BRADENTON, FL- Everyone knows what a movie genre is and most have a favorite. Adventure, comedy, action, romance, horror, drama, all have their fans. Some combinations like action-adventure, romance-comedy, and horror-thriller are seen constantly in cinema. Some combinations like sci-fi-romance or western-thrillers are far rarer and hard to come by. One extra example of the latter is horror-comedy.
Movies are classified as horror-comedy when they nearly evenly balance terrifying scenes with either ironic self-awareness or comedic relief. Horror-comedy has been a present albeit not prevalent genre for decades. Many film fanatics love the balance of fright and absurdity in the movies that fall within this group, and it breaks up the tension that makes horror movies too much for some viewers. It allows those who want a bit of a scare but not overwhelming tension, to pick a more comedy-focused film. While those who love all things horror but want a few laughs can find a more horror-centered one.
One of the most well-known and child-friendly options that still fall into this category is Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice follows a recently deceased couple deciding to haunt the annoying new owners of their house, eventually they hire a mischievous spirit to help drive them out. This 1988, one hour and thirty-two-minute movie leans heavily into the comedy aspect and is more so eerie than scary. It is still rated PG though due to very mild cursing, scary themes and adult references. Overall, this is by far the most child-friendly option.
A newer addition to this genre is The Menu. This film follows a food critic and his plus one joining other rich patrons to an exclusive restaurant experience, they are expecting a once in a lifetime food experience, but the chef has other plans. This has more suspense than horror or comedy but balances all three nicely. It stars Nicholas Hoult, known for his role in the X-Men franchise, Anya Taylor-Joy, known for her role in The Queen’s Gambit and other horror and suspense movies, and Ralph Fiennes known for his roles in the Harry Potter series and The Grand Budapest Hotel. This 2022, one hour and forty-seven-minute-long movie will leave viewers thinking. It is rated R due to disturbing violent content, mature language, and mature references throughout.
Happy Death Day follows a college student who must relive her murder in different ways until she discovers the identity of her killer. It stars Jessica Rothe best known for her role in La La Land. It also features Israel Broussard and Ruby Modine. It, like all the others, balances horror, comedy and suspense making it an enjoyable and entertaining horror-comedy. It’s rated PG-13 due to violence, suggestive content, inappropriate language, drugs and nudity. Though more family friendly than “The Menu” it still definitely has mature and violent elements.
This isn’t a conclusive list. Movies such as the Scream franchise, Trick ‘r Treat, Scary Movie, The Cabin in the Woods, and Ready or Not are other popular examples of this genre that balance the jump-scares and jokes. It’s good to have a favorite genre, mine’s horror-comedy. What’s yours?
