The Best Horror-Comedies to Stream in October

Now that October has officially arrived, movies fans who are looking to get into the spirit of the season seek out dark and scary tales to creep them out, so long as they are available to stream to your home instantly. Luckily, there are plenty of services out there with films that can scratch that spooky itch and delight you with stories featuring things that go bump in the night.

This week, we’re taking a look at films that are equal parts horrific and hilarious, delivering just as many laughs as screams. In some cases, the absurdity of the situation is too ludicrous to ignore, while other films are loving and satirical send-ups of our favorite genre.

Check out some of the best haunted house movies available to stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, and come back next week to see more suggestions!

‘Life After Beth’ – Netflix

The sudden death of Beth (Aubrey Plaza) leaves her boyfriend Zach (Dane DeHaan) inconsolable, turning to her parents for comfort. When Zach makes a surprise appearance at their house, he sees that Beth is inside, which is an odd thing to do when you’re supposedly dead. Beth’s parents reveal that their daughter mysterious showed up after being buried with no recollection of her death, allowing Zach to continue his relationship with her, despite the fact that she’s a decaying corpse.

Filled with an all-star cast, Life After Beth serves as a great gateway film for someone who isn’t a zombie purist and is drawn into the romantic comedy elements, which the movie fully delivers. Life After Beth might be short on full-blown scares, but serves as a touching allegory for the difficulties of leaving the ones we love behind and how to move on with our lives.

‘Killer Klown from Outer Space’ – Hulu

The name of this movie alone is enough to let the viewer know you’re in for a unique experience, with the ultimate adventure entertaining everyone who’s intrigued by the title.

A group of extra-terrestrials arrive on earth in the form of large, killer clowns, traveling around town and using their silly-looking technology to cocoon victims in cotton candy, ultimately slurping up their insides with a straw.

The unique premise and hilarious visual gags that appear in virtually every scene of Killer Klowns from Outer Space make for an incredibly entertaining experience, heightened by the film’s guitar-driven soundtrack. The film is a one-of-a-kind treasure that will delight both horror and comedy fans equally.

‘Murder Party’ – Netflix

With no plans on Halloween night other than to watch a stack of movies, Christopher (Chris Sharp) discovers an invitation to a costume party on the street and sees it as an opportunity to meet some new people. Instead, Christopher has found himself as the guest of honor, realizing that the only other people at the party are there in hopes of witnessing his murder.

Society’s obsession with death and witnessing horrific experiences is lampooned in Murder Party, reminding viewers how disturbed we are as people to want to see such a horrifying ordeal unfold in front of our eyes. Delivering both laughs and violence, Murder Party will make sure you never show up at a party alone again.

‘Tragedy Girls’ – Hulu

Horror films rarely shy away from incorporating deadly viruses into their narratives, though in the case of Tragedy Girls, “going viral” takes on an all-new meaning.

Two high school girls who run a true crime blog in their small town realize that they aren’t gaining a following as quickly as they’d likely, forcing them to take matters into their own hands to get more material. The deadly duo manage to kidnap a serial killer that has been targeting their town, continuing his murder spree and offering their readers exclusive coverage of the grisly events.

When people worry about younger generations becoming desensitized to violence and trauma, you’ll find few films that offer a better cautionary tale than Tragedy Girls, which unfolds like Scream for the Snapchat generation.

‘Tucker and Dale vs Evil’ – Netflix

Best friends Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) want nothing more than to head to their remote cabin to start renovating it so that they have a nice place to hang out while on vacation. Unfortunately, a group of preppy college kids cross paths with the “hicks,” immediately making them assume the worst of the pair. Matters are only made worse when a series of accidental deaths occur on Tucker and Dale’s property, with the duo having to take the blame.

Most horror films focus only on the perspectives of the victims, with Tucker and Dale vs Evil questioning to the viewer if maybe a villainous hillbilly was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. The film pays homage to multiple backwoods slasher cliches while offering audiences unexpected twists and turns, with Tudyk and Labine’s chemistry as best friends stealing the show.

‘The Monster Squad’ – Amazon

There are few icons in horror as famous as the original Universal Monsters, and while The Monster Squad might not have owned the rights to the characters, it offers the next best thing with its versions of Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolfman, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon that terrorizes a small town.

When the ghoulish monsters descend on a sleepy community, it’s up to a group of teenagers to thwart their world-ending plans, as their expertise in comic books and horror films gives them unique insight into the monsters’ weaknesses.

Delivering the charm and excitement of films like The Goonies and Ghostbusters, The Monster Squad gives audiences more humor than horror, while also serving heaping helpings of nostalgia.

‘Creep’ – Netflix

Given the number of horror films released every year, one frustration with the genre is that we often feel as though we’ve seen it all before, yet in the case of Creep, you’ll be left guessing about the outcome right up until the final moments.

When a cameraman (Patrick Brice) accepts a job he found on Craigslist to follow Josef (Mark Duplass) for the day, the job seems like nothing more than easy money. As Josef admits he has a terminal illness and wants a record of his daily activities, no matter how bizarre they might be, for his unborn son, the cameraman cuts him some slack when asked to document absurd behavior.

As their day goes on, Josef offers glimpses of his darker side, leading audiences to wonder whether Josef’s days really are numbered or if this was all just an act to explore some of his dark and twisted fantasies.