Best in Show: Unsuspecting Travelers Abroad (Pt. I of II)

5. Chernobyl Diaries 

(imdb.com)

This movie's gotten a bad rap. Featuring a pretty standard group of characters who engage with one another and their situation in a way not much unlike real life, Chernobyl Diaries reinforces the idea that when traveling, you should stick with the typical. Extreme tourism feels right up the alley of many who decide to go abroad, and for this group, that decision comes with a hefty price. This film is a scary reminder that sometimes, those areas that are off-limits should remain just that: off-limits. 



(imdb.com)

4. The DescentThe Descent has been widely covered on list after list on this blog. But, it's relevancy to horror is far too paramount to be excluded. The Descent seeps into pretty much every subgenre out there as it's perfectly shot, intensive plot and stellar cast all make for a terrifying but completely compelling endeavor. At the center of this film, Sarah isn't just in an unknown cave, she is quite literally out of her element; having just crossed the Atlantic to for an annual trip with friends. She of course gets far more than she bargained for as a group of strong-willed ladies become trapped in a cavernous maze of death. The Descent should scare both local cave-divers and those looking for more international adventures alike.

3. Hostel

(imdb.com)

For whatever reason, horror filmmakers seem to have a pension for gore abroad. Like Wolf Creek and Borderland, Eli Roth's Hostel is the type of gross-out fest that easily makes the stomach turn. Hostel follows a pair of tourists who get caught up in a seedy, underground business of (literally) gut-wrenching proportions. Hostel is a dark and sick movie that'll have even the most versed travelers feeling uneasy about visiting places off the beaten path. It's the type of film that utilizes foreign barriers and the resulting isolation to create an atmosphere of absolute dread. For those homebodies out there, this movie presents nothing more than a confirmation that perhaps keeping local is the best way to go.





(imdb.com)

2. As Above, So Below/Devil's Pass

Both As Above, So Below and Devil's Pass share the unique similarities of travelers intentionally looking for mystery. In each, a group of explorers end up in a downward spiral of chaos. In As Above, So Below, an archaeologist and her newly formed group of spelunkers travel into an unexplored part of the Paris Catacombs and practically descend into hell. In Devil's Pass, some American students run off to Russia to make a documentary about some missing hikers. Both are found-footage, both have some truly scary moments and each is notable for their horrific execution. While Devil's Pass suffers from some weak graphics, there's enough atmospheric suspense - similar to The Blair Witch Project - to make it quite the journey. As Above, So Below was also the center of some criticism despite some truly scary moments that'd make anyone's skin crawl.

(imdb.com)

1. An American Werewolf in London 

The pinnacle of this list and by far the most deserving of the top spot is An American Werewolf in London. Like all of the unfortunate victims of circumstance on this list, perhaps none are more unsettling than this pair of Americans who encounter a beast on an English countryside. Equally funny as it is scary, An American Werewolf in London has aged better than most 80s horror films. Featuring the isolation of being in a foreign country with some old nostalgia and lore typically met by backpackers exploring desolate area, every moment of this film feels holistically thought through. The humor is never distracting, the jump scares are never predictable and throughout, viewers will be drawn closer and closer into one of the best werewolf movies ever.

Best in Show: Horror-Comedy (Pt. II of II)

Here's the follow up to yesterday's list!

(imdb.com)

5. Zombeavers

Do not miss this movie. It is gloriously awful. As someone who typically hates that, the fact that somehow Zombeavers is worthwhile should make people pause. It's hilarious and weird and like Black Sheep, it's a zombie-wereanimal film that is so hilarious in its faults that it makes for something amazing. Yeah, I hate movies like this, but Zombeavers is so endearingly awful and intentional that everything works.  Missing this movie (currently on Netflix) should be punishable.



(imdb.com)

4. What We Do in the Shadows

If Slither is this list's horror-leaner, then What We Do in the Shadows is the comedy one. I'm a sucker (get it?) for mockumentaries and this one, based on a group of vampires, is no different. Not only is the application of vintage-vampires in the modern world hilarious on its own but the diversity of styles in each vampire is great. There are true stages in the development of the vampire mythology and the research that went into those developments is clear and visible. What We Do in the Shadows is one of the funniest movies I had seen in a while. At times more laughably pathetic than cool, the challenges faced by the vampires are all too human.



(imdb.com)

3. Krampus

With Krampus, it feels like everyone knew it would go one of two ways: unfunny and plainly awful or amazingly hilarious and scary. Krampus is so candid in knowing its intentions that at no moment will viewers question its existence. It feels so meant to be- from its cast of hilarious actors to the strong visuals, Krampus is good for a watch year-round. What makes Krampus spectacular is that it never feels dumb. It's smart and trashy and exactly what you think it will be without the B-horror awfulness that often comes with horror-comedies.



(imdb.com)

2. Shaun of the Dead

The first time I saw Shaun of the Dead I hadn't become engrossed in horror movies and even the shortest trailer terrified me. That being said, I was completely horrified by this movie. Yeah, it's great that it’s funny but something about Shaun of the Dead is also so scary. Even the jokey moments- like the zombie trapped on the pole, left me deeply unsettled. It definitely feels like one of the best zombie movies around, even better than some of the more serious ones. Shaun of the Dead is silly, but also really good.

(imdb.com)

 

1. Zombieland

The only zombie horror-comedy that ever passed Shaun of the Dead in my book is Zombieland. Funnier, quicker and more adventurous, Zombieland also felt very grounded in the real world. Sure, one particular moment with Bill Murray is so over-the-top it's ridiculous (also hilarious), but a lot of the moves and reactions made by the group feel so normal and realistic. Zombieland could have been called How You Would Handle The Apocalypse and I would agree whole heartedly. Zombieland is funny and scary and while it's similar to Shaun of the Dead, its definitely more culturally relevant In its moments.

Best in Show: Horror-Comedy (Pt. I of II)

Defining what exactly a horror-comedy movie is can be difficult. At times, there is a fine line between a few different moments where a film runs too close one way or the other, may feature satire (like Scream) but isn't necessarily a comedy or is unintentionally funny and is actually just a bad movie. With those things considered, filmmakers must then pull off a movie that is actually entertaining. As someone who is openly predisposed to hating the diametrically opposing genre blend, my list of horror-comedy movies is pretty limited. For some movies that lean one way or the other or do so unintentionally, I tried sift through in exchange for very definable horror-comedy movies.


(imdb.com)

10. They're Watching

They're Watching is weird. Simultaneously funny and at times, scarier than it should be, the smaller release of this film isn't one that should go unnoticed. It's ending, while insanely over the top, is the best kind of disaster. From the foreign backdrop, to the less than intelligent characters, They're Watching is a heaping mess of strange Eastern European foreigners and eccentric mythology that makes for a frolicking found-footage adventure with an insane ending to match.

(imdb.com)

9. Slither

Slither definitely leans more towards horror than to comedy. When I originally caught this film on MTV years ago, it actually scared me and did little to make me laugh. Over the years, repeated watches have allowed me to see the comedy comfortably, while still being disconcerted by the grotesque parasites that deform and craze the townspeople. This movie is disgusting above most else. It's crazy cyst-like visuals will make your skin crawl long before you're able to utter a chuckle, that being said it's definitely worth something for being such an obnoxiously off movie.

(imdb.com)

8. The Final Girls

Like Scream, The Final Girls definitely borders on being a simple satire, but hard inflections of comedy definitely permit it into this list. This movie is perhaps the most millennial film to come out in recent years. With a cast of young, budding stars including Taissa Farmiga of American Horror Story fame, The Final Girls has a lot of color and spunk for such a small movie. Actors like Adam Levine (Workaholics) and Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), only up the level of the film's ability to make something that is wholly funny.

(imdb.com)

7. Black Sheep

Like a lot of the movies that fill out this list, Black Sheep takes grotesque to a new level. Think American Werewolf in London transformation scene but much more horrifying and sheepish (sheep-like, but sheepish sounds better). Black Sheep is insane. Like a zombie-werewolf crossbreed featuring exclusively sheep, literally every moment of this film is a big, laughable question mark. The absurdity that runs rampant- more than pretty much any other movie I've seen, is noteworthy because Black Sheep plays like it has absolutely nothing to lose. Poor graphics, mediocre acting and somehow less than amazing views of New Zealand, all make for a movie that shouldn't be nearly as fun as it is.

(imdb.com)

6. Scary Movie 3

To this day, Scary Movie 3 is the only movie in the entire parody franchise to make me laugh. In fact, it's also the only one in the series to scare me even slightly. The use of The Ring and Signs provided for such a array of material that the comedy benefited greatly over the previous two. It is so ridiculous, so unintelligent and yet, so confident, that it's worth the watch. Where low-brow comedy paired with gags would normally make for a cringe-inducing journey, something about Scary Movie 3 kept my attention.