The Top 10 Best Horror Comedies
These Horror Comedies are a Bloody Good Time!
October is the perfect time of year for movie fans to celebrate the horror films we’ve come to love over the years. However, I know that not everyone is a fan of scary movies, so I decided to put together a list of the best horror comedies to help everyone get into the spirit of the season. There’s nothing quite like cracking up in the middle of a blood bath, which is why I’m sure there will be something on this list to help everyone celebrate Halloween. Turns out this was one of the hardest Top 10 lists I’ve had to do in a long time since I’m a huge fan of the sub-genre, and it there are a ton of movies out there that qualified for a spot on this list. Heck, there were a lot more than 10 that I felt deserved a place on here. Still, I managed to narrow it down to the ten best and tried to focus on films that blended both genres together well. So get ready for gruesome giggles, chilling chuckles, and horrifying “hahas,” because this list of horror comedies will send a shiver down your spine and your funny bone.
10. Crush the Skull
When it comes to horror comedies, Crush the Skull has held a special place in my heart ever since I saw it at the Florida Film Festival in 2016. Co-writer/ star Chris Dinh was there to promote it and I remember just how hard the audience laughed through this dark and delightfully twisted thriller. The film follows a group of thieves that realize too late that the house they’ve broken into belongs to a serial killer. To make matters worse, it’s designed so that once you’re in there’s no way to escape. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse filled with witty dialogue and memorable performances. If you haven’t had a chance to see this great indie flick, you can find it on Amazon Prime and I wholeheartedly encourage you to give it a shot.
9. Happy Death Day
It’s no secret that I was a big fan of Happy Death Day and its sequel Happy Death Day 2U, and it just so happens that they’re also some of my favorite recent horror comedies to hit theaters. The movie follows Jessica Rother as Tree Gelbman, a girl who finds herself in a horror version of Groundhog Day, where she relives the same day every time she is killed by a masked psychopath. Despite the pain and trauma of repeatedly dying, Tree commits herself to stopping the killer in order to break the time loop (Tree even earned a spot as one of my favorite movie time travelers). Now, if you think this is just a cheap ripoff of the Bill Murray classic, don’t worry because this movie is self-aware enough to pull it off with hilarious results.
8. Tremors
When I was a kid, I was terrified of scary movies, but always loved watching horror comedies. One of the staples of my childhood was the 1990 classic, Tremors. The film starred Kevin Bacon and Burt Ward as two handymen in a small Nevada town that finds itself under attack by giant subterranean killer worms called “Graboids.” Despite the fact that they’re a couple of bumbling idiots most of the time, they finally get their act together and set out to save the town and defeat the giant monsters. Now, Tremors has spawned a ton of sequels or declining quality over the years, but you really can’t go wrong with the original. Sure, it’s got lots of laughs, but it’s also great original monsters and plenty of intense thrills, which is why it’s earned a respectable spot among these horror comedies.
7. American Psycho
Even though he’s terrifying, everyone seems to love Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman, which is why American Psycho is earning a place on this list of horror comedies. At first look, American Psycho might not seem much like a comedy, but the film is a character study of Bateman’s character who is a satire of the power-crazed psychopaths that excels on Wall Street. The kind of guys who would sell their grandmother for a buck while doing a line of cocaine to celebrate. Bateman’s character embodies all the kind of toxicity that thrives in that kind of environment, and it turns out that those pricks have a lot in common with serial killers. Most of the comedy comes from Bateman’s batshit perception of reality and his narcissism, which results in rants and observations that are both chilling and side-splitting.
6. Zombieland
Horror fans love zombie movies, which is why so many horror comedies tend to be about the dead rising from the grave to munch on the flesh of the living. There are a lot of great ones out there, but one of my personal favorites is Zombieland. It’s one of those movies where everything came together perfectly from the brilliant script from Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to the all-star cast. It features an oddball assortment of characters that are not only surviving the zombie apocalypse but having a blast doing it. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the drama and heavy-handed social commentary in so many zombie flicks. Instead, it focuses on eccentric characters and making fun of the tropes that come with zombie movies. I can’t wait to see the sequel!