The 36 Funniest Scary Movies Ever Made
Mix a little bit of terror with a touch of humor and you end up with a cathartic horror-comedy like no other.
Horror comedies truly give audiences the best of both worlds. They have it all, running the gamut of raw human emotion in a way that elevates your movie night from a simple time-killer to a cinematic and social experience. When else do you get the opportunity to laugh at trauma? Find levity and joy in the face of fear? Not often! It's a form of catharsis unlike any other. The rollercoaster of feelings you experience when watching a character flee from a horrific killer, only to outsmart him with a wise meta remark like, "Not in my movie!" is the greatest thrill.
Scares and laughs are a rare blend to find in cinema. Even more difficult, finding movies that encompass both genres that are worth spending the time to watch. This list captures the dry humor of figures like Sam Raimi and Aubrey Plaza, both of whom turn a scary watch into a fun time, mines newer treasures in the form of films like Fresh, Ready or Not, Freaky, and recalls timeless classics like Heathers, American Psycho, and even a wild card like Urban Legend.
M3GAN
No one did hilarious and spine-chilling at the same time as well as M3GAN. The film about a robot doll-BFF who turns out to be a lot more than a little girl bargained for? It was perfect. How can you forget M3GAN bursting out a perfect rendition of Sia’s "Titanium," moments after pushing a preteen boy in front of a car? Or M3GAN’s fabulous dance moves, before she chased down a grown man with a makeshift machete? There are so many unforgettable moments in this campy modern classic, you have to watch it a couple times to catch them all.
The Lost Boys
Vampires stalking an idyllic coastal Californian town—ring a bell? Well, this Joel Schumacher feature is anything but familiar. In this creepy, bloodsucker-infested film, the vampires aren’t afraid of garlic—even when Corey Haim and Corey Feldman trick him into dumping loads of it on his spaghetti. What else can the vampires do? Well, they love to ride motorcycles—and can turn your Chinese food into maggots. This '80s romp has its good share of scares, but it makes sure to dial up the fun along the way.
Cocaine Bear
We’ve entered an era of fully embracing camp—and we’re better off for it. And what does camp mean nowadays? To me, camp is when you take a real-life story about a bear that accidentally ingests cocaine—that was dropped by drug smugglers!—and turn it into a tight 95 minutes of over-the-top, hyper-violent, and manic shenanigans. If you want to watch drug dealers, school-ditching kids, and Ray Liotta shine in one of his last roles, this one's for you.
Housebound
Housebound takes on the classic haunted house trope and injects it with scenes marked by gags and impeccable timing. Sure, the film is technically a horror comedy, but the narrative is darker than you might expect. Kylie, a young woman sentenced to house arrest at her parent’s home, becomes convinced supernatural forces are in her midst. As the scares get worse, Kylie investigates the truth behind the house... and uncovers the unexpected.
Anna and The Apocalypse
One Cut of the Dead
Encountering zombies under any circumstance is usually not ideal, but for a director in the midst of filming a low-budget film about zombies, it’s terrifyingly convenient. Instead of running and hiding for his dear life, a director pushes his crew to hit record and document the ravenous, flesh-eating monsters.
Urban Legend (1998)
Not exactly humorous, but this late ‘90s thriller is a hidden gem in the horror genre. Similar to Courteney Cox in Scream, this film also includes a relentless reporter—here played by Jared Leto—who tries to uncover who the murderer is on campus for his college newspaper. Even with the ridiculous premise, the combination of having Leto on his hunt and Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) as a professor makes this film worth watching even if it’s not the most side-splitting of the bunch.
Fresh (2022)
A recent release that will turn into a classic. Having no success with the modern day horrors of dating—aka dating apps—a young woman meets Sebastian Stan who plays a real lady killer. A man who has an appetite for exquisite taste—human meat!
Ready Or Not (2019)
Here, find a unique spin on the final girl trope following a bride on her wedding night trying to make it out alive in a game of hide and seek with her new in-laws. With laugh out loud moments, a strong performance from Samara Weaving as Grace—a newlywed who has the worst first night of marriage imaginable—and just a 90-minute runtime, your mind never wonders as you wait for what gory kill comes next.
Heathers (1988)
The iconic line of “f*** me with a chainsaw” was born with this original mean girls plot from the ‘80s. Staring goth queen Winona Ryder who’s covering up murders and labeling them as suicides by blaming the stereotype of teenage depression, this black comedy grew a cult following as the story has developed to broadway and TV shows.
American Psycho (2000)
Let’s see Paul Allen’s card. Starring Batman (Christian Bale) and the Joker (Jared Leto), this satire will have you laughing at the most serious times. A legendary performance by Bale leaves you questioning if what you just watched actually happened and all the characters are too self obsessed to notice, or if it is an imagination from his inner turmoil.
Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Despite the name, this 2009 release is hilarious, clever, and a fun to watch film that constantly pushes your buttons. In true Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead) fashion, the odd sense of humor completely works—plus, Raimi shows he’s not afraid to take risks with the controversial ending.
Child's Play (2019)
A new adaptation of the ‘80s classic with the same little boy, Andy, and his cute doll, Chucky, who becomes overprotective and tries to kill anyone close to him. What makes this remake hold more weight than the original, though, is how Chucky learns to kill by picking up mannerisms from watching violent horror movies with Andy. Not only does Chucky play a huge role in the comedy aspect, but Aubrey Plaza playing Andy’s mom is on standby adding heaps more laughs.
Freaky (2020)
No, it’s not Freaky Friday or Friday the 13th, it’s both! Freaky is the third movie directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) that makes a non horror premise, horrifying. Combining the storylines of Freaky Friday and Friday the 13th makes for another unconventional watch from Blumhouse Productions that actually works.
Serial Mom (1994)
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)
Not the usual black comedy. Instead of just scares and laughs, this film also has heart—teaching you not to judge a book by its cover. It dismisses common stereotypes, like there being an intimidating antagonist in most horror movies, and instead, the film makes you root for the main characters who are misunderstood because of their appearance.
This Is The End (2013)
What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
Happy Death Day (2017)
Jennifer's Body (2009)
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