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Comedy horror

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The 1948 filmAbbott and Costello Meet Frankensteinis a comedy horror film, in that it pairs the comedy duoAbbott and Costellowith theFrankensteinmonster.

Comedy horror,also known ashorror comedy,is aliterary,television,andfilm genrethat combines elements ofcomedyandhorror fiction.Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof."[1]It often crosses over with theblack comedygenre. Comedy horror can also parody or subtly spoof horrorclichésas its main source of humour or use those elements to take a story in a different direction. Examples of comedy horror films includeAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein(1948),An American Werewolf in London(1981), theEvil Deadfranchise (1981–present),Gremlins(1984),Shaun of the Dead(2004), andThe Cabin in the Woods(2011).

Author Bruce G. Hallenbeck cites the short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"byWashington Irvingas "the first great comedy horror story".[2]The story made readers "laugh one moment and scream the next" and its premise was based on mischief typically found during the holidayHalloween.[2]

In literature

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Horror and comedy have been associated with each other since the early days of horror novels. Shortly after the publication ofMary Shelley'sFrankenstein,comedic parodies appeared.Edgar Allan Poeput humor and horror on the same continuum, and many nineteenth century authors used black humor in their horror stories. AuthorRobert Blochcalled them "opposite sides of the same coin".[3]

In film

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In comedy horror film,gallows humoris a common element. While comedy horror films provide scares for audiences, they also provide something that dramatichorror filmsdo not: "the permission to laugh at your fears, to whistle past the cinematic graveyard and feel secure in the knowledge that the monsters can't get you".[2]

In the era ofsilent film,the source material for early comedy horror films came from stage performances instead of literature. One example,The Ghost Breaker(1914), was based on a 1909 play, though the film's horror elements were more interesting to the audience than the comedy elements. In the United States following the trauma ofWorld War I,film audiences sought to see horror on screen but tempered with humor. The "pioneering" comedy horror film wasOne Exciting Night(1922), written, directed and produced byD. W. Griffith,who noticed the stage success of the genre and foresaw a cinematic translation. The film included comedicblackfaceperformances and footage of a hurricane for a climactic storm. As an early experiment, the various genres were not well-balanced with horror and comedy, and later films improved the balance and took more sophisticated approaches.[4]Charles Bramesco ofVulture.comidentifiesAbbott and Costello Meet Frankensteinas the first commercially successful comedy horror film. Its success legitimized the genre and established it as commercially viable.[5]

Some comedy horror movies, such as theScary Movieseries orA Haunted Housealso function asparodiesof popular horror films.

Well-known directorPeter Jacksonbegan his film career with the comedy horror classicsBad Taste,Meet the FeeblesandBraindead.

Further information on the surrealist, campy comedy horror short film fictional character:Shaye Saint John

In television

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Examples of horror comedy on television date back to sitcomsThe MunstersandThe Addams Familyand more recently include gruesome slapsticksAsh vs Evil DeadandStan Against Evil,mockumentary theWhat We Do in the Shadows (franchise),Wellington Paranormal,comediesTodd and the Book of Pure Evil,Shining ValeandSanta Clarita Diet,and cartoonsBeetlejuice,Courage the Cowardly Dog,andScooby-Doo.More recent examples includeThe Owl House,[6]Wednesday,Don't Hug Me I'm Scared,Hazbin HotelandHelluva Boss.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Miller, J.S. (2004).The Horror Spoofs of Abbott and Costello: A Critical Assessment of the Comedy Team's Monster Films.Jefferson, NC:McFarland & Company, Inc.p. 1.ISBN978-0-7864-1922-7.
  2. ^abcHallenbeck 2009,p. 3
  3. ^Carroll, Noel (Spring 1999). "Horror and Humor".The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.57(2): 145–146.doi:10.1111/1540_6245.jaac57.2.0145.JSTOR432309.
  4. ^Hallenbeck 2009,pp. 5–7
  5. ^Bramesco, Charles (22 October 2015)."The History of Horror-Comedy in 11 Crucial Films".Vulture.com.Retrieved27 October2015.
  6. ^Brown, Tracy (10 January 2020)."For its creator, Disney's 'The Owl House' is the best revenge".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2020.Retrieved10 August2020.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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