I am the kind of movie fan who loves to see filmmakers attempt to combine two different genres that, in theory, should not blend smoothly but result in one exciting and uproarious concoction. That being said, I love horror-comedy movies and would even say that some of the best horror movies of all time have successfully managed to be as frightening as they are funny. See for yourself by looking at my recommendations for some of the best horror-comedy movies ever, along with a tip on how to watch them.
Dead Alive (1992)
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver
What it’s about: A bite from a Sumatran rat-monkey unleashes a virus that turns most of a New Zealand town into ravenous, flesh-eating monsters.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Before he was best known as the Oscar-winning director of the Lord of the Rings movies, Peter Jackson bread and butter was uproarious gorefests like Dead Alive, which is also known as Braindead.
How to watch Dead Alive
Ghostbusters (1984)
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson
What it’s about: A group of New Yorkers work together to eliminate bizarre paranormal encounters throughout the city.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Also written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and one of Ivan Reitman’s best movies, the original Ghostbusters is one of the most universally beloved examples of fusing horrifying story elements with hilarious hijinks.
How to watch Ghostbusters
- Stream Ghostbusters on Starz
- Rent or buy Ghostbusters on Amazon
- Buy Ghostbusters on Blu-ray on Amazon
The Menu (2022)
Director: Mark Mylod
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult
What it’s about: Wealthy food enthusiasts discover that a special dining event curated by a prestigious chef is not quite the delicious experience they were hoping for.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Anya Taylor-Joy (arguably the top Scream Queen of her time) proves that she possesses a striking wit as the central hero of The Menu – a pitch-black satire of elitist culinary culture with some real bite.
How to watch The Menu
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
Director: Stephen Chiodo
Starring: Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder
What it’s about: A young couple struggles to protect their town from an invasion of grotesque aliens disguised as clowns.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Oddly enough, the antagonists from one of the truly funniest examples of the typically earnest creepy clown movie genre, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, are not actual harlequins but evil extraterrestrials who adopted a thematic aesthetic inspired by circus culture, for whatever reason.
How to watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space
- Stream Killer Klowns from Outer Space on Tubi
- Rent or buy Killer Klowns from Outer Space on Amazon
- Buy Killer Klowns from Outer Space on Blu-ray on Amazon
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
Director: Frank Oz
Starring: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene
What it’s about: A meek floral shop employee discovers that an unusual plant he recently purchased does not feed on water or sunlight, but human beings.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Based on a popular stage show inspired by a Roger Korman classic, Little Shop of Horrors is also one of the best horror-comedy musical movies for its toe-tapping numbers and boasts one of the best ‘80s movie villains: the “mean, green” Audrey II.
How to watch Little Shop of Horrors
Happy Death Day (2017)
Director: Christopher Landon
Starring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard
What it’s about: A conceited college student finds herself reliving the same day over and over, allowing her the chance to identify the masked murderer who keeps killing her.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: The horror genre has plenty of great time-loop movies, but none are as funny as the wonderfully silly slasher, Happy Death Day.
How to watch Happy Death Day
The Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
Director: Dan O’Bannon
Starring: Thom Matthews, James Karen
What it’s about: A pair of medical supply warehouse employees accidentally release a strange gas that causes the dead to rise.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: The origin of zombies being hungry for brains can be traced back to The Return of the Living Dead, which is arguably the better 1985 zombie movie over Day of the Dead but undeniably the more magnificently ridiculous.
How to watch The Return of the Living Dead
- Stream The Return of the Living Dead on Tubi
- Rent or buy The Return of the Living Dead on Amazon
- Buy The Return of the Living Dead on Blu-ray on Amazon
Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil (2010)
Director: Eli Craig
Starring: Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine
What it’s about: Disaster strikes when a couple of hillbillies just trying to enjoy a vacation in the mountains are mistaken for slashers by a group of frightened college students.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: The classic slasher movie trope of shady country folk who are clearly psychopathic, possibly cannibalistic murderers is turned on its head in a hilarious and graphic fashion in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.
How to watch Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
- Stream Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on Amazon Prime
- Stream Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on Tubi
- Buy Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on Blu-ray on Amazon
Ready Or Not (2019)
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody
What it’s about: A newlywed agrees to her wealthy in-laws’ seemingly innocent game of hide-and-seek that turns out to be a deadly, all-night hunt in which she is the sole target.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Radio Silence craft Ready or Not into an intense, expertly paced cat-and-mouse game that is a little bit Die Hard, a little bit Rosemary’s Baby, and thoroughly batshit crazy, and secured Weaving as one of the top Scream Queens of her time and any time.
How to watch Ready or Not
Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (2006)
Director: Scott Glosserman
Starring: Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals
What it’s about: A documentary crew follows an aspiring masked killer as he prepares to embark on his first murder spree.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Set in the same universe as classic slasher movies like Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a mockumentary that cleverly makes light of the genre’s cliches by presenting them in a hilariously and refreshingly informal way.
How to watch Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
- Stream Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon on AMC+
- Rent or buy Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon on Amazon
- Buy Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon on Blu-ray on Amazon
Zombieland (2009)
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
What it’s about: A mismatched group of travelers struggles to tolerate the undead flesh eaters dominating the earth, as well as each other.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Despite its graphic imagery and dark themes, Zombieland is a light, breezy road trip movie with a killer celebrity cameo that puts a bright, blood-stained smile on your face.
How to watch Zombieland
Slither (2006)
Director: James Gunn
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks
What it’s about: After a small town becomes overrun by large parasitic worms from another planet, a police officer races to prevent the plague from transforming more townsfolk into revolting mutant creatures.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Slither is a body horror movie of the grossest kind and a horror-comedy of the most crass kind but James Gunn (years before Guardians of the Galaxy) crafts it into something uniquely endearing.
How to watch Slither
Gremlins (1984)
Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates
What it’s about: When Billy Peltzer receives an unusual furry creature called a Mogwai from his father as a Christmas gift, he soon learns that, lurking beneath its cuddly exterior, is a vicious, green monster that takes the ignorance of a few important rules to unleash.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: The frightening nature of the titular creatures in Gremlins is not to be underestimated, yet they often indulge in some wacky, cartoonish mischief that makes the holiday horror movie an undisputed classic.
How to watch Gremlins
The Cabin In The Woods (2011)
Director: Drew Goddard
Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams
What it’s about: Five young friends fall prey to horrifying circumstances at a remote cabin where nothing is truly as it seems.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: The less you know about The Cabin in the Woods and its wild ending, the better but I will, at least, mention that it is one of the most dizzyingly clever and unabashedly witty deconstructions of the horror genre yet.
How to watch The Cabin in the Woods
- Stream The Cabin in the Woods on Peacock
- Rent or buy The Cabin in the Woods on Amazon
- Buy The Cabin in the Woods on Blu-ray on Amazon
What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
Director: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
Starring: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh
What it’s about: A film crew documents the daily activities of three centuries-old bloodsuckers while living together in modern-day New Zealand.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: What makes What We Do in the Shadows one of the funniest movies about classic monsters is its surprisingly relatable and convincingly executed tale of friendship that takes great pleasure in its respectful mocking of traditional vampire lore.
How to watch What We Do in the Shadows
Trick ‘R Treat (2007)
Director: Michael Dougherty
Starring: Quinn Lord, Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin
What it’s about: Sam (a lone trick-r-treater who is more than meets the eye) is the connective tissue for a collection of stories all taking place on one particularly unusual Halloween night.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: In addition to being one of the best anthology horror movies, the enduring cult favorite, Trick ‘r Treat, makes a great case for being the ultimate Halloween movie, as a wonderfully wacky, often chilling, and clearly proud celebration of the holiday.
How to watch Trick ‘r Treat
Beetlejuice (1988)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton
What it’s about: A recently deceased couple runs into trouble after enlisting a crude, revolting bio-exorcist to rid their house of its pretentious current inhabitants.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Tim Burton’s signature macabre whimsy, fused with Michael Keaton’s laugh-a-minute, high-energy wit make Beetlejuice a time of your afterlife film that was later adapted into a Tony-nominated Broadway musical and spawned a long-awaited follow-up called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
How to watch Beetlejuice
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Director: John Landis
Starring: David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter
What it’s about: While visiting the United Kingdom, American college students David and Jack are attacked by an animal that kills Jack but turns David into a half-man, half-wolf creature.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: While the humor that made John Landis a household name is present, what really makes An American Werewolf in London a one of the best werewolf movies is its horrific body horror imagery, thanks to Rick Baker’s Academy Award-winning makeup effects.
How to watch An American Werewolf in London
- Stream An American Werewolf in London on Amazon Prime
- Stream An American Werewolf in London on Tubi
- Buy An American Werewolf in London on Blu-ray on Amazon
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield
What it’s about: An everyman struggles to protect his friends and family after mindless flesh-eaters overrun London.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Instead of spoofing the zombie genre, Shaun of the Dead honors George A. Romero’s formula and splices it with sitcom conventions that result in, surprisingly, one of the most realistic zombie movies ever made.
How to watch Shaun of the Dead
- Stream Shaun of the Dead on Starz
- Rent or buy Shaun of the Dead on Amazon
- Buy Shaun of the Dead on Blu-ray on Amazon
Evil Dead II (1987)
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry
What it’s about: A man stranded at a remote cabin in the woods is forced to contend with malevolent and mischievous spiritual forces after accidentally unleashing them with a mysterious book.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: The second installment of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead movies is a near-perfect marriage of gross-out gore with classic slapstick unlike anything the subgenre had seen before.
How to watch Evil Dead II
- Stream Evil Dead II on IndieFlix
- Stream Evil Dead II on Plex
- Rent or buy Evil Dead II on Amazon
- Buy Evil Dead II on Blu-ray on Amazon
I believe that it can be healthy for us to be able to find the humor in everything, sometimes even the most grisly topics. That being said, there is no better way for us to exercise that concept than by indulging in a fun horror-comedy movie like the favorite above.
