HORROR TEN SPOT: Top 10 Horror Comedies

September 18th 2008, 4:35pm

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

Fear and funny should go together like kibbles and bits, but the reality is the mix often has disastrous results. Even though both of them have the same general pacing (tension and release) it’s rare that a filmmaker manages to give us a mildly successful merger, never mind a legitimately good movie.

Ah but when it does work it can create true awesomeness. Hell, putting this list together is making me smile, and quite frankly the last couple of weeks have been kicking my ass.

So save yourself the pain of bad horror comedies and jump straight into the best of the best. If your favorite is missing, spit bullets and let your fellow arrow heads in on the fun, too!

1. An American Werewolf in London

John Landis is a f*cking genius. It’s a shame that An American Werewolf In Paris was such a stupidly bad movie that it made a lot of people forget just how good the original was. There are so many perfect touches to the flick beyond the still possibly best ever transformation effects. The most impressive aspect however, is that while we watch our hero/villain struggle with the need to sever his own mortal coil while being haunted by the victims of his crimes, the movie keeps a tone that is funnier than most of the comedies released these days. And it’ll scare the shite out of your too. Seriously, the poo will leak right out of your keister.

2. House

It’s difficult in the HorCom collective to find flicks that work equally well in the scare and amusement departments. But mix up a little William Katt action with Norm from Cheers and the tall dude from Night Court? Damn if it isn’t a winner. Another great aspect of the film is that it really looks at how a reasonable and sane person would deal with the growing suspicion that he’s living in a haunted house. This is one of my personal favorite diamonds in the rough.

3. Shaun of the Dead

A lot of people credit 28 Days Later with revitalizing the zombie movie, but I think SotD did a lot to remind us all of what made us love zombies in the first place. By making fun of zombie conventions AND making good gory use of them, the flick brought joy back to a beloved, but largely decrepit sub-genre. Plus you get the bonus of, if not understanding Cricket, at least recognizing the undead smashing usefulness of one of those goofy bats.

4. Monster Squad

“Wolfman’s got ‘nards!” What we’ve got here is an example of how the PG-13 rating was originally intended to be used before it got hijacked by evil studio bastards. A funny and decently intense monster movie with humor that is exactly how kids that age talk, but not necessarily stuff you want your more sensitive viewers checking out willy nilly. Truly a classic of the genre.

5. Bubba Ho-Tep

If a movie has ever managed to perfectly blend so many weird and disparate elements better than Bubba Ho-Tep then I’m not sure what it is. Fans of horror comedy shouldn’t be surprised to see The Chin making a repeat appearance as the star of a flick on this list, as no one does what Campbell does like Campbell does. Certainly the humor isn’t as laugh out loud funny as other entries here, but BHT is one funny mofo no doubt!

6. Slither

When I finally got a chance to check out Slither my immediate reaction was that it was the grossest, funniest, out and out awesomest horror flick that I’d seen in some time. The cast is probably the best ever assembled for a pic like this, headed by stalwarts Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks. My favorite line? “Much f*cking worse!”

7. The Toxic Avenger

Troma is many things, but subtle isn’t one of them. Taking the geek revenge story to the goriest, nudiest, sickest possible extremes, somehow this tale of a nerd transformed by nuclear waste also manages to hit more laughs than it misses while also puking a shiteload of charm into our face.

8. Army of Darkness

Easily the funniest and most quotable of the Evil Dead movies, AOD also manages to be the most satisfying of the trilogy. From Ash announcing himself with authority, “This is my boomstick!”, to letting his lady down as only he can, “Sister, you got ugly,” there’s almost nothing about this flick that isn’t a ton of deadite ass-kicking fun.

9. Gremlins II: The New Batch

It takes me less than one hand to count the sequels that have lived up to, or exceeded their predecessors. G2 is a very different movie, but equally good as the original. Eschewing the claustrophobic horror feel of the first, this sucker goes full on with giant set pieces, awesome new Gremlins, and sharp as nails satire that brings great laughs while also eviscerating it’s myriad targets.

10. Dead Alive

Marketed as the goriest film ever made, Dead Alive was originally titled Brain Dead, and no matter what you call it, you’re in for one bloody good time. The pure sadistic joy that young Peter Jackson brings to this sucker soaks every damn scene. He also turns in a much more assured production than either Bad Taste or Meet The Feebles with this outstanding effort.