Blending horror and comedy seems like an unusual mix of genres. But a lot of the time, it works. These movies take the tension and suspense that can be found in typical horror films and couples them with classic comedic elements, such as slapstick humor and absurd situations. It's a film genre that subverts traditional horror conventions, finding humor in their frightening scenarios, while also using comedy to add an extra layer of entertainment. In other words, a good horror-comedy provides both the screams and the laughs, transitioning seamlessly between the two genres. One minute, we're gasping at our screens and jumping in our seats, and then the next minute, we're cracking up at a ridiculous joke.
Sometimes, these films tend to favor one genre a bit more than the other. For instance, although The Cabin in the Woods is considered a horror-comedy film, its gory scenes and jump scares probably make it more of a horror film than a comedy. These ten horror-comedies below, however, lean more heavily into comedy than horror, bringing more laughs than screams.
10 Zombieland (2009)
By 2009, the world was sick of zombie-related stories. Yet somehow, Zombieland found a way to succeed. As its title implies, the movie focuses on a zombie apocalypse but differentiates itself from other zombie films with its humor. The main characters' distinctive personalities lead to some funny interactions, and the zombies are often killed in creative, over-the-top ways. It also features a stellar comedic cast that includes Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and a ridiculous and undead Bill Murray.
9 Gremlins (1984)
What happens when you feed a cute little mogwai (Cantonese for devil) after midnight? They transform into gremlins. Gremlins is set in a quaint, little town that gets terrorized by these small, slimy creatures. The film gets a little violent: some people are killed, and Spike, the gremlin leader with a mohawk, loves firing guns. The movie may lean more into horror for kids, but for adults, there's plenty of humor and fun. And let's not forget Gizmo, the adorable little mogwai who may or may not have inspired Grogu/Baby Yoda fromThe Mandalorian.
8 This Is the End (2013)
This Is the End gave audiences something that they never knew they needed: an apocalyptic horror comedy film featuring the biggest stars in Judd Apatow's gang, all of whom are faced with the inevitable end of the world. Watching This Is the End is like watching the best comedic minds of the late 2000s and early 2010s hanging out and making fun of each other. You literally have comedy's biggest heavy hitters of the time, such as Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and James Franco. You know, before he was canceled and lost his Hollywood career.
This ensemble cast also includes tons of hysterical celebrity cameos, including Emma Watson, Rihanna, Michael Cerra, and the Backstreet Boys. These stars all play fictionalized versions of themselves -- and the end result is hysterical. W There are cannibals, demons, exorcisms, Channing Tatum disguised as a sex slave, and a whole lot of death. This is the End is a wild ride that's laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end. Who knew that the end of the world could be so fun?
7 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the ultimate cult classic. This movie is not just a horror comedy; it's also a musical, featuring a memorable soundtrack that spans multiple genres. The Rocky Horror Picture Show embraces camp, theatricality, and sexual taboos, which are played up for comedic effect. Its larger-than-life characters with their quirky personalities also add to the film's humor, especially the ridiculously named transvestite scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, played famously by Tim Curry. Since its 1975 release, it's developed a loyal and dedicated following that loves dressing up like the film's characters and singing along with its musical numbers.
6 Shaun of the Dead (2004)
In the midst of the world's obsession with The Walking Dead, along came a very different kind of zombie story: Shaun of the Dead. This film goes from 0 to 100in the blink of an eye after Shaun (Simon Pegg) wakes up to find that the world has been overtaken by zombies. This film takes the traditional zombie apocalypse story and pumps it full of comedy, paying homage to classic zombie movies while making fun of their most common tropes and stereotypes. Like its stars, this film is undeniably British, featuring dry humor, pun-filled wordplay and dialogue, and deadpan delivery. At the time of its release, Shaun of the Deadreceived critical acclaim and is now regarded as quintessential comedy-viewing.
5 Scary Movie (2000)
This one definitely leans more into comedy. A parody of horror and '90s pop culture, the original Scary Movie was a box office smash back in 2000. It pokes fun at many iconic films, like the original Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Blair Witch Project, and the back-breaking moves in The Matrix. Similar to Scream, Scary Movie follows agroup of high school kids who believe they're being terrorized by a masked murderer, albeit a very funny masked murderer. It also has one of the best twists in comedy, which cleverly mimics the iconic reveal in The Usual Suspects. Scary Movie's success birthed an entire franchise, including four sequels and various spin-offs.
4 The Addams Family (1991)
"They're creepy, and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky." They're The Addams Family, a supernatural black comedy based on the 1930s comic strip. Despite the family's love for horror and the macabre (one of the supporting characters is a severed hand, after all), The Addams Family is a light and humorous film. Its characters are all lovably wicked, from the overly affectionate Gomez and Morticia (Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston respectively) to the ridiculous Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd).
But as usual, the film's most legendary performance is Wednesday Addams, who's played to perfection by Christina Ricci. Wednesday's deadpan delivery, love of death, and emotionless nature are low-key hysterical and make her one of the best characters in the franchise. Decades later, she became the star of her own show, titled simply Wednesday, which became the most popular English language show on Netflix.
3 Ghostbusters (1984)
"If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?" Ghostbustersmixes comedy and horror to create a one-of-a-kind ghost story. Here, a team of ghost police, complete with an iconic and alarm blaring vehicle, use their wild inventions to clear Manhattan's streets of hauntings. Ghostbusters was created by comedy legends. It was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, who also co-star in the movie. And of course, they're joined by the comedic genius of Bill Murray. Ghostbusters also features one of the most famous and comically adorable villains: the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Now regarded as a comedy classic, the success of Ghostbusters birthed a franchise that includes an upcoming sequel.
2 Young Frankenstein (1974)
Young Frankenstein is a classic film co-written and directed by comedy legend Mel Brooks. Its other co-writer? Another comedy legend by the name of Gene Wilder, who also starred in the film. As its name implies, Young Frankenstein pokes fun at the Frankenstein novelby Mary Shelley, as well as its various Hollywood adaptations. To properly capture this, the film was shot in black and white. It also puts comedic twists on familiar situations from the original Frankenstein movies.
The film's characters are eccentric but hysterical, from Wilder's Dr. Frankenstein to Peter Doyle's Monster. The funniest character, though, by far is Frankenstein's cross-eyed and hunch-backed lab assistant Igor (Marty Feldman). Igor's "Walk this way" scene is an iconic moment in comedy. Fun fact: it also inspired the famous rock song by Aerosmith. Young Frankenstein isn't just one of one of the greatest horror comedies ever made; it's one of the greatest comedies ever made period.
1 American Psycho (2000)
American Psycho satirizes 1980s yuppie culture and consumerism with its mix of horror and black comedy. It's the film that turned Christian Bale into a star. His performance as Patrick Bateman, a disillusioned business executive working within "murders and executions", is both scary and funny at the same time. Although he commits plenty of murders, they tend to happen in the most absurd and hilarious ways.
For example, Bateman sports a raincoat just before taking an ax to his victim's face, he chases a woman while wielding a chainsaw and wearing only white sneakers, he blows up a cop car using only a pistol (and then looks at the gun in confusion afterward), and he tries feeding a stray cat to an ATM. And the tension between Bateman and his colleagues, especially during the famous business card scene, is laugh-out-loud funny. Just remember: if you want to eat at Dorsia, then you absolutely need a reservation.
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