If I had the ability to choose my own birth date, there's only one option for me: October 31st. That's how much I love Halloween. I don't partake of the commercial aspects that much. I rarely dress up and I don't hand out candy. That's not what Halloween, or as it's originally known: All Hallows Eve, is about.
Halloween is about fear. Old world religions had the power of the Gods wax and wane just like the seasons, in order to cement the idea of the constant battle between Good and Evil. There was a day where the power of the Good & Righteous is restored to its full glory ready to take on the yearly battle against the Evils of the world. It was known as All Saint's Day. But on the eve of this holy day (See where the name came from?) the power of good would be at it's weakest and the people would take measures to defend themselves against the Evil. All the commercialized rituals we have now are based upon those initial rites of fear.
Given my personal mentality, I take the day of Halloween to explore the depths of those things that I should normally fear, but don't. And it's FUN!! It's my favorite time of year because I can come to believe that the rest of the world, for one night, joins me in rejoicing in the darkness. That for one night, the rest of the world can take glory from the triumph of the villains. While that's not really true, it's nice to indulge in, and it gives me a strong foundation for what comes immediately after: the Holiday season. So, every year, I dig up 4 or 5 horror movies to watch and take part in the joy of seeing people terrorized, running for their lives to no avail, and dying horrible, gruesome deaths to pay for their sins.
But not all of the horror movies are about delightful, abject fear. There are those who take Halloween from a different angle and take the scares and add humor. They make Halloween funny, where you jump and cry out and then laugh! And that's what this post is about. I'm going to give you my top ten funny horror movies. Go and rent some, and temper your fear with laughter!
10) Little Shop Of Horrors - The only horror movie I know of where the plants dance and sing as they kill! How could you NOT have fun with that?
09) Teen Wolf - What better way to make a werewolf movie fun than to have shoddy production values and loads of teen angst! Plus, street surfing!!!
08) Young Frankenstein - Mel Brooks made this movie. That's all you need to know.
07) Zombieland - A crazy way to look at the rules for surviving a zombie apocalypse. Wit, sarcasm, and practical humor prove just as effective against zombies as they are against everything else.
06) From Dusk 'Til Dawn - From the moment I saw the first ad ("Vampires. No Interviews.") I knew I was going to laugh my ass off during this movie. It brings a delightful, wise ass sarcasm to vampire movies that is severely lacking. I mean, come on, just because you're facing a evil horde of bloodsuckers doesn't mean you can't toss out a couple of good barbs, right?
05) Gremlins - Dude, Gizmo made this movie. You remember the rules, right?
04) Army of Darkness - Talk about a wise ass horror movie and no other comes to mind. Now, I'm going to Borders to pick up my copy of the Necronomicon. How did that password phrase go? Clatu Verata.. Necktie? No.... umm... Nickel? No... Damm it, think!
03) The Frighteners - What? Ghosts can't have attitude? Just cause you dead don't mean you stop the con, right?
02) Ghostbusters - Come on, you knew this one was going to be on this list!! There was NO doubt. Oh, question for you: ARE YOU A GOD??
01) Beetlejuice - Hey, you deceased people out there! Do you have those pesky living folks infesting your home? Well, all you have to do is call the afterlife's one and only Bio-Exorcist! You know his name. So... Say it once. Say it Twice. Third Time's the Charm...
The only ones I haven't seen off this list are Army of Darkness and Frighteners. I'm not big on horror movies, let alone funny ones.
ReplyDeleteThat said, some of these movies are my all-time favorites . . . like Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, and Zombieland, which I would have placed closer to Number 1 since I *really* love that particular flick.
David,
ReplyDeleteYou're someone who appreciates sarcastic wiseassness. I think you'd enjoy watching Army of Darkness.
As for the Frighteners, it's a good movie and an interesting departure for Micheal J. Fox. I'm not sure you'd like The Frighteners, though. While I love this one, it tends to be kind of hit or miss with the people I recommend it to.