19 Best Horror Comedies To Watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Shudder, And More – GameSpot

Laughing in delight and screaming in terror are two of the biggest reactions that movies can evoke, so it's little wonder they go so well together. While there are numerous great horror movies that are deeply serious and terrifying, many of the genre's best filmmakers know that a little humor goes a long way in making the scares even more effective.

Humor can help reset an audience in preparation for more shocks, as well as helping produce sympathy for characters, which, in turn, makes us more scared when they're about to die. Even the goriest, scariest films can be funny--the "dinner party" scene in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre for example, or "You gotta be f***ing kidding me!" in The Thing. But what about those horror movies that are equal parts scares and laughs?

Horror comedy is one of the most popular subgenres, but also one of the hardest to get right. The best directors are able to walk the balance between frights and laughs, without letting one undermine the other. Some horror comedies rely on over-the-top gore to evoke humor, while others use the essential ridiculousness of most horror stories to wink at the audience. But to truly work, there is usually a point where we need to stop laughing and feel a little scared.

The 1980s were the decade where the horror comedy became more popular than more serious types, and many of the decade's best horror movies--from the Evil Dead films to the likes of Re-Animator and An American Werewolf in London--were also very funny. But horror comedies have never fallen out of style--it's unlikely there will ever be a point where audiences get tired of being scared or being made to laugh. There are loads of great horror comedies to watch on streaming right now, so here's our guide to some you can check out right now. And once you've checked these out, take a look at GameSpot's guides to the best monster, slasher, body horror, alien, and animal attack movies on streaming.

And speaking of things you should be watching, consider listening to GameSpot's weekly TV series and movies-focused podcast, You Should Be Watching. With new episodes premiering every Wednesday, you can watch a video version of the podcast over on GameSpot Universe or listen to audio versions on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.

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19 Best Horror Comedies To Watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Shudder, And More - GameSpot

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero