At my recent trip to Mad Monster Party, I was a bit surprised to hear so many of the professional guests talk about horror comedy as their current preferred genre. They also talked about the importance of lightness and positivity in entertainment. The three newly released horror comedies this year have received positive critical reception. While none of them have been break-out hits, they’ve done well enough for horror comedy to be declared “the genre of the moment”.
While the Vulture article is more a review for the violently romantic Heart Eyes, it brings up a more interesting point. What is cause of this need to laugh, while also watching extreme violence? Are we trending towards balancing the horror and bloodshed with moments of levity just to alleviate tension, or bring more joy to the genre, or is there something deeper or more cynical at play?
What Makes a Good Horror Comedy?
Since Abbot and Costello met Frankenstein, audiences have demonstrated a desire to mix laughter in with screams. There have always been successful genre mash-ups and parodies. Scary Movie released five films in its franchise and is preparing for a sixth this year. Army of Darkness may be the most recognizable of the Evil Dead films. Lately zombies have been an easy target for parody, with Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland. Those later movies have used humor to highlight and give fresh looks at overused tropes.
Horror comedy can be a pretty open category. There is a lot of room for interpretation in comedy, and it covers everything from satirical meta-fiction to overt physical gags, like slapstick. Most often horror comedy comes across as quirky characters in extreme situations, which is a totally valid approach when it’s done well. When it’s not, it can be awkward to watch.
Timing is Everything
The most crucial element of a successful horror comedy is timing in holding, and releasing, tension. Building suspense and surprise then cutting it, just to start all over again for maximum effect. Heart Eyes blends the suspenseful serial killer moments with the rom-com elements in this manner. The viewer knows romance will be interrupted by death, just not when or how; meanwhile, they are enjoying the parody. And hopefully enjoying it enough that they’re genuinely shocked when the killer jumps out at the heroes.
Good filmmakers, writers, and directors are skilled at using humor as a misdirect for the audience by lulling them into thinking that what they are watching is less disturbing that it actually is. The Monkey’s opening scene is probably my favorite gruesome misdirect. Spoilers ahead for this one. In trying to sell the monkey at a pawn shop, the key is turned, activating its need to kill. This sets into motion a series of events that starts with a wandering mouse, and ends with the shopkeeper getting a harpoon through the gut. It’s not overly bloody, but it’s abrupt and shocking. Then the harpoon retracts, pulling the shopkeeper’s insides with it. It’s still a mostly bloodless scene, but it keeps going while the customer and the shopkeeper watch, completely deadpan. It’s bizarre, unnatural, and hilarious. Everything works timing-wise in this scene. It also appropriately sets expectations for everything that follows.
Looking at horror movies released in the past few years, it seems like genre mixing has been gaining popularity. As more mashup horror like Freaky (Freaky Friday as a slasher) or high concepts like Abigail become popular, audiences will look for similar fare.
Why Do We Want Horror Comedy Now?
That’s a harder question to answer. It’s not as simple as just wanting lighter or more positive subject matter, especially when you look at the horror comedies released this year. Companion makes tough subjects easier to absorb by wrapping them in quirky characters and gags. The Monkey takes a similar approach with the heaviest of all themes: the inevitability of death. While both movies end on a fairly upbeat note, whether or not you consider them positive or uplifting is pretty personal. What we do know, is that adding well-timed humor to these movies, especially The Monkey, creates a more comfortable and rewatchable experience.
Not that movies should uniformly be easy to watch. More like, people might lean more towards that style these days. When a movie is released, and the state of the world at the time, has more to do with its reception than people care to admit. It’s easy to step back and view a movie just on its merits. Was the script solid, or the acting good? But before anyone can know any of that, audiences first have to see a trailer or read a synopsis, and decide if they have the appetite for that type of movie in the first place. For example, during the pandemic, a lot of creatives made films or other media inspired by their experiences, and none of them did very well, because the world was living it. People tended towards escapism, not reality.
Following the Numbers
Looking at movie releases and box office results for the past couple years, there really wasn’t a strong showing for horror comedy outside Megan and Abigail. However, 2025 has already come out swinging with more to come, with Hell of a Summer, Anaconda, and Death of a Unicorn. This also seems like the right place to mention that there are two different Popeye-centered horror movies coming out this year; do with that what you will.
It’s not a big secret that the world is in a weird place right now. Uncertainty hangs over every day, and there are no easy answers. It’s no wonder people might be more into violent movies as they search for some kind of catharsis. The added humor makes it all easier to take. Who doesn’t need a good laugh these days? There is a certain appeal to the rush of adrenalin from a good scare. Add on the endorphin boost from genuine laughter, and you’ve got a pretty good time, or at least around ninety minutes where you’re not thinking about your problems.
My current top 5 favorite horror comedies (in no particular order):
Tucker and Dale vs Evil
College students vacationing in the woods mistake bumbling rednecks for murderous hillbillies after a series of misunderstandings. As the students desperately try to escape from the harmless duo, they end up killing themselves off in extreme and gruesome ways. It’s a great take on the murderous hillbilly subgenre, and Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are perfect as Tucker and Dale respectively.
Deadstream
A canceled streamer looking for redemption live-streams from a haunted house. Things go horribly wrong in a found-footage, Sam Rami-inspired send-up of influencer culture. Gory, funny, and very underrated.
The Monkey
I’m going to be talking and thinking about this one for a long time. It’s gory, funny, and for me, deeply, wonderfully uplifting. I’ve never quite felt as joyful walking out of a horror movie as I did leaving The Monkey. A large part of that was how the humor enhances the themes.
Tremors
There aren’t enough funny monster movies outside of the zombie subgenre. In this one giant, subterranean man-eating worms menace a small Nevada town. Tremors remains a childhood favorite for its likeable characters, practical effects, and well-timed humor.
The Scream franchise (1-6, but not 3)
Okay, listing the franchise is cheating, but it’s a classic. Even though the later movies moved away from the comedy and more into straight slasher territory, Scream reinvigorated the genre and brought a new perspective. Justice for Dewey!
Final Thoughts
No matter what your sense of humor, or taste in movies, there’s probably a horror comedy to match it. From broad obvious jokes to subtle commentary, the past few years have seen an increase in genre-blending, and honestly an expansion of horror to new audiences in general. H3 came with me to see Companion because it was a comedy/sci-fi/horror blend. No matter what I feel about individual movies, if they grow this part of the industry that I love so much, I’m here for that. People need to laugh as much as the need to scream, they might as well do it at the same time. People need to laugh as much as the need to scream; they might as well do it at the same time.
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