5 Spooky Horror Comedies to Watch for Halloween

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Looking for a movie that will make you laugh as well as shiver? These five films have an interesting blend of horror and humour.

The Babysitter (2017)





12-year-old Cole is plagued by bullies who pick on him at school and throw eggs at his house. However, he has a couple of good things going for him. One is Melanie, the cute girl across the street, and the other, his is amazing babysitter, Bee. When Melanie dares Cole to stay up and find out what Bee gets up to after he has gone to bed he expects to find her having friends over to play spin the bottle. He was not expecting to stumble on a blood cult who have made a pact with the devil and require the blood of an innocent to complete their ritual.





The Babysitter has blood and gore (played largely for laughs), action, clever dialogue and a really fun dance sequence. From the poster I expected it to be extremely crass and exploitative, but actually, there's really only one scene that came across that way with some performative girl/girl kissing, and there is no gratuitous female nudity. I'd have said no gratuitous nudity at all but Bee's jock friend Max (played by Robbie Amell from The Tomorrow People) is shirtless for most of the movie for no particular reason.





Judah Lewis is adorable as Cole, a boy coming of age and dealing with a whole lot of crazy stuff. Samara Weaving is, of course terrific, as the eponymous babysitter. Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect) is also hilarious as Beth's goth friend, Sonya. The Babysitter is a fun, only slightly scary, movie that would get some good vibes going in a Halloween movie marathon.





The Babysitter 2: Killer Queen (2019)





Two years later, Cole is in Junior High, and his parents think that his ordeal with the blood cult was all in his head. Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind) now has a boyfriend, leaving Cole out in the cold. When Cole learns that his parents are planning to send him to a special school for psychiatrically disturbed children, Cole instead skips school and joins Melanie and her friends to spend a weekend on a houseboat at a lake. Much to Cole's surprise, the blood cult show up again, back from the dead, to finish what they started, and he must fight to stay alive alongside Phoebe (Jenna Ortega) the new girl from his school.





The main cast from The Babysitter return in this fun sequel. To be honest, it isn't quite as good as the original, as is the usual way with sequels, but it still brings plenty of laughs, and a sense of closure to the original (though if they make The Babysitter 3 I will definitely watch it as long as Samara Weaving is in it).

Both The Babysitter and The Babysitter 2 are currently streaming on Netflix in Australia.

Scare Me (2020)





Struggling writer, Fred, rents a cabin in the mountains to work on his novel. While out for a walk he runs into Fanny Addie, a bestselling horror author. Later when a storm causes a power outage, Fanny shows up at Fred's cabin to see if he has power. To pass the time she challenges him to a storytelling contest.





Scare Me was written, produced and directed by Josh Ruben. It's offbeat and fun, but with slow-building tension as it heads towards tragedy. It has an original story and only minimal actual violence. It is currently streaming on Shudder.


Summer of Blood





After rejecting his girlfriend's marriage proposal, causing her to break up with him, the tubby, middle-aged Eric Sparrow goes on a series of unsuccessful dates with other women. Wandering alone late at night, Eric is attacked by a vampire. The following day he finds himself transformed, and his previous problems no longer seem so important.





To be honest, I nearly switched off during the first ten minutes of this film. I know the main character being an awful person is the point, but it was painful to watch. But if you stick with it, you do get to see him get his throat ripped out. I suppose the fact that the character annoyed me so much is a testament to the skill of Onur Tukel (director of Catfight), who not only played the lead but also wrote and directed the film.
Summer of Blood relies more on the actors than effects, but there are are a few quite bloody scenes. It probably won't make you laugh out loud, but it has a dry, deadpan sort of humour, so if you're into that, and love vampires, it's worth watching.

Summer of Blood is currently streaming on Shudder.


Prevenge (2016)



After her partner is killed in a climbing accident, the heavily pregnant Ruth is determined to hunt down those she believes to be responsible for his death.



Alice Lowe, who also wrote and directed the film, starred as Ruth while really pregnant herself. Her baby, Della, plays the baby in the film. This film was marketed as a comedy, but that's a little misleading since if it is one it is absolutely pitch black. Ruth's descent into madness and killing of people she doesn't even necessarily believe deserve to die because she thinks her baby wants them dead is genuinely tragic.



I found it doubly unsettling because of how much Alice Lowe resembles Elizabeth Sladen, who plays Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who. I was all "no! Stay good Sarah Jane!" as she slashed her way through a Who's Who of vaguely familiar, friendly seeming British actors. These included Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones, Killing Eve, Horrible Histories), Mike Wozniak (Man Down), and Kayvan Novak (Four Lions, What We Do in Shadows).

Prevenge is beautifully shot and gripping to the end. It is currently streaming on Shudder.

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