Top 10 Horror Comedies Of All Time

So what makes a good horror comedy?

Perhaps it’s the well worn horror genre tropes dragged out of the shadows and into the light when our protagonist inevitably ventures into the eerie basement, or teenagers take a vacation in a cabin in the woods. Or maybe it’s the laughable narratives of slasher films where teenagers have sex and die, or zombies always stalk loved ones after being exposed to toxic waste.

I would argue that the perfect horror comedy pays homage to the pioneers of modern day horror films by side stepping our expectations with gore or humour at the most inappropriate moment, so we don’t know whether to laugh or vomit. I mean, even Freddy Kreuger had a sense of humour. And these days it’s not that hard or expensive to direct a meta take on horror films, but once in a while, lightning strikes, and someone finds comedy gold in the british suburbs or nazi gold in the alps.

So welcome to that time of year again where we look at another horror sub genre and laugh ourselves to death or get chased into the woods by a chainsaw wielding maniac. Or perhaps both. At the same time.

In descending order of greatness:

10. What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Taika Waititi’s debut film demonstrated that alongside Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste, New Zealanders have the best absurdist humour next to Monty Python, and they aren’t afraid of gore. Taika’s film is a family friendly affair and so funny and gothic baiting that it spawned a classic TV series. Now in it’s fifth season, it continues to impress audiences with its gore and humour. I never miss an episode.

9. John Dies At The End (2011)

Do you know the secret of the universe? It’s in the soy sauce. Directed by the much overlooked Don Coscarelli of Phantasm horror fame, John Dies At The End is based on the book of the same name by David Wong. It follows the exploits of David Wong as he embarks on a misadventure to discover the secrets of the universe and have a decent meal along the way. It’s a surrealist steak of entertainment, peppered with humour, horror and soy sauce. A cult classic.

8. The Blackening [2023]

The Blackening is a great take on horror film tropes from an african american perspective and isn’t scared to throw them all into blender. We all know the obvious one - where the black actor traditionally dies first - but this adds a few more by lampooning the slasher genre and Friday the 13th series.

It begins when seven friends reunite in a cabin in the woods, only to find themselves the target of serial killer. Maybe it’s not the scariest or goriest film on the list but it deserves a mention because this modern low budget movie nails the slasher genre with its throat cutting humour.

7. Young Frankenstein [1974]

You know, I was tempted to include Zombieland or Scream in this list because they reinvigorated the horror genre with their meta take on the slasher and zombie genres. But Mel Brooks’s underated masterpiece, Young Frankenstein, literally invented the horror film parody, long before it was fashionable. It cleverly channelled James Whale’s black and white Frankenstein and Bride Of Frankenstein aesthetics and practically recreated every scene with the brilliant Gene Wilder as Dr Frankenstein. I’m a fan of Universal Studios monsters and while this parody has few scares or gore, it’s a love letter to the black and white originals and never fails to make me laugh.

6. Return Of The Living Dead (1985)

I saw this film when I was a teenager living in the 1980’s and the humour went over my head and the toxic sludge went into my eyeballs. Having rewatched it again I can appreciate it’s something of a classic with american punks breaking into a graveyard, having sex on tombstones, and being eaten alive in teenage zombie town…

5. Bad Taste (1987)

Before there was Lord Of The Rings, there was Bad Taste. Peter Jackson’s low budget New Zealand comedy horror was his first foray into the genre. The film is incredibly funny and incredibly gory so its something of a mystery how the director used this as a calling card for Hollywood and forged a film industry in his native country by bringing us a fantasy trilogy that could never be bettered. But this is where it all began - with buckets of fake blood, gun totting aliens and geeks wielding lawnmowers.

4. Dead Snow (2009)

Ratcheting up the horror, Dead Snow surprised everyone with its zombie lake inspired nazi zombies who somehow survived WWII after being frozen in ice. It’s not until a group of medical students stumble upon nazi gold in the alps that they realise the zombies and will stop at nothing to protect it.

Director Tommy Wirkola brought us horror gold with dangerously scary nazi zombies and so many no hold barred outrageous moments where you don’t know whether to laugh or vomit. He later went on to direct that other snow filled charming Christmas classic, Violent Night.

3. Re-animator (1985)

Based on a HP Lovecraft tale called ‘Herbert West–Reanimator,’ this Stuart Gordon cult classic is steeped in black humour and gore. Jeffrey Coombes’s commitment to the role as Herbert West, a medical student attempting to discover the secret to life after death, makes this film so compelling. His serious portrayal pefectly underplays moments of hilarity amid the over the top gore, straddling the line between comic and disgusting. A stone cold classic.

2. Evil Dead II (1987)

Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead almost single handedly wrote the BBFC Video Nasties List in the 1980’s and became the must see horror film for a generation of home video teenagers. For his next trick, Raimi combined his love of The Three Stooges humour with all the horror and tension a bigger budget movie could muster in Evil Dead II. It’s literally eye-popping fun.

Thanks to Bruce Campbell’s acting genius he would go on to star in a career spanning series of Evil Dead inspired films and TV series. Hail to the franchise that will not die. Hail to the king!

1. Shaun Of The Dead [2004]

Shaun Of The Dead kickstarted the zombie revival that brought us twenty years of cultural zombification and converted everyone’s grandmother into a Walking Dead fan. It’s hard to quantify the impact of this low budget UK classic which charmed the world with its irreverant humour and lovingly inspired George Romero set pieces. Shaun Of The Dead is a cult classic that conquered the world and spawned a million imitations - it has never been bettered - and was later joined by the excellent Cornetto Trilogy of Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. Long live our intrepid cricket bat wielding, zombie ass kicking heroes.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were real life friends who honed their buddy roles after meeting director Edgar Wright on Channel 4’s Spaced TV series - which even featured a Resident Evil inspired zombie episode.

Suitable Flesh [2023]

After opening Fright Fest 2023 earlier this year, Joe Lynch’s Suitable Flesh has earned itself something of a reputation.

Perhaps its because this outlandish spoof of 1990’s erotic thrillers shares its DNA with Lovecraftian horror, or maybe because it features Heather Graham (Scrubs TV fame) as a fantastic new scream queen. Either way, its body shaping up to be the must see B-movie horror of the year.

Like most 1990’s films, the narrative is deliberately forgettable and centres on Psychiatrist Elizabeth Derby’s romantic involvement with a disturbed patient who seduces her, then swaps bodies using dark magic.

Available for VOD and digital download from Oct 27th.

Watch the Suitable Flesh trailer below:

Dario Argento Panico Documentary [2023]

Dario Argento is finally being recognised by his peers for his groundbreaking contribution to filmmaking with Simone Scafidi’s upcoming Panico documentary celebrating his work at the Venice Film Festival.

The documentary finds the director writing a film script for his latest venture in a hotel and offers “an immersive deep dive into the creative process and life of Argento and features exclusive interviews with the legendary filmmaker and insight from other acclaimed directors like Gaspar Noé, Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn about his impact on the horror genre and generations of other directors.”

Watch the Dario Argento Panico promo trailer below:

Aphex Twin - Blackbox Life Recorder 21f - Official Video [2023]

Aphex Twin returns with a new official video for Blackbox Life Recorder 21f by VFX collaborator Weirdcore.

EP available on Warp Records on LP and digital download now.

https://bleep.com

Aphex Twin - Blackbox Life Recorder 21f EP [2023]

Aphex Twin returns after a 5 year break with a brand new EP for 2023.

Open your ears to Richard D James’s latest eclectic ambient electronica ravecore which ditches the AFX, The Truss and Caustic Window pseudonyms and returns to his most famous moniker, Aphex Twin, for further exceptional music and sometimes commercial baiting purposes.

Full audio for the opening track can be heard in the Youtube video link below.

Tracklisting:

1 Blackbox Life Recorder 21f

2 zin2 test5

3 in a room7 F760

4 Blackbox Life Recorder 22 [Parallax Mix]

Available on Warp Records on LP and digital download from July 28th 2023.

https://bleep.com

Aphex Twin 2023

Dario Argento : Doors Into Darkness - BFI Film Festival

Dario Argento is finally being recognised by the BFI for his outstanding body of work and contribution to filmmaking with an upcoming retrospective film festival of his greatest, and latest work.

This long overdue respect has finally extended beyond the horror community and led to the BFI curating a Dario Argento film festival at London’s South Bank from May 12th, thanks to season programmer Michael Blyth’s upcoming celebration of his work. The month long programme will include a rare live interview with Dario Argento in discussion with Prano Bailey-Bond about his screen career, Q&A discussions, films rarities, and film introductions from the great auteur himself.

Films:

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
The Cat o’ Nine Tails
Four Flies on Grey Velvet
The Five Days (a forgotten rarity)
Deep Red (including Q&A with the director)
Suspiria (including a personal introduction by the director)
Inferno
Tenebrae (including a personal introduction by the director)
Phenomena
Opera (including a personal introduction by Michael Blyth)
Trauma
The Stendhal Syndrome
The Phantom of the Opera
Sleepless
The Card Player
Do You Like Hitchcock?
Mother of Tears – The Third Mother
Dark Glasses

The entire season programme can be found here:

https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam%3A%3AWScontent%3A%3AloadArticle%3A%3Apermalink=darioargento

The main event takes place on Friday May 12th and tickets are available from the link below:

https://southbanklondon.com/events/bfi-southbank/dario-argento-doors-darkness

Watch the BFI promo trailer below:

Dario Argento - Doors Into Darkness

Free Soft Synths - Roland JX-8P and TR-909 Clones

Good news for fans of Roland’s original JX-8P synthesizer and TR 909 drum machine with these free homebrew soft synth emulations for your DAW or your browser.

First up is a great clone of the infamous Roland TR-909 drum machine, the ER-99 from Extralife Instruments, with their open source, virtual analog drum synthesizer modeled on the classic 80s Japanese original. The instrument can be played live anywhere simply using your browser.

Play the ER-99 now:

https://extralifeinstruments.com/er-99/

Next up is Roland’s JX-8P synthesizer beast reborn as the incredible PG-8X plugin emulation, a work of genius and labour of love from enthusiast Martin Luders. I can’t begin to explain how good this free plugin sounds, especially considering the JX-8P emulation has been combined with its rare sister PG-800 module to allow for maximum interactivity and creativity.

The soft synth operates in your DAW with up to 12 voice polyphony and uses the original synth’s preset JX-8P Sysex data, which means you can import and export the orginal JX-8P presets. The plugin and its famous stereo chorus effect can be downloaded as .DLL files and copied into your DAW’s plug folder.

Download the PG-8X plugin and its manual now:

https://sites.google.com/site/mlvst0/

You can download the original JX-8P preset patch Sysex data collection here:

http://www.synthzone.com/mschreier/

Dead Ringers TV Series [2023]

David Cronenberg’s classic film Dead Ringers [1988] starring Jeremy Irons has been adapted into a modern limited Prime TV series.

Dead Ringers stars Rachel Weisz playing the duel role of Elliot and Beverly Mantle, twin gynecologists, who use their likeness and duplicity to share every experience of their lives at the expense of others.

And like the two main characters, I’m split on whether this modern remake / retake is a good idea, but intriqued enough to watch this blood splattered psychological story play out (despite the poor choice of a Blondie soundtrack). Although, it’s not the first time one of Cronenberg’s films has been reworked - Rabid was remade by the Soska Sisters in 2019 .

The Dead Ringers TV series is available to watch on Prime from April 21st, 2023.

You can watch the Dead Ringers teaser trailer below:

New Year, New Horror : Enys Men [2023]

Continuing with our New Year, New horror theme is the low budget british folk horror film, Enys Men, which translates from the Cornish as Stone Island.

The film stars Mary Woodvine, the director’s partner, as a wildlife volunteer living on a secluded Cornish island in 1973 as she studies a rare flower. Repeating the same daily observations, she slowly experiences strange visitations when the island’s standing stones exert an ill influence on her mind. Or do they?

Written and directed by Mark Jenkin, the film’s narrative sounds somewhat simplisitic, but this could almost double as a slow burning lost cult classic with its eerie use of 1970’s cinematography that make the film so authentically grainy. Apparently, Jenkin used an original 1976 Bolex hand-held and hand-wound camera that could only shoot for 27 seconds, making it look and feel as if it could have actually been made in that era - without the use of VFX.

There is a genuine appetite among cinema goers for folk horror, and so few classics. Enys Men looks set to be another worthy entry into the genre.

Enys Men is on general cinematic release now.

Watch the trailer below:

Enys Men official trailer

New Year, New Horror : Infinity Pool [2023]

2023 is already shaping up to be a horrorific year.

And I don’t just mean the current state of the United Kingdom with its sick workforce, nhs crisis, rail strikes, nurse strikes, royal mail strikes, border force strikes, laywer strikes, food shortages, covid waves, cost of living crisis, and incompetant and uncaring Conservative government.

No, I’m talking about the fantastic new horror films coming your way this year.

Let’s start with Brandon Cronenberg’s latest offering, Infinity Pool. The Cronenberg family have been on a bit of a roll lately with last year’s release of David Cronenberg’s Crimes Of The Future [2022], and his son, Brandon Cronenberg’s burgeoning career. His latest imminent release is the follow up to the mindbending Possessor [2020], a revenge film about identity featuring body horror, shock value, and great cinematography. Like father, like son.

Infinity Pool’s premise concerns a young writer, played by Alexander Skarsgård, looking for inspiration on a road trip with his partner when he accidentally kills someone in a hit and run in a remote country, and is soon apprehended by the authorities. The punishment for his crime in this undisclosed country? The death penalty. But for a huge financial sum, the authorities can grow a body double who will be executed on his behalf.

Infinity Pool is released on January 27th, 2023.

Watch the trailer below:

Enys Men - Official Trailer

Christmas Antidote : Watch Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972)

Confused about what Christmas festive film you should be watching? How about none of them. Bah Humbug. Instead, watch the classically deranged low budget cult horror classic, Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things for free, courtesy of our annual Merry Horror Christmas link.

Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things’s narrative follows the classic horror movie trope of bored and stupid teenagers (in this case hippies) doing things they shouldn’t and end up getting killed, chased or cursed. We’ve all been there before, and some of us even ended up in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday The 13th. I digress…

Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things is a cult horror classic that begins when a group of young hippies excavate a corpse at the local cemetary, then perform a fake satanic ritual for fun, and things go very wrong. Although obviously inspired by Night Of The Living Dead it has enough moments of cinematic genius, unintentionally hilarious dialogue, dead hippies, and atmospheric dread that make it a perfect antidote to the Christmas classic.

Ho Ho Horror.

Watch the Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrwAJWGYdqY

Watch the FREE full movie on Youtube below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fv0fM3i-0U

Children Shouldnt Play With Dead Things [1972]

Dawn Breaks Behind The Eyes [2022]

Dawn Breaks Behind The Eyes is a slow burning horror film from German director, Kevin Kopacka, that will delight fans of Jess Franco and Jean Rollin with its atmospheric 1970's inspired euro horror. This psychedelic gothic tale begins with the classic trope of a young couple inheriting a castle and making the mistake of visiting it at night, only to find themselves drawn into an eternity of horror from which they can never escape.

Dawn Breaks Behind The Eyes is available on DVD and VOD now.

Watch the trailer below:

Dawn Breaks Behind The Eyes Trailer [2022]

Something In The Dirt [2022]

Directors Moorhead and Benson return with their latest film, Something In the Dirt, a mesmerizing search for truth in paranoid and uncertain times.

I’ve been a fan of the directors strange esoteric film making since Endless [2017], where two friends return to a UFO cult and encounter eerie experiences. Follow up big budget Hollywood offering, Synchronic [2020], amplified their mindbending narrative sensibilities with the disturbing and intriquing tale of two paramedics who encounter a street drug that can transform time and reality.

Information about Something In The Dirt’s premise is scant but it apparently concerns two buddy filmmakers who try to capture visual proof of the supernatural and fall down a rabbit hole of paranoia. So be prepared, because like some of the best auters, you can never predict what will happen next.

Nevertheless, it will be something worth watching.

Watch the Something In The Dirt trailer below:

Something In The Dirt Film Trailer [2022]

Top 10 Haunted House Movies Of All Time

How much money would convince you to spend the night in a haunted house?

It's a simple but effective premise which has been the main trope of the haunted house genre for years. Typically, a group of sceptical guests are invited to spend the night at a mysterious benefactor's haunted house in order to collect a huge prize. But what if the house really was haunted? Another trope involves new homeowners who discover they have to exorcise its ghosts by solving the riddle of a past, heinous crime. Whether its the solution to a decades old murder that took place there or the discovery of the house being illegally built on hallowed ground.

But what if a house was haunted by its guests?

What's always intriqued me about the haunted house genre isn't so much the ghosts and monsters who lie in wait when the electricity fails and the lights begin to flicker, it's the concept that the house itself is alive. In the best of the genre, the house becomes a malevolent force, manifested by grief or madness as the residents become quietly unhinged. It feeds on their deepest fears, reflecting them back like a mirror. Driving them to leave or die.

Watch the Top 10 haunted house movies below and pray you’ll still be alive, and sane enough, to collect the prize in the morning.

In descending order of greatness:

10. House (1985)

I remember watching this film when it first came out on direct to video when I was barely a teenager, and it certainly wasn’t age appropriate. The orginal House film was hugely entertaining and a runaway home video success that spawned countless sequels which never bettered the original formula of one man alone in a haunted house that he could never escape.

The sheer inventiveness of the practical effects on display and creativity was pretty astounding for a low budget straight to video affair. In fact, the bathroom scene where the protagonist breaks the bathroom mirror and finds a portal to an alternative dimension on the other side freaked me out for years. I’ve never liked shaving ever since.

House (1985) Movie Trailer

9. The Innocents (1961)

Despite the same title, this early classic is not to be confused with the excellent Norwegian film The Innocents from 2022.

This original The Innocents (1963) film is a slow burning creepy British classic based on an original ghost story by Henry James. It concerns a governess hired to look after two children who experience disturbing events which may or may not be in their own imagination.

8. The Amityville Horror (1979)

It’s a long time since I’ve watched this horror movie which was rumoured to have been based on a true story. It begins when a newly married couple purchase a house whose previous owners were murdered in their sleep. Evil still dwells in the house, invading the owners thoughts until they are no longer safe from each other. They obviously didn’t know about mindfulness in the 1970s.

Even now I wonder if I imagined the basement scene with James Brolin when the walls start to bleed. It horrified me for years. Either way, this 1970’s film is surpisingly bleak and oppressive, even now.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

7. Poltergeist (1982)

Directed by Tobe Hooper of The Texas Chainsaw movie fame, Poltergeist is ostensibly a family friendly film until the family’s youngest daughter, Carole Anne, seemingly becomes possessed. In the infamous night time scene, she communciates with the static of their TV set to a dead channel, revealing the house has been possessed by a poltergeist.

This big budget horror film was written by Steven Spielberg and succeeds on many levels. It even spawned a catalogue of sequels with the memorable medium who communicated with Carole Anne once she was sucked into the after life by the spirits of the house. The sequel was even weirder and the series entered into social myth after the death of its young leading actress and other cast members.

Poltergeist (1982)

6. The Legend Of Hell House (1973)

This film could almost be described as a modern remake of the original The Haunting film from 1963. There are so many similarities, it’s uncanny. Both films share the same premise when a group of people with varying motives enter a haunted house to investigate the possibility of life after death.

Roddy McDowell gives a compelling performance, as always, and the climax ramps up the sheer tension with crazy sound effects and over the top hysterics, buts its oddly compelling.

The Legend Of Hell House (1973)

5. Hausu (1977)

I have to admit that this crazy Japanese movie is the least scariest haunted house film on the list, but it deserves a special mention thanks to its wild and creative take on the genre. A group of school girls are forced to spend the night in a haunted house and are murdered by ghosts they have disturbed in more and more bizarre ways. I mean, for gods sake, it features an animated sequence of disembodied fingers playing a piano that devours its victims.

I’ve probably watched this film about three or four times just to reassure myself that it actually exists. It’s truly bonkers and you would be forgiven for thinking Director Tim Burton directed this quirky little number, despite predating his career by twenty years.

4. Dark Water (2002)

From director Hideo Nakata of the original Japanese Ringu ‘Ring’ (1998) film, comes Dark Water, his natural and logical progression within the genre. This oppressive haunted house film takes the viewer on a journey through one woman’s grief as she searches for her lost daughter in an apartment building.

Dark Water is a precursor to The Babadook and Heriditary which would later use the themes of externalising inner grief with supernatural demons some 12 years later. It was easily ahead of its time and a truly harrowing emotional experience.
Nakata’s film is a better and more atmospheric film than the original Ringu film, and one that has been sadly overlooked.

3. The Shining (1980)

Some would argue that Kubrick’s The Shining is the greatest horror film of all time. But I would argue that it isn’t the greatest haunted house movie of all time. Sure, its incredibly atmospheric with Kubrick’s cold and technical use of tracking shots and pure, unadulterated tension, but the ghosts are subtly pushed to the background. Right up until the moment the viewer sees the final shot of the Ballroom photo from over a hundred years ago and you realise Jack Nicholson has been here before, and is actually haunting himself. For me, this film is more about the breakdown of the family unit and the fear generated from within, explored through the fearful eyes of Danny. The Overlook Hotel is the catalyst to domestic abuse. It’s one hell of a movie and one of my favourite films of all time.

Stephen King famously hated this film because of its cold, clinical interpretation of his story and characters, which deviates from his original novel.

The Shining (1980)

2. The House By The Cemetery (1981)

It would be remiss of Freudstein if this list didn’t mention the classic movie which inspired our band name and all our musical death dreams, The House By The Cemetery.

This isn’t an orthodox haunted house genre film because Italian Horror simply doesn’t play by the rules. Lucio Fulci’s masterpiece features more scares for your money with a haunted house, zombie serial killer, incredible soundtrack, shocking deaths and buckets of realistic gore. The story follows the familiar trope of a family moving into a house in Boston only to discover there’s something lurking in the basement, and soon realise their new home was built on the site of an old graveyard. The protagonist’s son, Bob, is also receiving premonitions much like the character of Danny in The Shining.

House By The Cemetery is the third in Lucio Fulci’s Gates Of Hell Trilogy and features amazing practical effects, a wild and sometimes incoherent storyline, and one of the best zombie monsters in living dead history.

Dr Jacob Freudstein is ready to see you in the basement, now.

A stone cold classic.

1. The Haunting (1963)

Based on Shirley Jackson’s classic novel, The Haunting (1963) is a film steeped in dread atmosphere and sheer tension with its use of skewed camera angles, fish eye camera lenses, and eerie sounds effects to summon the supernatural. These techniques epitomise the haunted house genre as it slowly, and believably, disorientates its viewers. We experience the world from the house’s point of view through the eyes of Eleanor as she descends into madness, and we come to believe the house is truly alive. And in control.

Some may decry the lack of horror and violence in this creaking old classic. The director, Robert Wise, instead implied the presence of a house possessed, and never revealed the ghosts which drive its residents to madness and despair. Instead he leaves this up to our own imagination, using camera work that Sam Raimi, the original director of the Evil Dead, would go on to borrow when he relocated the story to that other famous trope, the cabin in the woods.

The Haunting (1963)