Comedy in horror

[slayer666]

I don't have anything against comedy-horror when this is the intent all along and when the film is advertised as such. I loved Shaun of the Dead, and I can think of a few other comedy-horrors I enjoyed. However, I don't generally care for these films and prefer my horror straight-up without the comedy. My beef is that many films advertised as horror end up containing intentional comedy, and this bugs me. Unintentional comedy from bad acting isn't the issue here; what I don't like is when the director deliberately adds comedy. What do you think?

[neverending]

Well, timing and mood in a film are delicate things, and a good director knows that a film needs peaks and valleys- it needs to keep building up the suspense and then releasing it, then building it up again, until the final climax. One way to release the tension is with a bit of comedy. If it's done well, it works. Hitchcock did it all the time. I think it's a valuable device in telling a story and I welcome a bit of "comic relief" if it's well done.

[Roderick Usher]

Couldn't disagree more. Comedy is the flip-side of tragedy (which all horrors are to some extent or another) and as such lives very close to the bone. The comedy is quite often the darkest part of a horror flick.

Like Otis wearing th dead dude's face in The Devil's Rejects. It was funny, gross and disturbing all at once.

Now if you're talking about doing something goofy for no reason...like some shitty wannabe Spielberg shit, then yes I hate that. But comedy lives just under the surface of every horror film.

As a writer I must point out that levity is how you provide a contrast for the chills. If everything uis heavy all the time, there is no room for an emotional ride. There must be a rhythmic flow to a movie in order to pull the audience along and provide a cathartic experience. Sure, some are ham-fisted, but when done right it only enhances a film.

[slayer666]

I think that there is a big difference between using a slight bit of levity to break an intense mood (see Play Misty for Me as a good example) and going for laughs (see Scream, Cabin Fever, and countless others). I have no problem with the former, but I find that the latter detracts from the viewing experience. Of course, this is one of those things that is difficult to quantify because the line between acceptable levity and pointless comedy will be different for every viewer.

[Spec7ral]

I love a great horror movie.

I love a great comedy flick.

If the two ever shall meet, and shall meet graciously, I will, most likely, fall head over heels.

[Phalanx]

Depends on the type of film...if it's one that's clearly out to terrify/horrify from the get-go, then throwing in a joke or two probably isn't the best idea. The Thing, 28DL, Candyman, Halloween (the first one anyways), Hellraiser...seem as though they'd have lost a little of their atmosphere had humour been in abundance..
However, if it's the kind of film that's clearly not meant to be take all that seriously, things like "jason goes to hell", shaun of the dead, Slither, From dusk til Dawn, evil dead, idle hands...a few one liners/jokes between the characters and scenes that make you laugh along with a cringe are quite acceptable to me. Whether or not "comedy" is the whole feel of the film, or just a throw in, I think that for these kid of films, there's no problem. Sometimes works well to get unexpected jump factor in there.
It's too bad they turned Freddy into a comedian after the first couple of films...had they left that alone, he probably would have been remembered as one of the most menacing villains ever...
Seomtimes comedy works, sometimes it doesn't, I think it's more a matter of knowing what type of film you're in the mood to experience, and going with that. If you don't get what you want, you're aware of it for future reference.
In short, no huge problems with the comedy thing here, as long as it's expected along with the kind of film it is...and yes, I agree - I'd be bothered if something was billed as "spine tingling/absolutely horrifying...etc" and advertised solely as such, then it was full of laughs...

[urgeok]

copied from another thread :


as far as humor goes in horror films .. it depends on the movie.

if its there all the time .. then its a horror -comedy done well they are fun.

if there is humor in just a day to day nature (a character says something funny) then i appreciate it - because in real life - people do occasionally say funny things... it developes the character and makes you identify with/like them a little more - gives them dimension. being (effectively) humorous is a trait people like and gravitate towards.

the key to a good horror movie is characters you like and then are afraid for.
tension is built worrying about the fate of a character you like ... no one gives a shit when colourless, lifeless, one dimensional characters are killed.

if there is just one character wisecracking all the time strictly for comedic relief - then yeah - thats a bad use of comedy in a horror. it's distracting and difusing.

i remember as a kid a scare being much more effective just after a light moment where you let down your guard and figured everyone was safe for the time being.