Throughout Halloween Week, we’ve been dropping loads of recommendations for what to watch on the best streaming services. But many of them fall under the scarier category, full of tension, jumps and visuals that will make you sleep with the lights on. If none of those take your fancy, this is the article for you.
One of the best things about horror is that it blends beautifully with comedy, and I’ve got five recommendations that you can find on Netflix, Peacock, and more if you want to celebrate Halloween without the big scares. More funny than outright scary, these are a great way to ease yourself into the genre.
Shaun of the Dead
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Director: Edgar Wright
Running time: 99 minutes
Where to stream: Peacock (US), Netflix (UK), Netflix, Binge (AU)
In my opinion, this is Edgar Wright’s finest work. The first in his iconic Cornetto Trilogy sees him spoofing the zombie genre flawlessly, and this movie really does have everything. There’s so much packed into the runtime that it was affectionately dubbed a zom-rom-com, yes, zombie romantic comedy! What more could you possibly want?
Titular Shaun (Simon Pegg) finds himself at the center of a zombie outbreak and he decides to protect his friends, family, and some irritating flatmates by going to the pub, the safest place he can think of. Not only is this hilarious, it’s also emotional and beautifully edited, and there’s a great soundtrack too. It’s hard to find fault with one of the best Edgar Wright movies Shaun of the Dead.
Scream
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Director: Wes Craven
Running time: 111 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US), Netflix (UK), Netflix, Binge (AU)
“Do you like scary movies?”. No? Well, I suppose you don’t really if you’ve clicked on an article about horror comedies. Honestly, you’ve dodged a bullet there because this line of questioning sees the characters in Scream targeted by a masked killer known as Ghostface, who is terrorising the small town of Woodsboro, especially vulnerable high schoolers.
Don’t be fooled though, yes this is a slasher through and through but it points fun at the genre to the point where you’ll find yourself laughing out loud. It’s very self aware and there’s plenty of horror references throughout, while simultaneously having enough to keep non horror fans entertained. It’s one of my favorite horror movies for good reason.
Zombieland
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Director: Ruben Fleischer
Running time: 88 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US), Netflix (UK), Fetch (AU)
More zombies! Funny zombies, though, you’re all good. In Zombieland, we follow survivors of an epidemic who make their way on a cross-country road trip to find a sanctuary that’s free from zombies. So really, this is more of a road trip movie than anything else. Sure, it’s the middle of the apocalypse, but it’s gentler than some of the undead-focused movies out there.
There’s a brilliant cast here including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Bill Murray, the latter playing a version of himself who disguises himself as a zombie so others leave him alone. You gotta admit, that’s genius.
Black Sheep
Director: Jonathan King
Running time: 87 minutes
Where to stream: STARZ, Plex (US), Plex (UK), Stan (AU)
Sheep aren’t particularly scary. They’re kinda cute, even, but the protagonist of Black Sheep would disagree with me. Here, we follow Henry who returns to his brother’s New Zealand farm only to find some weird stuff has been going on. The livestock here aren’t loveable at all, they’re genetically modified which makes them prey on humans and turn their victims into undead, woolly killers. You could argue this has zombie vibes too but you haven’t seen anything quite like this.
Black Sheep is a very silly movie in the best way. Henry is joined by an animal-rights activist and a farmhand in his quest to put an end to this madness. I do love a group of misfits, don’t you?
Freaky
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Director: Christopher Landon
Running time: 101 minutes
Where to stream: Peacock, FuboTV (US), Channel 4 (UK), Binge (AU)
Body swap movies are great. Body swap horror movies are even better, and Freaky is a must-watch. Vince Vaughn plays a serial killer called the Blissfield Butcher who swaps bodies with a high school student (Kathryn Newton), resulting in two of the best performances of that year. Seeing Vaughn acting as a high schooler and Newton being utterly terrifying is a real treat.
Landon also directed the brilliant time loop movie Happy Death Day which is a bonus recommendation, but Freaky is one of my favorites and needed to make it onto this list.
