Horror movies should be scary, right? They should elicit an emotional response resulting in a feeling of terror or shock, and for the most part, most horror movies do. However, there are some horror flicks that push their plots, effects, and gore to the point that it ventures towards parody.
While it is true that some horror flicks purposefully include comedic material to create a hybrid film, some flicks, whether due to age, direction, or performance, are actually quite hysterical. To prove what we mean, we’ve culled ten horror flicks that get more laughs than scares. Prepared to be scared silly as we look at these hilarious horror films.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Killer Klowns From Outer Space is the epitome of a B-movie masterpiece. Though its titular monsters are the stuff of nightmares and will definitely frighten some coulrophobic audience members, the film is definitely more silly than scary. When a race of clownish space aliens lands on earth in a circus tent spaceship, trouble ensues when they proceed to turn their victims into cotton candy for later consumption.
The plot alone sounds like something from a cartoon, and it’s visuals, humor, and scares reflect that zany influence. Slim, Shorty, Fatso, Spikey, and Jumbo might not be the friendliest faces in horror, but they might be some of the funniest.
Zombieland
This film takes the road trip comedy skeleton and chucks it into the midst of a zombie apocalypse, guns, gore, and all. Though it’s unashamedly a horror-comedy, it still has some pretty gruesome zombies, kills, and tons of splatter to satisfy even the more gore-loving of horror hounds. The cameo from Bill Murray is just the cherry on top.
We love watching Tallahassee, Columbus, Witchita, and Little Rock take on the zombie hordes, with a survival guide worthy of a Scream film and brilliant jokes and one-liners to cut the tension of this otherwise brutal and dismal backdrop. Definitely a brilliant bloody blend of horror and humor.
Fright Night (1985)
This 80s cult flick is both a brilliant throwback to the classic vampire films of the 50s and 60s and an unintentional horror-comedy. The scares come from the traditional vampire themes, but the comedy comes through over-the-top make-up effects… and Ed.
Ed is the best friend of Charlie, the film’s protagonist, and when he’s turned into a vampire, he’s off-the-wall deranged. Though the film does venture into ridiculous cliché territory at times, we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t still scary.
Most of the A Nightmare on Elm Street Sequels
With the exception of Freddy’s Revenge, the A Nightmare on Elm Street series definitely veered toward the darkly comedic when the studio decided to turn Freddy Krueger from a demented child-murderer to a ghastly and ghoulish one-liner-machine. From Dream Warriors onward, Freddy not only gets more creative with his methods of murder but more cartoony as well. He literally uses a Looney Tunes gag in one film.
From killer video game sprites to an evil pizza, Freddy definitely gets more than a little goofy in some of the later entries to the series. At least we had Wes Craven’s New Nightmare to get things back on track.
Gremlins
This film set the bar for horror-comedies before they were officially a thing. Everyone can identify the adorable Mogwai, Gizmo, and the legion of freaky Gremlins that ransack the town. Though this film has a PG rating and loads of comedic scenes, it does not skip on the scare factor.
The Gremlins themselves are a breed of little monsters that cause all manner of carnage. With these tiny terrors, no one is safe. They might be small and cute at times, but these guys have some nasty teeth and they aren’t afraid to use them. Just ask Ms. Deagle.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Okay, how do you follow up one of the most influential, terrifying, and uncomfortable horror movies of all time? You turn it into a comedy. Tobe Hooper gave the slasher genre a film that defined the archetype. The original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was gruesome, frightening, and unsettling as could be. Obviously he didn’t want to make the same movie twice.
With over-the-top performances, gore effects, and a poster that even parodied The Breakfast Club, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 takes things in a completely different direction. It’s pretty out there, to say the least.
Krampus
Though Michael Dougherty’s Krampus is billed as a horror-comedy, we’d be lying if we said there weren’t moments in the holiday horror flick that didn’t freak us out. If the anti-Claus himself didn’t give you the willies, his army of creepy Christmas toys will definitely keep you up at night.
Though there are some serious nightmare-inducing creatures like the Jack-in-the-box, angel, and evil elves, there are also characters like the evil gingerbread men and teddy bear that are more laughable than scream-worthy. It’s a near-perfect balance of horror and humor we just had to mention.
Scream
Mr. Craven, we get what you were trying to accomplish with this self-aware slasher film. For 1993, it was a new and fascinating take on the genre. However, the first film in this tribute to the genre has not exactly aged the best. To put it bluntly, it gets pretty silly.
Admit it, seeing a horror movie villain slip, fall, and stumble doesn’t put them in the best light. Though the series did get better with the fourth entry and the TV show, the first is a piece of the 90s that will forever be stuck in the era of the VCR.
The Cabin In the Woods
The Cabin in the Woods is a legit horror film, no questions asked. Legions of horror monsters aside, the idea of giant evil elder gods living under the earth’s crust is an idea H.P. Lovecraft would be proud of. But it does have a large element of tongue-in-cheek humor that only someone like Joss Wheadon could invent.
It’s got its guts, gore, and murderous mayhem, but it’s also a blatant love letter to modern horror movies and a stab at audiences who are never satisfied by the frequent bloodshed. Not exactly your typical comedy, but enough so that we’re counting it.
It
The gold medal for unintentionally funny horror villain definitely goes to Bill Skarsgard in his portrayal of Pennywise from It. The character is meant to be every nightmare we’ve ever had, everything we’ve ever been afraid of, and our worst dream come true, and he is, but there’s just something about his performance that makes us burst out into laughter.
Whether it’s waving to his next victim with a bloody severed arm, taunting one of the losers with creepy jokes, or just making ridiculous faces, Pennywise is definitely the funniest clown on our list. He might not intend it, but there’s always going to be something goofy about the clown persona.
