that other guy on “Bosom Buddies” who didn’t go on to massive fame and fortune. Buddies have always had a place in comedy. In The Battery we see it works in horror, too.
The Battery follows a pair of minor league baseball players, Ben and Mickey (a pitcher and catcher, thus the title), who are surviving during a zombie apocalypse. Written and directed by Jeremy Gardner, who co-stars with Adam Cronheim, the pair do their best to survive in a broken world full of dangers, not all of which are the undead kind.
With the Blu-ray release of The Battery on September 16, we decided to look back on some of the best buddy combos in horror. Some were funny, some were brutal, some were both. But all of them relied on each other in one way or another. First we’ll start with some honorable mentions.
David (Andy Serkis) and Peter (Reece Shearsmith) were a hilarious duo in The Cottage, and Joe Lynch (Shawn Ashmore) and Dan Walker (Kevin Zegers) are an entertaining pair as they hang perilously high above the ground in a ski lift in Frozen. Although the party didn’t last too long, Ash (Bruce Campbell) and Scott (Hal Delrich) headed off into a cabin in the woods with the girls in Evil Dead as Dr. Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) and Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne) got chummy over some Budweisers in Pet Sematary. Chainsaw Sally (April Burril) and Miss Busy Bee (Nicolette le Faye) were perhaps more master/pet than true buddies in The Chainsaw Sally Show, but Farmer Vincent (Rory Calhoun) and his sister Ida (Nancy Parsons) were a great team in Motel Hell.
And now, on to the Top 7 Best Buddies in Horror!
Tucker and Dale in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk were absolutely hilarious in this stellar horror/comedy that took the genre world by storm a few years ago. Plagued by one misunderstanding after another, hillbilly nice guys Tucker and Dale find themselves falling deeper and deeper into a murderous tale in the woods, in which they are unknowingly the antagonists while just trying to be helpful. With a sequel churning in the works for some time, Tucker and Dale promise to return with even more horrific comedic gold. Funny, bloody and just downright magnetic, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil was a perfect blend of buddy comedy and horror.
Columbus and Tallahassee in Zombieland
Another fantastic horror-comedy team, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg kick ass as Tallahassee and Columbus in Zombieland. Of course, the duo would later meet up with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), making them a full foursome, but before this happens, the unlikely pairing of grizzled Tallahassee with vulnerable Columbus makes for great viewing. With highlights like the rules of surviving a zombie apocalypse (Rule #1-Cardio!), the hilarious supermarket zombie fight complete with Tallahassee’s rendition of “Dueling Banjos,” and the unfortunate hunt for Twinkees, Tallahassee and Columbus were a fantastically entertaining duo. And we can’t mention Zombieland without including the awesome Bill Murray cameo. Who’s a better buddy than Murray?
Seth and Richie Gecko in From Dusk Till Dawn
Yep, they’re related, but brothers can be buddies, too. However, this wasn’t the fun time pairing that we saw in our first two entries. Seth and Richie don’t have time to be frivolous. Seth and Richie are on the run to Mexico, and when they finally get there, they find something much more dangerous than the Border guards could ever hope to be. More a dramatic pairing than a comedy duo, Seth finds himself as Richie’s keeper. The new “From Dusk Till Dawn” television series expands just what exactly is going on with the Gecko Brothers, but if we just stick with the movie, we see Richie wanting nothing more than to be able to gain his brother’s approval, but always doing something insanely psychotic that derails their plans. You do have to love Richie though. He makes for some interesting viewing!
Adam and Joe in “Holliston”
Another fantastic pair, Adam Green and Joe Lynch are a duo who are nothing short of brilliant in the TV show “Holliston,” pairing up for two seasons (so far, fingers crossed for more) of a sitcom that was written and produced for horror fans. Sure, if you’re not interested in the genre, you could still get some laughs, and good laughs, from the show; but for horror fans, “Holliston” is an absolutely perfect blending of comedy and gore. But on top of all the laughs and cameo appearances, “Holliston” delivers emotion, and much of it is driven by the relationship between Adam and Joe, two best friends for life. They face every battle together, every challenge in their lives they attack side-by-side. Now that’s what buddies are all about.
Henry and Otis in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Okay, things start to get serious here. Gone are the laughs, gone are the fun times, and gone is everything but depravity. Henry and Otis are not fun. Based on the real life murderous duo of Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole, Henry and Otis from Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer were one of the most intense and disturbing illustrations of serial killers set to celluloid at that time. Michael Rooker is frigidly intense as Henry, and although he leads the pair, Otis has no problem in following along and doing his own damage. I don’t think you’ll ever see these two engaging in hilarious banter or slapstick hijinks, but as far as buddies go, Henry and Otis were bound by blood and the enjoyment they got from seeing it flow.
Billy Loomis and Stuart in Scream
We don’t even realize what good buddies Billy and Stuart are in the beginning of Scream. We don’t realize how deep their hatred goes and how far they are willing to go to get their twisted form of revenge against the lovely Sidney Prescott. Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard stunned audiences in the fantastic finale of Scream. As all of we audience members were sitting around and trying to figure out just who was the killer, we suddenly get blindsided with the fact that there are not one, but two murderous marauders who have great motives for wanting Ms. Sidney dead. Although comedy wasn’t the main goal during the climactic scene in Scream, the duo, specifically Lillard’s Stuart, manages to glean a few laughs out of the audience, even amid all the blood and horror. A dastardly duo of blood-bent buddies. Surprise, Sidney!
Shaun and Ed in Shaun of the Dead
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are the ultimate buddies in Shaun of the Dead. The unforgettable pair battled zombies with everything they could find handy, including Shaun’s LP record collection. Pegg and Frost would, of course, unite to buddy up in two other additional films, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. With Shaun of the Dead the collection would be known as Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, but perhaps Pegg and Frost are never better buddies than in Shaun of the Dead. Absolutely loyal to each other to the death and beyond, Shaun and Ed brought us the perfect blend of dry humor combined with over-the-top laughs and fantastic zombie action. As far as horror buddies go, look no further than Shaun of the Dead for the best of the best.
The Battery stars Jeremy Gardner, Adam Cronheim, Niels Boole, Alana O’Brien, Jamie Pantanella, Larry Fessenden, and Kelly McQuade. Packed with insightful special bonus content, THE BATTERY is a must have for movie enthusiasts, loyal fans, and collectors. The Blu-ray has a suggested retail price of $19.97 and $14.97 for the DVD.
Synopsis
Two former baseball players, Ben (Jeremy Gardner) and Mickey (Adam Cronheim), cut an aimless path across a desolate New England. They stick to the back roads and forests to steer clear of the shambling corpses that patrol the once bustling cities and towns. In order to survive, they must overcome the stark differences in each other’s personalities — Ben embraces an increasingly feral, lawless, and nomadic lifestyle, while Mickey is unable to accept the harsh realities of the new world. Mickey refuses to engage in Ben’s violent games and longs for the creature comforts he once took for granted — a bed, a girl, and a safe place to live.
When the men intercept a radio transmission from a seemingly thriving, protected community, Mickey will stop at nothing to find it, even though it is made perfectly clear that he is not welcome.
Special Features:
