October 4^th: 3 Comedic Horror Films to Lift Your Spirits

It’s difficult to combine the horror genre with comedy. Few films succeed. Here are three films to tickle the funny bone, provided it’s still attached once the monsters arrive.

1. Shaun of the Dead (2004): Zombies force relationship reconciliations. Shaun, played by the versatile Simon Pegg, is having the worst day. The zombie apocalypse has arrived, and Shaun sets out to save his ex-girlfriend, while mending his relationship with his mother. The quick camera cuts and snappy dialogue showcase the writing talents of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. This film rapidly became a cult classic.
2. Tucker and Dale v. Evil (2010): Is That a Banjo I Hear? Eli Craig’s 2010 cult classic Tucker and Dale vs. Evil features two hillbillies, played by Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk, heading out to fix up their waterfront vacation house. The house is an abandoned cabin set deep in the West Virginian woods. While loading up on supplies, “Tucker” and “Dale” encounter a large group of college students heading out on a camping trip. Queue the banjos. Not so fast. As NPR’s film critic Ian Buckwalter asks: … “what if that banjo were just a bango?” This limited-release feature film upends the horror genre by injecting comedy into the plot.
3. What We Do in the Shadows (2014): A Kiwi Delight. A film crew follows three vampires as they adjust to modern living with roommates, assign chores from the chore wheel, and navigate the singles scene in Wellington, New Zealand. Filmed for $1.6 million dollars, the film grossed over $6.9 million in the United States alone. The film is probably one of the most financially successful horror/comedy films Americans haven’t heard of. That is until now. Amazon Prime is streaming the film for free.