The Return of the Horror Comedy?

The success of Zombieland makes me wonder if the horror/comedy hybrid is on the way back. And I think it might not be such a bad idea.

Horror Comedies were the rage of the 80’s and I saw a lot of backlash against it in the horror magazines. “I like my horror straight up” seemed to be a common statement. And I do see their point. At least to some degree. Too much of any one thing leads to tedium.

Yet horror and comedy go together so well. James Whale arguably invented it with both The Bride of Frankenstein and The Old Dark House. Later, comedians Abbott and Costello made a successful run of movies that lampooned the Universal classic monsters. Roger Corman made two delightful horror comedies, The Little Shop of Horrors and A Bucket of Blood.

I’ve heard people say that the audience laughed during horror movies, but often the laughter is like a pressure relief valve, rather than that of a derisive crowd. People get a vicarious taste of death in a theme park ride and are often terrified. Most will get off the ride laughing their heads off. Fear and laughter aren’t as far apart as some might think they are.

Horror and comedy went hand in hand over the years, sometimes unintentionally. Many cheap quickies took on a new life and appeal to audiences that appreciated their camp value. Others played the gallows humor to the hilt.

But it was in the 1980’s that horror comedies became the norm. As I said before, many complained, but the best of them, like Night of the Creeps and Evil Dead 2, were almost universally adored.

Of course there were the downside of the trend. Transylvania 6-5000 and Haunted Honeymoon represent the worst of the supposedly funny horror movies.

Even the franchises turned to farce when the filmmakers had nowhere else to turn to keep the ideas fresh. The Nightmare on Elm Street sequels were virtual comedies and Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre was as well.

There were dozens of humorous horror films in the 80’s. Some more successful than others, but most are looked upon with affection today. House, An American Werewolf in London, Motel Hell, Ghostbusters, Creepshow (and its sequel), Gremlins, Fright Night, Vamp, The Lost Boys, Beetlejuice, The ‘burbs, Night of the Demons, Bad Taste, Terrorvision and Return of the Living Dead are among my favorites. Heck, I even like those old Troma movies, The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke ‘em High.

Maybe it is time for a return to funny horror pictures. The torture trend has gotten tedious. Why continue to take that as far as they can? I think the antidote just could be wit.

I fear what may come of it though. While I loved Zombieland, movies like Stan Helsing and Transylmania look absolutely terrible. It didn’t work for everyone, but I thought that Jennifer’s Body was a perfectly enjoyable horror comedy.

If humor and fear go together so closely, then isn’t our love of horror our way of laughing in the face of death? All of us rehearse death and tragedy constantly in what we watch and what we read. Death will surely get the last laugh, but our only hope is to stave it off the best we can. In the only way we can. That’s by laughing and trying not to think ahead to the inevitable.