#10. Gremlins (1984)
Oh, the days of amazing animatronics are long gone *sad face*. Gremlins have a great mixture of comedy, action, lovable characters and a great concept. It starts off as a cute family film then it just changes into a hilarious, frightening monster movie. The start of director’s Joe Dante’s horror comedies, Dante really shines mixing the two styles in this film. This is a cult classic and should definitely be checked out.
#9. BeetleJuice (1988)
First of all, the acting was very good, especially from Michael Keaton, who gives his career defining performance in my opinion. Bettlejuice holds another special place as a film that I just watched and watched as a youngster. The character Beetlejuice is one of the most original and creative characters ever put in film, as the character is absolutely hilarious the entire film. Gena Davis and Alec Baldwin's performances' are great too as the ghostly couple. We really like the style Burton uses in Beetlejuice as well, as it is both funny, yet very creepy at times. Especially the sand-worm and the afterlife waiting room scenes. The ghost with the most even spawned off a decent cartoon. It makes the list.
#8. Arachnophobia (1990)
If spiders don’t bother you than your going to blow this one off but if simply looking at one gives you the chills than you will truly see the “horror” in this flick. Some people can’t even watch this movie simply because of all the live spiders that were used to make this film. John Goodman at the height of his “Rosanne” popularity took this film on short notice but was brilliant as the wacky terminator, exterminator Delbert McClintock.
After a group of scientists go to the Amazon in search of new species of insects they stumble upon one of the most deadly spiders in the world. From that point on the trip goes down hill quickly. The spider claims it’s first victim and wonders into the coffin which is making a trip back to the states in a small town called Canaima.
Enter Jeff Daniels character Ross Jennings a man from the city who moved to the small town with one problem with wildlife, he has Arachnophobia. All would have been well but remember there is a giant Amazon death spider on the loose wreaking havoc. It breeds with local house spider and the proverbial shit hits the fan. Jeff Daniels and John Goodman make this movie. The giant mutated spider at the end is over the top but so welcome after the millions of tiny creepy crawlies they used throughout the shots. This film is dark comedy at it’s best and if you have a problem with spiders this is probably a film you will never see.
#7. Killer Klowns from Outer Space! (1988)
Kamp with a capital K, funny, silly, over the top; these are words that come to mind when viewing this cult classic from the late 80's. The problem with this film is if clowns really do creep you out this will probably be invoking nightmares. The F/X work on this film is insane. From the Klowns themselves to the over the top cotton candy pods. Take a plot directly out of a 50's B-horror film and add in more goofy sight gags than you can shake a stick at and this is what you get. This film is by no means made to be analyzed in any way; it exists solely on its surface level, but who really goes to these types of films to be enlightened. The title tells you exactly what you are getting and this film delivers it: goofy, unapologetic fun. This is a film that you just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
#6. The 'Burbs (1989)
This is one of my guilty pleasure films that some may not agree with making the list. From the moment I saw this film when it came out 1989 to the dozens of times I witnessed it throughout the years there is just something about it that I love. Director Joe Dante (Grimlins, The Howling) made this film with a modest budget and the entire film was shot on the back lot of Universal Studios.
Dante said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly shortly after the film released that the entire film could have almost been done as a stage play as the set was so limited. Even though tempted Dante never wanted the viewer to leave the neighborhood so to speak so filming on the small set proved a perfect mix.
As for the film itself. Tom Hanks plays the ultra middle class suburbanite Ray Peterson that enjoys his peaceful surroundings with his wife Carol (Carrie Fisher) and friends Vietnam veteran Lt. Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern), Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun), and Walter Seznik's (Gale Gordon). Everything is perfect at Mayfield PL. until they get some neighbors that are more than a little eccentric.
The film plays off the fact that the new neighbors (the Klopek’s) are odd at best. From the house that they purchase (which looks like it could be from Psycho) to the peculiar Hans Klopek (Courtney Gains) the family automatically becomes the talk of the town and when they are witnessed doing strange things like putting body like bags into garbage cans during rain storms to strange noises coming from the basement of the house this film has it all. We even get a cameo by neighborhood bad boy Corey Feldman. What more could you want.
Throughout the film we are convinced that the Klopek’s are killing neighbors, at one point Ray’s dog even digs up what looks like a human femur bone, but at the end where Tom Hank’s character Ray can’t find any proof in the basement. It could have ended their but it turns out ours and their hunches were correct as the trunk pops open on the Kopecks car revealing a treasure trove of human bones. This may be more comedy than horror but it’s still a very dark film in nature of many of Joe Dante’s other horror films. It just has that feeling of something that could actually happen and the neighbors are quirky and the Kopecks’ are weird. It’s a perfect match.
#5. Return of the Living Dead (1985)
For some reason, I hadn't yet seen Return of the Living Dead, even though I have been a loyal fan of zombie cinema since I first saw the original Night of the Living Dead when I was a mere youngster. Return of the Living Dead is one of those genre-bending films that is tough to place in one category. Obviously, it is a zombie film, but the film really does not seem to take itself seriously. This is best displayed when two characters try to kill a zombie by putting a pick-ax through its brain. When that doesn't work, all one character can say is "It worked in the movie!" It is with that tone that film works as well as it does. If you were supposed to take this film seriously, you would laugh yourself out of the room, because it just doesn't work on that level. However, it absolutely works as a film for zombie aficionados that embrace these films even though they are so ridiculous and unbelievable. The zombies in this film aren't like Romero zombies, in fact, they are completely original. They basically have all functions of humans, except for the fact that they are extremely violent and always hungry for "more brains!"
It is extremely amusing when the zombies get on the radio to call in more paramedics and cops, and when one zombie decides to portray himself as a police officer to set the trap for the rest of the cops. Dan O'Bannon definitely knew what he was doing when he made this film, and he somehow found an original yet familiar take on the zombie genre to make his film stand alone in a field of look-alikes. As if the rest of the movie weren't good enough, the ending of the movie is absolutely killer. I don't know what it was about the ending, whether it was the cynicism, or maybe the realism, or it could have been the appropriateness, but any way you look at it, this ending was the perfect one for this film, and it wrapped up a great movie that is rightfully in its place in history as a great piece of horror film-making.
#4. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Yes, the mother load of all horror/comedies about werewolves. For what it is, An American Werewolf in London is just perfect. It's a brilliant, hilarious, occasionally horrific, and always ridiculously enjoyable piece of entertainment that I don't have a single complaint about. From beginning to end, this movie is just completely awesome. It's possibly the best horror-comedy hybrid ever, which is why it’s nearly made the number one spot.
One of the biggest surprises of American Werewolf is the acting, which for a horror flick is surprisingly fantastic. John Goodvine and Griffin Dunne are hysterical in their relatively small roles, giving the movie some of its biggest laughs. David Naughton and Jenny Agutter are both fantastic leads, playing it completely natural and being funny without really trying - which, in fact, is a good way to describe An American Werewolf in London as a whole. It's an extremely amusing film, but most of the humor seems completely effortless because it naturally arises from the characters and the weird situation they're in.
However, no matter how funny An American Werewolf in London may be, it doesn't take away from the film's scenes of horror and drama. It's much more comedy than horror, with the two often overlapping, but American Werewolf still has its share of genuinely jarring scares and shocking violence. These scenes are all the more effective because they are surrounded by dry, casual comedy, and the horrific moments are often brought to life by the gruesome, truly brilliant special effects work. American Werewolf also is a surprisingly emotionally involving film at times - the central romance is awkwardly sweet and believable, and you grow to care alot for the characters. All this perfectly balanced comedy, drama, and horror melds together in a brutal, perfect, absolutely insane and unpredictable ending that finished the movie up in the most shocking, amazing way possible. Awesome.
#3. BraindDead (International title) Dead-Alive (American title) (1992)
Probably the most classic movie I have ever seen at the fabled “guys horror movie night”. This film is hilarious, disgusting, and as over the top as any movie you will ever see, period. Despite the good acting, stupid (in a good way) story, and genuinely funny situations, the star is neither Timothy Balme nor Diana Penalver. The true star of this film is the gore plus it’s a Peter Jackson film, what’s not to love. Following the a-bit-too-slow opening scenes, it takes up the most screen time, and more than anything else, gives the film it's darkly humorous mood (over 150 gallons of fake blood were used PER MINUTE in the final mansion scene!!??!!). You truly must see to believe. We still quote lines (Sumatran rat-monkey, are you serious, ha!) and joke about this film almost daily, it’s that absurd.
#2 Shaun of the Dead (2004)
What I liked to think of as a cross between The Office sitcom and Dawn of the Dead. "Shaun" has some of the greatest, wittiest writing a film could as for. The horror community was truly blessed with this film. It paid some homage to the great films before it. Simon Pegg gave a great comedic/serious performance along with Nick Frost! Imagine if you woke up with a piss-head hangover and there was a zombie-infestation going on and you didn't realize it until way later in the day...that would be a bummer! And it is, a true horror/comedy gem.
#1. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
This list was created completely out of order. I didn’t have the heart to rate them 1 through 10 yet but if this doesn’t make the #1 slot remind me to kick my own ass. We'er the Bidite (Deadite) nation for Christ sakes! What more can I say about the Evil Dead 2. This movie has had more influence on me than any other horror movie period, taking out the fact that it’s mixture of horror and comedies. You see, I have always viewed horror films almost solely in this category in the first place. After all, after about the age of 10 horror just isn’t “scary” anymore. Does it still cause that feeling of anxiousness in your stomach when a scene is about to climax or do you still feel the occasional jump during a high tension moment? The answer is yes, but it’s not fearful in the same sense it was with you were 8. So going into horror films I automatically look for the undertone “black comedy” that every horror film has. It just so happens that Sam Raimi’s 1987 classic, a remake of a remake Evil Dead 2 took the term “black comedy” to the next level.
From the outstanding performance from B movie legend Bruce Campbell to the cheesy dubbed in lines and fake drawn in moon, Evil Dead 2 is a film that is so over the top that it’s hilarious. Yet at the same time, it quite possibly one of the creepiest movies I have ever watched. Not many movies can walk that line but the friendship and camaraderie of the cast and director allowed this movie to hit a special spot in many a horror fans soul. The movie has quite possibly one of the largest cult followings of any horror film period. (Army of Darkness didn’t make the list but we do want to throw an honorable mention it’s way. The one liners Army produced are legendary and if could have captured the shock value that Evil Dead 2 did it would have made the list.)
