Today's list is for my top five horror-comedy of the 2000's. I've decided to not just include strictly slapstick horror comedy flicks but the films that fall into the dark satirical realm as well. This decade has been quite a resurgence for the horror genre in my opinion and specifically for the zombie sub-genre with three of these top five falling into that category. Please enjoy...
Honorable Mention
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
This is the ultimate satire of the slasher sub-genre. Evoking the characters of Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger as if they were real people, the film follows a film crew following a serial killer preparing himself for his first murderous ramage. He is finding his "final girl", creating his mythos and sharpening his killing skills.
I knew nothing about this movie when I found it on Netflix but I'm so glad I found it. It's a must-see movie for anyone who appreciates horror, specifically the slasher medium.
5) Fido
Fido is a brilliant film that takes the genre back to the halcyon days of 1950's suburbia. Pleasantville is the film that instantly
comes to mind when I view this movie. What is unique about this film is that this isn't the end of the world scenario almost every other zombie film depicts. Instead, the apocalypse was avoided and the remaining zombies have been integrated into everyday life, becoming the pets and servants of humans.
The cast is really tremendous. Carrie Anne Moss and Dylan Baker are two recognizable names while the title role is filled by Scottish actor Billy Connolly. He is nearly unrecognizable and barely speaks in the role but he is absolutely fantastic. Like no other zombie before him, he makes the audience feel his emotions and sympathize with his plight. Fido embodies the spirit of Lassie and Old Yeller. I'm not going to go into any in-depth analysis of this film but I will just say that it is very smart and very entertaining.
4) Trick 'r Treat
Well I already wrote about this film several weeks ago on my Top Five Indie/Foreign Horror films of 2009. Originally I was going to put this film on my list of straightforward horror films of
the decade. The more I think about it though, it belongs among these films.
It is actually quite a dark film in view of several unforgiving deaths suffered by children, but it's really best seen as a tongue in cheek satire of Halloween and the ghosts and monsters associated with it. It's an instant classic that I will watch for years to come.
3) Zombieland
Again, I previously wrote about this film on my Top Five Mainstream Horror Films of 2009. I will say again how much this film benefited from the wonderful cast. It doesn't have quite the same satirical elements as the other movies but it's just tons of fun and it keeps its light-hearted tone throughout. I can't wait for Zombieland 2 in 3-D.
2) Shaun of the Dead
Co-written and starring British actor Simon Pegg, this film is a genre blending masterpiece. It created the term, Rom-Zom-Com. What differenciates this film from Zombieland is that it is an homage to George Romero's style of zombie film making. It's not just the fact that we get the classic slow zombie, but we also get the unconcealed allegories to societal zombification.
It's obvious that Shaun of the Dead is spoofing the zombie blueprint but it really embraces the genre too. It starts out leaning toward the comedy vein but as the film progresses it takes a more serious tone as the violence and chaos increases. It's the cream of the Rom-Zom-Com crop and will likely never be topped.
1) American Psycho
For some, this film might seem out of place but there is a reason I put it on the list w
ith these other films. That's because I laugh my ass off every time I watch it.
Like Trick r Treat, it's not a horror comedy, but it is a dark satire. It's horrific tale told in an intelligent and darkly humorous manner that exposes truths about the yuppy culture of the 1980's as well as the narcissistic male self-image, in general. Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, it's an epic and horrific cult classic that made Christian Bale into the star he is today.
Honorable Mention
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
This is the ultimate satire of the slasher sub-genre. Evoking the characters of Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger as if they were real people, the film follows a film crew following a serial killer preparing himself for his first murderous ramage. He is finding his "final girl", creating his mythos and sharpening his killing skills.I knew nothing about this movie when I found it on Netflix but I'm so glad I found it. It's a must-see movie for anyone who appreciates horror, specifically the slasher medium.
5) Fido
Fido is a brilliant film that takes the genre back to the halcyon days of 1950's suburbia. Pleasantville is the film that instantly
comes to mind when I view this movie. What is unique about this film is that this isn't the end of the world scenario almost every other zombie film depicts. Instead, the apocalypse was avoided and the remaining zombies have been integrated into everyday life, becoming the pets and servants of humans.The cast is really tremendous. Carrie Anne Moss and Dylan Baker are two recognizable names while the title role is filled by Scottish actor Billy Connolly. He is nearly unrecognizable and barely speaks in the role but he is absolutely fantastic. Like no other zombie before him, he makes the audience feel his emotions and sympathize with his plight. Fido embodies the spirit of Lassie and Old Yeller. I'm not going to go into any in-depth analysis of this film but I will just say that it is very smart and very entertaining.
4) Trick 'r Treat
Well I already wrote about this film several weeks ago on my Top Five Indie/Foreign Horror films of 2009. Originally I was going to put this film on my list of straightforward horror films of
the decade. The more I think about it though, it belongs among these films.It is actually quite a dark film in view of several unforgiving deaths suffered by children, but it's really best seen as a tongue in cheek satire of Halloween and the ghosts and monsters associated with it. It's an instant classic that I will watch for years to come.
3) Zombieland
Again, I previously wrote about this film on my Top Five Mainstream Horror Films of 2009. I will say again how much this film benefited from the wonderful cast. It doesn't have quite the same satirical elements as the other movies but it's just tons of fun and it keeps its light-hearted tone throughout. I can't wait for Zombieland 2 in 3-D.2) Shaun of the Dead
Co-written and starring British actor Simon Pegg, this film is a genre blending masterpiece. It created the term, Rom-Zom-Com. What differenciates this film from Zombieland is that it is an homage to George Romero's style of zombie film making. It's not just the fact that we get the classic slow zombie, but we also get the unconcealed allegories to societal zombification.It's obvious that Shaun of the Dead is spoofing the zombie blueprint but it really embraces the genre too. It starts out leaning toward the comedy vein but as the film progresses it takes a more serious tone as the violence and chaos increases. It's the cream of the Rom-Zom-Com crop and will likely never be topped.
1) American Psycho
For some, this film might seem out of place but there is a reason I put it on the list w
ith these other films. That's because I laugh my ass off every time I watch it.Like Trick r Treat, it's not a horror comedy, but it is a dark satire. It's horrific tale told in an intelligent and darkly humorous manner that exposes truths about the yuppy culture of the 1980's as well as the narcissistic male self-image, in general. Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, it's an epic and horrific cult classic that made Christian Bale into the star he is today.
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