Are you tired of being scared during Halloween every year?
Are you looking for a change in how you celebrate the creepiest holiday of the year? Well, I have a suggestion. Why not instead of having horror movie marathons, watch a scary comedy instead? Hmmm? Think laughs instead of gasps. Think giggles instead of cackles. Think good-natured instead of wicked.
Yes, I think this year’s Halloween night should be spent making fun of the dark side instead of cowering from it. And here’s the perfect list of horrifying comedies that will have you laughing all the way from noon to midnight just watching frightful characters make light of the scary. In this way, you will sleep soundly throughout the night and go to school or work the next day feeling bright and sunny and whistling hello to the month of November. Yeah!
So here is my list of ten scary comedies that will surely have you die laughing. You know, you can die from laughing so hard! (Pun intended.) They are in no particular order… Don’t forget the buttery popcorn and the soda pop or ice tea if you are on a diet. Peekaboo!
1. Idle Hands (R) 1999 -- Dir. Rodman Flender
$0.99 for rent at Amazon.com
Anton Tobias is a lazy teenager who prefers to stay home and watch TV all day. But one day his right hand becomes possessed with a diabolical spirit that makes it do psychotic, unintentional things much to his terror. The hand murders his own parents, throws his pet cat across the street to its death, kills off his two best friends, and causes him embarrassing moments with his neighbor Molly. Anton’s friends when welcomed by heaven, decide to stay behind to help Anton and his dilemma. You will laugh your head off with this troubled teenager and his unfortunate situation with his right hand. Imagine your own “right” hand doing everything you don’t want to do? That’s a nightmare, isn’t it? Well, this movie takes that notion and makes it as disgusting and awkward as ever. Be sure your kids (if you have any in your family) are gone trick or treating so you can watch and enjoy this funny movie because it’s rated R and definitely unsuitable for them.
$2.99 for rent at Youtube.com
This is a full feature movie based on the gothic soap opera of the same name that ran on television in the late 1960s to the early 1970s. The Collins family, after arriving from Liverpool, England, establish a fishing town in their new location in the state of Maine back in the 1700’s. Their son the young boy Barnabas Collins befriends a same-aged girl by the name of Angelique who shares with her mother the love for black magic. When Barnabas becomes a young adult, he falls for a lovely girl by the name of Josette and this angers Angelique who curses him to become a vampire, kills off his parents and Josette, and turns the whole fishing town of Collinsport against Barnabas who then bury him alive in a coffin. 196 years later, the Collins descendants hire a young woman named Victoria as a governess for their young son David. Later in the night, Victoria is visited by the spirit of Josette who warns her that Barnabas Collins is coming soon. After this revelation, a group of construction workers somewhere in Collinsport, Maine dig up the coffin that seals Barnabas Collins. And from then on the horrors and the laughs begin. The cast of this movie, especially Johnny Depp, is a riot! You’ll be laughing throughout the movie due to his silly character! Haha!
3. Scary Movie (R) 2000 -- Dir. Keenan Ivory Wayans
$1.99 for rent at Youtube.com
Scary Movie which was released in 2000, is a laughing-fest itself! You will be crying tears from excessive laughter while watching this one because it parodies all the main horror movies you can think of that were released in the 1990's. It revolves around a group of teenagers who become terrorized by the main villain, Ghostface. I tell you, if you haven’t gotten the chance to view this scary comedy yet, you have to watch it now. If you have watched it already and just want to revisit for old times sake, go ahead! Oh my goodness it is so facetious you will not have nightmares overnight. Don’t watch it with kids under 16 around you as it contains a lot of mature themes and elements.
4. Boo! A Madea Halloween (PG-13) 2016 -- Dir. Tyler Perry
$12.99 for rent at Youtube.com
Now you know that anything that involves this matron is going to be a hell of a comedy so I included it here in this list for you to watch on Halloween night. It starts off with Madea’s nephew Brian ordering his teenage daughter Tiffany to stay away from a frat house and that he is going out of town threatening to send her and her little brother to their mother’s house. However, Brian contacts Madea to please come over and babysit his kids. Madea agrees to come over when Brian tells her he will pay her for her services and so does her relatives Aunt Bam, brother Joe, and friend Hattie. This movie is just like Scary Movie, you will laugh all the way from the beginning to the end because of Madea's goofiness and wisecracks. Haha.
5. Repossessed (PG-13) 1990 -- Dir. Bob Logan
$2.99 for rent at Amazon.com
A young woman is possessed again by the devil that terrorized her years before and was exorcised by Father Jebediah. Now, Father Jebediah returns to send the fiend back to hell once more where it belongs. The young woman, Nancy, is played by Linda Blair, the same actress who starred in the 1973 shocking horror film The Exorcist. This outrageous movie is a parody of that feature and you have got to watch it if you haven’t. I tell you, this movie has the Exorcist’s green vomit and head-spinning special effect but with a comedic twist that instead of scaring you will only make you laugh at its craziness. Haha.
6. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (PG-13) 1988 -- Dir. James Signorelli
$3.99 for rent at Amazon.com
Well, what’s Halloween without this ghoulish dame right? Yup. Elvira appears in this joke of a movie about her adventures in a conservative town where she is called upon by her deceased great-aunt Morgana who has left her with a dilapidated mansion and her adorable pet poodle. Once there in the town, she befriends a handsome theater operator, enthralls the teenagers, and infuriate the town council, the PTA, and the local school board, lol. With her no-care attitude and revealing clothes, you will be hooting and chuckling all night because well, she’s the crazy Halloween queen of all time! There’s an amusing character by the name of Edie McClurg who will do anything she can just to get rid of Elvira! Anyway, rent it for your amusement because it is purely comical entertainment! Boo-boo!
7. Jennifer’s Body (R) 2009 -- Dir. Karyn Kusama
$2.99 for rent at Amazon.com
Megan Fox stars as the zombie title character while Amanda Seyfried is her human best friend who goes out of her way to stop Jennifer from killing off the boys of their high school and put her “undead” self to rest in peace. What was supposed to be a night of sexual awakening for Jennifer turned out to be a devil worship sacrifice that left her cursed and hungry for human flesh. Jennifer confides in her friend Needy about this and Needy does research at the school library to find out what kind of demon Jennifer is. Needy then discovers that Jennifer is a succubus, a female monster that needs human flesh to survive. When Jennifer seduces and proceeds to consume Needy’s boyfriend on the night of a school dance, Needy becomes determined to kill Jennifer. I hope you find this movie entertaining because it was for me. The way it is so ludicrous mixed in with the terrors of being a zombie makes it suitable for Halloween night foolishness. Enjoy!
8. Gremlins (PG) 1984 -- Dir. Joe Dante
$2.99 for rent at Amazon.com
The movie starts off with a man going into a Chinatown antique store to look for something for his son Billy. He happens upon a strange but cute creature in the shop and wants it for his son but the owner refuses to sell it to him. However, little did the owner know that his little grandson secretly offers the creature which is called a “mogwai” to the man. The boy warns the man to not get the mogwai wet, to not feed it after midnight, and to keep it away from bright lights. The man then takes the mogwai to his son and calls it Gizmo. Gizmo is so cute and adorable it may remind you of the Furby toy with its eyes, mouth, fur, and size. Watch this movie for nostalgia’s sake and to feel all cuddly and cozy while laughing at the ridiculousness of the monsters that come out of Gizmo… Yes, it’s disturbing and crazy but this movie is rated PG so no worries about a man-eating or bloodthirsty zombie. It’s a fun movie with giggles and coos…that will entertain the kids (if you have any around) too. Enjoy!
9. Vampire in Brooklyn(R) 1995 -- Dir. Wes Craven
$2.99 for rent at Youtube.com
This movie features a vampire named Maximilian from a Caribbean Island who had survived all these years and is now looking for a lover to ensure that his line will not end with him. He hears of a woman, who is the child of a human mother and a vampire father, residing in New York and therefore goes there to search for her. The woman turns out to be an NYPD detective who is called to investigate a series of murders on the ship that transported Maximilian to NYC. She starts to have strange visions that cause her to have second thoughts about her mission and to contemplate on the recent death of her mother who had been staying in a mental asylum prior to passing away. The woman soon becomes befriended by Maximilian but it is her companion, Detective Justice who stands in their way. With Eddie Murphy’s well-known humor, be sure to watch this one for laughs on Halloween night without anyone under the age of 17 in sight because it’s rated R. Not even spooky but downright preposterous, you will be going to sleep later that night giggling to yourself while thinking of Maximilian.
10. Krampus (PG-13) 2015 -- Dir. Michael Dougherty
$2.99 for rent at Youtube.com
A family with many members ranging from the main ones to their uncle, aunts, cousins, and paternal grandmother all get together for what should be a fun and warm Christmas. But soon they lose the spirit of the holiday and the main family’s son Max is made fun of for his letter that he attempts to write to Santa. Then a blizzard happens outside which causes their home’s electricity to go out. Max’s teenage sister goes out to check if her boyfriend’s arrived but is attacked by a creature with horns who kills her with a jack-in-the-box toy. Soon other members of the family go out to look for her but they too come in contact with the creature that the paternal grandmother deems as the Krampus, a demon that comes out during Christmas to “punish those who have lost the spirit of Christmas.” This movie comes with demonic toys and a gang of evil elves all opposite to the jolly, good Santa Claus and his own loving team synonymous with Christmas. I assure you that you will be going to sleep later this night with a smile.
And there you have them! My ten scary comedy suggestions for your Halloween night of this year sure to hurt your stomach on the day after due to the uncontrollable laughter you will be doing all night long! Bye now!
