Horror movies don't always have to be scary. In fact, audiences love an unholy mixture of thrills, chills, and laughs, which is why so many memorable horror-coms have become staples of pop culture. Injecting humor with horror helps provide constant comic relief amidst all the scares, without sacrificing the screams in the process.
Here's a list of movies that cleverly balanced comedy with chills to create horror movies that didn't just go for the jugular, but the funny-bone, as well! Consider slapping a few of these films together for a Halloween movie marathon.
Arachnophobia (1990)
For many people, spiders are the most horrifying thing in existence, and far more scary than the most inventive silver screen monster. That's precisely what makes Arachnophobia work. It plays masterfully on the most common of humankind's phobias while balancing out the scares with genuine laughs.
The film centers around a killer spider from Venezuela which mates with a domestic house spider to create an ultra-aggressive, highly toxic predator species. Who better to combat this bone-chilling threat than a California Doctor who has been deathly afraid of spiders since the days of his baby crib?
Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
Return of the Living Dead took its cues from its spiritual predecessor, George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, but favored comedy over horror. As such, it became one of the most entertaining and funny horror films of the 1980s and spawned multiple sequels as a result.
Return references the events of Night and attempts to explain them away as the result of a secret government bio-weapon that reanimates the dead. Though not considered part of Romero's canon, it was responsible for directly influencing the hit show The Walking Dead, as well as the concept of zombies craving human brains.
Army Of Darkness (1992)
This pseudo-sequel to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series was even more absurd than its predecessor - perhaps by design. While the original Evil Dead was an exercise in morbidity, fear, and disturbing imagery, Evil Dead II relented somewhat in favor of a mixture of slapstick jokes and horror.
Army of Darkness is by far the least gory of the "trilogy," and also the funniest. The main protagonist, Ash, is thrown back in time following the events of Evil Dead II and ends up battling an army of undead skeletons seeking to get their hands on the infamous Necronomicon. It may sound scary, but the reality involves non-stop laughs, memorable one-liners, and Three Stooges-level gags.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Simon Pegg's breakout film Shaun of the Dead helped propel him into superstar status, thanks to a smart script he and co-writer/director Edgar Wright. The movie involves a cabal of clueless Brits who bear witness to a zombie apocalypse and think very little of the overall implications.
The entirety of the film is spent lampooning the zombie horror movie genre, from shambling undead to the madness of the protagonists and their plans to stay alive. Even the ending is a hilarious jab at films like Day of the Dead, while somehow remaining respectful to George Romero's iconic source material.
Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland followed in the wake of the zombie-com formula laid out by films like Return of the Living Dead and Shaun of the Dead by focusing heavily on shock gags and hilarious resolutions to particular scene settings. The cast (led by the spectacular Woody Harrelson) is perfect, and the chemistry undeniable, which only helps sell the narrative.
The movie wasn't afraid to go over the top in every conceivable way, from text-based zombie fact prompts to a madcap "never saw that coming" cameo by none other than Bill Murray, himself. To date, it's one of the most side-splitting horror-comedy movies ever conceived.
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
Based on the Roger Corman original and the Broadway musical of the same name, Little Shop of Horrors was one of Frank Oz's most critically acclaimed works. It starred such notable comic alum as Rick Moranis, James Belushi, John Candy, and Steve Martin.
The film revolves around a killer plant named Audrey II which grows to immense size and begins offing people whilst trying to maintain a tumultuous and complicated relationship with its owner Seymour (Rick Moranis). Lots of laughs, musical cues, and traditional horror in this movie.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
At this point, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is considered standard viewing for all horror movie aficionados who want to earn their badge and stripes. It's a timeless musical that lifts elements straight out of the 1950s and injects them with a heavy dose of 1970s aesthetics and horror motifs.
Tim Curry plays the ridiculously eccentric transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter who mixes a sense of gothic horror with a rock n' roller's attitude and an unhealthy dose of mad scientist thrown in for good measure. Things go full sci-fi by the end of the movie, making it a hodgepodge of practically every 1950s element one can think of.
The 'Burbs (1989)
Tom Hanks played Ray Peterson, a neurotic suburbanite who believes his neighbors are satanic serial killers in this hilarious 1990s comedy directed by Joe Dante. Peterson and his fellow neighborhood residents let their imaginations get the better of them when an elderly citizen mysteriously disappears in the middle of the night.
Believing his creepy and reclusive neighbors to be the culprits, Peterson begins researching the occult, demonology, and satanic rites as his paranoia gets the better of him. The film is an exercise in smartly-crafted traditional comedy, and an underrated gem that must be seen.
Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes (1978)
John DeBello went full parody for this classic 1978 horror-com which pulled out all the stops to make fun of the B-movies of yesteryear. The plot involves an invasion of killer tomatoes that rise up against their overbearing humans and threaten the planet with their extinction. So powerful are the tomatoes that even the U.S. military cannot stand up to their might.
Eventually, the tomatoes are beaten back with one of the most gratingly irritating and horrid songs ever recorded, which is more than they can stand. It's an immature, preposterous film that is chock-full of belly laughter from start to finish.
The Frighteners (1996)
Long before Peter Jackson took on the monumental task of bringing The Lord of the Rings trilogy to film, he was cranking out ingenious and inventive comedy/horror films such as Dead Alive, and later, The Frighteners. The latter starred Michael J. Fox as Frank Bannister, a ghost hunter who goes up against a spectral killer known as the Grim Reaper.
It's a lighthearted take on a dark premise which made audiences laugh thanks to an assortment of CGI sight gags, hilarious writing (especially the ghost characters), and a heavy dose of Tim Burton's influence. The Frighteners is a creepy but entertaining entry in the genre and guaranteed to bring the laughs.