A remorseless demon stalks an immortal holding the last key to humanity’s survival. Under-appreciated siege horror-comedy linked (vaguely) to the EC comics. A game diverse ensemble cast of character actors jolly things along, supported by excellent direction. Unpretentious fun.
Tag: horror-comedy
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986, dir. Tobe Hooper)
An ambitious DJ and a vengeful sheriff hunt the Sawyer family. Scattershot sequel, foregrounding black comedy, gore effects, and a subversion of Reaganite family values. Gleeful rather than good or scary, it nevertheless has a few startling moments.
Canaries (2017, dir. Peter Stray)
A New Years’ party in Wales is the centre of an alien invasion. Low-budget SF/horror/comedy with some oddly irrelevant production values and an overly-complex backstory. Not great at all, but there are a couple of good moments.
Happy Death Day (2017, dir. Christopher B. Landon)
A female student has to relive the day of her murder again and again. Sprightly campus-based slasher horror-comedy, fairly unashamed in its mashup of Groundhog Day and Scream. Pretty good, within its limitations, leading to a direct sequel two years later.
Cooties (2014, dir. Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott)
Teachers are held under siege when their summer-school pupils contract a deadly virus. Serviceable horror-comedy which gets some mileage out of a game cast and script, and from its gleeful approach to child-centric gore.
Fear, Inc (2016, dir. Vincent Masciale)
A group of friends are terrorised by a company providing bespoke horror experiences. In-jokey horror-themed riff on Fincher’s The Game which starts slow, but gathers momentum, and is actually pretty good at disguising its payoff.
The Babysitter (2017, dir. McG)
A bullied teen finds his babysitter is the head of a satanic cult. Enjoyable horror-comedy with plenty of splattery jokes, a generally light touch, and engaging playing from its leads. Frothy but fun.