Best Horror Comedies of 1981
- HaHa Horrors
- May 22
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 20
1981 was a year of transformation — and mutation. Horror was riding high after a wildly successful 1980, but something strange began bubbling beneath the surface. Filmmakers stopped playing it straight and started blending blood with belly laughs. It wasn’t just about terror anymore — it was about twisting it. This was the year horror comedy came into its own, embracing satire, slapstick, and surrealism like never before.
The Horror Comedy Landscape in 1981
Slasher Dominance, with a Wink
With Friday the 13th clones flooding theaters, a wave of filmmakers reacted with satire and parody. Student Bodies lampooned the genre outright, while others mixed scares with irony, giving horror a self-aware edge.
Monsters Get a Makeover
Werewolves dominated the year, but not just for their horror — their transformations, relationships, and cultural baggage were ripe for dark comedy. An American Werewolf in London led the pack with biting humor and tragic undertones.
Low Budgets, Big Energy
Indie creators embraced horror comedy for its flexibility. Low stakes meant high chaos, leading to everything from haunted-house spoofs to absurdist splatterfests.
Top 10 Horror Comedies of 1981
An American Werewolf in London
Runtime: 1hr 37min
A seamless fusion of tragic horror and sardonic humor. Landis’s werewolf tale is gory, funny, and surprisingly emotional.
An American Werewolf in London (1981) is a groundbreaking horror-comedy that blends gruesome practical effects with sharp wit and emotional depth. Directed by John Landis, the film follows two American backpackers who are attacked by a werewolf while hiking through the English countryside. One is killed, while the survivor, David, begins to experience terrifying transformations and ghostly visitations warning him of his cursed fate. Equal parts tragic and darkly funny, the film is best known for its iconic werewolf transformation scene, biting social satire, and hauntingly ironic soundtrack, cementing its place as a cult classic that redefined the horror-comedy genre.
The Evil Dead
Runtime: 1hr 20min
While more horror than comedy at this point, Sam Raimi’s frenzied style and unhinged pacing laid the foundation for slapstick horror to come.
The Evil Dead (1981), directed by Sam Raimi, is a relentless and inventive horror film that laid the foundation for one of the genre’s most iconic franchises. The story follows a group of college students who travel to a remote cabin in the woods, only to accidentally unleash ancient demons after discovering the mysterious Book of the Dead. What begins as a traditional haunted setting quickly devolves into a nightmarish splatterfest filled with demonic possession, over-the-top gore, and kinetic camerawork. While played mostly straight, the film’s unhinged energy, low-budget charm, and moments of dark absurdity hint at the horror-comedy hybrid that its sequels would fully embrace, making The Evil Dead a cult classic and a defining entry in horror history.
Student Bodies
Runtime: 1hr 26min
A parody of slasher flicks before the genre even peaked. With deliberately dumb jokes and self-aware narration, it mocked every teen-kill trope with a wink.
Student Bodies (1981) is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the slasher craze that dominated early ’80s horror, delivering absurdist humor and genre-savvy satire with gleeful irreverence. Directed under the pseudonym "Mickey Rose," the film follows a mysterious killer known as “The Breather” as he stalks promiscuous high school students with bizarre weapons like paper clips and eggplants. Loaded with exaggerated tropes, fourth-wall breaks, and deliberately lowbrow gags, the movie skewers every cliché from body counts to sex-equals-death rules. Though its humor is often juvenile and intentionally nonsensical, Student Bodies stands out as one of the first full-length horror spoofs, predating the meta brilliance of Scream by over a decade and earning cult status for its unique place in horror-comedy history.
Saturday the 14th
Runtime: 1hr 16min
A family inherits a haunted house and chaos ensues. Pure monster-mash camp, and not ashamed of it.
Saturday the 14th (1981) is a campy horror spoof that gleefully parodies classic monster movies and haunted house tropes with a kid-friendly twist. Directed by Howard R. Cohen, the film centers on a family that inherits a creepy old mansion, only to discover that an ancient book within it unleashes a parade of cartoonish monsters, vampires, and supernatural chaos. As the family tries to survive the silliness, the film piles on gags, slapstick humor, and affectionate nods to horror legends like Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Mummy. Though critically panned upon release, Saturday the 14th has since developed a cult following for its goofy charm, lighthearted tone, and role in ushering horror-comedy into the realm of broad, family-friendly farce.
Full Moon High
Runtime: 1hr 34min
A Cold War teen werewolf comedy that mixes dated politics, high school humor, and monster movie tropes.
Full Moon High (1981), written and directed by cult filmmaker Larry Cohen, is a quirky horror comedy that puts a satirical spin on the classic werewolf tale. The film follows high school football star Tony Walker, who is bitten by a werewolf during a trip to Romania and returns home decades later, unaged and cursed with lycanthropy. As Tony navigates his eternal adolescence and re-enrolls in high school, the film delivers a stream of zany gags, deadpan humor, and Cold War-era satire. With its offbeat tone, genre-bending style, and knowingly absurd premise, Full Moon High offers a uniquely comedic take on the monster mythos, standing out as a playful and unconventional entry in the early ’80s horror-comedy wave.
Omen III: The Final Conflict (dark humor angle)
Runtime: 1hr 48min
Less an outright comedy, but its pompous tone and ridiculous kills make it ripe for dark laughs.
Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) brings the Antichrist saga to a grand, operatic conclusion with a mix of apocalyptic horror and unintentionally campy drama. Directed by Graham Baker, the film follows an adult Damien Thorn, now a powerful industrialist and U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, as he prepares for the Second Coming — which he plans to stop at all costs. With his suave menace and fiery speeches, Damien orchestrates a wave of brutal killings to maintain his grip on power, while a group of priests attempts to destroy him using the Seven Daggers of Megiddo. While more serious in tone than traditional horror comedies, the film’s over-the-top performances, grandiose score, and melodramatic set pieces often drift into the realm of unintentional humor, making The Final Conflict a fascinating and strangely entertaining chapter in the Omen franchise.
The Hand
Runtime: 1hr 44min
A severed-hand revenge thriller with Michael Caine that borders on camp — unintentionally hilarious at times.
The Hand (1981), directed by Oliver Stone and starring Michael Caine, is a psychological horror-thriller that teeters on the edge of unintentional dark comedy. The film tells the story of Jon Lansdale, a comic book artist who loses his drawing hand in a car accident — only for the severed hand to seemingly return, wreaking violent havoc on those around him. As Jon’s sanity unravels, the film blurs the line between supernatural horror and psychological breakdown, all while delivering moments of intense melodrama and surreal absurdity. Though intended as a serious exploration of madness and creative obsession, The Hand’s premise and over-the-top execution often produce eerie laughs, making it a bizarre, atmospheric entry in early '80s horror that flirts with camp without fully embracing it.
Blood Beach
Runtime: 1hr 32min
A beach horror with such a strange premise — people being eaten by sand — it borders on absurdist horror comedy.
Blood Beach (1981) is a bizarre and offbeat creature feature that plays like a straight-faced horror film but often drifts into unintentional comedy due to its outlandish premise and deadpan delivery. Set in Santa Monica, the story revolves around mysterious disappearances on the beach, where people are sucked beneath the sand by an unseen monster lurking below. As police scramble for answers, the film unfolds with a mix of procedural drama, vague monster science, and increasingly strange attacks. With its tagline “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water—you can’t get to it,” Blood Beach positions itself as a kind of anti-Jaws, but its slow pacing, odd tone, and low-budget effects give it a surreal charm. While not a horror-comedy by design, its accidental absurdity has earned it cult status among fans of so-bad-it’s-good cinema.
Madhouse (a.k.a. There Was a Little Girl)
Runtime: 1hr 32min
Italian-American horror that slips into psychological madness with melodramatic flair — unintentionally funny, often bizarre.
Madhouse (1981), also known as There Was a Little Girl, is an Italian-American psychological horror film that veers into surreal and unintentionally comedic territory. Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis, the film follows Julia, a schoolteacher haunted by her violent, institutionalized twin sister Mary, who escapes just in time for their birthday and unleashes a wave of gruesome murders—often accompanied by a demonic Rottweiler. Laden with melodramatic performances, bizarre plot twists, and wildly inconsistent tone, Madhouse balances brutal gore with dreamlike absurdity. Though intended as a dark, suspenseful thriller, the film’s over-the-top violence, strange pacing, and oddball characters lend it an eerie campiness that makes it feel like a horror soap opera on acid. It's an eccentric cult curio that entertains as much for its flaws as for its frights.
Time Walker
Runtime: 1hr 23min
An alien mummy? At a college? With a disco soundtrack? It’s hard to say what genre this even is — but it’s hilarious.
Time Walker (1981), also released as Being from Another Planet, is a sci-fi horror oddity that unintentionally crosses into comedy through its wildly implausible plot and low-budget execution. The film follows a group of California college students and scientists who uncover a mysterious sarcophagus in a university basement. What they believe to be an ancient mummy turns out to be an alien being that awakens and begins stalking the campus in search of radioactive crystals to repair its damaged spacecraft. With stilted dialogue, hokey effects, and an awkward mix of horror, sci-fi, and teen drama, Time Walker feels more like a bizarre TV episode than a feature film. Though not meant to be funny, its earnestness and absurd twists have made it a favorite among fans of “so-bad-it’s-good” cinema, especially after its appearance on Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Underrated Picks Worth Your Time
The Monster Club
Runtime: 1hr 44min
Vincent Price stars in this anthology that blends Gothic horror and British camp, complete with musical interludes.
The Monster Club (1981) is a quirky British horror anthology that blends Gothic atmosphere with tongue-in-cheek humor, offering a playful and self-aware spin on traditional monster lore. Directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring genre icons Vincent Price and John Carradine, the film follows a horror writer who is invited to an exclusive club populated by vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural creatures. There, he’s treated to three macabre tales featuring unique monsters—ranging from soul-sucking ghouls to interspecies hybrids—interwoven with campy musical performances and animated sequences. With its mix of spooky storytelling, deliberate absurdity, and affectionate parody of horror clichés, The Monster Club doesn’t take itself too seriously, making it a charming and offbeat entry in the horror-comedy tradition that’s beloved by cult audiences for its eccentric tone and nostalgic flair.
The Pit
Runtime: 1hr 41min
A lonely kid, a pit full of monsters, and one of the most bonkers final acts in horror comedy history.
The Pit (1981) is a deeply strange and darkly hilarious Canadian horror film that unintentionally crosses into comedy with its bizarre premise and awkward execution. The story centers on Jamie, a socially isolated young boy who communicates with a group of flesh-eating creatures—called "tra-la-logs"—living at the bottom of a pit in the woods. As Jamie becomes increasingly unhinged, he starts luring those who mock or mistreat him into the pit to be devoured. While the film attempts to explore childhood trauma and psychological horror, its offbeat tone, stilted performances, and inexplicable plot turns create a surreal, often laugh-out-loud viewing experience. Whether it’s the talking teddy bear, Jamie’s inappropriate behavior, or the rubber-suited monsters, The Pit has earned a cult following as one of the most delightfully weird and unintentionally funny horror films of the early ’80s.
Dead & Buried
Runtime: 1hr 34min
Atmospheric and unsettling, but its offbeat tone and small-town weirdness make for unintentional dark comedy gold.
Dead & Buried (1981) is a moody, atmospheric horror film that flirts with dark comedy through its morbid premise and eerie small-town strangeness. Directed by Gary Sherman and co-written by Alien’s Dan O’Bannon, the film follows a sheriff investigating a series of gruesome murders in the coastal town of Potters Bluff—only to discover that the victims keep mysteriously reappearing as friendly, seemingly alive townspeople. With its slow-burn pacing, grotesque makeup effects by Stan Winston, and a storyline steeped in necromancy and macabre irony, the film builds a surreal sense of dread. Though not an outright comedy, the bizarre behavior of the townsfolk, twisted plot turns, and moments of bleak humor give Dead & Buried an off-kilter charm that elevates it from standard horror into the realm of cult-classic weirdness.
Horror Comedy Highlights & Trivia
John Landis’s Big Swing: Landis proved horror and comedy could coexist without compromising either, paving the way for genre crossovers like Shaun of the Dead years later.
Birth of the "Splatstick" Style: The Evil Dead wasn’t funny on purpose, but its chaotic energy and gory excess gave rise to slapstick-meets-splatter horror.
Meta Before Meta Was Cool: Student Bodies was ahead of its time — mocking horror clichés years before Screamwould do the same with more polish.
Where to Watch These Today
Streaming:
An American Werewolf in London – VIX, Tubi, Pluto TV
The Evil Dead – Xumo Play
Student Bodies – YouTube (often in full), rare DVDs
Full Moon High – MGM+
Saturday the 14th – Currently hard to find; track down used DVDs or rare VHS uploads
Physical Media: Scream Factory, Arrow Video, and Vinegar Syndrome have released restored editions of many 1981 cult favorites.
Closing Thoughts
1981 cemented horror comedy as more than a novelty — it was a creative playground. It showed that audiences were hungry for genre-bending stories that could shock and amuse in equal measure. The success of films like An American Werewolf in London and The Evil Dead reshaped horror’s future, making room for the wild, the weird, and the wickedly funny.
Without 1981’s bold steps into horror comedy, the genre’s evolution — from Re-Animator to Scream to Tucker & Dale vs. Evil — might never have happened.
