Most people want to forget their teenage years, which, by nature, are some of the most horrifying, painfully funny years of a person's life. Then again, some find amusement in looking back on their formative years or watching other young people go through the same excruciating experiences they did at that age. That might explain why teen horror comedies are such a popular subgenre.
These movies centre on young characters who, in addition to the usual teenage concerns (e.g., body image, dating, peer pressure), must also deal with serial killers or monsters of a supernatural kind. As well as being funny and frightening, they act as time capsules, capturing the cultural zeitgeist and reflecting the often legitimate fears of teenagers of that time. From Fright Night to Bodies Bodies Bodies, here are a few teen horror comedies that everyone should watch; if not to understand young people, then to laugh or cry along with them.
Fright Night (1985)
Fright Night is an underrated 80s vampire movie with great visual effects and funny dialogue. Directed by Tom Holland in his directorial debut, it stars William Ragsdale as Charley Brewster, a teenager who's convinced his handsome new neighbor Jerry (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. Unfortunately, nobody believes him. With his life and relationship on the line, he turns to washed-up TV vampire killer Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) for help.
Fans of the more popular Lost Boys will love Fright Night, which is every bit as sexy and scary. Chris Sarandon is brilliant as the bloodsucking womanizer, and William Ragsdale is pitifully funny as the ordinary kid who can't catch a break. The plot involving Jerry trying to steal Charley's girl (Amanda Bearse) is particularly funny, and the movie deals with many coming-of-age themes: friendship, dating, rivalry, and a favorite of the horror genre, physical humorformation.
Scream (1996)
Scream isn't technically a horror comedy, but it is a teen slasher with great humour. Directed by Wes Craven, it follows a group of high school students in middle-class suburbia who are being stalked by a knife-wielding serial killer named Ghost Face. At the center of the story is Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who suspects the killings might be related to her mother's murder a year earlier and is intent on discovering Ghost Face's identity.
Scream is a classic horror movie beloved by people of all ages. Aside from being wildly entertaining, with an all-star cast of 90s icons, it's uniquely self-aware. It's known as the mother of all meta-horrors: horror films that are self-referential to the genre and make fun of horror tropes. It's also packed with funny one-liners such as, "If I'm right about this, I could save a man's life. Do you know what that would do for my book sales?"
The Final Girls (2015)
The Final Girls is an underrated horror comedy that also parodies slasher movies. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, it follows a young woman named Max (Taissa Farmiga) who's grieving the loss of her 1980s scream queen mother (Malin Akerman) when the impossible happens. Attending a screening of her mother's most famous movie, Camp Bloodbath, Max and her friends find themselves pulled into the world of the B-movie favorite, fighting to end it alive.
The Final Girls is full of laugh-out-loud moments and funny characters. Duncan, for example, (played by Canadian comedian Thomas Middleditch) is an idiotic Camp Bloodbath mega-fan who prides himself on his knowledge of horror movies, yet is the first to come into danger. The Camp Bloodbath characters are also good contenders. These fictional characters are parodies of movie characters from cheesy 80s slashers, and accurate ones at that. They're all far too old to be teenagers, and far too dumb not to be insulting to actual teenagers.
Spontaneous (2020)
Romantic horror comedySpontaneous is explosively fun. Directed by Brian Duffield in his directorial debut, and based on Aaron Starmer's book of the same name, it stars Katherine Langford and Charlie Plummer as two seniors, Marla and Dylan, who fall in love amidst unusual circumstances. A strange phenomenon has taken over their school, causing students to spontaneously combust, and they could very well be next.
Spontaneous is a coming-of-age tale like no other, and its protagonist Marla is brilliantly witty and sarcastic. Responsible for the one-liners, "It could be worse right? We could be Republicans," and "She’s pretty professional for a b*tch," Marla is Katherine Langford's best role yet. The actress sure has comedic talent, and Charlie Plummer is adorable as her onscreen boyfriend. Viewers come for the teenage angst and horror, but stay for the heartfelt story.
Freaky (2020)
Freaky is a horror comedy with an interesting premise. Directed by Christopher Landon, it follows timid high schooler Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) whose life is turned upside down when she becomes the latest target of the town serial killer, The Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn). After being stabbed by the Butcher's dagger, Millie and the Butcher swap bodies. And if that wasn't bad enough, she only has till midnight to stab the Butcher back and reclaim her body.
Freaky is pure campy fun from start to finish. Like some of the other movies on this list, it satirizes the horror genre whilst poking fun at Gen Z stereotypes. Take the following interaction between Millie's best friends Josh (Misha Osherovich) and Nyla (Celeste O'Connor) (who, by the way, are hilarious supporting characters): "You're black, I'm gay, we are SO dead!" Freaky's self-referential humor never misses, and neither does Vince Vaughn pretending to be a teenage girl in love with a teenage boy.