Confession time! When I watch films and TV, if there are dead things wandering around and gore spurting through the air -- that's great! But I like a generous helping of comedy in there, too. Sounds weird, right? Combining horror with comedy? But I just adore it! Here are some of my favorite Black Comedy/Horror TV shows and movies.
Black Comedy-Horror TV shows:
In this past week's MMM posts, I've already mentioned some of my favorites: The Addams Family, Kolchak, Buffy, Angel, and Supernatural. But there's one more, perhaps a bit more Comedy than Horror:
Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)
Ned (Lee Pace) has the ability to return the dead to life with one touch. If he touches them a second time within one minute, it returns them to death. If he doesn't touch them a second time within one minute, someone else will die in their place. He uses his power to ask the "dead" who killed them, thus solving their murders.
Interesting Note: Pushing Daisies won much critical acclaim, garnering a total of 57 award nominations and winning 18, including 7 Emmy wins.Black Comedy-Horror TV shows:
Ned (Lee Pace) has the ability to return the dead to life with one touch. If he touches them a second time within one minute, it returns them to death. If he doesn't touch them a second time within one minute, someone else will die in their place. He uses his power to ask the "dead" who killed them, thus solving their murders.
Black Comedy-Horror Films:
(It's a long list, so kick back and enjoy!)
Abbot & Costello met every creepy thing from Frankenstein to the Mummy! C'mon. How can you go wrong with Abbott & Costello?
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) This is a campy movie, but it was written and directed by Roman Polanski, who directed such notable films as: "Rosemary’s Baby," "Chinatown," "Tess," and "The Pianist."
Young Frankenstein (1974) Another very campy movie, written by Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder. A real Comedy-Horror classic.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Great surrealistic sets and actions in the dream sequences. And c’mon. Who doesn’t love Freddy?
Ghostbusters (1984) Director: Ivan Reitman; Starring: Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver. Gooey ectoplasm, a ghost vacuum cleaner, and a giant Pillsbury Doughboy monster.
Gremlins (1984) With Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates, and the cutest creature since tribbles, Gizmo.
Fright Night (1985) I think the original beats the remake especially since Roddy MacDowell plays a very funny Creature Feature movie host.
Re-Animator (1985) Written by H.P. Lovecraft. Really gross, bizarre and funny!
The Return of the Living Dead (1985) The zombies in this movie were the first ever to moan, “Braaaaiins” and eat the brains of their victims.
The Lost Boys (1987) Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Dianne Wiest and other good actors starred in this one.
The Witches of Eastwick (1987) Jack Nicholson as the devil. It doesn’t get better than that.
Beetlejuice (1988) Awesome ghost world-building in this one and great actors. This is my favorite film from Michael Keaton.
I Love You to Death (1990) Not really Horror, but definitely Black Comedy, and I’m a big Kevin Kline fan.
Tremors (1990) This was just a really fun romp!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) The one that started it all.
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Tim Burton’s creepy masterpiece.
Fargo (1996) Won Oscars for Best Actress (Frances McDormand) and Best Original Screenplay.
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) It’s got George Clooney, Salma Hayek, and a bunch of naked freaky sex-vampire women! How can you go wrong?
Deep Rising (1998) The monster can kill you by coming up through the toilet when you're doing your business. Tell me that idea doesn't totally freak you out!
Idle Hands (1999) The friend sticks his head back on with duct tape. How great is that?
Lake Placid (1999) Betty White feeds cows to a giant alligator, and Oliver Platt is just funny!
Scary Movie (2000) I can’t begin to list all the funny stuff in here.
Evolution (2001) David Duchovny and his use of Head & Shoulders shampoo is unforgettable.
Shaun of the Dead (2004) Except for Monty Python, British humor eludes me, but I know a lot of people love this film.
Corpse Bride (2005) Another masterpiece by Tim Burton.
Slither (2006) Aliens, zombies, mutant monsters, and Nathan Fillion. You can’t go wrong with this one.
Planet Terror (2007) A little violent for some people, but I loved it! I'll never forget Bruce Willis as a zombie.
Zombieland (2009) Just awesome!
Tucker & Dave vs. Evil (2010) This one is a comic version of hillbillies who kill people, only they don’t. Really.
Which ones are your favorites?
If you haven’t watched these awesome movies, you really should!
Thanks so much for joining me on my TV and Film Horror retrospective from the 1950s to the 2000s! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. :-)
Links to my previous blogfest posts:
MMM: Horror Nostalgia 2000s
MMM: Horror Nostalgia 1990s
MMM: Horror Nostalgia 1980s
MMM: Horror Nostalgia 1970s
MMM: Horror Nostalgia 1960s
MMM: Horror Nostalgia 1950s
Join the May Monster Madness Blog Hop. We're hopping for seven days, from May 11-17, in celebration of monsters, mayhem, and all things Horror related!
58 comments:
I'm watching Shaun of the Dead right now! Also, I love Young Frankenstein, so I was happy to see that on your list :)
Fargo is one of my favorites! So is Beetlejuice.
You'd love the slippers Andy gave me for my birthday. They're zombies! You put your feet into his mouth and he has an eyeball dangling on each side. Not to mention the brains poking out at the end of your toes. I'm in love with them already!
Oh, Zombiel plus Tucker and Dale vs Evil are my favorites... love those movies.
Excellent choices. I love tons of those movies. Zombieland. Corpse Bride. Nightmare Before Christmas. Witches of Eastwick. The Lost Boys. Beetlejuice. I could go on but I will stop now. haha
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― Erica Jong
Man, I used to slurp up horror films when I was a teen. You've mentioned a few I loved: The Lost Boys, Tremors, and one called 'The Evil Dead' ~ don't remember if I'd finished watching it but I remember screaming and running away from the friend's house we were watching it at. Beetlejuice & Freddy, of course. The former made me smile and wished for a friend like him. The latter gave me the chills.
And these days, I'm in love with Supernatural. Dean is hilarious despite carrying so much hurt around.
Pushing Daisies was fun, and slightly noir-ish. (Love the hair and dresses of that period.)
Oh I love your list, you've made me want
to dig out some old favourites!
I loved Pushing Daisies and of course all
the Abbot and Costello movies.
Great to see a few of Tim Burton's greats
in your list too : )
My MMM post for today :
Werewolf in London
Have a good day.
Aw, Pushing Daisies! Even though Wonderfalls will forever be my all-time favorite from Bryan Fuller, I really enjoyed this show, too. Such a shame it got cancelled so early!
And wow, love so many of the movies from your list! It's been a while since I've seen some of them, though--need to fix that pronto!
So, needless to say, I don't think your love for comedic horror is weird at all! It's my favorite genre, to be honest. Some of my favorite movies, like Death Becomes Her and Killer Klowns from Outer Space, would fall under this category, as well as Reaper, which is one of the best shows ever. (Boy discovers his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was even born!)
So, um, yeah. You're not alone with this obsession!
The 80's really rocked comedy horror. House was another great comedy horror, Wax Works II as well, the original was a little more serious. Ghoulies, Evil Dead II (again, #1 was not so laugh a minute). Have you seen Rockula - it's more of a comedy paranormal, rather than comedy horror, because it's a mummy's-boy vampire who is trying to become a pop star to meet his long lost love who keeps gets reincarnated but then repeatedly killed off by a pirate with a rhinestone peg leg? I know it sounds bizarre, but it is very funny and the music is sooo MTV circa 1990 (even had Toni Basil playing Rockula's mom) :)
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
Didn't think I'd see any I liked. But I loved Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters. Thanks for sharing.
I absolutely understand your obsession, and I think many people like a little comedy sprinkled on top of all the horror - it makes it go down easier. Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Shaun of the Dead, Young Frankenstein, Fargo - al great movies!
You're so right. If there's some humor I can tolerate a little horror. And Tremors was a huge cult hit for me. That's a fun one. :)
Zombieland was the best. I love a good dose of humor with my horror, too.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
Tremors is a real fun romp. I've seen it several times and it never fails to make me laugh.
I saw your comment on Accepting Changes, Maybe. Comedy and horror/drama are a good mix. Comedy relieves the stress so you can takein more of the horror. I love Scary Movie. It is so dumb and funny! Jody at http://themedicaremom.blogspot.com
Yay for Pushing Daisies--loved that show! Except for how they ended it. That was terrible. And of course the original Buffy, what's not to love!
I remember being quite surprised at Gremlins. I didn't realize how creepy it was going to be. I didn't think Ghostbusters was creepy at all. Too much fun.
Awesome list! I love The Lost Boys. I loved Gremlins when I was a kid. Same for Nightmare on Elm Street. I remember Chucky freaked me out because I have an irrational fear of dolls. LOL
I loved Zombieland because of it's creep factor and humor, although so crude at times. But who doesn't love a little Woody. I did NOT just say that. O_O Anyways, I'm the same way. I prefer a bit of funny with my freaky. :D
The more recent remake of Nightmare on Elm Street totally creeped me out. I guess I'm too much of a wimp for horror movies.
www.modernworld4.blogspot.com
Gremlins and From Dusk Till Dawn are some of my favourite movies. I love your film choices and I agree with you whole heartedly. Horror and comedy make a brilliant combination.
There are some real good ones here. I've seen about half. I'm not big on horror but will watch them from time to time.
Some brill choices here, and movies like Idle Hands which I'd forgotten about!!
I love humor like that, too. I see some of my faves here: Kolchak, The Witches of Eastwick, Fargo, and more.
Happy Weekend!
Kolchak was a great show. Fargo and Tremors were fun. I wish Dark Shadows was better than it was.
Some awesome films on your list! Yes, big fan of Kolchak. Also dug Deep Rising, Re-animator, Young Frankenstein, and Zombieland.
You're a gal after my own weird heart. I ADORE horror-comedies, they're totally my fave. So glad to see so many of my fave flicks on your list, too, especially "I Love You To Death." BRILLIANT ensemble cast, though Kline steals every scene, really. :-)
Some Dark Romantic
Zombieland. Hands down, one of my favorite movies of all time. First, I love Jessie, Woody, and Emma -- so how can the three of them together not be amazing? And, of course, ZOMBIES. Did you know Showtime (I think, maybe Starz) is going to turn Zombieland into a TV show? Sadly, it won't have any of the original cast members.
Pushing Daisies was a really, really good show. It made no sense when they canceled it.
Slither. Now that one I'm not sure if I can watch. I've thought about it, but ... bugs. My fear of things popping out of people might overtake my fear of bugs, but it's still up there. You know that scene in The Mummy when the beetle crawls under someone's skin? I flipped. It freaked me out so badly
I love black comedies too. Have you ever seen In Bruges? It's a British Black Comedy. Not horror, but it's still good.
Shaun of the Dead rocked! I'd heard of the Abbott and Costello movies but I didn't realize they went through the whole list of monsters!
Zombieland and Tucker and Dale vs Evil are fantastic movies :)
The Lost Boys, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, From Dusk Till Dawn, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters and The Witches of Eastwick are my faves from this chuff in-marvellous list!
Shah X
shahwharton.com
When I was young, I'd wait until my parents went to bed then tiptoe back to watch the 'forbidden' horror movies/tv series..yeah it was fun while it lasted.LOL I'm a huge fan of Supernatural, Love Freddy (though he still scares me to death), Yay for Lost Boys. :)
What a great post! Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite zombies movies! I love comedy along with the horror! I love so many of the shows and movies on your list!
Great post! Wow, so funny...we were in the boat yesterday and I was talking about Lake Placid-crazy Betty White feeding cows to the gator! We saw a stick that looked like a huge gator. I too love to have humor in these type of films!
Thank you for sharing! I know I would love to see a few of these flicks again! Off to netflix and see what I can stream~
Fabulous post!!!
Happy weekend to you~
:D
I'm a weenie and can't handle horror movies. But I did love Pushing Daisies, so quirky and fun! And there was pie! =)
Eeeeeeeeek! Loads of horror in one place *shudders*
I've see quite a few of these but I have to say, you have managed to interest me in a few more. Thanks! Great list!
I think I saw most of these fab films - but if I had to choose one from this list(oooh difficult!!) it'll have to be Young Frankenstein!! LOL!! It just has the best one-liners!! "Werewolf!" "There wolf!" LOL!! Gets me all the time!! Take care
x
This is a great list...chock full of a lot of my favorites!! We have very similar taste!! :)
Wow, that's a comprehensive list! I'd forgotten about some of them, lots of greats though :-)
Wow! What a list! Thanks Lexa! *Nas, furiously copying the list!*
Hey Lexa,
After quickly skimming, I mean, after thoroughly reading your posting, I think that "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was fantastic. However, some of the sequels, I think were just awful. Great post! Thanks for sharing! LOL
Your adoring fan,
Gary :)
I LOVE Shaun of the Dead
oh, how I love Lee Pace, so happy that he is in HOBBIT and also has a new tv show coming up
Horror and comedy combined is the best combo there is. And Pushing Daisies is probably the show cancellation that has depressed me the most. How I wish we lived close enough to get together for movie nights. :-)
Not generally a horror fan AT ALL (I usually throw up in fact) but get me some comedy and it's no longer scary and I keep my cookies. Tremors is a perennial favorite, as are Ghostbusters and of course, Fargo.
Thanks for your visits to my series during the A-Z. Your comment love was much appreciated, and the follow. Glad I finally can breathe and make it here more regularly.
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
@TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge
i love sooooo many of your movies: nightmare before christmas, lost boys, ghostbusters, gremlins...
I've seen many of these.
I grew up on Abbot & Costello. I loved those two.
I am so glad you included Evolution on your list. I love that movie so much I own it - plus hello? Dan Akroyd is in it, too!
I've seen so many of those movies and loved too many of them to pick a favorite.
Liking comedy along with your horror makes sense to me. The contrast between the two works well.
Fabulous list! I loved Tucker & Dave vs. Evil !!!
You're missing The Cabin in the Woods. That was hilarious.
Lots of great choices on here. Witches of Eastwick is a classic. Love Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride (as do my kids).
I totally love PUSHING DAISIES and was sooo sad when they pulled the show. I enjoyed ghostbusters, too--the cartoon series was my favorite when i was younger.
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Tons of wonderful movies here. I had The Lost Boys memorized when I was a teen.
Great list! I love gallows humor too!
Great list. I need to put some of my 'to see' list.
Nas
I think Shaun and Fright Night are my favorites. I miss one of my BC-faves in this list: the incredible "The 'Burbs" with a hilarious Tom Hanks :)
Overall, a really great list!
I just re-watched Gremlins recently. Loved it! Just a lot of fun. ;)
~Jess
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