The 36 Funniest Scary Movies Ever Made
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Horror comedies truly give audiences the best of both worlds. They have it all, running the gamut of raw human emotion in a way that elevates your movie night from a simple time-killer to a cinematic and social experience. When else do you get the opportunity to laugh at trauma? Find levity and joy in the face of fear? Not often! It's a form of catharsis unlike any other. The rollercoaster of feelings you experience when watching a character flee from a horrific killer, only to outsmart him with a wise meta remark like, "Not in my movie!" is the greatest thrill.
Scares and laughs are a rare blend to find in cinema. Even more difficult, finding movies that encompass both genres that are worth spending the time to watch. This list captures the dry humor of figures like Sam Raimi and Aubrey Plaza, both of whom turn a scary watch into a fun time, mines newer treasures in the form of films like Fresh, Ready or Not, Freaky, and recalls timeless classics like Heathers, American Psycho, and even a wild card like Urban Legend.
M3GAN
No one did hilarious and spine-chilling at the same time as well as M3GAN. The film about a robot doll-BFF who turns out to be a lot more than a little girl bargained for? It was perfect. How can you forget M3GAN bursting out a perfect rendition of Sia’s "Titanium," moments after pushing a preteen boy in front of a car? Or M3GAN’s fabulous dance moves, before she chased down a grown man with a makeshift machete? There are so many unforgettable moments in this campy modern classic, you have to watch it a couple times to catch them all.
See the original post on Youtube
The Lost Boys
Vampires stalking an idyllic coastal Californian town—ring a bell? Well, this Joel Schumacher feature is anything but familiar. In this creepy, bloodsucker-infested film, the vampires aren’t afraid of garlic—even when Corey Haim and Corey Feldman trick him into dumping loads of it on his spaghetti. What else can the vampires do? Well, they love to ride motorcycles—and can turn your Chinese food into maggots. This '80s romp has its good share of scares, but it makes sure to dial up the fun along the way.
See the original post on Youtube
Cocaine Bear
We’ve entered an era of fully embracing camp—and we’re better off for it. And what does camp mean nowadays? To me, camp is when you take a real-life story about a bear that accidentally ingests cocaine—that was dropped by drug smugglers!—and turn it into a tight 95 minutes of over-the-top, hyper-violent, and manic shenanigans. If you want to watch drug dealers, school-ditching kids, and Ray Liotta shine in one of his last roles, this one's for you.
See the original post on Youtube
Housebound
Housebound takes on the classic haunted house trope and injects it with scenes marked by gags and impeccable timing. Sure, the film is technically a horror comedy, but the narrative is darker than you might expect. Kylie, a young woman sentenced to house arrest at her parent’s home, becomes convinced supernatural forces are in her midst. As the scares get worse, Kylie investigates the truth behind the house... and uncovers the unexpected.
See the original post on Youtube
Anna and The Apocalypse
Anna and The Apocalypse is the Christmas zombie musical you didn’t know you needed in your life. What better way to ring in the season of candy canes and mall Santas than singing and slashing your way through a zombie apocalypse?
See the original post on Youtube
One Cut of the Dead
Encountering zombies under any circumstance is usually not ideal, but for a director in the midst of filming a low-budget film about zombies, it’s terrifyingly convenient. Instead of running and hiding for his dear life, a director pushes his crew to hit record and document the ravenous, flesh-eating monsters.
See the original post on Youtube
Urban Legend (1998)
Not exactly humorous, but this late ‘90s thriller is a hidden gem in the horror genre. Similar to Courteney Cox in Scream, this film also includes a relentless reporter—here played by Jared Leto—who tries to uncover who the murderer is on campus for his college newspaper. Even with the ridiculous premise, the combination of having Leto on his hunt and Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) as a professor makes this film worth watching even if it’s not the most side-splitting of the bunch.
See the original post on Youtube
Fresh (2022)
A recent release that will turn into a classic. Having no success with the modern day horrors of dating—aka dating apps—a young woman meets Sebastian Stan who plays a real lady killer. A man who has an appetite for exquisite taste—human meat!
See the original post on Youtube
Ready Or Not (2019)
Here, find a unique spin on the final girl trope following a bride on her wedding night trying to make it out alive in a game of hide and seek with her new in-laws. With laugh out loud moments, a strong performance from Samara Weaving as Grace—a newlywed who has the worst first night of marriage imaginable—and just a 90-minute runtime, your mind never wonders as you wait for what gory kill comes next.
See the original post on Youtube
Heathers (1988)
The iconic line of “f*** me with a chainsaw” was born with this original mean girls plot from the ‘80s. Staring goth queen Winona Ryder who’s covering up murders and labeling them as suicides by blaming the stereotype of teenage depression, this black comedy grew a cult following as the story has developed to broadway and TV shows.
See the original post on Youtube
American Psycho (2000)
Let’s see Paul Allen’s card. Starring Batman (Christian Bale) and the Joker (Jared Leto), this satire will have you laughing at the most serious times. A legendary performance by Bale leaves you questioning if what you just watched actually happened and all the characters are too self obsessed to notice, or if it is an imagination from his inner turmoil.
See the original post on Youtube
Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Despite the name, this 2009 release is hilarious, clever, and a fun to watch film that constantly pushes your buttons. In true Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead) fashion, the odd sense of humor completely works—plus, Raimi shows he’s not afraid to take risks with the controversial ending.
See the original post on Youtube
Child's Play (2019)
A new adaptation of the ‘80s classic with the same little boy, Andy, and his cute doll, Chucky, who becomes overprotective and tries to kill anyone close to him. What makes this remake hold more weight than the original, though, is how Chucky learns to kill by picking up mannerisms from watching violent horror movies with Andy. Not only does Chucky play a huge role in the comedy aspect, but Aubrey Plaza playing Andy’s mom is on standby adding heaps more laughs.
See the original post on Youtube
Freaky (2020)
No, it’s not Freaky Friday or Friday the 13th, it’s both! Freaky is the third movie directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) that makes a non horror premise, horrifying. Combining the storylines of Freaky Friday and Friday the 13th makes for another unconventional watch from Blumhouse Productions that actually works.
See the original post on Youtube
Serial Mom (1994)
An underrated story in the horror genre that started Matthew Lillard’s (Scream) career in the early ‘90s. A seemingly all good and perfect mom does anything to make her kids happy—even if that means murdering.
See the original post on Youtube
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)
Not the usual black comedy. Instead of just scares and laughs, this film also has heart—teaching you not to judge a book by its cover. It dismisses common stereotypes, like there being an intimidating antagonist in most horror movies, and instead, the film makes you root for the main characters who are misunderstood because of their appearance.
See the original post on Youtube
This Is The End (2013)
A group of celebrity comedians (Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson) attempt to survive the apocalypse as it strikes during a huge Hollywood party at James Franco's house. Cameos from Rihanna, Emma Watson, and yes, the Backstreet Boys, makes it a celeb-fest like no other.
See the original post on Youtube
What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
Taika Watiti's mockumentary about the mundane lives of vampire flatmates in New Zealand is a pure delight that led to the popular TV series. And we love the series, but you simply can't beat the original.
See the original post on Youtube
Happy Death Day (2017)
Slasher flick meets Groundhog Day in this Blumhouse production, in which a college girl relives the day of her murder over and over until she can unmask the killer and save her own life.
See the original post on Youtube
Jennifer's Body (2009)
A high school cheerleader (Megan Fox) is demonically possessed and starts killing her thirsty male classmates, while her friend Needy (Amanda Seyfriend) tries to stop to the bloodshed.
See the original post on Youtube
Clue (1985)
This campy cult comedy follows a group of seven strangers invited to a mysterious dinner party, who all become suspects after one of them turns up dead. Bodies drop left and right in this slapstick whodunit based, of course, on the popular board game.
See the original post on Youtube
Gremlins (1984)
Tiny cute creatures turn murderous monsters, wreaking havoc on a small town at Christmastime. Written by Chris Columbus, produced by Steven Spielberg, featuring genuinely horrific death scenes and a premise so ridiculous that it works. Gremlins!
See the original post on Youtube
Ghostbusters (1984)
The original Ghostbusters stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson as supernatural exterminators who must save New York City from a spectral apocalypse. Filled with great jokes and bad CGI, it's a classic for a reason. Who you gonna call?
See the original post on Youtube
Hocus Pocus (1993)
The poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva said it best when she tweeted: "Hocus Pocus is about a Virgin invoking chaos bc he is so horny." It's also a family movie about witches who steal children's souls, and with the comedic (and musical) talents of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, there isn't a dull moment.
See the original post on Youtube
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
So, Sleepaway Camp may not have intended to be comedic, but it's a cult classic that's funny as hell. Picture a campy (pun woefully unintended) version of Friday the 13th with less-than-good acting and a twist ending that you won't soon forget. Listen to the How Did This Get Made? episode after you watch, for hilarious commentary by Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas.
See the original post on Youtube
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Mel Brooks's classically brilliant parody stars Gene Wilder as a skeptical grandson of Dr. Frankenstein, who inherits his castle and learns that reanimation might actually be real after all.
See the original post on Youtube
Fright Night (1985)
Horror movie-obsessed Charlie discovers that his new neighbor (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire—and worse, his neighbor knows that Charlie's aware of his true identity. Naturally, Charlie enlists the help of a washed-up actor who hosts his favorite late-night horror movie TV show (played by a perfectly bumbling Roddy McDowall) in order to slay the beast who's ruining the neighborhood.
Arachnophobia (1990)
There's nothing super funny about a movie in which a venomous spider preys upon a small New England town—a terror that for many of us is very real indeed. But while Arachnophobia may make your skin crawl, it's also very funny; John Goodman's turn in the film's second act as a bumbling exterminator is great comic relief, providing plenty of laughs as spiders creepily dangle and crawl all over the place.
Dead Alive (1992)
Long before he ventured into Middle Earth, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson made his directorial debut with this crazy gorefest. When his cruel mother is bitten by a Sumatran Rat-Monkey (just go with us here), young Lionel is stunned to see her rise from the dead as a blistering, festering, cannibalistic monster. Can Lionel keep his zombie mother a secret from his new girlfriend?
Zombieland (2009)
The all-American zombie apocalypse film gets a hilarious update with this road-trip comedy that sees college student Columbus heading back home to see if his family is still alive. Along the way he encounters a gun-toting badass, Tallahassee, and a pair of plucky sisters Wichita and Little Rock. Oh, and Bill Murray, too.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Tim Burton's comedy about the afterlife features a particularly manic performance from its star Michael Keaton. And while this movie about two ghosts (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) whose home is now "haunted" by a living family plays up the laughs over the frights, there are still plenty of super spooky moments—such as its exorcism-themed finale.
Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987)
Bruce Campbell returns as Ash in Sam Raimi's sequel to/sort-of-remake of his 1981 cult classic directorial debut. Immediately following the events of the first film, Ash and his girlfriend Linda take a romantic vacation... to a similarly creepy cabin in the woods. Naturally, all hell breaks loose—literally—when the ancient evil is unleashed once again and Ash must fight an army of demons in order to escape.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
This bait-and-switch directed by Drew Goddard (who co-wrote it with Joss Whedon) begins as your typical horror flick: A group of unwitting college students go to a remote cabin in the middle of nowhere for a boozy, druggy, sex-filled weekend away, where monsters of varying sorts are waiting to pluck them off one-by-one. But it has a postmodern twist, turning this slasher film into a hilarious horror satire.
Scream (1996)
A group of teens is stalked—and slowly picked off, one by one—by a masked and hooded killer who just happens to have an obsession with horror movies. But the killer also happens to have a cheeky side in Wes Craven's postmodern slasher satire.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
John Landis turned the werewolf genre on its head with this horror comedy, in which a pair of American tourists, David and Jack (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne), are attacked by a wolf in the English countryside. David, who survived, wakes up in a London hospital—only to be greeted by the undead apparition of Jack, who delivers the harsh news that David will transform into a werewolf during the next full moon.
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Edgar Wright made his directorial debut with his horror spoof, one that was co-written by its star Simon Pegg. The titular Shaun spends his mediocre days shuffling to and from work, playing video games with his best friend, and pining for his recently estranged girlfriend. But that humdrum life is instantly spun out of control when a zombie apocalypse takes over London, forcing him to action to protect his best friend, his mother, and the love of his life.
You Might Also Like
