If you’re a fan of comedy horror movies, then you’ve definitely come to the right place. I’ve included 20 of the best examples of this sub-genre, and each is guaranteed to provide a mixture of thrills and chills.

• Piranha (1978) – Boasting Joe Dante as director and John Sayles as screenwriter, this Roger Corman production does a fine job of parodying Jaws. When a school of experimental piranha intended for use in Vietnam escape into the Lost River Lake, it’s up to a local drunk (Bradford Dillman) and an insurance investigator (Heather Menzies) to save the day. Co-starring Dick Miller, Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn, Barbara Steele, and Paul Bartel. Be sure to catch the 1981 sequel and the 2010 remake for even more comedy/horror goodness.
• Feast (2006) – The patrons (and staff) of an out-of-the-way bar have to contend with a brood of murderous mutant beasts. Forget the usual horror clichés, as this film defies you to guess what’s coming next. Directed by John Gulager, it’s the culmination of the third season of Project Greenlight, and the impressive cast includes Balthazar Getty, Navi Rawat, Eileen Ryan, Henry Rollins, Jason Mewes (as himself), Clu Gulager, and Judah Friedlander. Two sequels would follow, although neither could top this one.
• Bride of Chucky (1998) – In the fourth film of the series–and the first to include a greater number of laughs–killer doll Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif) finds romance in the form of Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), yet another deranged doll with a human spirit inside. When they’re not bickering and trying to kill one another, they busy themselves pursuing a rebellious teenager (Katherine Heigl) and her police chief uncle (John Ritter).
• Evil Dead II (1987) – Director Sam Raimi improved and expanded on his 1981 gore classic, this time adding better special effects and even more outrageous dark comedy. The plot is largely the same, as thick-chinned Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) battles an army of demons at an isolated cabin in the woods. But there’s plenty of slapstick to be found amidst all the bile and demonic possessions, and the Three Stooges have been listed as a major inspiration for Ash’s on-screen antics.
• Spooks Run Wild (1941) – The East Side Kids and Bela Lugosi combine for this tale of youths sent to a mountain camp who run across a creepy mansion and its owner. Meanwhile, there’s a monster on the loose, and the would-be slayer of the fiend teams up with a local nurse to help find the missing boys. The first of a pair of films featuring both Lugosi and the East Side Kids, but definitely the better of the two.
• Eight Legged Freaks (2002) – David Arquette stars as Chris McCormick, a young man who returns home to prevent a corporation from buying out Prosperity, the sleepy Arizona mining town where he grew up. But Prosperity has a much bigger problem in store, courtesy of the giant-sized spiders who’ve been exposed to toxic waste buried in the mines. Kari Wuhrer is the MILF sheriff, Scarlett Johansson is her buxom young daughter, and Doug E. Doug is the local disc jockey with a love for conspiracy theories. A fun homage to the giant insect movies of yesteryear.

• Fido (2006) – Set in an alternate timeline that looks a lot like the 1950s, Fido follows the continuing relations between the living and the undead following the Zombie Wars (created by radiation from space causing the dead to reanimate). When a housewife (Carrie-Anne Moss) buys a domesticated zombie (Billy Connolly) to help with chores, her son quickly befriends the creature and names it Fido. But when his control collar malfunctions, Fido doesn’t hesitate to take a bite out of the neighbors. Co-starring Dylan Baker and Tim Blake Nelson.
• Black Sheep (2007) – A New Zealand horror/comedy about an outbreak of genetically mutated sheep whose bite can cause people to transform into wooly monstrosities. Filled with sheep farts, mutant lambs, and plenty of steamy sheep sex, this one should be perfect for those who loved Peter Jackson’s early work (and, no, I’m not talking about the Lord of the Rings films).
• Gremlins (1984) – After receiving a bizarre creature called a Mogwai for Christmas, teenager Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) is told to keep it away from water and never feed it after midnight. Those two rules quickly fall by the wayside, resulting in the creation of the mischievous and somewhat murderous Gremlins. Howie Mandel provides the voice of the cute-as-a-button Mogwai named Gizmo, and Phoebe Cates is predictably hot as Billy’s girlfriend. Co-starring Hoyt Axton, Corey Feldman, Dick Miller, and Polly Holliday. Directed by Joe Dante.
• Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) – Ever wonder how guys like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers learned their trade as movie psychopaths? Then watch this sort-of-mockumentary about an aspiring serial-killer named Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) and his efforts to prepare the perfect teenage slaughter. Angela Goethals co-stars as the virginal film student shooting his meticulous preparations, and Robert Englund makes a swell “Ahab.” One of the most clever comedy horror movies to come along in years.
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) – The first in a series of films where the classic comedy duo encounter legendary Universal movie monsters, this one includes The Wolfman (Lon Chaney, Jr.), Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi), and Frankenstein’s Monster (Glenn Strange, after Boris Karloff turned down the role). The favorite movie from Quentin Tarantino’s childhood, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein also features the only time that Lugosi reprised his iconic role as Dracula.
• Botched (2007) – A professional thief (Steven Dorff) gets sent to Russia to steal an antique cross from a Moscow office building. But when his partners prove to be trigger-happy, he’s left stranded on the 13th floor with a collection of eccentric hostages. Meanwhile, romance is in the air, and a serial killer is on the loose. Co-starring Jaime Murray and Sean Pertwee.

• The Cottage (2008) – When a kidnapping goes awry, a trio of money-hungry Brits (Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith, and Steve O’Donnell) and their uncooperative hostage (the mega-busty Jennifer Ellison) stumble across a cannibalistic farmer. Doug Bradley–known for playing Pinhead in the Hellraiser movies–makes a brief appearance as a villager who knows not to go into the woods after dark.
• Leprechaun (1994) – When some of his gold goes missing, a murderous leprechaun (Warwick Davis) goes to great lengths to retrieve it. One of the first movie roles for the then-unknown Jennifer Aniston, Leprechaun would spawn five sequels (including those set in outer space and the inner city).
• Shaun of the Dead (2004) – Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a working-class Brit who just got dumped by his longtime girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield). To make matters worse, the dead are now rising from the grave. Luckily, Shaun and his tubby pal Ed (Nick Frost) have a plan: grab Liz, Shaun’s mum (Penelope Wilton), and Liz’s flatmates (Dylan Moran, Lucy Davis) and ride things out at the local pub. The laughs are plentiful, the gore non-stop, and it features the best use of a Queen song since Iron Eagle. Kudos to director Edgar Wright for helping revive both comedy horror movies and zombie films.
• Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006) – The most critically-acclaimed film in the history of Troma Entertainment, although many of those reviews came from such “reliable” sources as Ain’t It Cool News and Fangoria. Still, this blend of music, comedy, and horror will provide plenty of thrills for gorehounds, and fans of poop movies will also be delighted by the constant bouts of projectile diarrhea. Taking a satirical look at the fast food industry, Poultrygeist follows a nerd named Arbie (Jason Yachanin) as he tries to win back his gal who’s turned lesbian while away at college. Taking a job at a recently-opened chicken restaurant built on top of an Indian burial ground, Arbie is forced to battle a horde of “fowl” spirits bent on revenge. Luckily, he’ll get some assistance from co-workers such as Paco Bell (Khalid Rivera), Carl Jr. (Caleb Emerson), and the burqa-wearing Hummus (Rose Ghavami). There’s something here to offend everyone, so shut off your brain and enjoy the show.
• Scary Movie (2000) – Keenen Ivory Wayans directed the first in a long-running series of horror parody movies that lampooned everything from The Blair Witch Project to Scream. Anna Faris stars as the blonde stalked by a ghost-faced killer, a role she would reprise in the seemingly endless string of sequels. While it’s an entertaining enough example of comedy horror movies, it would unfortunately inspire a number of substandard parodies (Stan Helsing, for example).
• Scared Stiff (1953) – A remake of The Ghost Breakers, this Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis musical puts the comic duo on the run from a mobster. Teaming up with an heiress (Lizabeth Scott) on her way to Cuba, our heroes encounter a zombie and plenty of laughs. Carmen Miranda co-stars in her last film role, and fans of the period should keep an eye out for cameos by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
• Zombieland (2009) – In a world overrun by the undead, a foursome of survivors (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin) seek to reach a theme park that’s supposedly zombie-free. Meanwhile, one of the group searches for the last Twinkie on Earth. Bill Murray pops up as himself, and thirty-three rules for surviving a zombie apocalypse are revealed (including “Avoid strip clubs,” “Cardio,” and “Beware of bathrooms”).
• Severance (2006) – Danny Dyer and Laura Harris star in this UK horror-comedy about a group of employees for an arms manufacturing firm who go on a wilderness retreat in Hungary and run afoul of pissed-off Russian war criminals. Everything from land mines to bear traps are used to dispatch characters, and who can resist a pair of busty, gun-wielding prostitutes?

I hope this will help you quench your thirst for comedy horror movies. Once you’ve been sated, be sure to check out these other fine articles from Odd Films:

• Weird Zombie Movies
• Nazi Zombie Movies
• Great Movies from The Asylum