A few years ago, I got into a debate with someone over whether or not Scream was a horror movie or a comedy. They steadfastly defended their stance that Scream was a comedy; I stubbornly argued that Scream was, first and foremost, a horror movie, regardless of the fact that it also had elements of humor to it. For some reason, neither of us acknowledged the valid existence of the Horror Comedy genre, and feverishly debated whether it was one or the other.
Want to understand our definition of “horror”? Check out this explanation!
Honestly, I don’t even think Scream was the best movie for this debate. There are far funnier horror movies. The work of Sam Raimi is simultaneously horrifying and hilarious as fans of The Evil Dead will tell you. And then there’s Freddy Krueger, a slasher villain whose iconic status is due, in part, to his use of wordplay to taunt his victims (here’s a few of the internet’s favorite examples).
To this day, horror movies will often tip-toe along the lines between horror and comedy, if not fully embracing both genres entirely (Shaun of the Dead, for example, is one of the best known of the horror comedy genre). There are entire subgenres of horror devoted to the so-bad-it’s-good schlock like Sharknado, which knows exactly what it is and embraces the production values to create one of the most successful “bad movie” franchises in history.
So what is that about? Why does this relationship between comedy and horror exist in the first place? Why is the horror comedy even a thing?
To put it into one word: catharsis.
What is Catharsis?
Catharsis is, at its simplest, the sudden release of emotional tension. This could be positive or negative- say, you’re worried about getting fired from your job, but you actually get promoted; this is a positive development that reassures you that you’re not going to get fired, and you feel relieved and maybe hit the town to celebrate. On the negative side, maybe you actually get fired; the thing you dreaded happened and you don’t need to dread it anymore, but now you feel sad and maybe hit the town to grieve.
Horror movies are designed to provide a cathartic release of tension built up throughout the movie. This heightening of tension is accomplished through the use of various elements, such as camera angles, color palate, make-up, special effects, acting, and a killer concept. These are all crafted together by the director to form a stressful and frightening experience that hopefully keeps you on the edge of your seat until the climax finally provides the resolution to the conflict. This enables you, the viewer, to release that anxiety that had been building up throughout the movie: the killer has been vanquished, the final girl has been rescued, and you have survived the experience to talk about it.
Okay, fine, but that doesn’t mean comedy has to come into play. And that’s right, it doesn’t. There are plenty of horror movies out there without a semblance of comedy. So why do some horror movies use it? Why do horror comedies specialize in the use of both?
Again, it’s about catharsis. Comedy is another way to cathartically release tension. Historically, comedy has often been used to poke at the illogical or ridiculous aspects of human life and/or society- to highlight that something is wrong, and then to laugh about it. Sometimes the “wrong” can be something that is, itself, very stressful and causes anxiety to the viewer; in these situations, learning to laugh about the situation becomes a way to release that anxiety, even if only for a little while.
Horror, Comedy, and Horror Comedy
Thus, laughter and comedy become another tool for the horror movie director to help craft a psychological journey for the audience. While tension builds throughout the movie, the threat is ever-present. We don’t know where the foe is lurking. The music gets low, the visuals get dark. Something is rustling behind that curtain, and -BOOM- out jumps a cat. We get a release of tension, and maybe get a little laugh, before we remember that, right, there’s still a threat out there.
For our analysis on a movie that has elements of both comedy and horror, click here!
Comedy comes in many forms in horror movies, though, too. There’s the ironic and sarcastic comedy present throughout Scream, where the comedy is more focused on making a commentary about the slasher subgenre. There’s the over-the-top, in-your-face ridiculous humor present in the Evil Dead series. And there’s the previously mentioned puns made by Freddy Krueger, which he possibly relishes more than the act of killing teenagers.
By peppering these elements in, a horror movie can become more than just scary; it can take a viewer on a rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows, and in doing so, can even take the horror to more extreme levels. At the time of its release, Nightmare on Elm Street was an extremely gory movie, and that was balanced by the humor. Scream constantly reassures us that it’s ok, this is just a movie, and these characters are aware of what not to do (and here are some more favorite moments). And Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead universe forces you to laugh during moments you might otherwise scream had movie been in the hands of a different director.
Okay, so what am I getting at?
All of this is to say, that, yes, there is a relationship between horror and comedy. Yes, there are plenty of funny horror movies. Yes, I could name horror comedy after horror comedy. But, just containing comedy in a horror movie doesn’t make it a horror comedy.
But Scream is, first and foremost, a horror movie, and I will die on this hill (though hopefully not at the hands of Ghostface).
Stay Shocked,
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