5 Underrated Horror Comedies That Prove We Love To Laugh & Scream At The Same Time

While movies are often categorized by their apparent place within specific genres, there are always movies that blur the ill-defined boundaries. By making use of established tropes from more than one genre, or by combining the tone of two distinct types of movies, certain titles become a delicate mix of multiple traditional categories. While almost every genre combination imaginable has been tried at some point, certain genre mashups seem to perform far better than others. For example, there are many great action-horror movies that showcase how effortlessly the two genres can be blended. In fact, many such mashups are often considered among the strongest of their respective categories, even when judged only by the metrics of one genre.

As even the most terrifying horror movies can be pretty funny, it’s not surprising that horror-comedy movies often thrive on the big screen. By poking fun at the more ridiculous elements of horror movies even as they adopt them as part of their respective stories, these films are able to appeal to fans of both genres. Each of the following movies serves as an incredibly underrated example of how well the two genres can coexist, deftly blending laughs and scares in a way that allows them to sit perfectly between the two beloved genres.

5) The Babysitter (2017)

Directed by McG and released by Netflix, 2017’s The Babysitter combined an age-old horror idea with a comedic tone. Recent MCU casting Samara Weaving stars as Bee, the attractive titular babysitter tasked with watching Cole, a neurotic 12-year-old severely lacking in self-confidence. After being encouraged to spy on Bee after bedtime, Cole learns that she’s the leader of a Satanic cult intent on using blood sacrifice to achieve their goals, forcing him into a desperate fight for survival. Despite its horror premise, The Babysitter‘s tone is largely comedic, painting even its most violent moments as distinctly funny thanks in part to its talented cast of comedically gifted actors. Perhaps because it was released directly on Netflix, The Babysitter failed to make a huge splash despite solid reviews, and has since become criminally overlooked. However, it’s a solid piece of comedy horror that manages to deftly balance the demands of the two genres into a single, enjoyable movie.

4) Slither (2006)

Even years before he cemented himself as a superhero movie savant, James Gunn was delivering excellent cinematic stories, many of which were — and still are — severely underrated. Whether he was attached as a writer, director, producer, or a combination of the three, there are several great James Gunn movies, but none stand out quite like the exceptional horror-comedy Slither. It concerns the events following a sentient, alien parasite crash-landing on Earth on a meteorite, transforming the residents of a small American town into monstrous, tentacled creatures. By borrowing well-worn sci-fi horror tropes and infusing them with a heavy dose of comedy, Slither manages to feel totally unique, even though its central ideas had all been done dozens of times before. There are few movies that combine horror and comedy ideas as seamlessly as Slither, but for some reason, the film has never really managed to move past its cult classic status.

3) Werewolves Within (2021)

Despite being one of the best video game movies of all time, Werewolves Within is widely overlooked. The 2021 movie was based on the video game of the same name, telling the story of a group of people in a small town in Vermont who are isolated by a snowstorm in the midst of a werewolf attack. As well as the obvious horror elements associated with the premise, Werewolves Within manages to establish a central mystery as its characters puzzle out the identity of the werewolf, all the while making use of its considerably comedic tone. The balance of comedy and horror is so well-done that Werewolves Within doesn’t quite feel as though it belongs to either genre, instead sitting squarely between the two. Its 2021 release did it no favors thanks to the trials of the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps contributing to it becoming a relatively obscure movie. Despite being largely overlooked, Werewolves Within is an incredible piece of horror comedy that fans of either genre are sure to appreciate.

2) Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is a movie that many have heard of, but not enough have actually seen. The 2010 film only received a limited theatrical release in the United States, which is perhaps one of the biggest contributors to it being an especially underrated movie. It stars Adam Tudyk and Tyler Labine as the titular Tucker and Dale, respectively, and follows them as they are mistaken for killers by a group of college students. Its shifted focus and central misunderstanding allow Tucker & Dale vs. Evil to brilliantly subvert many slasher tropes, subtly challenging stereotypes while also delivering a generally hilarious story. While it didn’t quite make the list of the best horror movies of the 2010s, it’s often considered one of the decade’s strongest comedy movies, thanks to its clever satire of various common horror tropes and ideas. It might undeniably lean further into comedy than outright horror, but it’s still a brilliant fusion of the two genres that rarely gets the love it deserves.

1) The Final Girls (2015)

Many of the best examples of comedy horror movies are those that take a meta approach to the latter. By closely examining the inner workings of horror movies, a film can both belong to and exist outside of the genre, poking at common tropes as a source of comedy while still making use of them. This is certainly the case for The Final Girls, one of the most underrated slasher movies of recent years. Taking a group of modern teens and transporting them into a fictional slasher movie, The Final Girls delivers a note-perfect horror comedy that combines the best of both genres. Its direct spoofing of Friday the 13th manages to serve as both a love letter to the slasher genre’s golden years and a refreshing modern take on it, with comedy elements peppered throughout. The result is a great movie that combines the best aspects of comedy and classic slasher horror, though it’s another genre mashup that remains severely underrated.