Two great things don’t always work well together, but sometimes the combination can be magical. Soda and ice cream, for example, is a real dessert treat, while beer and ice cream is an abomination destroying both flavors. Fortunately, comedy and horror is a solid duo, bringing out the best in both genres. It doesn’t seem like it should work on the surface – laughing from morbid circumstances doesn’t feel appropriate – but something about gratuitous gore and life-ending circumstances elevates the comedy.
The unfortunate and wild situations in which some characters find themselves also are endlessly entertaining, mostly because they are happening to other people and not the viewer. To celebrate the unsung heroes of this genre, the following list will detail ten bizarre horror comedies you have probably never heard of. Hopefully this piece inspires some to watch these and find out what all the fuss is about.
Class Of Nuke ‘Em High
Troma’s underground films feature no holds barred humor, nudity, and lots of violence. Class of Nuke ‘Em High follows students at a high school who are mutated by the nuclear power plant located next to their campus.
What follows is a series of debaucherous escapades filled with gruesome creature effects and happenings like a girl coughing up a living creature and a young man growing a bosom. Those who enjoyed it can take pleasure in knowing several sequels were produced, with the most recent being the two-part Return to Nuke ‘Em High.
Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil
This 2010 film follows two friends as they are mistaken by a group of students for serial killers. This misunderstanding would have been easy to clear up if the young folks didn’t continuously off themselves in hilarious ways, further convincing themselves that the two buddies are taking them out.
Reviews were positive, though Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil didn’t recoup its budget in theaters. Talk of a sequel has been going on for years, but it doesn’t look like it’ll happen anytime soon.
Dead Alive
Before Peter Jackson entered the world cinematic stage with the legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy, he filled up his filmography with a series of B movies.
Dead Alive is one of the most positively received of these, and it is easy to see why. The stomach-churning humor and unique take on the zombie tropes set against the New Zealand suburban backdrop make it a truly unique viewing experience. The director’s future pedigree only makes it more charming to watch in hindsight.
Hobo With A Shotgun
The late, great Rutger Hauer plays a homeless man down on his luck who decides to administer some street justice on criminals and evildoers upon finding a shotgun.
The project was first a fake trailer before buzz and awards prompted a full feature’s green-light. For anyone looking for an awesome vigilante power fantasy, it is on par with the likes of The Punisher: War Zone.
Poultrygeist
Another Troma production, Poultrygeist, ratchets up the amount of carnage one expects from a Lloyd Kaufman film to almost unbearable levels. But for gorehounds looking for some slapstick with their kills, there’s nothing better.
Shot on a shoestring budget, par for the course with Troma, the shoot suffered terrible setbacks due to malfunctioning special effects and problems amongst actors. By the skin of their teeth, the movie still made it out into theaters and is an underground cult classic.
Bubba Ho-Tep
An aging Elvis Presley who swapped lives with an impersonator before his death is living out his last days in a retirement home with a man who claims to be John F. Kennedy. Their mundane lives are interrupted by an ancient mummy they must battle.
While a bizarre concept, the whole runtime is filled with heart, especially for fans of the King. Bruce Campbell’s performance as the protagonist is a particular highlight and one of the finest moments of his career, and that’s saying something for the guy who played Ash Williams.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Tobe Hooper felt people didn’t appreciate the humor he injected into The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, so he made the sequel an all-out romp.
Its existence is overshadowed by the premier entry, but people shouldn’t skip out on it. The movie avoids the trope regarding horror movie sequels doling out diminishing returns by being so dramatically different. Dennis Hopper also plays a major role, making 1986 an odd year for the actor. Blue Velvet came out in the same timeframe.
Birdemic
All of the other movies on this list have been intentional with their comedy. 2010’s Birdemic was a serious attempt at a drama about love coupled with an environmental message.
The movie was made with a microscopic budget, requiring most of the actors to also be the crew and released to terrible reviews, quickly becoming a sensation due to its poor quality. The story is basically The Birds, but sillier. A sequel came out in 2013, and the director is set on making it a trilogy in the future.
House
House isn’t so much scary as it is inane. Through its wild combination of ideas, the Japanese film entertains audiences through every moment of its story, whether it be through the sappy introduction set to kitschy pop songs or the later scenes where the titular house presents its crazy apparitions to the innocent victims.
It has its share of blood and gore, but don’t let that deter the weaker stomachs from watching it, lest they miss out on one of the most unique films ever made.
Tammy And The T. Rex
Before Denise Richards was a Bond girl and before Paul Walker starred in The Fast and The Furious, they were both madly in love with each other in Tammy and the T-Rex. Tammy, played by Richards, is in shock after her boyfriend falls into a coma following a vicious lion attack. Coincidentally, a mad scientist sees this as the perfect opportunity to put a brain into his recently created animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex.
Off-kilter comedy and joyously terrible special effects make it a deliciously fun romp from beginning to end. It had a rocky release history, initially coming to theaters severely edited for a PG-13 rating, but recently was released on Blu-Ray in all of its gory glory.
