Can Horror be Horrifying AND Hilarious?

I watched the sequels to Sleepaway Camp over the last couple nights. Good stuff, very campy, but missing the grime of the original in production value.

The first one though, pretty classic, right? But when getting into the whole cheesy horror flick thing, can a good horror movie be hilarious and cheese and scary?

Dead Alive, Evil Dead, Return of the Living Dead, even Aliens, does the comical dialog and plot-jumps overpower the feel of isolation, eminent doom, or a waiting death?

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Can Horror be Horrifying AND Hilarious?

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Apr 02, 2008
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yes
by: big bad bitch

I think its funny but then again I laugh at blood guts and horror!

Mar 26, 2008
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You are right on Watchman
by: The Horror Czar

I've got to say, Watchman's remarks are right on the... well, mark.

How many times have we seen folks in uncomfortable situations resort to feeble laughter as a defense? I agree that it is part of the human condition to avoid dealing with unpleasant circumstances with laughter, and horror presents the most unpleasant circumstances imaginable.

A bit of well-placed humor is what keeps great horror from being great tragedy in my opinion. Nobody wants to go see a completely tragic situation (well, Shakespeare is an exception... and Sophocles... and lots of others... I guess people DO want to see that) and in horror part of the escape is that we can see surreal situations in a detached way, and then excitedly speak of bodies being ripped apart. Humor makes this possible.

Don

Mar 25, 2008
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Tragedy is the essence of Comedy.
by: Watchman de profundis

I personally believe that humor has its place and can be essential to a good Horror film. We, as a species, often deal with the most terrifying things with humor and by laughing. Life is tragic. Without a sense of humor where would we be? What would existence be like? That would be truly horrifying.



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