It is that time of year again when things start getting spooky as we get ready for Halloween so with that in mind, and just like last year, we are going to be putting up some lists of our favorite Halloween things. I am going to kick things off with horror comedies which is easily one of my favorite sub-genres. I like comedies and I like straight horror but when done properly there is almost nothing better than a blend of the two as they naturally play off of each other and allow each other to expand and go farther than could be tolerated on its own. Horror comedy combinations are also very easy to fuck  up as getting it right requires just the right touch and sensibility so it is an even bigger deal when someone manages to nail it. Below is a list of my top 10 favorites and it was a hard list to do because there were several that I love that just didn’t make the cut. The criteria was simple: my favorite horror comedies that I can come back to time and time again and had the greatest impact on me.  My definition of ‘horror’ here is exceptionally broad and some of the films are not traditional horror but rather comedies which incorporate horror themes and elements. This is highly subjective so if you disagree, let me know in the comments what your list is but please remember this is for fun and not something to get angry about. So with that said, here it is:

 

10. Gremlins 2: the New Batch (1990)

I am not sure if this is going to get me hated on or not and I don’t really care that much. I love the shit out of Gremlins 2. The original Gremlins is iconic and has more than its share of humor thrown in with the melodramatic horror stylings but with  Gremlins 2 screenwriter Charles S Haas seems to have been confused as to why there needed to be Gremlins 2 and then pitched a story making fun of pointless sequels. Because that is what Gremlins 2 really is more than anything is a parody of sequels in general and Gremlins in particular. Most of the original cast is back and the new additions, namely Robert Picardo and John Glover, are excellent and bring a lot of fun to the table. Gremlins 2 is not mean-spirited by any stretch of the imagination but it is well aware of what it is and plays with that from start to finish. I love the original Gremlins, but Gremlins 2: the New Batch is something entirely different and something I am even more into.

9. Tucker and Dale VS Evil (2010)

This is one of the newer films on the list and as such I have spent less time with it than most of the other films but it’s perfect execution of a terrific high concept earns it a definite spot. Taking the well worn ‘teenagers lost in the woods and stalked by murderous hill-billies’ premise and flipping it on its head, Tucker and Dale VS Evil skewers the genre and delivers deliciously over the top laughs while still providing plenty of gore and violence, regardless of how accidental it might be. Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine as Tucker and Dale respectively are excellent and manage the material with just the right touch. A good piece of genre deconstruction as well as a solid comedy, Tucker and Dale VS Evil gets everything right.

8.Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

Much less of a comedy than the follow up Bordello of Blood, Demon Knight is undeniably the better of the two (although I have a lot of affection for Bordello as well). Demon Knight follows a shifty drifter named Brayker (William Sadler) as he tries to escape the pursuit of The Collector (Billy Zane). When Brayker finds himself stuck at a hotel, all hell breaks loose as the residents and employees of the hotel try to work out who the good guy is. Featuring early turns by Thomas Hayden Church and Jada Pinkett Smith, as well as a fantastically funny performance by Billy Zane, Demon Knight is a lot of fun and offers great effects and snappy writing. Being presented in the Tales from the Crypt format, the movie feels a little weird like it should be a part of an anthology instead of a full-length feature, Demon Knight can be a little off-putting but it is definitely worth checking out.

7. Tremors (1990)

While not necessarily the first thing that pops in one’s head around Halloween when thinking of a horror movie, Tremors is a terrific throw back to old school monster movies of  Roger Corman. In this case the monster is not a giant gila monster or spider but rather a newly discovered worm that feels through vibrations and eats things by dragging them into the ground. It feels kind of like Jaws in the landlocked desert with a much bigger sense of humor. Tremors features terrific performances by Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Michael Gross, Reba McIntire, Finn Carter and Victor Wong with  writing that is smart and hilarious. The strong comedy elements do not detract from some genuinely tense moments as director Ron Underwood does a great job of  playing the suspense just right. Tremors is the total package and regardless of how many poor sequels are made, the original is excellent.

6. Frighteners (1996)

Back in the days when I worked at video stores, I found myself in hot water a couple of times for making this recommendation but I still stand by this early Peter Jackson gem. When most people think horror comedy and Peter Jackson they think Dead Alive (or Brain Dead depending on where you live) but for my money the Frighteners is the better film. With a cast made up of Michael J Fox, Chi McBride, Jake Busey, John Astin, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace, Trini Alvarado, Jim Frye, Peter Dobson, Troy Evans and R. Lee Ermey Frighteners is very heavy on the comedy initially but descends slowly into more serious territory with a third act that I find to be gripping and tense. It is an interesting pastiche of slapstick and silliness that sets the stage for something more and uses the comedy as a springboard into thriller territory. It is never really scary per se but neither does it pull some gruesome punches. The grim reaper effects here definitely paved the way for the Ring Wraiths in the Lord of the Rings and this film helped WETA cut its teeth with some impressive special effects. The Frighteners is not for everyone or every sensibility but I adore it and cautiously recommend it to fans of horror comedy.

5. Fright Night (1985)

One of my two favorite movies of all time, I saw the original 1985 Fright Night when I was a kid and it has stuck with me ever since. It was one of my first experiences with this sort of blending of genres and remains one of my favorites. It is very much a movie of its time and as such is absolutely dripping with the 80s which adds a new layer to the amusement here. The effects are impressive for the time and while they do not hold up to today’s standards, there are some really cool shots here. The wolf transformation alone is worth checking it out even if you aren’t impressed by the straight forward vampire story that pokes fun at itself. The 2011 remake is worth mentioning here as well as it delivers familiar material in a very different way and is very good in its own right. I will always prefer the original but the remake is worth a look as well.

4. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

A romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, Shaun of the Dead is the perfect melding of Edgar Wright’s flashy direction with his equally hilarious writing with Simon Pegg. This is a film with heart, gore, comedy, some more gore, suspense, drama and some gore and it is pretty much perfect. One of the best things about this movie is that rather than play the zombies for laughs, the comedy comes from the characters’ reactions to them and how the petty mundane bullshit that we all carry around with us still comes up regardless of whether or not flesh eating monsters are trying to kill us. The movie treats the zombies as the lethal killing machines they are and has more than its share of gore and violence. As funny and gross as it is,  my favorite thing about Shaun of the Dead is the heart to it and how much it all means at the end. The characters have real substance and you care about what happens to them even when funny things are going on.

3. Army of Darkness (1992)

The third part of the Evil Dead series, Army of Darkness is pretty far away from its horror roots and exists in a campy b-movie world with much more in common with the Sinbad movies than horror films. Still, it is rooted in a horror foundation and is much more even than Evil Dead 2 was. This might be blasphemy to say, given that Evil Dead 2 is an amazing horror comedy in its own right, but I prefer the ‘post final girl’ swagger of Ash in Army of Darkness and it is fun to watch him both find himself and succumb to the batshit madness that has become his life. The tribute to Ray Harryhausen stop motion animation is worth checking out for that alone but the rest of the effects are generally excellent and fit well with the low budget feel to the whole affair. Of course the number one reason to check out Army of Darkness is for Bruce Campbell as Ash. He may be the coolest hero of this kind ever.

2. Beetlejuice (1988)

Much more comedy than horror, Beetlejuice uses horror trappings to great effect in this tale of a couple killed and stuck haunting their house to try to get rid of the annoying new tenants. I saw this in the theater as a kid and while I was sad at the time that there wasn’t more of Michael Keaton’s bio-exorcist Beetlejuice in the movie, I loved it even as a lot of more adult jokes went over my head. And it still holds up now with great looking effects, gonzo performances and great writing. I suspect there will be those that disagree with the inclusion of it here as it is not true horror (the same will likely go for number one as well) but I think that it is kind of splitting hairs. Even without true scares, Beetlejuice is not without its horrors and if you don’t agree just look at anything Otho wears.

1. Ghostbusters (1984)

Alright so  of all of these, Ghostbusters is the most pure comedy but you can’t have the movie without the horror elements so I am still including it. And while the movie is not particularly scary, it is definitely a gateway drug into the world of horror and the supernatural. I saw this opening night in the theater and while that dates myself terribly it also illustrates the 30 years of fandom I have had for this movie. Ghostbusters has been enormously influential on me throughout my life and helped spark and interest in the paranormal, science fiction, comedy, and yes, horror. Frankly I have a difficult time imagining what my life would be like without it and given the amount of love the film still receives I know I am not alone. Ghostbusters is a masterpiece of genre filmmaking and paved the way for a great deal of what would come after it. Be pissed at its inclusion if you want but I probably wouldn’t be into this genre at all if it weren’t for Ghostbusters.

So there is my list. If you want to debate, you know where to do it. Try not to be an asshat though because that isn’t cool and this is all for fun. Before all that I want to mention some runners up that are all excellent but didn’t make the cut: Zombieland, Feast, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, Thankskilling, Monster Squad, Night of the Creeps and Slither. Okay, have at it.