Horror and comedy are sometimes thought of as being at opposing ends of the genre spectrum — but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Alongside its original movies and truly scary movies, horror streaming platform Shudder has a nice little section reserved for horror comedy. Think parodies, tongue-in-cheek gore fests, and the type of films that can make you laugh even while they’re grossing you out or putting your nerves on edge.
I’ve combed through the archives to track down the best horror comedies on Shudder, from Josh Ruben’s highly entertaining Scare Me to Lee Min-Jae’s very silly Zombie for Sale…
Zombie For Sale
Credit: Christine Rampage / AMC Networks
What’s it about?
A family finds a way to profit from a zombie.
Why should you watch it?
What if zombie bites weren’t all bad? More specifically, what if a nip from the undead would give the impotent new life below the belt? That’s the preposterous premise that kicks off this gleefully bonkers South Korean comedy. The Park family is scraping by running a battered gas station when their fortunes are turned by a zombie (Jung Ga-ram) with a rejuvenating bite. That’s just the first act of director Lee Min-jae’s playful horror-comedy. Family hijinks, ghoulish action, gross-out gags, and absurdly earnest romance also pop up, making for a movie that is chaotically charming and pleasantly unpredictable.* — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor
How to watch: Zombie for Sale is now streaming on Shudder.
Nina Forever
What’s it about?
A grief-stricken man starts up a relationship with his colleague, only to be haunted by his dead ex-girlfriend whenever they have sex.
Why should you watch it?
Yearning for a dark comedy that’s bloody fun? You’ll fall hard for Nina Forever. Co-writers/co-directors Ben Blaine and Chris Blaine have dreamed up a truly deranged tale of love and letting go, and it all begins with a macabre crush. Grocery clerk Holly (Abigail Hardingham) hopes she can help mournful motorcyclist Rob (Cian Barry) forget his last girlfriend, who died in a grisly accident. But every time these new lovers crawl into bed, Nina (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) intrudes. Or more specifically, her broken and bloody corpse crashes the party with snarky one-liners and withering eye-rolls. Full of gore, sex, and jaw-droppingly outrageous gags, this horror-comedy earns its hard-R, yet delivers a surprisingly tender tale.* — K.P.
How to watch: Nina Forever is now streaming on Shudder.
Deadstream
Credit: Shudder
What’s it about?
A “cancelled” YouTube prankster livestreams a tour of a haunted house in an attempt to redeem himself.
Why should you watch it?
“Full of sick thrills and dark humor, it feels like a real find,” wrote Mashable’s Kristy Puchko in her review. “It doesn’t need a big budget, an established horror franchise, or big names to stand out. Briskly paced, wildly fun, and surprisingly smart, Deadstream is a bloody terrific good time. So, keep an eye out for it.”
How to watch: Deadstream is streaming now on Shudder.
Scare Me
What’s it about?
Two writers take turns telling each other scary stories after the cabins they’re staying in lose power.
Why should you watch it?
Scare Me is a great example of a very simple premise being executed perfectly. Josh Ruben’s tale of an amateur writer growing increasingly jealous of his professional author cabin neighbor is brilliantly written and directed, splicing witty exchanges with cleverly conjured campfire vignettes that take on a life of their own when they’re performed. And this one really is all about the performances — as well as writing and directing, Ruben also stars in Scare Me alongside The Boys‘ Aya Cash and Saturday Night Live‘s Chris Redd, and the focus on storytelling means the trio have to break out their full range of (very impressive) acting talents.
There’s laughter, there’s tension, and although the actual scares are few, there’s a creeping sense of unease that twists into something more in the film’s final act.
How to watch: Scare Me is streaming now on Shudder.
One Cut of the Dead
What’s it about?
A film crew attempts to shoot a low budget zombie movie in an abandoned factory.
Why should you watch it?
I can safely say that I’ve never seen a film quite like One Cut of the Dead. Shin’ichirô Ueda’s (recently remade) comedy horror (which is far more heavy on the comedy than the horror) is essentially a movie within a movie within a movie — a Russian doll-style story about a crew making a shoestring zombie flick.
We spend the first half of the run time watching the zombie film itself, but things really get interesting in the movie’s second half, when we zoom out (and back in time) to watch the director and the production crew putting the whole thing together.
If that explanation has left you feeling slightly confused, it might be for the best — One Cut of the Dead is the sort of film that’s hard to explain in words, but is probably more entertaining the less you know going in.
How to watch: One Cut of the Dead is streaming now on Shudder.
Boar
What’s it about?
A small town in Australia is stalked by a man-eating boar.
Why should you watch it?
Boar may not appear in the comedy category on Shudder, but let’s be honest here — any film that features a hippo-sized monster pig going up against a former WWE wrestler has to be a little bit tongue-in-cheek.
Fortunately, Chris Sun’s Boar is exactly that: a light-hearted popcorn-muncher that mixes some entertainingly crude dialogue with some truly ridiculous fight sequences.
The perfect film to watch with a group of friends and a few beers.
How to watch: Boar is streaming now on Shudder.
Slaxx
Credit: Bertrand Calmeau/Shudder
What’s it about?
A killer pair of jeans. Yep, jeans that can kill people.
Why should you watch it?
Have a passion for fashion and slashers? This midnight movie about killer jeans will be a perfect fit. Director Elza Kephart bleeds political commentary into this outlandish premise by weaving a subtext about the human cost of fast fashion. Wide-eyed ingenue Romane Denis stars as the naive new employee of a hip clothing corporation’s flagship store. Locked in overnight to prep for the hotly anticipated debut of “super shaper” denim, she and her co-workers must fight for their lives once they learn some clothes can kill. Studded with gory slaughter, goofy characters, and cutting one-liners, this stylish movie is riotous fun.* — K.P.
How to watch: Slaxx is now streaming on Shudder.
Scare Package
What’s it about?
A video store owner takes on a new member of staff, who quickly gets an education in the fine art of horror movies.
Why should you watch it?
Scare Package is essentially seven miniature horror films for the price of one, an entertaining anthology from seven different directors that parodies every horror movie stereotype you can possibly imagine. Ridiculous gory deaths? Cheesy one-liners? The serial killer who won’t stay dead? Each trope gets its own moment to shine in this delightful mish-mash, which is as much Cabin in the Woods-style satire as it is a love letter to the genre.
How to watch: Scare Package is streaming now on Shudder.
Glorious
Credit: Shudder
What’s it about?
After separating from his partner, a troubled man stops at a rest stop and strikes up a conversation with an unseen figure in a bathroom stall who claims to be a god.
Why should you watch it?
You might think a movie set almost entirely in a rest stop bathroom would be a hard sell, but the combination of a well-written script, Rebekah McKendry’s creative direction and some top acting from Ryan Kwanten, J.K. Simmons, and André Lamar helps keep the pace of this one going. Extra points for the creativeness of the idea and the weird genre mish-mash, which combines silly humour, tension and Lovecraftian horror.
How to watch: Glorious is streaming now on Shudder.
*This blurb appeared on a previous Mashable list.
UPDATE: Oct. 8, 2024, 9:52 a.m. UTC This list was first published on Sept. 7. 2023. It has since been updated to reflect current streaming options.
Do you like scary movies? Peruse our editor-chosen list of 100 of the best horror films and use the filters to narrow down your picks for which to watch tonight.
