I couldn’t help but giggle at these 7 iconic horror comedies
Key Takeaways
- Cabin in the Woods and The Blackening subvert and embrace classic horror tropes with blood and jokes.
- Bodies Bodies Bodies and Ready or Not feature simple games with deadly twists.
- Slither and Tremors are practical creature features that seek to gross out and amuse.
The beauty of horror films is that they can satisfy a lot of different cravings; they don’t all have to be downright terrifying. There are plenty of movies that brilliantly subvert, and embrace, the genre by incorporating comedy, whether its through absurd situations, over-the-top blood and gore, or genuinely clever writing.
For those that want to embrace the scary movie season, but would prefer to sleep well at night, here are some of the funniest, most entertaining horror films for you to check out.
All of these films are streaming now
1 Cabin in the Woods
A horror comedy love letter
This clever horror simultaneously sends up a classic horror trope while also professing its love to so many horror films that came before. The film is best enjoyed knowing as little as possible, although an opening scene that follows two cantankerous office employees about to start their day tells you immediately that this isn’t your standard scary movie. A bunch of attractive, stereotypical, college students, including a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, have a weekend getaway at the titular retreat, but they are not alone.
Cabin in the Woods is immensely satisfying, even before it goes completely bloody and bonkers in its final act. It has all the classic elements, including lots of blood, some genuine frights, and a couple of shocking deaths. It also offers up a near-perfect horror movie ending.
2 Slither
Creepy and crawly
Before James Gunn became super famous for his superhero movies, he made a delicious creature feature that is wildly entertaining and extremely icky. Slither has a simple premise: a parasitic alien life-form crashes in a small town, finds a host body, and then tries to infect the whole population. The slimy, grotesque film is absurd and over-the-top, employing practical effects (and some digital ones that might not hold up) to tell a fun and uncomfortable story. It was a box-office failure, but that seems more to do with the cultural sentiment at the time and not so much the quality of the film.
3 Tremors
Watch where you step
A high-end B-movie (B+ movie?) that spawned a franchise of direct-to-video movies (when that was a thing), Tremors is a silly and entertaining movie that doesn’t take itself seriously and mostly holds up over time. A bunch of giant, carnivorous creatures are found to be living under a small desert town, and when they hear footsteps, they come to eat.
It’s entirely ridiculous, but at an hour-an-a-half, it’s a fast-paced, charming creature feature that features a lot of screaming and yelling and some very amusing practical effects. It’s not the scariest movie (althought the fashion might be), but it should still make you squirm.
4 Bodies Bodies Bodies
Would you like to play a game?
Bodies Bodies Bodies brings Gen Z energy, including some much-needed style, diversity, and attitude, to the horror comedy genre. A bunch of rich kids are having a weekend getaway in a lavish home, and amid some jealousy, teasing, and gossip, a game of Bodies Bodies Bodies leads to an actual dead body. Paranoia ramps up as the characters start to suspect one another — and then act on those suspicions. The result is a moody, bloody, and often hilarious movie that takes its time revealing some bold twists.
5 Shaun of the Dead
British Zombie rom-com
The first, and perhaps best, entry into the Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy by Edgar Wright sends up the zombie genre, centering on a dull salesman amid the end of the world. The film takes the premise of many a George A. Romero movie and wonders how an often oblivious, frequently lazy 30-something would react; if he would even notice at all. There’s a romantic story mixed in here, as Shaun’s girlfriend wants nothing more than him to grow up and take some responsibility.
Clever writing, some deft direction, and charming characters make this a very watchable (and re-watchable) horror comedy with heart.
6 The Blackening
Want to play another game?
Another film on this list that is both simultaneously an earnest horror film and a send-up of so many others in the genre, The Blackening finds a group of Black friends off to a remote retreat where a mysterious force lurks. Positing, they can’t all die first, The Blackening mocks the horror movie trope that tends to kill the POC characters first while also pointing out the absurd actions of so many victims in movies when confronted with a killer.
The twist isn’t the most cunning, but there is plenty of fun to be had.
The story centers around a racist quiz game that’s uncovered in the house, and the Saw-like expectations that come with it. There is plenty of biting satire as well as genuine scares and some bloody endings; the twist isn’t the most cunning, but there is plenty of fun to be had.
7 Ready or Not
One last game
A lot of patterns start to emerge when you list horror films, and one more sterling entry centers itself on a simple game with a twisted angle. This bloody film pays respect to the Final Girl trope in a story about a new bride with the worst in-laws ever. A deadly game of Hide-and-Seek is on the menu as Grace meets her new family who have some dark secrets and violent traditions. It’s tense, gory, and offers up one very satisfying and hilarious conclusion.