Every so often, a film comes around that achieves the unusual and, perhaps, even boorish task of appealing to your morbid curiosity while simultaneously tickling your funny bone. Crossing a genre meant to frighten with one meant to create joy sounds like a dangerous contradiction, yet horror-comedy movies have managed to be some of the most entertaining films ever made.
The key to any great horror-comedy movie is to incorporate an even balance of scares and laughs, sharp knives and sharp wit, and spirits risen and spirits raised! Most importantly, the comedy needs to be intentional, otherwise it could never work as anything but a target for mockery, and there is nothing to mock about these following thrillers and gore fests that master the art of self-mockery. Let’s take a look at some of our picks for the best horror movies that had us screaming for more than one reason.
Ghostbusters (1984)
A group of New Yorkers (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson) work together eliminating bizarre paranormal encounters throughout the city.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Written by Aykroyd and Ramis and directed by the late Ivan Reitman, the original Ghostbusters is one of the most universally beloved examples of fusing horrifying story elements with hilarious hijinks.
Stream Ghostbusters on Hulu.
Rent or buy Ghostbusters on Amazon.
Buy Ghostbusters on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Menu (2022)
Wealthy food enthusiasts discover that a special dining event curated by a prestigious chef (Ralph Fiennes) 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.
Stream The Menu on Hulu.
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Rent or buy The Menu on Amazon.
Buy The Menu on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
A young couple struggle 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.
Stream Killer Klowns from Outer Space on Amazon Prime.
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Buy Killer Klowns from Outer Space on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
A meek floral shop employee (Rick Moranis) 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, director Frank Oz’s Little Shop of Horrors is more than just a great horror-comedy, but also one of the all-time best horror-comedy musical movies for its toe-tapping numbers and making one of the best villains of the ‘80s out of the “mean, green” Audrey II.
Rent or buy Little Shop of Horrors on Amazon.
Buy Little Shop of Horrors on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Happy Death Day (2017)
A conceited college student (Jessica Rothe) 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 Happy Death Day – a wonderfully silly slasher from writer and director Christopher Landon.
Rent or buy Happy Death Day on Amazon.
Buy Happy Death Day on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
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 writer and director Dan O’Bannon’s 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.
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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)
Disaster strikes when a couple of hillbillies (Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine) 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 – but in a still hilarious and graphic fashion – in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.
Stream Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on Amazon Prime.
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Stream Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on Pluto TV.
Buy Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Ready Or Not (2019)
A newlywed (Samara Weaving) agrees to her wealthy in-laws’ seemingly innocent game of hide-and-seek that turns out to be a deadly, all-night hunt of 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.
Rent or buy Ready or Not on Amazon.
Buy Ready or Not on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (2006)
A documentary crew follows an aspiring masked killer (Nathan Baesel) 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.
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)
A mismatched group of travelers (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin) struggle 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, director Ruben Fleischer and future Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick’s Zombieland is a light, breezy road trip movie with a killer celebrity cameo that puts a bright, blood-stained smile on your face.
Stream Zombieland on Apple TV+.
Rent or buy Zombieland on Amazon.
Buy Zombieland on Blu-ray Amazon.
Slither (2006)
After a small town becomes overrun by large parasitic worms from another planet, a policeman (Nathan Fillion) 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 writer and director James Gunn (years before Guardians of the Galaxy) crafts it into something uniquely endearing.
Rent or buy Slither on Amazon.
Buy Slither on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Gremlins (1984)
When Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) 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.
Rent or buy Gremlins on Amazon.
Buy Gremlins on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Cabin In The Woods (2011)
Five young friends (including a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth) fall prey to horrifying circumstances at a remote cabin where truly nothing is as it seems.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: The less you know about co-writer and director Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods and its wild ending, the better, but we will at least mention that it is one of the most dizzyingly clever and unabashedly witty deconstructions of the horror genre yet.
Stream The Cabin in the Woods on Hulu.
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)
A film crew documents the daily behaviors of three centuries-old bloodsuckers (Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Jonathan Brugh) 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 ever is the way it tells a surprisingly relatable and convincingly executed tale of friendship that takes great pleasure in its respectful mocking of traditional vampire lore.
Rent or buy What We Do in the Shadows on Amazon.
Buy What We Do in the Shadows on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Trick ‘R Treat (2007)
Sam (a lone trick-r-treater who is more than meets the eye, played by then 8-year-old Quinn Lord) 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, writer and director Michael Dougherty’s 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 with a long-overdue sequel in the works.
Rent or buy Trick ‘r Treat on Amazon.
Buy Trick ‘r Treat on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Beetlejuice (1988)
A recently deceased couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) run into trouble after enlisting the help of a crude, revolting bio-exorcist (Michael Keaton) to rid their house of the pretentious family currently inhabiting it.
Why it is one of the best horror-comedy movies: Director Tim Burton’s signature macabre whimsy, fused with 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 an upcoming follow-up called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Rent or buy Beetlejuice on Amazon.
Buy Beetlejuice on Blu-ray on Amazon.
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are American college students visiting the United Kingdom who 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 same humor that made writer and director John Landis a household name is present throughout, 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.
Stream An American Werewolf in London on Freevee on Amazon.
Stream An American Werewolf in London on Tubi.
Stream An American Werewolf in London on Pluto TV.
Buy An American Werewolf in London on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
An everyman (co-writer Simon Pegg) 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 out-right spoofing the zombie genre, director Edgar Wright’s 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.
Rent or buy Shaun of the Dead on Amazon.
Buy Shaun of the Dead on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Evil Dead II (1987)
A man (Bruce Campbell) 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 and can be traced in nearly everything it has inspired since.
Stream Evil Dead II on IndieFlix.
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 and the list above provides us with the best ways to do that.
