Great Low-Budget Horror Comedy Movies

Horror and comedy are two film genres that wouldn't seem to logically mesh, but many directors and screenwriters have joined the two seamlessly, often resulting in some of the best known cult movies. Often horror comedies feature brutally outrageous scenes of gore and terror peppered with ridiculously funny characters and events. There are way too many horror comedy movies to list in one article, for example The Evil Dead Trilogy, Basket Case, Re-Animator, and Dead Alive are great movies from this genre. For now I'll talk about three of my favorite horror comedy b-movies.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978): This horror sci-fi comedy spoof is one of my favorite movies from childhood and is also one of the most well-known of the low-budget cult movies. What's so funny about this movie is that it's meant to be absurd. The special effects are over-the-top cheesy, the plot is campy, and the acting is less than stellar. When tomatoes mutate and go on a killing rampage after an experiment gone wrong, the government has to find a way to save suburbia from the new red menace. There are also some memorable music moments in this movie. Lovers of this movie can probably sing you the theme song without having to think about it too hard, and who would have guessed that the way to defeat the tomatoes involved a song called, "Puberty Love"?

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988): People who are afraid of clowns shouldn't watch this movie, because even though this is a dark comedy, the surreal appearance of the creepy killer clowns is enough to inspire nightmares for coulrophobics. People who aren't really afraid of clowns but have a morbid sense of humor will probably get a few laughs out of this film. The movie starts out with two teenagers who investigate the sight of a crashing comet and find a circus tent. The alien-clowns inside this tent are bent on turning the residents of this once sleepy small town into cotton candy and taking over. Will these brave youngsters be able to save themselves and the world at large? If this movie sounds ridiculous to you, that's probably because it is. And that's why it has such a cult following.

The Toxic Avenger (1984): You know if a movie is affiliated with Troma it's probably going to be bad, but bad in a good way if you're into low-budget campy films. Poor Melvin is a lonely, nerdy janitor at Tromaville's health club. Day in and day out he's subjected to ridicule at the hands of arrogant jerks and stuck-up bimbos that don't have the time of day for him. One fateful day Melvin is forced to jump from the top of a building only to land in a container of toxic waste that just happens to be below him. As a result, he transforms into a monstrous creature who seeks to defeat evil in somewhat violent ways, such as ripping off arms and beating the evil-doer with them. There are some good kills involving his janitor's mop as well. You look forward to seeing Toxie exact revenge against Bozo, one of the main jerks responsible for his "fall" into the toxic waste and who enjoys a game running over kids on bikes and elderly women with his car, gaining various points for various hits. Toxie has to defeat his arch nemesis, the corrupt mayor who has lied to convince the National Guard to come out to destroy the monster. Along the way, Toxie finds love with a visually impaired girl named Sara, who seems to have a problem hitting people with her cane in the crotch. All in the name of good clean, fun.