12 Funny Horror Movies Worth Watching Tonight
We all love horror movies (or why else are you here?) and many of us enjoy comedies too but rarely do the two genres come together with any level of success.
When I’m talking about less successful film attempts at horror/comedy alliances, movies that simply failed to achieve much horror or comedy when combining the two, I’m thinking of the deplorable ‘Scary Movie’ franchise as a prime example. The original may have been a fresh spin on things but after the novelty wore off it was simply an example of flogging a dead horse as a quick cash-grab, creating little of any merit.
So which movies do I think were successful at achieving the feat of combining horror with comedy?
Here’s a dozen horror movies I believe are capable of making you smile with mirth while they cause you to jump with fright;
Tucker And Dale vs Evil (2010)
This is by far my favourite comedy horror movie. It takes the typical redneck killers stalking young teens and gives it a real twist with genuinely hilarious results.
Strong set-pieces and well choreographed death scenes make you laugh at the same time the gore can have you looking away from the screen.
Wonderfully entertaining and so much fun to watch.
The Story:
Affable hillbillies Tucker and Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are mistaken for murderers by a group of preppy college students.
A classic and fun movie movie filled with movie and horror effects.
Zombieland (2009)
High production values, a strong cast and slick photography makes this another quality offering.
Taking zombies and making them funny isn’t easy but Zombieland succeeds 100%.
The Story:
A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the last Twinkie, and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America.
Love At First Bite (1979)
A huge home video hit in the days when VHS cassettes were still battling it out with Betamax for superiority of the Home video rental market.
Okay, so it may be a little dated now but it’s still hugely entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny. It was a precursor to the Airplane franchise that made ‘silly’ movies a genre in it’s own right for years to come.
The Story:
Dracula [George Hamilton] and Renfield [Arte Johnson] come to Manhatten (his Translyvanian castle having been sold for back taxes) in search of fashion model Cindy Sondheim {Susan Saint James], whom Dracula believes to be the reincarnation of his lover Mina Harker. But NY isn’t easy for vampires.
There’s nowhere for him to get “a bite to drink”, and Cindy is impossible to get near until Renfield manages to secure the address of the club she patronizes. Dracula finally meets Cindy and they go to her house, where he bites her once. All he must do is bite her twice more, and she will become his. But Cindy doesn’t want commitment, just sex, and she consults her friend and shrink Jeffrey Rosenberg [Richard Benjamin], grandson of Fritz Van Helsing of vampire fame.
Rosenberg discovers Dracula is a vampire and tries to end the relationship between him and Cindy. Too late. Cindy’s in love, too. When things get too hot, Dracula and Cindy decide to go to England, but they encounter trouble at the airport, and Rosenberg is on their heels.
Will Cindy consent to the third bite so she and Dracula can fly out together? Cindy could never get her “s**t” together before 7 pm anyway.
Being vampire can’t be that bad.
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
One of the best horror movies ever made, a true classic but beneath the veneer of genuine horror and cutting edge effects (for its time) people forget there was a rich vein of pathos and humour that made audiences laugh as well as scream.
Some interesting performances are notable from stalwarts of British screen and stage including Jenny Agutter, John Woodvine, Brian Glover, David Schofield and even a small part for the late and much lamented Rik Mayall.
Director John Landis made werewolves cool again in the early 1980s with An American Werewolf In London and showed himself to be a juggernaut of the horror genre not afraid to place his tongue firmly in his cheek.
An entertaining frolic with its moments of tension and jolting shocks that will make you jump out of your skin.
The Story:
Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Made before Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead was a British zombie comedy starring and co-written by the multi-talented Simon Pegg.
While lacking the glitz and polish of Zombieland Shaun of the dead featured a fine cast featuring some of the cream of British actors and comedy talent such as Simon Pegg, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy, Jessica Hynes Penelope Wilton, Matt Lucas and Martin Freeman. The pool of talent together with some well placed humour made this endearing movie a screaming success as well as a cult classic.
The Story:
A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.
The Lost Boys (1987)
A classic of it’s time, this movie was (and still remains) an audience favourite. A strong cast, a good story and a fine soundtrack make this an enduring staple of movie collections around the world.
Strong performances and on-screen chemistry between the young Corey Haim and Corey Feldman provide much of the comedic value as well as being a strong driving force behind much of the story.
The Story:
After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.
Tales From The Crypt: Bordello Of Blood (1996)
You just know that anything from Tales from the Crypt is never going to be anything less than a pulp horror fiction story combined with a healthy dose of humour, some bloody gore, the odd well known face and probably some nubile women flashing plenty of t*ts & a*s, especially when it’s a Tales from the Crypt offering set in a vampire brothel .
Bordello of Blood delivers on all of the above and even more besides. The hauntingly beautiful and tantalisingly sexy Angie Everhart turned in the most notable performance while the beauty of the stunning Erika Eleniak and the acting/comedy talents of Corey Feldmen both seemed to be somewhat under-utilised.
If you like Tales from the Crypt then you will like this.
The Story:
The Crypt Keeper returns to tell the story of a funeral parlor that moonlights as a vampire bordello.
The Frighteners (1996)
A surprisingly entertaining and spooky story starring Michael J Fox. What begins as a relatively funny yarn becomes rather dark and frightening with an intriguing story. Some strong performances from most of the cast turn what could have been a pretty standard movies into a worthwhile and entertaining affair.
Look out for good performances from Michael J Fox, Dee Wallace, Jake Busey and R Lee Ermey.
There’s also a quite surreal performance by Jeffrey Combs playing the unhinged and outright whacko Milton Dammers.
The Story:
After a tragic car accident kills his wife, a man discovers he can communicate with the dead to con people. However, when a demonic spirit appears, he may be the only one who can stop it from killing the living and the dead.
Bride Of Chucky (1998)
This movie finally confirmed that the ‘Child’s Play’ franchise had moved from the horror genre over to the farce/comedy genre and boy did it go for it big-style.
Brad Dourif produces his usual manic portrayal of the killer doll Chucky with a wonderful performance by Jennifer Tilly who plays Chucky’s love interest Tiffany.
Any kind of review, no matter how short, would not be complete without mention of the infamous ‘doll sex scene’ which is both hilarious and awkward in equal measure.
The Story:
Chucky, the doll possessed by a serial killer, discovers the perfect mate to kill and revive into the body of another doll.
The People Under The Stairs (1991)
Another fine tale brought to you by writer and director Wes Craven.
What I first thought would be a rather dreary affair turned into an interesting rollercoaster ride of tension, horror and comedy too.
Notable mention has to go to the film’s young star Brandon Adams for his fine performance as the main character called simply ‘Fool.’
While Adams’ performance was solid for one so young it has to be said that even his acting ability was over-shadowed by the scene-stealing abilities of the wonderful Everett McGill whose character is known simply as ‘man.’
The Story:
Two adults and a juvenile break into a house occupied by a brother and sister and their stolen children. There, they must fight for their lives.
Beetlejuice (1988)
The movie that brought Michael Keaton to the attention of many for the first time as the ominously scary yet amusing main character.
His comedy timing combined with his ability to set your nerves on edge proved him to be perfect for this role.
Another of those very rare comedy horror movies to reach cult status.
The Story:
When a recently-deceased ghost couple find their now-vacant home invaded by an obnoxious family, they hire a sleazy ghost who gets rid of humans to help them.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Don’t let the age of this movie fool you – If you haven’t seen it yet then you probably should.
Directed by Mel Brooks and written by him together with the movie’s star Gene Wilder, this irreverent take on the characters created by Mary Shelly makes it the definitive horror comedy cult classic with the emphasis aimed heavily toward the comedy side of things.
Of course the movie was stolen by the crazy performance of Igor, nailed perfectly by the inimitable Marty Feldman.
The Story:
An American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.
DISCLAIMER: I’m sure if I asked 100 people to write their own list we would get 100 different lists with only one or two titles being common throughout. I in no way claim this list to be definitive. It’s purely twelve titles that spring to mind when I think of horror flicks that relied on humour more than the usual scary film and still succeeded in being entertaining.
Credit: Some source materials and images courtesy of Wikipedia and the Internet Movie Database and remain the property of their original owners.
© Colin Lawson Books