I love a good laugh and I love a good scare. To great taste that taste great together. Horror comedy is so hard to do, but when done right it definitely works. In my younger years, and now of course, horror was little difficult for me. In my teens I loved all those slasher movies that came out. I now appreciate the horror comedy far more now than when I was younger. I mean don’t get me wrong I love a good scary movie which these days means more of psychological thriller than a horror movie. So many horror movies are filled with gore and jump scares that they are hard for me to watch. If you like it then awesome I am glad I just feel as though I have maybe moved on from the genre and I am okay with that. What I do love is a good horror comedy. So, if we can quickly split in two teams to cover more ground faster I will give you five horror comedies I like.
So, Student Bodies is a genre parody that arrives fairly early in the cycle. The movie is released in 1981 and is based on actual events. The events being that several horror films were made the previous year and all of them made money. So, from the start you know exactly what you are in for. All the tropey goodness. The writing is a bit lack luster, the cast is filled with unknown actors, and the structure touches all the bases at least once. Which is exactly what you’d expect from a film like this.
In my youth I love horror movies, slashers in particular. I would spend my weekends scanning cable looking for these gems. Then I would move to the video store in an attempt to see everything. That was the actual goal to see all slasher movies available. If I am being honest, I think I wanted to see every movie ever made I was just starting with the genre of slasher. I come into view on this around eighty-four, so I would be about twelve at the time. I loved October it was Halloween and that meant everybody would run every scary movie they had. You had network running classic universal horror, and tv episodes were a little creepier. Early cable channels like USA would run Friday the 13th, but it was pay cable that really turned it up. Not only would they run a little gorier fare they ran it unedited. What a time to be alive.
So, the plot of student bodies is the basic plot of just about every slasher of the time. You got a bunch of teenagers who are only interested in one thing. You know what I mean. To quote the trailer for a fun film from the sixties, the Beach Girls and the Monster, “making hey hey in the moonlight”. And this is how each of these victims is separated out from the main group. As you know with these movies that is what happens. You get separated from the safety of the group for one reason or another and then you are killed. This is even played for laughs. One scene is at a parade and one of the guys claims that funeral get him hot. Which makes about as much sense as it does in any other slasher movie of the period. The real funny thing is there is no nudity to speak of in this film.
Our killer’s weapon of choice? The horse head bookend. I mean really what more do you need to know about this gem? It is a parody of the slasher films that came before, and many of the classics were out by this time. Many of their knock offs were too. This was a money maker.
Slashers seem to be a thing at the perfect moment in time. Between cable trying to fill its line up and video rental stores slashers were everywhere. They were easy to create. You need a group of teens, a location, and a holiday. I mean really all the holidays were used. April Fool’s Day, Happy Birthday to Me, My Bloody Valentine. It worked for Halloween and Friday the 13th so why not. Plus, with the rise of mall culture you had an audience who was built in. We were already hanging out at the mall we might as well see these movies, if they even were released in theaters and not just straight to video, which is where many would end up achieving cult status. I would say Student Bodies definitely has cult status. I loved it when I saw it when I was younger. This time…well somethings should be left as memories. Plus, we have seen this so many times in straight movies as well as parodies, like Scary Movie, that it just does not deliver like it once did.
As for the cast? The top billed actress on IMDB is known for this movie, and no others. Kristen Riter has two credits. The other is a documentary about horror movies. I got to believe it was a clip of student bodies. Jerry Belson is more known for writing episodes of the Odd Couple, the Tracey Ullman Show and Always. Joe Flood was in A View to a Kill and Naked Gun 33 and 1/3. Mimi Wendell was in Hitch and the remake of the Thomas Crown Affair.
This one hit all the tropes. You got the opening with the list of holidays that the movie takes place during. You got the obscene phone caller. The tracking shot from the killers POV. What does set this one apart is there is a body count. Every time someone is killed, we get an update to the count. We also get on screen notifications if things are important. Like if someone is a suspect or are merely knocked unconscious. The movie is rated R, and this is pointed out in the middle of the movie, so remember to get mom and dad’s permission to view this one if you are brave enough.
This is one I loved as a kid. My teen years was this mix of movies. Yes, I had the normal horror phase, mixed with goofball comedies and this seems to straddle the line between the two. I am talking about Transylvania 6-5000. An homage to the classic universal monster movies and yet so of the time period that now it serves more of a time capsule of the eighties than anything else.
Let’s jump right in. Ed Begley Jr. plays a reporter working for a tabloid. Think National Inquirer but with no journalistic integrity. I loved the headlines on the tabloids in the grocery store. So much fun to read them. He and his partner are being sent to investigate a story of the return of Frankenstein’s monster in Transylvania. You get the sense that Ed Begley jr. ‘s character is at the very least new to the job and does not seem to have the chops even for this reporting job. You know Ed Begley Jr. from Better Call Saul, Streets of Fire, and A Mighty Wind.
Begley’s partner is played by the wonderful Jeff Goldblum. He is the experienced reporter of this team. He is reluctant to give this story even a slight chance as he sees it beneath him. He is a real Journalist. And clearly only here for the paycheck. He spends much of his time chasing a young lady who he is interested in. you know Jeff Goldblum from Thor Ragnarök, Jurassic Park movies, and The Fly.
The young lady who Jeff Goldblum’s character is chasing around town is played by Teresa Ganzel. Her character is that of single mom on the run. Her and her daughter are escaping her ex-husband and hiding here in Transylvania. Now you know her from the Toy, and The Duck Factory. As well as a ton of voice over work from animation to video games.
Jeffrey Jones plays Lepescu. He is fixing up an old castle to be used as a hotel for tourists coming into Transylvania. He seems to delight in physical humor and getting American expressions wrong. He is also trying to hide the fact that monsters may be around. I think his character is also the mayor of Transylvania, I may have that wrong so don’t quote me. Now you know Jeffery Jones mostly as the Principal from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Howard the Duck, and Beetlejuice.
We get a wonderful mad scientist played by Joseph Bologna. When he is in the lab, he is mad when he is out of the lab, he is mild mannered. All this is conveyed through his hair. He crosses the threshold to the lab he messes up the hair and is stark raving mad. Step out of the lab he smooths the hair down and is back to normal. There is a wonderful fight scene as he goes in and out of the lab several time. You know Joseph Bologna from Big Daddy, Coup Deville, and My Favorite Year. I love this one. it was like the first grown up movie I saw. Set in the fifties on a sketch comedy show just wonderful check out My Favorite Year when you get a chance. It is so good.
Michael Richards shows up as the bellman for the hotel in the castle. This is pre-Seinfeld, and you can see his unbridled passion for absurd physical comedy. This man commits to the role like no other. Here he is young and pulling sort of childish pranks on the guests. He has one where they shake hands and it’s a fake hand that comes off. A lot falling down and running into things for him and yet it works. He is so funny here. You will also know him from Problem Child, Airheads, and the Weird Al movie UHF.
John Byner and Carol Kane work as a duo here. Not exactly sure how to describe them. He is definitely the head of the staff, and she is definitely in love with him. They work well together comedically in many scenes together. I always love these two separate and here together they are wonderful. Mr. Byner you will know from Bizarre, birthplace of Super Dave Osborne, Stroker Ace, and Soap. Carol Kane you will know from Princess Bride, When a Stranger Calls and Scrooged.
Gena Davis plays a vampire who is on the hunt and very interested in Ed Begley Jr.’s Character. She is seen attempting to seduce him in many scenes though out. It’s a shame they did not use her acting talents as much as they could have here. You know Gena Davis from the television adaptation of The Exorcist, Thelma and Louise, and The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Mr. Norman Fell plays the editor in chief of the tabloid the two reporters work for. He is Ed Begley’s Uncle I think it was. He sends him out to get the story, or else. All he cares about is selling newspapers. If the story is true even better, but that does not seem to be a deal breaker for him. You know Norman Fell from Three’s Company, and the Ropers, as well as Bullitt and the Graduate. This is just simply a wacky romp through a monster movie in Transylvania. You got a wolfman played by Donald Gib you know from Revenge of the Nerds. We got a Frankenstein monster, a sea creature, and a mummy. This is very much a screw ball comedy. It almost feels like a sketch show with a series of funny situations strung together loosely by the plot of these two reporters. If I am being honest this really should have stayed a memory. I mean it was nice and all, but it really did not hold up for me. You can find Transylvania 6-5000, if you really want to, at Amazon Prime or you can buy it if you want to over at Vudu and all the rest.
Ghost and Mr. Chicken
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was probably the first “horror” I saw.
horror is not even the word for it. this is a fun laughing romp through a haunted house story. not a lot of names in the cast, at least names I recognize right off the bat. Since this is in the sixties it has a groovy soundtrack that I just love, it all revolves around the theme. You got little ones this is a great introduction to…let’s just say Halloween films. I always love this one.
I do not know the first time I saw this. I can not even remember. It seems like I have just always seen this movie. It has some good jump scares, which is what you want with a film like this. The story can be, for young ones, a little bit much at times but not too bad, especially with today’s kids. This was definitely the first movie of this type that I saw, a Halloween movie. I don’t want to use Horror because this is not horror. Funny how a simple twist of phrase changes everything. When I was kid, I would not go on the haunted mansion at Disney world Orlando. I got close once but there was an incident. This is back when they allowed cast members to dress up in costumes, not the basic butler staff outfits they wear now. When we took my oldest, he was probably five or four at the time, we called it the Halloween house. They seemed far more interested than if we had called it the haunted mansion. So, the Ghost and Mr. Chicken is not a horror film, but it is an excellent Halloween movie.
We are in a small Kansas town and there is a vacant house where a murder took place that is about to be torn down. This is one of those houses every small town has. There was a murder and a suicide, so it is a bit of a legend. I swear the way this is presented is so much lighter than how I am explaining it. anyway, one of the kids, all grown now, wants to bulldoze the house. A local newspaper gets the idea to have a reporter spend the night in the house.
The reporter is Luther Heggs. He is a typesetter working in the basement, but he wants to be a reporter. He wants a lot of things but lacks the confidence to go get it. this character is played wonderfully by one of my favorites. I love Don Knots and always have. I can remember watching him on the Andy Griffith Show in reruns when I was home from school. I loved him as Mr. Farley on Three’s Company. He took over for Normal Fell, from our last movie, when he left for his own spin off. It lasted only two seasons and they were the 20 plus episode seasons. When he teamed up with Tim Conway there was nothing funnier. I think of all the movies they did together I loved Private Eyes. With Don Knots you know we are getting a lot of physical comedy. Lots of scared faces running into things, and, my favorite, the fake over confidence of the man he wants to be. There are none like him and I miss seeing him on screen.
The editor of the news paper who hatches this crazy idea is Dick Sargent, the second Darren on Bewitched. You also know him from the show Down To Earth, episodes of Fantasy Island, Dukes of Hazzard and Charlies Angels. He knows Luther is afraid of his own shadow and decides he is the best to send in for this.
Alma Parker is dating one of the reporters, but Luther is clearly interested and far too shy to ask her out. Alma is played by Joan Staley who you might know from 77 on the Sunset Strip, a couple of episodes of the Munster’s and of the Batman Show as well.
We also have Liam Redmond playing the son of the deceased. He is the one who wants the house to simply be bulldozed and carted off. He seems as though he just wants to be done with the whole mess, but there is more here than meets the eye. You know him from Barry Lyndon, a couple of episodes of the Avengers, no not that one the other one. the British show from the sixties. As well as a couple of episodes of Wagon Train.
This is such a fun story and I really do not want to give anything away. If you have not seen this go, see it. if you have seen it, it is time to rewatch it. For the most fun grab a young family member and watch it with them. what a laughable introduction to the horror genre. You will find this at VUDU and all the usual suspects. It is worth the rental fee.
Young Frankenstein
I have lost count of how many times I have seen Young Frankenstein. For my money this is Mel Brooks firing on all cylinders. This is a retelling of an original story if that makes any sense. What a wonderful cast, which was always a strong point of Mel Brooks movies. The atmosphere is dead on and is so true to the source material while parodying it at the same time. I love this movie.
This is another Frankenstein movie. I hate to even call it a parody as it is played fairly straight, and that is where the laughs are. Yes, we got a little bit “out there” comedy with Marty Feldman as Igor, but it does not distract from the story itself.
The grandson of the Victor Frankenstein learns he has received the family castle in Transylvania in the will. He travels to the castle to check it out. He has spent most of his life running from the Frankenstein name, so much so he pronounces it differently. Once he discovers the secret library, he becomes more intrigued with the idea of reanimating a lifeless corpse. I mean who would not be interested in creating life from death. The medical applications alone would be worth the trouble. So off he goes stealing corpses, just like great grandpa, with Igor by his side. What could go wrong? Well, it’s a Mel Brooks movie so where it goes wrong is where it goes so right. The wrong brain is stolen, and the corpse is reanimated with an abnormal brain, and it breaks loose from here.
Young Frankenstein is played wonderfully by Gene Wilder. One of the first actors whose name I learned. So talented so funny. He plays it straight and that is where the humor comes from for most of his roles. You know him from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the Producers, and with his wife Gilda Radner in Haunted Honeymoon.
Young Frankenstein’s assistant Igor is played wonderfully by Marty Feldman. Anyone else may have put too much on this character but it feels just right with Marty Feldman. Simple jokes from the hump, he never acknowledges, changing sides, to the walk this way gag, handing the cane to Wilder who then walks like Feldman did for a moment. I always love seeing Marty Feldman on screen in such things as Silent Movie and Yellow Beard.
Peter Boyle as the monster is wonderful casting. I lover Peter Boyle. He is excellent here. Again, keeps in the sweet spot, not too over the top just over the top enough. You know him from Everybody loves Raymond, one of the creepiest episodes of x files, and the Dream Team. That was a good movie. Madelyn Kahn plays the fiancé of young Frankenstein and ends up marrying the monster by the end of the film. Loved her through out the eighties. She was in Blazing Saddles, History of the World Part 1 and Clue. I love clue. Such a simple premise and yet so well executed. You need to see it if you have not. Terri Gar is the lab assistant she is under used here. You know her from Friends as Phoebe’s mom, as well as Tootsie and Close Encounters. We get Cloris Leachman as the caretaker of the castle who was clearly in love with the good doctor before his passing. She wants to see his work succeed, regardless of who it is that succeeds with it. you know her from Malcolm in the Middle, the Facts of Life, and History of the World part 1.
If you like those old universal monster movies this one hit those notes. like I said it is played fairly straight and that is where the humor is. Yes, we got some physical comedy. Yes, we get word play comedy but for the most part this is a Frankenstein movie. It just was created by to very funny men, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder came up with this story. and you know on that set there was improv. It is a laugh out loud funny movie with a cast of characters at the top of their art form. To see this, you will need to have HBO Max, or already own it on some format.
I think I have only seen this one a handful of times. I love The Burbs. Now that I am a homeowner this movie speaks to me on an entirely different level. What once appeared to be over the top farce now seems more than reasonable. The cast sells this movie and the balance between believable and over the top once again pushes the boundary of good and corny. A fun comedy with a horror back drop that really just about anyone could watch.
Seeing this in my youth I really identified with the Corey Feldman character in this movie. At first you wonder is he some young rich guy out of high school or what? Then he does, about halfway through the film, mention his parents so I am assuming he is home alone for the weekend with a list of chores to do. he just seems to be there to watch the chaos as well as spur on the more adolescent adult to do the things they really should not be doing. You know Corey Feldman from Lost Boys, the Goonies, Friday the 13th the final chapter and Stand by Me. He is absolutely great here viewing the antics like its dinner theater; balancing between his actual friends and the adults he hangs out with in the neighborhood.
The more childish of the neighbors is played by Rick Ducommun. You know him from scary movie, Spaceballs, and Groundhog Day. He is the man child who has been left alone for the weekend. The whole story starts off because of him. He is the one who leads our group into the various antics and troubles they have throughout. A little over the top at times but well with in the realm of believable. There is one scene where he crashes his neighbor’s breakfast and eats everything in sight. I may have done that more than once, but he really goes overboard; second batch of pancakes and whatever he grabbed from the fridge after replacing the emptied syrup bottle. He gives us a little background about a soda jerk who lost it and killed his family. This is where he casts the negative view on the new neighbors. No one has seen them, no one really remembers them moving in. They just sort of appeared. Every neighborhood has this guy. He has lived there since he was a kid, probably took over his parent’s house, and knows the history of the town.
Bruce Dern plays the Nam vet on the block. This man raises the flag every morning and is quite militant about his yard. I would love and hate to live next to this guy. I would love it because he would no doubt help guide to better home maintenance. I would hate it because he would constantly be guiding me to better home maintenance. Here we see him threaten a neighbor whose dog goes to the bathroom on his lawn. At one point he is using a night vision scope to spy on the new family. Always quoting wisdom he picked up from Viet Nam. A great character and just enough to be funny and believable at the same time. You are going to know Bruce Dern from Hateful Eight, Diggs Town, and one of my favorites 1969.
Tom Hanks is the only one of our neighbors who seems even remotely normal. He is obviously the character we are supposed to relate to; however, he does get caught up in the craziness. He is on vacation. A week laying around the house working on projects and listening to the ball game seems like a plan, but too much idle time can be an issue, and here it is one. he quickly gets caught up in the scheme to find out more about the new neighbors. He is easily swayed by his friends who lead him down the wrong path. You know tom hanks from That Thing You Do, Bosom Buddies, and Big. His wife I splayed by Carrie Fischer, more of a mom than a wife and this gets played for a laugh or two. She is just wonderful you know her obviously from Star Wars, as well as the When Harry met Sally, and Blues Brothers.
Henry Gibson plays Dr. Klopek the head of the family who has moved into this idyllic Cul-de-sac. He is the one who has drummed up all this mystery simply by not being seen. He lives with his two other relatives his son and brother. You know Henry Gibson from the Blues Brothers, Magnolia and Inner Space. His son is played by Courtney Gains who you know from Can’t Buy Me Love and as Malakai from Children of the Corn. That one still creeps me out. The uncle/brother is played by Theodore Gottlieb. You know him from The Last Unicorn.
I have gone around on the plot a little but let us do this proper. Tom Hanks has a week off from work and rather than spend it in traffic and working at the lake house he decides to spend it at home. Taking it easy working on projects around the house and listening to the ball game on the radio, you know a little regression and there is nothing wrong with that. there are new neighbors next door that no one has really seen. His other neighbor, from across the street, Rick Ducommun starts to fill Tom Hanks’s head with nonsense about how the new neighbors are evil, or Satanists, or something. No one has seen them, and the older gentleman neighbor has gone missing. This puts the new neighbors at the top of the list for suspects. no one remembers them moving in. Bruce Dern joins out motley crew and they decide to break into the house and see what they can learn. Seems plausible. Why ring the bell and introduce yourself. Which is what the wives suggest they do. I do not want to give away too much, the jokes or the ending, so I am just going to leave this here.
This is really a good movie. Like I said this is more of a comedy with a horror back drop. Not to scary. Several of the scares are jump scares but for a slapstick effect. This is a fun watch every time I see it. I thoroughly enjoy this. If you want to see the burbs you will have to look for it at VUDU. It was the only place I could find it. definitely worth a purchase to add in for your early spook-tober viewings.
There it is my list of five Scary Funny movies. Did I miss yours? Let me know on social media with #thatadnadollarpodcast. Be sure and follow us on twitter at @thatandadollar. We are also on Instagram a @a_guy_named_chuck. Also don’t forget to join our Facebook group, that and a dollar podcast. Make sure you check out the podcast, that and a dollar, available where you find your podcasts. if you want to support further episodes, please leave a tip at www.buymeacoffee.com/thatandadollar or check out our store at www.cafepress.com/thatandadollarpodcast.
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