Pop Culture Power Rankings: Horror Comedy Films!

Halloween is just two days away, which means it's time to stock up on candy and settle down with some of your favorite scary movies.

"But Rich, what if I want to be scared but I'm also in the mood to laugh? Also, I don't want to watch anything that came out before Galaxy Quest."

Lucky for you, this week's theme is horror comedies of the 21st century.

#1: The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Not only is Joss Whedon’s soon-to-be cult-classic the best horror comedy of the century, it is also my favorite horror movie, period, and one of the best comedies in recent memory. The Cabin in the Woods is a deconstruction of the horror genre (specifically Evil Dead), playing with classic tropes and clichés in the most hilarious and Whedon-esque of ways. Thanks to its witty dialogue and absurd twists, Cabin makes most other attempts to satirize the horror genre look amateurish by comparison.

#2: Shaun of the Dead (2004)

"Putting Shaun of the Dead second? Rich, you're crazy!" 

First of all, I'm not crazy, and I have the doctor's note to prove it. You could put Shaun of the Dead as 1B to Cabin in the Woods' 1A, but I prefer Cabin's zany examination of the horror genre. Direct all complaints to NedSnarkComplaintLine@Gmail.com

Edgar Wright may be the best comedy director in the world right now, having written and directed Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and The World’s End, but it was this zombie comedy that put him on the map in America. Wright’s constant collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are on top of their game in what is certainly one of the best zombie movies ever made.

#3: Zombieland (2009)

This one could have easily felt like a tired rehash of Shaun of the Dead, which was released just five years previous. Fortunately, Zombieland offers a completely different take on the zombie comedy movie with a darker, more sardonic tone. Plus, it features one of the greatest surprise cameos in any movie.

Fun fact: before accepting the role of "Tallahassee," Woody Harrelson required director Ruben Fleischer to refrain from eating dairy products for a week. Talk about being committed to your mooovie!

#4: Slither (2006)

Possibly the most disgusting movie on this list, Slither tells the tale of a South Carolina town infested with parasitic alien slugs. Writer/ director James Gunn mixes the horror and comedy so well that you can forgive him for having written Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

#5: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)

Whereas The Cabin in the Woods is a deconstruction of horror movies, Tucker and Dale turns the genre on its head, showing the events of a typical slasher film through the eyes of the murderous villains…except that the “villains” are a couple of country bumpkins whose only crime is being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  The joke wears thin towards the end, but there are some hilarious highs along the way.

#6: Fright Night (2011)

A remake of 1985 film of the same name, this version features some smart writing and sharp performances – especially by the consistently excellent Colin Farrell (I don’t understand why he sometimes gets a bad rap, he was fantastic in Seven Psychopaths, Horrible Bosses, Crazy Heart and In Bruges). 

Also, Lisa Loeb plays McLovin’s mom, so that’s something.

#7: Warm Bodies (2013)

More of a rom-com than a horror movie, Warm Bodies is unlike other zombie movies in that it is told from the perspective of one of the zombies.  While some may be turned off by the teen-romance aspects, its unique spin, strong acting and sense of humor save it from being “Twilight with Zombies,” and that is a very good thing.

#8: Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

The premise of this movie is golden: two men in a nursing home who claim to be Elvis Presley (played by Bruce Campbell) and John F. Kennedy (played by Ossie Davis, who lacks one key physical similarity with JFK: he is three inches taller), must defeat an ancient Egyptian Mummy before it devours the souls of everyone in the nursing home. While it is not as laugh-out-loud funny as most of the movies on this list, it is actually pretty bittersweet.

#9: John Dies at the End (2012)

By the time a doorknob mysteriously turns into a giant penis and a pile of assorted meats reanimates as some sort of conglomerated meat-monster (this all happens by the tenth minute), you’ll probably know whether or not this movie is for you.  It’s a fun, silly film with some scares and a few clever moments, but you get the sense that it’s not quite as clever as it thinks it is.

#Bad: Club Dread (2004)

From “Broken Lizard,” the comedy troupe that brought you (and me, and everyone else) the cult favorite Super Troopers, this churlish slasher spoof will never be accused of being anyone's favorite.  Perhaps the best thing about this movie is that it was so bad, it did not inspire a host of sequels, unlike…

#Worse: Scary Movie (2000)

Scary Movie is not terrible.  It’s not a good movie, but I respect it for not being Scary Movie 2 through 5.

#Worst: Every Other Movie Written by the Scary Movie Writers

Here are the “Rotten Tomatoes” scores for every movie that the two hacks who wrote Scary Movie (Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer) have written since: 6%, 2%, 2%, 1%, 4%.  But the scariest notions of all are the fact that every single one of their films have turned a (considerable) profit, and that they have three more movies coming out over the next two years.

May God have mercy on our souls.