Horror comedies have been loved for decades for their clever mix of creepy moments, dark comedy, silly parody and terrifying moments. Typically, horror comedies will adopt and ridicule horror clichés that are common and recognizable in mainstream horror movies. Some well-known examples of horror comedies are: Shaun of the Dead and The cabin in the woods.
The genre has been popular for a long time, with the story of Bruce G. Hallenbeck The Legend of Sleepy Hollow labeled as the first major horror comedy. In the film, Abbott and Costello may have first made horror comedies with their crossovers with famous Universal monsters from the 1940s. There’s something unnerving and satisfying about laughing one minute and peeking through your fingers the next, with humor and horror often coexisting. Scary comedies, though they use clichés, have a way of being unpredictable.
The filmmakers who collaborated on Shaun of the Dead and The cabin in the woods both describe their projects as “love letters” to the horror genre. According to screen frenzySimon Pegg says that Shaun of the Dead was made “with complete dedication to George Romero and to zombies.” director of The cabin in the woods, Drew Goddard, says: CBS news something similar, saying that one of their goals with the film was to “celebrate horror movies.” The horror comedies of the 1990s are similar in their celebration of the genre, but contain their own gritty yet humorous style. Here are the best horror comedies of the 1990s ranked.
10/10 Arachnophobia
The 1990 horror comedy Arachnophobia is about a plague of deadly spiders and is a film not to be missed. The film stars beloved and hilarious actors Jeff Daniels and John Goodman. Set in a small California town, a doctor, played by Daniels, and an exterminator, played by Goodman, team up to eliminate an aggressive spider infestation that ravages many people in town. While it’s not exactly scary (unless you literally have arachnophobia), the use of the creepy crawling creatures is extremely entertaining, and the performances are comically delightful.
9/10 The people under the stairs
Director Wes Craven, responsible for creating the Nightmare in Elm Street franchise, released The people under the stairs in 1991. The film tells the story of two robbers and a boy who try to steal a couple’s valuable coin collection, only to find themselves locked inside the house instead. Soon the group realizes that the couple is strange and that they are hiding some pretty disturbing things.
The film satirically portrays gentrification, class struggle and capitalism. on Rotten tomatoesthe film was called a “Gonzo black comedy”, while critic SC Dacy van Empire calls it a “disturbing ride and a tough political statement.”
8/10 hungry
A 1999 horror comedy western starring Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle, this 1999 film is sure to make you laugh and tremble. While the film suffered during production, losing its first director and working on a budget, the film has since become a cult film. Critic Brian Eggert says the film “fascinates in different genres yet never gives up on any of them” and concludes that the project is “a ride.”
Although the film was unpopular upon release, it has retained the unique and unpredictable structure of many horror comedies. The film follows a rural military outpost in the 19th century when Captain Boyd and his regiment are sent on a rescue mission. During the rescue, they are chased by a clever cannibal and fight for their lives.
7/10 The Frighteners
Well-known director Peter Jackson released The Frighteners back in 1996 and received positive reviews upon its debut. The movie stars Michael J. Fox, star of Back to the futureas an architect named Frank Bannister who dabbles in necromancy after his wife’s death.
Frank uses his skills to befriend ghosts and send them to potential clients, who he then sues for performing exorcisms. Shortly afterwards, Frank discovers that a ghost of a mass murderer, capable of targeting the living and the dead, is on the loose. Frank must use his skills to stop it.
6/10 vibrations
In the classic funny monster movie vibrations, two handymen named Val McKee, played by Kevin Bacon, and Earl Bassett, played by Fred Ward, notice strange activity in their rural community of Perfection, Nevada. A spate of mysterious deaths breaks out, prompting Val and Earl to investigate, along with seismologist Rhonda, played by Finn Carter.
It soon becomes apparent that the city is under attack by prehistoric, worm-like creatures emerging from the ground. vibrations received positive reviews and been voted “goofy delight” on Rotten tomatoes.
5/10 Cemetery Man
Cemetery Man is a 1994 whimsical film directed by Italian filmmaker Michele Soavi and starring British actor Ruppert Everett. The film follows the quirky life of the caretaker of an Italian cemetery in search of romance. On his quest for love, he must fight dead people who have come back to life.
Cemetery Man is a co-production between three countries, namely Italy, France and Germany. Some critics have labeled the story as messy, but it’s guaranteed to deliver the weirdness and unpredictable behavior of horror comedies.
4/10 scream
Another famous Wes Craven movie, scream is about a high school student, Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, and her friends in the Woodsboro community who fall prey to a masked killer in a Halloween costume. What’s unique about this Craven movie is that the characters openly discuss the horror clichés as they happen, making jokes about movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th.
In his review, Roger Ebert appreciates the “in-jokes and self-conscious characters”, but was critical of the excessive gore; however, true horror fans couldn’t get enough and the movie did very well, leading to a long-running franchise. Many believe that scream changed the horror genre forever, injecting irony and postmodernism into the mainstream, and they’re not wrong.
3/10 Dead Alive (Brain Dead)
Peter Jackson, director of The Frightenersmade several cult classic horror comedies, but Dead Alive perhaps the best. This 1992 New Zealand film is a zombie comedy and follows a man, Lionel, and his controlling mother, Vera. When Lionel begins a romance with a woman named Paquita, it comes in handy when Vera is bitten by a terrible monkey creature. Vera quickly turns into a zombie and starts spreading the virus throughout the city of Wellington.
Dead Alivereferred to If brain dead outside of North America, was a blockbuster, but later gained cult status. Except it’s a crazy zombie classic, Dead Alive has been named one of the bloodiest movies of all time by Dark Universe.
2/10 army of darkness
Sam Raimi, the filmmaker and actor responsible for the Evil Dead franchise and the Spider Man trilogy, came out with army of darkness in 1992. The film is the third installment in the Evil Dead franchise and tells the story of Ash Williams, played by Bruce Campbell, when he finds himself trapped in the Middle Ages and must defeat an army of undead to return to the present.
While many felt it didn’t match the first two films, the film later gained a generous cult following and praise for its outlandish aesthetic, combining goofy slapstick and over-the-top horror and medieval imagery to great acclaim.
1/10 From sunset to sunrise
A horror classic starring George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino (who also wrote the film), Salma Hayek and Harvey Keitel, From sunset to sunrise is a 1996 horror comedy film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The film tells the story of two brothers, played by Clooney and Keitel, who kidnap a family as hostages as a tactic to cross the border into Mexico. Unfortunately, the brothers’ plan backfires when they get trapped in a saloon full of vampires. Like other movies on this list, this Tarantino movie became a cult classic.
Be sure to check out these horror comedies for a laugh and a scare before October 31st!