Best Horror Comedies of 1980
- HaHa Jokester
- May 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 20
The year 1980 marked a curious crossroads in horror cinema. As slashers began their bloody ascent and gothic horrors faded, another hybrid quietly thrived: horror comedy. From absurd parodies to campy creature features, the horror-comedy of 1980 delivered scares with a smirk. These films played with genre tropes, broke the fourth wall, and invited audiences to laugh while they screamed — sometimes at the same time.
The Horror Comedy Landscape in 1980
Slasher Spoofs & Parodies
Even as Friday the 13th ushered in a new slasher era, filmmakers were already poking fun at horror’s clichés. Movies like Student Bodies and Saturday the 14th (teased ahead of its '81 release) leaned into absurdity and self-aware mockery.
Campy Monsters & Mad Science
1980’s horror comedies often featured ridiculous monsters, tongue-in-cheek mad scientists, and practical effects that were more hilarious than horrifying — intentionally or not.
International Oddities & Cult Gems
Outside of Hollywood, filmmakers in Italy, Japan, and Mexico blended gore, slapstick, and satire in surreal, often outrageous ways that confounded critics and delighted midnight audiences.
Top Horror Comedy Films of 1980
Motel Hell
Runtime: 1hr 42min
A cannibal satire with chainsaws, pigs, and homemade jerky. It’s grisly, goofy, and gleefully bizarre.“It takes all kinds of critters... to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters.”
In the darkly comedic horror film Motel Hell, seemingly friendly farmer Vincent Smith and his sister Ida run the rural "Motel Hello," where their renowned smoked meats have a very sinister secret ingredient: human flesh. They capture unsuspecting travelers through roadside traps, bury them alive up to their necks in a "secret garden," and fatten them up before butchering them. However, their gruesome operation faces complications when Vincent develops feelings for one of their intended victims, and his naive sheriff brother begins to suspect something is amiss at the motel.
Schizoid
Runtime: 1hr 29min
Marketed as a psychological slasher, this oddball thriller has enough soap-opera weirdness and melodrama to feel unintentionally comedic — a cult delight for lovers of camp.
In the lurid slasher film Schizoid, advice columnist Julie Caffret, recently divorced, begins receiving threatening anonymous letters while members of her therapy group are stalked and murdered with scissors. As the body count rises, suspicion falls upon various individuals in Julie's orbit, including her intense therapist Dr. Pieter Fales, his disturbed teenage daughter Alison, and Julie's resentful ex-husband Doug. The mystery unravels with twists and turns, ultimately revealing the unexpected killer and their unsettling motivations connected to Julie's personal life.
The Boogeyman
Runtime: 1hr 25min
A haunted mirror movie with over-the-top supernatural kills and eerie set pieces that are more schlocky than scary.
In the bizarre and low-budget horror film The Boogeyman, siblings Willy and Lacey are traumatized as children when Willy murders their mother's abusive boyfriend in front of a mirror. Twenty years later, the now mute Willy and his married sister Lacey are haunted by the past, and when Lacey revisits their childhood home, she smashes the very mirror that witnessed the crime, inadvertently unleashing the vengeful spirit of the deceased boyfriend. The spectral entity then terrorizes Lacey and those around her through the shards of the broken mirror, leading to a series of strange and often unintentionally comical deaths as they try to combat this supernatural threat.
One Dark Night (early promo release)
Runtime: 1hr 38min
While not widely released until later, this year saw buzz for this telekinetic horror comedy with glowing corpses and high-school hijinks.
In the unsettling thriller One Dark Night, a group of pledges at a sorority are tasked with spending a night in a mausoleum as part of their initiation, unaware that the recently interred body of a Satanic cult leader with psychic powers lies within. As the night progresses, strange and terrifying events begin to occur, fueled by the cult leader's lingering malevolent energy and the presence of his devoted, dangerous follower who lurks outside, determined to protect his master's resting place and eliminate any intruders. The pledges must fight to survive the supernatural forces within and the deadly threat that awaits them outside the cold stone walls.
Underrated Picks Worth Your Time
The Hearse
Runtime: 1hr 40min
Deadpan horror that borders on parody with a woman haunted by a ghostly vehicle. It's spooky, but the melodrama turns it campy.
In the atmospheric and suspenseful horror film The Hearse, Jane Hardy, a young woman recovering from a recent emotional breakdown, inherits her aunt's isolated, old Victorian house in a rural town. Seeking peace and a fresh start, she soon discovers that the house is haunted by a malevolent presence, particularly a mysterious black hearse that appears and disappears without explanation. As Jane investigates the history of the house and the hearse, she uncovers a dark secret connected to her aunt's past and the vengeful spirit that now torments her, leading to a terrifying confrontation with the supernatural forces at play.
Mother’s Day
Runtime: 1hr 30min
A twisted backwoods horror that’s mean-spirited, gory — and so exaggerated it plays like satire of exploitation tropes.
In the brutal and controversial exploitation film Mother's Day, three college-aged women on a weekend camping trip are abducted and terrorized by a deranged mother and her two equally sadistic sons living in the nearby woods. The women are subjected to horrific physical and psychological abuse, forced to endure their captors' twisted games and violent whims. However, the tables begin to turn when one of the women manages to escape and plot a vengeful return, leading to a bloody and cathartic confrontation with the monstrous family.
Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype (early screenings/production buzz)
Runtime: 1hr 39min
Oliver Reed stars in this bizarre retelling of the classic Jekyll/Hyde story with comic overtones and grotesque transformations.
In the comedic horror spoof Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype, Dr. Henry Heckyl is a brilliant but socially awkward and unattractive scientist who develops a formula intended to isolate and suppress the libido. However, upon taking it, he transforms into the boorish, loud, and obnoxious womanizer Mr. Hype. As Heckyl struggles to control his increasingly frequent and destructive transformations, Mr. Hype wreaks havoc on the city, engaging in crude behavior and unwanted advances, forcing the well-meaning doctor to desperately seek a way to reverse the effects before his Hyde-like alter ego completely takes over and ruins his life and reputation.
Horror Comedy Highlights & Trivia
Motel Hell’s Cult Status: What began as an exploitation flick became a beloved midnight movie, influencing later horror-comedy hits like Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.
Tone Overkill: Many of 1980’s horror comedies straddled tonal extremes — part parody, part gore-fest — creating a unique, unpolished charm.
Practical FX for Laughs: Over-the-top creature effects and blood sprays, intended for terror, often elicited laughter instead — a key hallmark of the genre’s evolution.
Where to Watch These Today
You can find many of these gems on:
Streaming: Shudder, Tubi, Prime Video
Physical Media: Cult labels like Vinegar Syndrome and Arrow Video have restored several titles
Midnight Screenings: Still shown at retro horror nights and drive-in revivals across the U.S.
Closing Thoughts: Laughing Through the Screams
1980 may be remembered for launching the slasher era, but its horror comedies told a different story — one of subversion, parody, and delightful absurdity. These films dared to mix the macabre with the ridiculous, creating a legacy that would influence everything from Evil Dead II to Shaun of the Dead. Horror was evolving — and sometimes, it was hilarious.
