This Halloween I have some new inductees into the halls of horror comedy to be placed films next to Shawn of the Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Cabin in the Woods.
Submitted for your approval: a list a of horror comedies that will that will tickle your funny bone before breaking it in half.
This is a mockumnetary about what happens when five vampires from different eras nest together. It stars Jemaine Clement, of Flight of the Conchords fame, as a debonair Vlad the impaler figure. It tackles important issues like: how to dress for a night out when you have no reflection, how to get into a club when you need to be invited in, and what to do in the event of a freak sunlight accident.
This is an uproarious party movie. I’ve watched it time 3 times so far this year and I’ll probably watch it a fourth.
Box quote: If Christopher Guest made a vampire it would feel like this.
This is a found footage movie for people who hate found footage movies.
Josef, a man with a terminal brain tumor hires a videographer to make a video journal for Josef’s unborn son. If this sounds a little too much like the premise for Michael Keaton’s heartwarming classic My Life, don’t worry, it gets different real fast. Josef breaches his videographer’s comfort zone early on and keeps poking at it. Either his tumor is effecting him in ways he’s not aware of or he’s just a creep.
If you’ve ever lived with, worked with, or dated a compulsive liar you’ll recognize many of Josef’s strategies. He has the power to freak us out and reel us back in with sound explanations. It’s a movie that challenges our desire to believe the best in people.
Box quote: You’ll never trust a Craigslist ad again.
How far would corporate go to restructure your office for maximum sales? Would they make an unholy alliance with creatures of the night? Of course they would.
Bloodsucking Bastards is a comedy, in the spirit of Shaun of the Dead, all about the horrors of office work. It stars Fran Kanz from Cabin in the Woods fame.
Box quote: What happens when you cross Office Space with Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
If I was bitten by a vampire I’d use my immortality to become a better writer. The man-child in this movie uses his vampire confidence to score. Summer of Blood is a lesson in how an unlikable lead can charm an audience over time.
Cross the conversational humor of early Kevin Smith movies with Nosferatu and you get this quirky slice of mumble-core horror. This is delicious commentary on hookup culture.
Box quote: Modern romance with an ancient twist.
What happens when the marauders from Mad Max run out of gas? They start riding mountain bikes. Welcome to a post apocalyptic wasteland ruled by cyborgs, cowboys, and bicycle gangs.
Turbo Kid is the story of a scavenger who discovers a power glove that turns him into a super hero. With the help of a cowboy and a fresh spin on the manic pixie dream girl, he takes on the tyrant that killed his parents.
Turbo Kid is filled with 80s references, cheesy one-liners, and buckets of blood. Unlike other 80s homages, like Kung Fury, Turbo Kid plays it straight. The film is gory without being too gruesome. Its bloodletting is more cartoony than it is a lesson in anatomy.
Box quote: A lost 80s adventure movie that your parents would never let you see.
Don’t forget to check out my obscure horror recommendations from last year. I had so many I broken them down into 3 sections:
- Found Footage and Mockumentries
- Reality Warping Reels and Romance from the Twilight Zone
- Real World/Supernatural Horror
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SYMPTOMATIC is my first full length album. This LP is the soundtrack for a science fiction fantasy that’s playing exclusively in your imagination. It’s the perfect score for writers working on action scenes.
Just looking at the images, I dare not press the Play button in fear that I would lose sleep at night. Scaaaary!
I dare you to watch all of them 🙂
No, thank you! I enjoyed reading this post though… and I’ll leave it at that. 🙂
You had me at “Christopher Guest”. And ‘Office Space and BtVS’?! If that flick isn’t amazing, I will haunt you. 😉 Not sure about that second one though… Creeper.
What We Do in the Shadows might just be one of my favorites movies of the year. I’ve seen it three times so far.
Blood Sucking Bastards is quip-static.
I will take your word for it. You are the expert in these things, after all. But I do have to at least try to watch a film with a tagline: What happens when you cross Office Space with Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
I love your new look…al la pumpkin face…
It suits me for sure 😉
Not sure I would seek these flicks out, but I’ve always said that the fun of many movies is the person you’re watching them with. Feel free to invite me over.