Best Horror Comedies of 1998
- HaHa Jokester
- Jul 16
- 9 min read
By 1998, horror-comedy wasn’t just surviving—it was thriving in weird, wild directions. With Scream and Bride of Chucky redefining the genre’s tone, horror films were getting sharper, snarkier, and more self-aware. This was a year where slashers became soap operas, killer dolls embraced camp, and aquatic monsters shared scenes with sarcastic mercenaries. Whether intentionally hilarious or accidentally absurd, 1998’s horror comedies delivered gore with a grin.
The Horror Comedy Landscape in 1998
Major Attitude Adjustments
The late ’90s saw horror get a major attitude adjustment. Characters were more self-referential, the tone more playful, and filmmakers more willing to lean into absurdity. Studios started embracing horror’s campy side again, while straight-to-video gems continued to experiment with outrageous plots, low-budget gore, and gleeful satire.
Postmodernism Meets Popcorn Horror
In 1998, horror-comedy often meant knowing what it was—and loving it. Slashers got sillier, monsters got snarkier, and audiences expected a little humor with their blood. Whether on purpose or through glorious missteps, many horror films this year doubled as unintentional comedies—adding to their cult appeal.
Gore, Gags, and Genre Mashups
1998 was a year where horror-comedy fully embraced the kitchen-sink approach. Filmmakers mixed sci-fi, teen drama, creature features, and slapstick into bizarre new hybrids. The result was a lineup of films that felt both chaotic and creative—mutant bugs invaded high schools, possessed appliances attacked their owners, and killers cracked jokes between kills. Whether through sharp writing or sheer weirdness, these films didn’t just poke fun at horror tropes—they bathed in them, making 1998 a deliriously fun year for fans who liked their scares with a side of sarcasm.
Top 10 Horror Comedies of 1998
Bride of Chucky
Runtime: 1hr 29min
Jennifer Tilly’s arrival as Tiffany breathed new life (and laughs) into the Child’s Play franchise. With its goth-romantic angle, meta-humor, and over-the-top kills, this is the franchise’s full leap into horror-comedy glory.
Bride of Chucky reinvented the Child’s Play franchise with a bold blend of horror, dark comedy, and self-aware satire. After being resurrected by his former flame Tiffany, the infamous killer doll Chucky is back—and this time, he’s got company. When a lovers' road trip turns into a body-strewn getaway, the film gleefully embraces its absurd premise, reveling in over-the-top kills, campy one-liners, and a twisted romance that parodies slasher conventions. With a fresh goth-punk aesthetic and a wicked sense of humor, Bride of Chucky turned the franchise from creepy to cult-icon status.
Deep Rising
Runtime: 1hr 46min
Mercenaries on a hijacked cruise ship face off with a giant tentacle beast. What should be a serious monster movie turns into a hilarious, slime-drenched action-horror thrill ride.
Deep Rising is a pulpy, creature-feature thrill ride that mixes action, horror, and tongue-in-cheek humor aboard a doomed luxury cruise ship. When a group of mercenaries boards the vessel to carry out a heist, they instead discover it overrun by a monstrous sea creature that devours its victims in gruesome fashion. Led by a wisecracking Treat Williams and a tough, resourceful Famke Janssen, the survivors must navigate flooded corridors, betrayals, and tentacled terror. With its B-movie sensibilities, explosive set pieces, and gleefully over-the-top creature effects, Deep Rising plays like Aliens at sea—with a smirk.
The Faculty
Runtime: 1hr 42min
Robert Rodriguez’s teen alien invasion flick is packed with genre nods, razor-sharp dialogue, and satirical edge. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Scream with caffeine pills.
The Faculty is a slick, self-aware blend of teen sci-fi and horror that channels Invasion of the Body Snatchersthrough a late-’90s high school lens. When students at Herrington High start noticing their teachers acting strangely, a mismatched group of teens—ranging from jocks to goths—uncovers a parasitic alien invasion taking root in the faculty. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson, the film is packed with meta-humor, sharp dialogue, and genre-savvy nods, all while delivering gooey effects and suspenseful set pieces. Equal parts high school drama and body-snatcher thriller, The Faculty is stylish, snarky, and steeped in post-Scream horror sensibilities.
Phantoms
Runtime: 1hr 36min
Ben Affleck, Liev Schreiber, and a sentient evil fog? This Dean Koontz adaptation is too self-serious to be scary, making its bizarre twists and grim tone unexpectedly funny. (“Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo.”)
Phantoms is a moody, atmospheric horror-thriller based on the Dean Koontz novel, blending supernatural mystery with creature-feature paranoia. When two sisters arrive in a remote Colorado town to find it eerily deserted, they team up with a small group—including a brooding sheriff and a disgraced scientist—to uncover the terrifying force behind the mass disappearance. As ancient evil awakens beneath the streets, the film unleashes otherworldly horrors, psychic dread, and slimy practical effects. Though often remembered for its uneven tone, Phantoms delivers eerie visuals and an ominous sense of isolation, earning cult curiosity—especially for Ben Affleck’s now-infamous performance.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
Runtime: 1hr 41min
This glossy slasher sequel tried to up the stakes but tripped into absurdity. The killer’s cruise ship plot and Jack Black’s dreadlocked stoner turn it into unintentional comedy gold.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer continues the story of Julie James, still haunted by the traumatic events of the previous film, as she’s lured to a remote island resort with friends for what’s supposed to be a relaxing getaway. Instead, they find themselves trapped with no escape—and the hook-wielding killer has followed. With a storm isolating the island and bodies piling up, the sequel doubles down on slasher tropes, jump scares, and red herrings. While less clever than its predecessor, it amps up the body count and leans into its B-movie absurdity, delivering popcorn thrills and late-’90s teen horror vibes.
The Dentist 2
Runtime: 1hr 40min
Corbin Bernsen returns with more drills, more delusions, and more blood. Unhinged, sleazy, and filled with so-bad-it’s-good energy.
The Dentist 2 picks up with deranged former dentist Dr. Alan Feinstone, now escaped from a mental institution and attempting to start a new life under a false identity. But his obsession with perfection—and his deep-rooted psychosis—soon resurface, especially when he begins to suspect infidelity and decay in those around him. As his paranoia spirals, so does his violent behavior, leading to more gruesome dental mayhem. With its twisted blend of psychological horror, surgical gore, and campy undertones, The Dentist 2 drills deeper into its killer’s fractured mind, offering a pulpier, bloodier follow-up to the cult original.
Urban Legend
Runtime: 1hr 45min
A solid slasher with ironic kills and a ridiculous finale. Characters spout horror theory, and the film embraces genre tropes with tongue firmly in cheek.
Urban Legend taps into the post-Scream wave of teen slashers, weaving a killer’s spree around gruesome re-creations of popular urban myths. Set on a college campus, the film follows a group of students—including a suspicious journalism major and a traumatized protagonist—as they realize someone is turning legends into lethal reality. With a masked figure picking off victims in increasingly theatrical ways, the film plays with genre expectations, layering red herrings, meta-references, and stylish kills. While not as groundbreaking as its influences, Urban Legend delivers glossy thrills, creepy atmosphere, and a fun, gimmicky hook that helped cement its cult slasher status.
Tale of the Mummy (a.k.a. Talos the Mummy)
Runtime: 2 hr 2min
An ancient curse, reanimated bandages, and a cast of confused actors (including Christopher Lee) make this gothic horror hilariously convoluted.
Tale of the Mummy, also known as Russell Mulcahy’s Talos the Mummy, offers a gothic twist on the classic mummy mythos with a modern, supernatural spin. When archaeologists unearth the cursed tomb of Talos, an ancient and vengeful Egyptian prince, they unwittingly unleash a series of grisly deaths tied to the reanimated spirit. As Talos’s dismembered remains mysteriously begin to reassemble across London, a detective and a group of survivors must unravel the curse before the mummy is fully reborn. Blending ancient lore with moody visuals and bloody set pieces, the film delivers a campy, occasionally eerie ride that pays homage to old-school monster horror with late-’90s flair.
Strangeland
Runtime: 1hr 27min
Dee Snider’s cyber-horror flick is straight-faced and gnarly, but its early-internet paranoia, industrial goth vibe, and villain monologues give it accidental camp appeal.
Strangeland dives into the dark side of internet culture and body modification, offering a grimy, unsettling blend of psychological horror and social commentary. Written by and starring Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, the film follows a small-town detective tracking down a sadistic predator named Captain Howdy, who lures teens through chat rooms and subjects them to extreme piercing and ritualistic torture. With themes of digital anonymity, counterculture extremism, and moral panic, Strangeland taps into late-’90s fears while presenting a uniquely twisted villain. Though rough around the edges, its disturbing imagery and cult-metal energy helped cement it as a grim curiosity in horror’s underground scene.
Legion of Fire: Killer Ants!
Runtime: 1hr 35min
Premiering on Fox, this made-for-TV creature feature plays like a parody of eco-horror—but plays it totally straight, resulting in goofy, bug-filled fun.
Legion of Fire: Killer Ants! is a made-for-TV creature feature that leans into its campy title with gusto, delivering B-movie thrills and ecological horror. When a small Midwestern town is overrun by a swarm of genetically mutated fire ants, a group of locals—including a rugged entomologist and a tough sheriff—must stop the rapidly multiplying menace before it devours everything in its path. With its cheesy dialogue, low-budget effects, and over-the-top tone, the film plays like a throwback to ‘70s and ‘80s eco-horror, where nature turns hostile and no one is safe. It’s goofy, gory, and self-aware enough to embrace its status as a so-bad-it’s-good cult oddity.
Underrated Picks Worth Your Time
Killer Tongue
Runtime: 1hr 40 min
Released more widely in 1998, this Spanish-British horror comedy features a possessed tongue, drag nuns, and alien goo. It’s bonkers.
Killer Tongue is a surreal, genre-blending horror-comedy that dives headfirst into absurdity with gleeful abandon. The film follows Candy, a bank robber on the run, who hides out in a desert convent only to be infected by an alien substance that mutates her—most notably transforming her tongue into a grotesque, sentient killer. As she battles her own monstrous transformation and a group of bumbling pursuers (including drag-wearing prison escapees), the film mixes grotesque body horror, campy humor, and wild visual style. Killer Tongue is unapologetically bizarre, reveling in its trashy, psychedelic tone and proudly claiming its place in the realm of cult horror curiosities.
Bug Buster
Runtime: 1hr 33min
Randy Quaid vs. giant roaches. Low-budget, high-camp.
Bug Buster (1998) is a low-budget horror-comedy that channels classic creature-feature vibes with a knowingly cheesy twist. When a small town is suddenly plagued by giant, mutated insects, a quirky exterminator named General George S. Merlin—played with over-the-top gusto by Randy Quaid—is called in to save the day. The film leans heavily into its B-movie roots, complete with hammy performances, rubbery practical effects, and knowingly ridiculous dialogue. While it never aims for seriousness, Bug Buster embraces its camp appeal, offering up an intentionally silly, goo-splattered romp that’s more fun than frightening—perfect for fans of schlocky monster mayhem.
Shrieker
Runtime: 1hr 24min
A college horror film with a ghostly killer and some genuinely strange tonal shifts that make it comically surreal.
Shrieker is a micro-budget supernatural horror film that blends haunted asylum vibes with slasher sensibilities. The story follows a college student who secretly moves into an abandoned hospital, only to discover a dark cult once summoned a demonic entity known as the Shrieker—a skeletal, otherworldly creature that begins hunting down intruders. With its claustrophobic setting, eerie lighting, and surreal monster design, the film tries to maximize atmosphere on limited resources. While its pacing and effects reflect its indie roots, Shrieker offers a dose of late-’90s lo-fi horror charm, appealing to fans of Full Moon Features and VHS-era creature flicks.
Horror Comedy Highlights & Trivia
Chucky Goes Meta: Bride of Chucky included Scream-style references, horror relics in the evidence room, and puppet sex—ushering in the franchise’s campiest era.
Rodriguez + Williamson Combo: With The Faculty, the Scream screenwriter and the From Dusk Till Dawndirector delivered one of the decade’s best teen horror hybrids.
Cruise Ship Carnage: Deep Rising became a cult hit on home video thanks to its monster design and ridiculous one-liners.
Where to Watch These Today
Streaming:
Bride of Chucky – Peacock, Prime Video
The Faculty – Max, Vudu
Deep Rising – Tubi, Pluto TV
Urban Legend – Crackle, Roku Channel
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer – Netflix, Hulu
Physical Media:
Bride of Chucky is included in several Chucky box sets.
Arrow Video offers deluxe editions of The Faculty and Deep Rising.
Vinegar Syndrome offers The Dentist Collection for cult collectors.
Closing Thoughts
1998 cemented the fact that horror and humor were no longer strange bedfellows—they were a power couple. With over-the-top monsters, teen slashers dripping with irony, and camp classics like Bride of Chucky, the year embraced horror’s most ridiculous, stylish, and self-aware instincts. Whether intentional or not, the laughs were loud—and so was the blood.
