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Best of Comedic Horror On Netflix

The new age of comedic horror is in full swing.

By Ray BohnPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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Those of us that are self-proclaimed horror maniacs have somehow managed to stumble ass-backward into a golden age of my new favorite sub-genre. Comedic horror and I don’t mean the "it’s so bad it’s good" kind. I also sure as hell don’t mean movies like “ Scary Movie 2” or other goof-ball parodies.

There was a time when “The Evil Dead” films ruled this niche, while others like “Basket Case”, “Hatchet”, and “Elvira” poked fun at themselves but missed the mark the new class of horror is hitting.

Oddly enough the once taboo subject of Satan and evil forces have slid under the radar into the “it’s a laughing matter category” and thank god for that.

The new genre I’m talking about is well represented on Netflix and are comedies that deal with the weighty and sometimes gory matter of fighting the Devil and his evil forces seeping through the seams of this world. Sure you may be in for barrels of dick jokes, but if it ain’t broke don’t pull your c**k out.

John Dies at The End

Based on the book of the same name, John Dies at The End is one of the most faithful to the source material adaptations I have ever seen. You will literally laugh out loud as Dave and John fight the dark forces that haunt their town. Thanks to a never before seen party drug known as “soy sauce” they are able to see and survive all the evil us normal folks end up bleeding all over. It’s Constantine meets Bill and Ted, or if Wayne and Garth and Constantine gangbanged Elvira resulting in a child raised by Seth Rogen and Tyler Durden.

Fun fact the basis for this novel came from a screenplay David Wong wrote that never saw the light of day. A gang based out of a Chinese restaurant to cover their drug deal ends up being uncovered by two friends. A hitman named Frank is center stage, as that original screenplay was almost named “Frank Dies At The End.” Years later to make his writing partner laugh, he started to leave Easter eggs to a movie that was never seen or made. All and all I give it 4 out of 5 dirty needles.

Ash Vs. Evil Dead

The godfathers of comedy horror Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi make the “Evil Dead” franchise everything it was always meant to be. Along with “Stan Against Evil” Ash vs. Evil Dead for whatever reason got greenlit as TV shows. I wouldn’t have guessed the world was ready for such a groundbreaking idea but then again The Walking Dead and True Blood have changed the landscape of TV.

Ash is back and older than ever. Only this time he’s got help and a slew of puppet masters throwing deadites at him and the gang. It may actually be Bruce Campbell at his best, playing the role that started his career more than 30 years ago but is fresher than it's ever been before. I give it 4.7 out of 5 severed hands.

Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil

I put off watching this one as long as possible. I generally don’t find that “blue collar comedy” funny. Nothing personal or against people who do, just not my cup of tea. Also, the more people recommend something to me to more I avoid it. It’s Evil Dead meets Joe Dirt.

This movie has a lot of things I look for in a movie, heart and a great underline theme tying it all together. The message is the danger of miscommunication. The movie follows Dale and Tucker, two “hillbillies” on a trip to their newly acquired “vacation home” to fix it up and do some fishing. Meanwhile, a group of stereotype college kids on a camping trip. Due to a series of bias and miscommunications bodies start to pile up and an unexpected romance is born in the face of clashing cultures. It’s original, bloody and heartfelt. I give it 3.9 out of 5 dead college kids.

The Babysitter

Out of left fucking field comes The Babysitter. It follows a little boy and his regular babysitter who he knows and trusts and has a bit of a crush on. The beautiful blonde babysitter has a secret, and instead of inviting a boy over to make out, she calls on her true boyfriend Satan. A group of millennials with a shared love of human sacrifice intend to use the boy for a deal with the Devil and a chance at their wildest dreams. It’s End of Days, Jennifer's Body and The Burbs meets Home Alone, as the kid has to fight off the gang of Satan worshippers and survive the night. It’s comedic horror that’s both comedic and horrific equally. Great script meets that independent punk rock filmmaking with a refined edge and high production value. I’m pleased any time the lord below gets the screen time he deserves and is explored in the care, free fun loving manner the Satanic sect is not known for. This one gets a 4 out of 5 jailbait babysitter's.

Gantz:0

This one caught me off guard. First of all, I didn’t know it was fully computer animated. Second, it was in subtitles. In a world where upon dying, a chosen few are thrown into a competition against a slew of insane demon monsters for their continued half-life. Not so heavy on the comedy but does hit a lot of the other benchmarks that make a great action horror. Demons, gunplay, blood and boob physics. It’s Pacific Rim, plus Trolls, times Dead Like Me. I give it 3.5 weird anime perverts out of 5.

Little Evil

This one was very run of the mill but still worth a watch. The main character is that actor (Adam Scott) who plays the same guy in every film he makes. He is the new stepfather to the antichrist and hi-jinx insure. As the kids plays the mom and leads to increasingly Devilish behavior and child murder. So Adam Scott needs to learn to love the evil out of him before it’s to late. It’s the Omen meets Problem Child, and gets 2.5 Devil spawn out of 5.

Honorable Mentions

Two films I would have included on this list were recently removed from Netflix. I couldn’t recommend to Canadian Horror Comedy show Todd and The Book of Pure Evil more. Breakfast Club plus Evil Dead plus Little Shop of Horrors plus Mallrats. A gang of high school burnouts go against pure evil in a town founded by Satanist and the results are magic 4.8 shit roosters out of 5. Maybe Netflix will pick up the animated conclusion that was crowdfunded and recently man-birthed into the world. Also worth checking out was Knights of Badassdom, where L.A.R.Ping and hell-spawn collide with the half man himself Peter Dinklage kicking ass to black metal soundtrack. 3 out of 5 dead Lannisters. Also Futureman from HULU is my new obsession and gets 4.7 out of 5 Possums. Basically if there's a "Vs." or the word evil in the title it's worth checking out, like Stan Against Evil who gets a 4 out of 5 severed eyeballs.

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About the Creator

Ray Bohn

Aspiring writer and Octonaut.

Author of horror novels "Pray For Punks" and "Slaughtering Shadows and Other Things I Thought Were Shadows". Available now in paperback and kindle at Amazon.com

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