Sunday, August 9, 2015

Horror Comedy

I usually don't watch a ton of movies...but when I do, I tend to binge-watch a bunch at one time!  That's what happened to me earlier this week.  I made good use out of Netflix account and Roku box and watched several horror films...most of them COMEDY horror!  It all started with The Mansion of Madness...

1. The Mansion of Madness (1973)--This one was NOT on Netflix, but I did find a link to watch the whole film on Youtube if you're interested. I'm just not sure if I would recommend it, lol.  This film was seriously a series of WTF moments for me. I've never dropped acid before, but I assume the imagery of this movie would mimic a bad trip quite nicely.  Basically, its the story of a French mental institution taken over by its patients and a journalist who happens to visit in order to write a story on the place. Directed by Juan Lopez Moctezuma, this movie is loosely based on the Edgar Allan Poe work, The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Feather.  There's really only one word to describe it: surreal. 


2. Housebound (2014)--Housebound IS available on Netflix streaming, and is one of those little gems of horror comedy.  It's not the greatest movie in the world, but its entertaining, had some spooky moments, and went through so many plot twists and turns that you weren't really sure where you'd end up! A young woman with a criminal past is forced to spend her home confinement sentence at her mother's house.  Immediately, weird things start happening, and its up to the girl to either solve what's going on, or pay the price. First a skeptic, she then faces the harrowing challenge of making others believe her.  There's some suspension of disbelief needed here, as many of her actions would have landed her butt in jail anywhere else, but that just sort of lends to the desperation and frustration factor. Definitely recommend this one! 

3. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (2010)--Another movie available on Netflix streaming, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil has been one that I've been meaning to watch forever...just never got around to it.  I'm glad I finally made the time, because its pretty hilarious.  This twist on a classic slasher flick might have been a tad more gory than I like my horror, but the comedy made it bearable. The two main guys are really quite lovable and you can't help but feel bad for their situation. The only thing that didn't thrill me was that somewhere I read that this was supposed to have taken place in West Virginia and I'm pretty bored with the whole stereotype of West Virginians all being uneducated, murderous hillbillies, lol. Now I just need to watch the sequel!


4. The Ouija Experiment (2011)--This was the only horror movie I watched this week without overtly being classified as a horror comedy...but it was still kinda funny in spots because it was so cheesy. As another Netflix streaming option that I had been meaning to watch for some time, The Ouija Experiment wasn't retched...it just wasn't very good, either.  It's filmed in one of those 'found footage' styles and chronicles a film maker's quest to shoot some spooky footage of a Ouija board experiment for his Youtube channel. The characters were all just dreadful and annoying so I definitely empathized with the ghosts more! Some of the things they said and did literally made me cringe...especially the bits with the 'ouija expert.'  There were definitely some creepy moments and a few jump scares that kept it entertaining, though.  One thing I couldn't figure out, however, was that if this was a found footage type film, why could WE see the ghosts on film, but when the characters played back their own footage, there was nothing there?

5. The 'Burbs (1989)--I wasn't sure whether or not to include The 'Burbs since its really not a horror comedy, but a dark comedy.  In any case, its freaking hilarious!  This was one of my favorite movies growing up, and I was thrilled to find it on Netflix. A band of neighbors, suspicious of a quiet, and somewhat weird family on their cul-de-sac, take it upon themselves to find out what horrors are really going on. It's a comedy of errors with a surprising twist at the end...a movie that really makes you wonder, "how well do you know the people next door?" Oh, and its got Corey Feldman in it as an added bonus!



So that's what I've been watching this week.  What have you watched recently?  Share your hits and misses with us over on Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page, or check out my article, Cinematic Research, about how watching horror films can actually be educational!

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