This article has mention of violence, murder, and suicide.
Horrorhas a close generic relationship with comedy, as both genres attempt to elicit bodily reactions, from instinctual gasps and reflexive chuckles to involuntary shutting of eyes and uncontrollable laughter.Horror comedy movies that are hilarious and terrifyingoperate by leaning into the similarities of the two body-genres. Often, the source of comedy in such instances is the absurdity of the human body and its various responses to extreme stimuli. So, the very act that would horrify a viewer in a somber tone becomes comical in a comedy.
Because of this possibility of a horror scene evolving into comedy, many horror movies have the potential to be unintentionally funny. Some of themost unintentionally hilarious movie characters of all timeare from horror movies because intense performances, as necessary in horror films, often lead to unintentional comedy. For instance,memes that become bigger than the moviesthey’re from prove that committed acting often paves the way for hilarity with severe expressions and excessive passion from the concerned actor.
Orphan
Cast
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Orphan is a psychological horror film in which a couple adopt a mysterious 9-year-old girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), only to discover that she is not who she appears to be. Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard star as Kate and John, her adoptive parents.
Mistaken identity is often a common plot twist in horror movies to explain disturbing events and surprise the audience with a plot twist. However, this can become a source of unintentional hilarity if it’s too far-fetched. In the case of Jaume Collet-Serra’sOrphan, this reveal changes everything about the devilish protagonist but also explains everything that’s happened in the movie up to that point. While it’s not necessarily funny per se, thereveal that the nine-year-old girl inOrphanis a 33-year-old woman with hypopituitarismis such a blindsiding reveal that it can invite a chuckle.
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While horror movie villains come in diverse forms, it’s worth noting the distinct impact of some of the genre’s most memorable female antagonists.
While thereal-life crime and true story behindOrphancomplicates the unintentional comedy one might find in the revelation, the laugh isn’t aimed at the character, it’s just a consequence of the reveal being both too perfect for the story and absolutely unexpected. The next scene after the reveal, where the woman takes off her makeup that made her look like a child, is truly terrifying as the facade fades away and reveals a murderous person. But the fact that she’s not a child catches viewers so unawares, that it’s unintentionally funny.
Stanley Kubrick is known for his meticulous filmmaking and all his movies are characterized by intensely passionate performances from the cast. He’s famous for having been a harsh taskmaster who’d demand the absolute best from his crew members, but that has backfired in the most famous instance. The highest number of takes for a single shot in the history of cinema is the shot ofthe late Shelley Duvallswinging her bat as she backs away from Jack Nicholson up the stairs. She’s supposed to look terrified, but her erratic body language makes her look unintentionally comical.
However, the backstory to that shot is tragic. Kubrick had subjected Duvall to extreme emotional manipulation, separating her from the cast members, forcing her to stay alone between takes, and being unfairly harsh to her. His intention was to draw out the panicked and traumatized look that her character Wendy should have during the movie, but this wasan inhumane step to take as a director. The most tragic part is that the trauma ruined Duvall’s mental stability and her career because she wasn’t taken seriously due to the seemingly comical performance.
Hannibal
Hannibal is a thriller that sees Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. Directed by Ridley Scott and based on Thomas Harris’s novel, the film follows the intriguing dynamics between Lecter and FBI agent Clarice Starling, played by Julianne Moore, as she seeks to capture him while he remains at large.
Sometimes, gruesome and morbid scenes can become unintentionally funny just because of their shocking nature. The sight might be disgusting, and the characters might be experiencing severe trauma, but the bizarre nature of the extremity can evoke unintended laughter. Sir Anthony Hopkins' Dr. Hannibal Lecter, introduced inThe Silence of the Lambs(1991), is one of themovie characters that helped reshape genre expectations, by being an eloquent and patient serial killer.
The concept is so outlandish, that it’s hard to take it seriously.
However, as much as his presence and characterization subverted prevalent tropes, the next film went in the opposite direction. Dr. Lecter still has his uncanny screen presence thanks to Sir Hopkins' remarkable performance, buthis cannibalism has become gimmickyinHannibal(2001). The most infamous instance of this is when he feeds the detective Clarice Starling her partner’s brain, and, in a shocking turn of events, makes her partner eat parts of his own brain. This is meant to cement his sinister Dr. Lecter’s sinister nature, but the concept is so outlandish, that it’s hard to take it seriously.
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II
Halloween II is a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s original 1978 Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis. In the sequel, Laurie Strode is transported to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital to recover from her injuries, but Michael Myers continues to hunt her down. Halloween II is also the film that established Michael and Laurie were siblings, which would become one of the most controversial twists in the Halloween franchise.
TheHalloweenfranchise is known for its suspenseful build-ups to moments of violence, where all pent-up anxiety is released in the form of an altercation. InHalloween II, Dr. Loomis, Michael Myers' doctor, is helping the police hunt down the crazed killer. This leads to multiple set pieces where the pattern of patiently building up suspense to a misdirection or an encounter is repeated.
Most of those instances are intense and characterized by severe violence, but one such instance, while still tragic and extreme, is unintentionally hilarious. An innocent kid, Ben Tramer, is dressed up as Michael Myers for Halloween, but Dr. Loomis becomes convinced that he’s the actual Michael. When Loomis and a cop pursue him, he tries to cross the road, but a cop car runs into him and hits the car behind them, causing an exorbitantly large explosion that burns and kills Tramer. Theabsurd scale of the explosion makes this tragic moment hilarious.
World War Z
Based on the novel by Max Brooks, World War Z tells the story of a world ravaged by a zombie virus. Former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) braves the apocalypse in search of a cure. He is tasked with finding the point of origin of the virus in order to synthesize a vaccine, reluctantly doing so in exchange for his family’s safety. His search takes him around the world, where he witnesses all the devastation of the apocalypse.
Zombie movies are often unintentionally funny due to the bizarre absurdity of zombie bodies and their movements. As Edgar Wright’sShaun of the Deadproved, zombie movies can be hilarious by leaning into the awkwardness of the body. However, depending on the tone of the zombie film, even unintentional comedy becomes impossible, like inTrain to Busan, one of thebest horror movies released in the past 10 years.
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Minor details in World War Z’s extended cut make it better than the movie’s theatrical version but add little heft to elevate its critical ratings.
World War Zis different in tone fromTrain to Busan, but it’s serious in its handling of the subject. The action-heavy zombie flick is a dumb entertainer in many ways, but some of the grave moments are tragic, or at least meant to. Virologist Andrew Fassbach, who was supposed to help figure out a way to stop the zombie apocalypse, falls on a gun while running from zombies and shoots himself in the face. His awkwardness andlack of relevance to the plotmake this moment unintentionally funny.
My Bloody Valentine
My Bloody Valentine is a Canadian-made horror/slasher film that follows a group of people who decide to throw a party for Valentine’s Day to disastrous results. The dance, which had been banned for two decades prior due to a tragic mining incident it had caused, is brought back, only for those involved to incur the wrath of a miner as he picks them off one by one.
While self-aware meta-writing wasn’t as mainstream in slashers until the release ofScreamin the late ’90s, slashers from before then often have a sense of humor about them. The overboard killings of many slasher villains are often parodied for laughs, but there’s nothing intentionally comical aboutMy Bloody Valentine. Featuring some of themost gruesome deaths in 1980s horror movie history, it’s an intense slasher with innovative and gory kills that pushed the limits of slasher deaths.
From a nail gun to a pick axe, the killer inMy Bloody Valentineis inventive with his murder weapons, even using a drier for a murder. But, his most unique kill is unfortunately hilarious despite being quite innovative. When Dave is looking ata boiling pot full of hot dogs, the killer approaches him from behind and submerges his head in the water. While his struggle to breathe is shown in harrowing detail, Dave’s face floating among hot dogs is such an inherently funny sight, that it’s hard not to laugh at that.
Hereditary
The feature film debut of writer-director Ari Aster, Hereditary tells the story of the unwittingly cursed Graham family. Annie Graham (Toni Collette) lives with her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) and their children Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). After the death of Annie’s mother, the family is beset by disaster and stalked by a supernatural entity that dredges up a past that Annie had spent her life trying to overlook.
One of thescariest supernatural horror moviesof all time, Ari Aster’sHereditaryis hardly funny. It is a terrifying exploration of folklore and grief from start to finish, which is relentless with its horror. There are sequences that could scar viewers for life, from an accidental decapitation of a child by a road sign to the live burning of a man. At the heart of the film’s horror is a cult that worships the evil spirit haunting the central family, and this spirit’s activities leads to bizarre and terrifying moments.
WhileHereditaryis much less intentional in its comical moments, Ari Aster’s latest film,Beau Is Afraid(2023) is chock-full of dark comedy where humor is derived from messed-up occurrences specifically.
One such moment is when the mother is perched up against the wall behind the son, who doesn’t notice her until it’s too late and needs to jump out of a window to escape from her possessed body. The ultimate conclusion of this horrifying scene is, unfortunately, rather funny because of the appearance. The mother’s decapitated body floats into the tree house at the end of the movie, andthe sight of a headless specter swaying like that on its way up is bound to elicit laughterdespite the intense atmosphere in the film.
Saw VI
Saw VI continues the twisted legacy of the Jigsaw killer as Detective Hoffman becomes the successor to his grim games. With the FBI closing in, Hoffman must initiate another deadly scenario, leading to the revelation of Jigsaw’s ultimate plan.
TheSawfranchise has a morbid sense of humor about it. There is somethingsadistically comical about despicable people suddenly becoming holier-than-thouwhen faced with certain death in a Jigsaw trap. Not all of Jigsaw’s victims deserve their fates, but some of them bring unintentional comedy to the movies with their absurd and awkward reactions to being trapped by the titular character.
While the firstSawis acrime movie where the villain winsin the end, the extreme gore in later installments moved the franchise entirely into horror territory. Jigsaw keeps winning in them, even after his death, but the most unintentionally comical moment in the entire franchise is from him, during an unexpectedly human moment. While arguing about the corrupt immorality of insurance agents, Jigsaw notices a piranha tank and says “Piranha!” in almost the same breath as his previous line. Tobin Bell’s delivery of the line makes the moment particularly funny.
The Happening
Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan presents The Happening, a thriller that centers around a strange unexplained phenomenon that begins to cause human beings to commit suicide in waves. Initially believed to be an international terrorist attack, science teacher Elliot and his wife Alma head to Boston with friends to escape the chaos. Soon enough, they realize that the effects have spread further than they thought - possibly across the entire world.
One of the most unintentionally funny characters in movie history appears in one of M. Night Shyamalan’s worst movies,The Happening(2008). It broke Shyamalan’s streak of critically acclaimed movies, with its bizarre plot and poorly written screenplay. Part ofwhat makes it a bad movie is Mark Wahlberg’s performanceas the protagonist, Elliot Moore, who’s impossible to take seriously due to Wahlberg’s stiff performance.
It’s the least convincing response anyone could ever give to such an accusation.
The poor direction that led Wahlberg to make the acting choices he did make the movie seem like a parody of itself at times, and as such, the whole movie is an example of unintentional comedy. However, there is a stand-out moment that became a sensation when the movie was released. When Elliot is confronted by a woman who believes he’s plotting her murder, he reassures her simply by saying, “What? No!” It’s the least convincing response anyone could ever give to such an accusation, and the woman’s nonchalance as she turns around before his response makes this even funnier.
Malignant
In this horror thriller from the creator of the Conjuring universe, a woman named Madison is tormented by visions of grisly murders. When she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities, she attempts to unlock her repressed memories to find the killer and stop him.
While it’s not as perfect as his directorial debutSaw, James Wan’sMalignantis a fun supernatural horror movie with a convoluted plot twist at its heart. However, in a bad way,Malignantis almost a comedy, because of the bizarre character choices and choreography that introduce moments of unintentional comedy throughout. FromAnnabelle Wallis' wig to the inexplicable electricity mechanics, many of its flaws are enjoyable because of how hilarious they make the movie.
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The funniest moment, however, is supposed to be absolutely terrifying. When a couple of people decide to leave Gabriel alone after realizing his abilities and being afraid of what he might do to them, they’re attacked by Gabriel nonetheless. He doesn’t take the regular supernaturalhorrorvillain route of using scary abilities to attack them, though. He hilariously spins around with a chair behind him, and throws it across the room, hitting both people. It’s an iconic scene because it wasn’t supposed to be funny, but it looks absolutely comical.
