The horror genre isn’t for the faint of heart. Whether the scares are derived from monsters, psychological terrors, slasher violence, or grotesque acts inflicted on the body, there are plenty of reasons for viewers to opt for something else when they’re looking for something entertaining for movie night.
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However, thankfully, there’s the sub-genre of horror-comedy, which uses well-timed humor to take the edge off the scares in films that fall into this category. Balancing laughs and frights is notoriously difficult for a filmmaker to nail, but these five movies are a few of the very best at walking the line between humor and horror.
5) The Cabin in the Woods
The Cabin in the Woods has an embarrassment of riches – it was written by Joss Whedon, who gave us Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Avengers, co-written and directed by Drew Goddard of Cloverfield fame, boasts an incredible cast, and contains one of the best twists in a horror comedy of the past fifteen years. The film starts as most standard horror films do.
A group of five friends, all typical archetypes we see in horror like the brainless jock, the conspiracy theory stoner, and the good girl, spend a weekend at an isolated cabin when they’re confronted with horrors that stem from the cabin’s basement. However, the story unfolds in any way but typical, making Cabin in the Woods a smart and enduring satire of the horror genre while also being a highly entertaining film.
4) Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice creepily and hilariously explores the idea of the afterlife and the notion of “you can’t take it with you” in an imaginative, zany manner only Tim Burton is capable of. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis play a young, dead couple who enlist the help of the wily “bioexorcist” Betelgeuse, played by a pitch-perfect Michael Keaton, to drive out the insufferable family of yuppies that have moved into their beloved home. Yet Betelgeuse’s is more than the pair bargained for, and thanks to the help of the family’s Goth daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder), they’re able to banish him.
Being a Tim Burton film, Beetlejuice is chock full of the strange, unusual, and scary, but Burton counteracts any deep frights with his quirky and irresistible humor.
3) Ghostbusters
Few films strike such a deft balance between horror and comedy like the original Ghostbusters. Even with three comedy legends in the lead roles, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and the late, great Harold Ramis, the movie manages to still deliver on scares without going too far in the horror direction.
Ramis, Aykroyd, and Murray’s pursuits as to capture ghosts and prevent an ancient evil from bringing about the end of the world has jusr as many funny memorable moments as it does spine-tingling ones – from the trio taking down Slimer in a ballroom blitz at a swanky hotel to Murray’s main squeeze Dana Barrett’s (Sigourney Weaver) possession by a terror dog. Every element of the film comes together seamlessly, making Ghostbusters a classic for a reason and a movie the whole family can watch year after year.
2) Bodies Bodies Bodies
Bodies Bodies Bodies makes the most of its contained setting and the murder mystery presented at the top of the film with a tone that caters to Gen Z and Millennials, but can be enjoyed by all. A group of rich twenty-somethings all plan to spend the weekend at a remote mansion to ride out a hurricane, yet a game played to pass the time ends with one of their friends murdered, and launches a frightening search for the killer.
Bodies Bodies Bodies keeps you guessing as to who the culprit is with its clever twist, as well as laughing, by never taking its characters too seriously.
1) Zombieland
While there have definitely been a slew of gripping, terrifying dramas around zombies lately in pop culture, whether it’s The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, or 28 Years Later, the horror comedy Zombieland offers a refreshing change of pace and tone when it comes to the undead. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin play the film’s band of misfits who must work together to cross a now zombie-infested America in one piece to a rumored haven from the monsters. While the zombies provide the threat and jump scares to satisfy the horror half of the genre, Zombieland’s snappy dialogue, iconic cameos, and abundance of heart earn its comedy and the widespread acclaim since the movie’s release in 2009.
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