Comedy-Horror Films

Comedy-Horror Films
Author: Bruce G. Hallenbeck
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2009-08-11
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0786453788

Fun and fright have long been partners in the cinema, dating back to the silent film era and progressing to the Scary Movie franchise and other recent releases. This guide takes a comprehensive look at the comedy-horror movie genre, from the earliest stabs at melding horror and hilarity during the nascent days of silent film, to its full-fledged development with The Bat in 1926, to the Abbott and Costello films pitting the comedy duo against Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy and other Universal Studio monsters, continuing to such recent cult hits as Shaun of the Dead and Black Sheep. Selected short films such as Tim Burton's Frankenweenie are also covered. Photos and promotional posters, interviews with actors and a filmography are included.

Laughing to Death

Laughing to Death
Author: Tawd B Dorenfeld
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2020-11-27
Genre:
ISBN:

As far as film genres go, two of the most popular and distinct are horror and comedy. So, what happens when you mix them together? You get everything from the social satire of John Carpenter's They Live to the madness of the Evil Dead series, to early works from future auteur Peter Jackson, to Jordan Peele's acclaimed Get Out. Prepare yourself for an illustrated history of movies (and a few TV shows) that have mixed chills with chuckles, from Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein to Stranger Things. We'll take a look at plenty of fan favorites and cult classics, and even examine the influence of humor on the time-honored slasher genre.

The Laughing Dead

The Laughing Dead
Author: Cynthia J. Miller
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2016-05-20
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1442268336

Hybrid films that straddle more than one genre are not unusual. But when seemingly incongruous genres are mashed together, such as horror and comedy, filmmakers often have to tread carefully to produce a cohesive, satisfying work. Though they date as far back as James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein (1935), horror-comedies have only recently become popular attractions for movie goers. In The Laughing Dead: The Horror-Comedy Film from Bride of Frankenstein to Zombieland, editors Cynthia J. Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper have compiled essays on the comic undead that look at the subgenre from a variety of perspectives. Spanning virtually the entire sound era, this collection considers everything from classics like The Canterville Ghost to modern cult favorites like Shaun of the Dead. Other films discussed include Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, House on Haunted Hill, ParaNorman, Scream, Vampire’s Kiss, and Zombieland. Contributors in this volume consider a wide array of comedic monster films—from heartwarming (The Book of Life) to pitch dark (The Fearless Vampire Killers) and even grotesque (Frankenhooker). The Laughing Dead will be of interest to scholars and fans of both horror and comedy films, as well as those interested in film history and, of course, the proliferation of the undead in popular culture.

The Last Days of Jack Sparks

The Last Days of Jack Sparks
Author: Jason Arnopp
Publisher: Orbit
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2016-03-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316362255

"Ingenious and funny . . . Magnificent." -- Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta Jack Sparks died while writing this book. It was no secret that journalist Jack Sparks had been researching the occult for his new book. No stranger to controversy, he'd already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he witnessed. Then there was that video: forty seconds of chilling footage that Jack repeatedly claimed was not of his making, yet was posted from his own YouTube account. Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed -- until now. "Wow. Seriously hard to put down." -- M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts

Night Train

Night Train
Author: David Quantick
Publisher: Titan Books (US, CA)
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2020-09-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1785658603

A science fiction horror story like no other—from the Emmy Award-winning author of Veep hailed by Neil Gaiman as “smart, funny, and unique.” A woman finds herself on the ride of a lifetime in this “dark, nightmarish journey into a brand-new sort of Twilight Zone . . . breathless, frantic and creepy as hell” (Christopher Golden, New York Times–bestselling author). A woman wakes up, frightened and alone. The room shaking and jumping like it's alive. The noise is terrifying. Where is she? Stumbling through a door, she realizes she is on a train carriage. A carriage full of the dead. A personal hell unfolding in an apocalyptic future. This is Night Train. A terrifying ride set on a driverless locomotive, heading for a collision somewhere in the endless night. How did the woman get here? Who is she? And who are the dead? As our heroine makes her way through the train trying to find out what happened to her, she meets a former strongman, a trained killer, and a collection of strange and terrifying creatures. Each step takes her closer to finding out the secret of the Night Train.

How to Survive a Horror Movie

How to Survive a Horror Movie
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith
Publisher: Quirk Books
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2011-05-18
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1594745684

The screenwriter and producer behind Stephen King’s It shares a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek survival guide that celebrates iconic horror movies both past and present! THE PERFECT GIFT FOR HORROR MOVIE LOVERS: Features spooky illustrations, a list of 100 must-see horror films, and an introduction by Nightmare on Elm Street’s Wes Craven. Are you reading this in a cornfield, at a summer camp, or in an abandoned mental institution? Have you noticed that everything is poorly lit, or that music surges every time you open a door? If the answer is yes, you’re probably trapped in a horror movie. But don’t freak out—just read this book! With it you will learn how to overcome every obstacle found in scary films, including: • How to determine what type of horror film you’re trapped in • The five types of slashers and how to defeat them • How to handle killer dolls, murderous automobiles, and other haunted objects • How to deal with alien invasions, zombie apocalypses, and other global threats • What to do if you did something last summer, if your corn has children in it, or if you suspect you’re already dead So don't be afraid: no vampire, zombie horde, cannibal hillbilly, Japanese vengeance ghost, or other horror movie monster can hurt you—as long as you have this book.

Red Rain

Red Rain
Author: R.L. Stine
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2012-10-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1451636148

The New York Times bestselling author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series delivers a terrifying horror novel for adults centered on a town in the grip of a sinister revolt. After travel writer Lea Sutter barely survives a merciless hurricane on a tiny island off the South Carolina coast, she impulsively brings two orphaned twin boys home with her to Long Island. Samuel and Daniel seem amiable and intensely grateful at first, but no one in Lea’s family anticipates the twins’ true evil nature—or predicts that within a few weeks’ time her husband, a controversial child psychologist, will be implicated in two brutal murders. “The horror is grisly” (Associated Press) in legendary author R.L. Stine’s “creepy, fun read” (Library Journal)—an homage to the millions of adult fans who grew up reading his classic series and a must-read for every fan of deviously inventive chillers.

Dweller

Dweller
Author: Jeff Strand
Publisher:
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2015-12-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781626411067

When Toby Floren was eight years old, he discovered a monster living in the woods behind his house. A ghastly, frightening creature with claws, fangs, and a taste for human flesh. As he ran out of the forest, Toby felt that he'd been lucky to escape with his life. Years later, Toby finds comfort with the creature. It's his own special secret-something that nobody else in the world knows about. Somebody to talk to. Somebody to confide in. Sure, Toby has concerns about his own sanity, but really, what boy wouldn't want to be best friends with a monster in the woods, especially if he's being tormented by bullies? The creature, who he names Owen, may be the answer to his problems... From Jeff Strand, the author of PRESSURE, comes the story of a macabre, decades-long friendship. A relationship that will last their entire lives, through times of happiness, tragedy, love, loss, madness, and complete darkness. DWELLER. The lifetime story of a boy and his monster. "Hands down my favorite book of the year." - Fear Zone

Horrorstor

Horrorstor
Author: Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Quirk Books
Total Pages: 219
Release: 2014-09-23
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 159474727X

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires comes a hilarious and terrifying haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting: a furniture superstore. Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking. To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

Nameless

Nameless
Author: Grant Morrison
Publisher: Image Comics
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2017-02-08
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 163215840X

NAMELESS tells the story of a down-at-heel occult hustler known only as –Nameless” who is recruited by a consortium of billionaire futurists as part of a desperate mission to save the world. When Nameless and his teammates inadvertently unleash a malignant soul-destroying intelligence, the stage is set for a nightmarish, nihilistic journey to the outer reaches of human terror. Collects NAMELESS #1-6.