Top 10 Hilarious Horrors

Amilyn – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Paul Reubens was on the comeback trail after his high-profile arrest when he landed the part of vampire sidekick to Rutger Hauer in 1992’s Buffy. Reubens was completely unrecognizable as Amilyn – which probably helps him steal the show, especially with his overdramatic death scene. It may not have been the biggest part in the movie, but it certainly brought Pee Wee back to the masses.

Mark Kendall – Once Bitten

A very young Jim Carrey plays Mark – a high-schooler with the oldest problem in the yearbook – he’s a virgin. Intent to sow his royal oats, he meets The Countess (Lauren Hutton), a woman who needs to three times taste virgin blood to keep her youth. Mark’s loyal girlfriend Robin confronts The Countess – where else – at a school dance, and the race is on to deflower Mark. Cleavon Little co-stars as the quick-witted Sebastian in a role tailored for his talents.

Note: Once Bitten is not to be confused with My Best Friend is a Vampire (starring Jim Carrey look-a-like Robert Sean Leonard).

Nancy Aglet – Repossessed

Linda Blair’s performance in Repossessed brings the actress full circle after her appearance in The Exorcist. Repossessed is a zany spoof of that original performance, with Blair absolutely perfect as the green-vomiting, head-spinning, foul-mouthed Nancy. Add to the mix the always-incredible Leslie Nielsen as Father Mayii and you have one of the more fun comedic casts, which also stars WWE veterans Jesse Ventura and Gene Okerlund.

Betelgeuse – Beetlejuice

Although Michael Keaton only appears in the movie for a completely disappointing total of 18 minutes, he makes the most of his onscreen time and runs away with Beetlejuice. Keaton’s Betelgeuse terrorizes the Deetz family at the behest of Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis’s Maitlands, and even after meeting his apparent doom he keeps his fast-talking ways – albeit with a smaller head. As Hilarious Horrors go, this one is deserving to be on the list.

Update: Sequel is coming!

The Leprechaun – Leprechaun

The Leprechaun series began as something that could be considered genuinely frightening and transformed into a ridiculous parody of itself, including five sequels, including TWO involving the character delivering horrors in the hood. Warwick Davis (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Willow) stars as the titular psychopath, leaving a path of destruction in his wake. The original film also marks the first appearance of Jennifer Aniston.

The Killer – Scary Movie

In a film series that has parodied horror films, aliens and anything else that breathes, Scary Movie is slapstick silliness at its best. The gags and dialogue make for a side-splitting 100 minutes. And while the installments that followed were all funny in their own way – nothing tops the original. The first two in the series were truly the funniest, written by the Wayans brothers. After they left the franchise, it suffered creatively. The one constant throughout is Anna Faris – who brings her best to each of the films.

Jack Goodman – An American Werewolf in London

Most people remember this movie for its amazing transformation scene and for the killing sprees of the werewolf, but Griffin Dunne’s character of Jack supplies the laughs. After being killed by a werewolf, Jack makes it his undead mission to warn his friend David that he is a werewolf and must kill himself before it’s too late. The gory (and Academy Award winning) makeup of Dunne can’t seem to overshadow the wide smile of a dead man who knows that David is screwed.

Brain – Gremlins 2: The New Batch

When the original Gremlins first came out in 1984, its success was destined to spawn a sequel – but few could have predicted the chaos that would ensue in Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Where the original was violent and dark, the sequel was filled with ridiculous horrors and laughs. When the antagonistic creatures invade the science lab and ingest anything in sight, one lucky Gremlin – aptly named Brain Gremlin – gains the ability to speak. While the other Gremlins all have their comic moments, Brain’s time on screen is immensely funny, first with his interview and then his rendition of New York, New York – all with legendary actor Tony Randall supplying the voice.

Igor – Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein is considered a film classic for a number of different reasons, but for many fans of comedy, the main reason is the character of Igor (pronounced Eye-gor in the film) played by Marty Feldman. The very moment Feldman hits the screen, there is not a moment he doesn’t have an audience doubled over in laughter, waiting on his next move. From his first interaction with Gene Wilder to his one-liners throughout the film, Igor is arguably the most-beloved Hilarious Horrors character of all time. Feldman, as well, could be the best comic of his generation, a man who’s timing and delivery were never better than in Young Frankenstein.

Ensemble: Transylvania 6-5000

Transylvania 6-5000 is #1 of th Hilarious Horrors because it is the funniest horror movie ever made. You can’t just choose one character and say they are the funniest because each is perfectly cast in their role. When Jack (Jeff Goldblum) and Gil (Ed Begley, Jr.) are sent to investigate the reappearance of Frankenstein in Transylvania, they uncover more than they bargained for – including Countess Dracula (Geena Davis), Wolf Man (Donald Gibb), Pretzel Boy, Radu (John Byner) and his wife, Lupi (Carol Kane), Dr. Malavacqua (Joseph Bologna) and Fejos (Michael Richards).

The movie is twisted, weird, silly, fun and well-conceived, with performances second-to-none, making for an extremely entertaining and hysterical film. It is the type of movie that doesn’t get the respect it deserves but should be seen to be believed. “It’s good, eh?”