The horror-comedy subgenre makes for some of the most entertaining movies like Young Frankenstein and Evil Dead II. Besides these classics, there are plenty of modern-day flicks like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland that tickle viewers’ fancy. This video will bring you some timeless horror-comedy films that flew under people’s radar but are definitely worth watching.
Parents (1989)
Michael Laemie is a young boy who lives in the typical 1950s American suburbs. He experiences bizarre and horrific nightmares accompanied by persistent feelings of unease when he is around his parents. Soon young Michael suspects that his parents are cooking more than just hamburgers on the grill. However, he is unable to express this fear to his friend Sheila or the social worker at school.
In this American black comedy horror film, Bob Balaban encompasses a series of dark feelings that every child has about their parents. Well, maybe not all of them. Randy Quaid delivers an outstanding performance as the strangest father in the world. The film displays great sets, costumes, and Balaban’s unique style of direction.
His dizzying combination of gruesome and mundane is incredibly well crafted. He highlights the 1950s with the utmost detail and finesse. The budding friendship and romance subplot between the two kids is a light-hearted relief amongst the film’s otherwise thrilling atmosphere. Despite its primary theme being set around the eerie family, it is one of the most disturbing movies, but highly entertaining nonetheless. The ten-year-old boy’s narrative adds a hint of innocence to the movie’s tone and makes it a must-watch.
Grabbers (2012)
Police officer Lisa Nolan comes to Aran Island to take over when her colleague is on vacation. At the same time, a group of blood-thirsty, sea-dwelling aliens also arrive on the island. Soon dead whales begin washing up on shore, and people mysteriously start disappearing. As locals establish the dangers of these creatures, they also learn their unusual weakness. With a storm approaching, they gear up by devising the most unconventional plan to resist the alien invasion.
Jon Wright directed this out-of-the-ordinary movie with a unique and entertaining plot. It contains a simple script and decent delivery of dialogue. Richard Coyle and Ruth Bradley display great performances. Although it is unintentionally cheesy during certain moments, this compensates for its low budget status and makes it an exciting creature feature flick. It borrows various elements from several classics of the same genre but still maintains its originality.
Its decent cinematography and modern-day special effects keep viewers glued to their screens. It showcases a strong narrative through the ingenuity of plot developments and self-awareness of stereotypes. With breathtaking photography, an abundance of dark comedy, and gory bloodshed, John Wright has created a remarkable film that everyone must watch.
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
After undergoing years of therapy and electroshock treatment, Angela Baker finds herself a job as a camp counsellor at Camp Rolling Hills. She has an old fashioned approach as to how the camp should function. For whoever doesn’t follow her rules, she imposes a familiar, deadly method to make sure that they don’t return to the camp next year.
This horror-comedy directed by Michael Simpson is the second instalment in the Sleepaway Camp franchise. It makes several references to classic slasher franchises like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From the beginning of the slasher craze, filmmakers have never been subtle about invoking moral aspects within their works. They usually do this by making teenagers engaging with sex, drugs, and alcohol, the victims of serial killers.
Michael Simpson portrays a satirical take on these moral values by adding his unique spin to the movie. It displays creatively cheesy death scenes, executed with minimal gore. Pamela Springsteen does a fantastic job of playing Angela Baker, using hilarious one-liners to enhance the film’s comedic aspect. Portraying sufficient nudity and decent delivery of dialogues, this movie created a thrill amongst 80s youth.
Cooties (2014)
A cafeteria food virus turns a school full of elementary students into killer zombies. A group of misfit teachers must fight to survive this aggressive and cannibalistic outbreak.
This is a horror-comedy with unexpected thrills and unapologetic laughs directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion. It has an outstanding cast of Elijah Wood, Allison Pill, and Rainn Wilson. It is adapted from a flawless script, filled with gore, dark comedy, and high production value. Moreover, it presents an unusual outlook on cannibalistic zombies since only a handful of movies portray this concept via children.
This film contains refreshing twists, an excellent plot, and great cinematography. Its makeup and special effects are incredible, while viewers thrive on the hilarious political incorrectness portrayed throughout the film. There is never a dull moment in this modern-day zombie flick, but pure entertainment and a bunch of laughs.
Vamp (1986)
Two fraternity pledges Keith and AJ, visit a strip club to hire a stripper and use her to join the best fraternity in the university. Due to their lack of transportation, they take Duncan, a lonely rich student, to use his car. They arrive at a bar called After Dark Club in a shady part of the town. Soon they discover a terrifying truth about its people, including Katrina, one of the talented strippers.
This 80s horror-comedy, directed by Richard Wenk, displays a brightly lit atmosphere in green and purple tones. It portrays Grace Jones in all her glory as Katrina, the stripper, and takes viewers for a fun ride. Richard Wenk’s intelligent direction gives its already original premise a creepy spin. It displays an unhinged sense of humour with all major characters portraying substantial depth. The film is self-aware of its campy 80s vibe. What starts as an ordinary teen horror-comedy turns into a spontaneously imaginative flick.
Its ominous thrills are jarringly explicit with unpredictable twists. It contains a wide range of subplots, all of which make for a multidimensional climax. Greg Cannon’s makeup and special effects are top-notch, and its fast paced banter made the script particularly saucy. So grab a beer and your group of friends, because this movie is about to get bloody!
Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009)
Centuries ago, before her death, vampire Queen Carmilla cursed the descendants of her killer, Baron Wolfgang MacLaren. She said that every woman would turn into a lesbian vampire on their 18th birthday. In the present day, Jimmy and his friend Fletch are facing massive life problems. To forget their problems, they head to Cragwich and visit the pub, Baron’s Rest. There they meet four girls and expect a great night. However, unbeknownst to them, Jimmy, the Baron’s descendent, is in for the shock of his life.
Phil Claydon directed this British horror-comedy. At first, it might seem like a superficial, low budget flick, but viewers are pleasantly surprised by its ambient setting, costumes, and great camerawork. It portrays remarkable special effects and great dialogue. It contains cheeky British humour and in-depth characters who each have colourful personalities.
This is a unique movie where the blood and gore complement the humour. But this doesn’t make it any less thrilling. Phil Claydon’s skilful direction is a parody akin to classics like Evil Dead blended with a touch of Shaun of the Dead. Its morbid erotic feature makes it evident that this movie is aimed at a young adult viewership, but all adults can enjoy it nonetheless. So grab a bowl of popcorn and get ready for this trashy yet fabulous vampire flick.
Popcorn (1991)
A serial killer murders people while wearing other people’s faces as masks. He kills at an all-night horror-thon organized by a bunch of film students at an old theatre. Maggie, the protagonist, believes the killer is Lanyard Gates, an eccentric filmmaker who, fifteen years ago, killed his entire family on stage. Everyone thinks he is now back to kill his daughter Sara, who is believed to be Maggie.
This thrilling slasher directed by Mark Herrier is based on a creative premise, paying homage to a handful of legendary titles and filmmakers. Its plot is so gripping that one can detect the tension just by reading the screenplay. Jill Schoelen plays the ambitious Maggie, doing a brilliant job. Viewers might think this is a 80s slasher in disguise, but it is ingenious on various levels.
Its comedic aspects are a tad cheesy, but this is overlooked due to the mysteriously exciting slasher film vibe ingrained within the storyline. This is set by the students screening 50s horror films. Despite its clichés, all the actors showcase brilliant performances with an amusing cameo from Tom Villard. Overall, this twist and tease of drama, suspense, and bloody murder is a fantastic movie that everyone must watch.
Idle Hands (1999)
Seventeen-year-old Anton Tobias awakens one morning to discover that both his parents have been turned into deadly Halloween decorations. After speaking to his friends who are as irresponsible as him, he discovers that his right hand has developed a blood-thirsty mind of its own. It is determined to wreak havoc whether Anton likes it or not.
Unlike most horror comedies where the comedy overpowers the horror, Rodman Flender directs this film, adding his unique spin so that even amidst the humor, it is still a frightening 90s flick. It contains all the makings of a usual teen horror film, the group of friends, the unstoppable killing evil, and even the sexy heroine who the protagonist must protect. It portrays a handful of shocks, creepy jump scares, and sufficient gore. However, it exhibits a remarkable set of dialogues and visual effects that elevate it above the majority of other sleazy teen slasher movies.
Devon Sawa portrays a convincing main character while an under 20s Jessica Alba is enough to keep a young audience glued to their screen. Most humour in this film revolves around scatology or are drug-related. Besides dark comedy, it evokes a Tim Burton kind of dark atmosphere filled with graphic violence that one wouldn’t expect from a comedy horror. Nevertheless, it makes for a thrilling and entertaining movie, representing the genre well.
The Final Girls (2015)
Max and her friends reluctantly attend the tribute screening of an 80s slasher film that stars her mother. Things take an unexpected turn when they get sucked into the screen, and they realize that they are trapped inside the cult classic. They must team up with the fictional, ill-fated Camp Bloodbath counsellors to battle the movie’s machete-wielding masked murderer. With the body count rising, every subsequent scene, who will be the final girls?
This movie, directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, is not just another cheesy horror movie spoof. It carefully and intelligently deconstructs the slasher genre by pointing out its conventional tropes. These are either made fun of or incorporated when necessary. Every character has an in-depth personality, and the film is entirely aware of its campy nature. It contains impressive action for a horror film and has some great shots, including slo-mo ones of the killer holding the machete.
Besides camera techniques, it has decent cinematography and an extremely clever storyline that keeps viewers invested throughout. Todd Strauss also incorporates the moral aspect of 80s slashers where any character who has sex gets killed, and it is only the virgin girl who can defeat the killer. Besides the horror, Max and her mom have some great bonding moments that add a poignant touch to this horror-comedy. Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman portray outstanding performances, and the film contained a general brutal yet entertaining vibe.
The Editor (2014)
Rey Ciso was one of the best editors in the world. Unfortunately, after his accident left him with four wooden fingers, he had to resort to editing pulp films and trashy movies. When the lead actors of the movie he is editing are murdered, Rey is considered the primary suspect. While the bodies continue piling up, he struggles to prove his innocence and learn the sinister truth lurking behind the scenes.
This absurdist giallo thriller is directed by Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy. It uses flashy colored lighting, gory special effects, and a typical giallo edged dark atmosphere. Although it is a low budget film, it pays remarkable homage to trashy giallo movies and is surprisingly gruesome for a horror-comedy. Avid giallo fans can recognize the flawless camera techniques that might make them nostalgic for similarly styled works from the 80s and 90s. Adam Brooks also blows viewers away with his outstanding performance.
The movie is an edge of the seat thriller with the obvious elements of humor present throughout. Its gratuitous nudity certainly contributes to its large cult following. As far as B-movies go, this is a good quality flick. Even though it becomes a bit of a slow burn, its amazing soundtrack, cinematography, and decent dialogue delivery make it a film worth watching.