Whether you’re a horror fan who favors slashers, werewolf flicks, or blood-and-guts gore, you surely can appreciate a film that brings the laughs as well as the fear. If you’re in the midst of a month-long horror movie binge for Halloween and need something lighthearted and campy, here are 10 films worth checking out.
The Stuff (1985)
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While writer/director Larry Cohen’s The Stuff has some genuinely scary moments and provides blunt commentary on the ridiculous nature of rampant consumerism, it’s hard not to laugh at a film about killer alien marshmallow fluff.
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960, remade in 1986)
Roger Corman, the “King of B-Movies,” created his masterpiece in 1960. The Little Shop of Horrors is the story of a meek flower shop employee, Seymour, who nurtures a special plant that eats humans — and forces him to kill so that it may feed. The original version features a 23-year-old Jack Nicholson as Wilbur Force, a masochistic patient of a sadistic dentist. The 1986 musical remake may be even better than the original, with an all-star cast including Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Candy, and Christopher Guest.
Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986)
Class of Nuke ‘Em High is one of the most underrated Troma films ever made. While Tromeo and Juliet and The Toxic Avenger are given more attention, this film is unbelievably funny. A school gang picks leaves from some weeds located next to the nuclear power plant and sells it to classmates to smoke. In turn, the radioactive “marijuana” causes superpowers and impregnates one of the girls with a monster baby — and that’s just in the first part of the movie.
Re-Animator (1985)
In 1922, famed author HP Lovecraft penned a short story entitled “Herbert West–Reanimator,” a parody of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. While the story is generally regarded as Lovecraft’s poorest work, it spawned a film, Re-Animator, that is pure gold. Fantastic campy acting by Jeffrey Combs, extreme gore, and a bizarre premise combine with plenty of dark humor to make this one of the most memorable horror flicks of the ’80s.
Night of the Comet (1984)
While more humorous in concept than execution, Night of the Comet‘s premise of two California “valley girls” in a shopping mall fighting off a zombie invasion caused by a passing comet is ridiculous enough to make the list. Whether the campiness of the film was intentional or incidental (due to the time period it is a product of) is debatable, but it’s well worth a watch regardless.