Sliding Scale of Comedy and Horror: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"I'm a student of both horror and comedy because they're different sides of the same coin: Both are about using emotion to provoke an instinctual, physical response, and if you're lucky, spontaneous evacuation of bodily waste products."''|'''Ben [[Zero Punctuation|"Yahtzee"]] Croshaw''', ''[[Zero Punctuation|Extra Punctuation]]''}}
{{quote|''"I'm a student of both horror and comedy because they're different sides of the same coin: Both are about using emotion to provoke an instinctual, physical response, and if you're lucky, spontaneous evacuation of bodily waste products."''|'''Ben [[Zero Punctuation|"Yahtzee"]] Croshaw''', ''[[Zero Punctuation|Extra Punctuation]]''}}


When people think of [[Comedy]], they rarely associate it with [[Horror]] and vice versa. However, both make great partners in crime together. If they aren't [[Crosses the Line Twice|Crossing The Line Twice]], they're bringing about a [[Sugar Apocalypse]] and [[Run for The Border|escaping]] to [[Refuge in Audacity|Auda City]]. The reason they work so well together is that viewers need "breathers" between nonstop screaming or nonstop laughing, and one can easily segue into the other.
When people think of [[Comedy]], they rarely associate it with [[Horror]] and vice versa. However, both make great partners in crime together. If they aren't [[Crosses the Line Twice|Crossing The Line Twice]], they're bringing about a [[Sugar Apocalypse]] and [[Run for the Border|escaping]] to [[Refuge in Audacity|Auda City]]. The reason they work so well together is that viewers need "breathers" between nonstop screaming or nonstop laughing, and one can easily segue into the other.


For purposes of this trope, we'll divide Horror and Comedy hybrids into three categories, Horror dominant, Comedy dominant, and balanced.
For purposes of this trope, we'll divide Horror and Comedy hybrids into three categories, Horror dominant, Comedy dominant, and balanced.


'''Horror dominant''' works will use comedy as a mood lightener or "breather" from the tension or gore. Characters will crack wise while they're in a safe spot, and have the monster use a [[Barrier Busting Blow]] just as they relax. The benefit of this is that just as viewers relax along with the characters, tension is restored along with the scare. Other ways to use comedy in a horror movie is to treat viewers to some funny situational irony the characters can appreciate on an intellectual level while cursing on an "I'm gonna die now" level. The benefit here is that momentum is maintained throughout the scene.
'''Horror dominant''' works will use comedy as a mood lightener or "breather" from the tension or gore. Characters will crack wise while they're in a safe spot, and have the monster use a [[Barrier-Busting Blow]] just as they relax. The benefit of this is that just as viewers relax along with the characters, tension is restored along with the scare. Other ways to use comedy in a horror movie is to treat viewers to some funny situational irony the characters can appreciate on an intellectual level while cursing on an "I'm gonna die now" level. The benefit here is that momentum is maintained throughout the scene.


'''Comedy dominant''' works have more leeway here. They may be a straight up comedy set in a typical horror setting or premise, or use [[Black Comedy]] and [[Dead Baby Comedy]] along with splatter horror to maximum effect. Comedy dominant works often [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstruct]] horror tropes for laughs, other times playing them hilariously straight as an [[Affectionate Parody]] (with perhaps a [[Lampshade Hanging]]).
'''Comedy dominant''' works have more leeway here. They may be a straight up comedy set in a typical horror setting or premise, or use [[Black Comedy]] and [[Dead Baby Comedy]] along with splatter horror to maximum effect. Comedy dominant works often [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstruct]] horror tropes for laughs, other times playing them hilariously straight as an [[Affectionate Parody]] (with perhaps a [[Lampshade Hanging]]).


A '''balanced''' work is perhaps the [[Your Mileage May Vary|most subjective to qualify]], because while it has equal amounts of horror and comedy, the viewer may be so sensitive to horror it seems scarier, or so ''de''sensitized to horror it seems funnier.
A '''balanced''' work is perhaps the [[Your Mileage May Vary|most subjective to qualify]], because while it has equal amounts of horror and comedy, the viewer may be so sensitive to horror it seems scarier, or so ''de''sensitized to horror it seems funnier.


Of course, these works have one big problem they have to fight: avoiding [[Jump the Shark|jumping the shark]] due to [[Mood Whiplash]]. Avoiding this requires that the comedy or horror not break the feel of the established setting. Slapstick in the middle of suspenseful horror, or remorselessly and humorlessly killing a character in a comedy would do this. However, [[Deadpan Snarker|deadpan snarking]] and [[Rasputinian Death]] respectively would not.
Of course, these works have one big problem they have to fight: avoiding [[Jump the Shark|jumping the shark]] due to [[Mood Whiplash]]. Avoiding this requires that the comedy or horror not break the feel of the established setting. Slapstick in the middle of suspenseful horror, or remorselessly and humorlessly killing a character in a comedy would do this. However, [[Deadpan Snarker|deadpan snarking]] and [[Rasputinian Death]] respectively would not.


See also [[Narm]], where something that's supposed to be horrible turns out to be funny, and [[Nightmare Fuel]], where something that might have been intended to be funny is instead unsettling. Both of them are results of something landing on the wrong side of the scale.
See also [[Narm]], where something that's supposed to be horrible turns out to be funny, and [[Nightmare Fuel]], where something that might have been intended to be funny is instead unsettling. Both of them are results of something landing on the wrong side of the scale.


{{genreworks}}
=== Some works that use Comedy and Horror include: ===

* ''[[American Psycho]]''
* ''[[American Psycho]]''
* ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]''
* ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]''
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* ''[[Big Tits Zombie]]'', a J-horror flick that slides much more towards the [[Sex Comedy]] genre.
* ''[[Big Tits Zombie]]'', a J-horror flick that slides much more towards the [[Sex Comedy]] genre.
* ''[[Bio Zombie]]''
* ''[[Bio Zombie]]''
* ''[[Black Sheep the Movie (Film)|Black Sheep]]''
* ''[[Black Sheep (2006 film)|Black Sheep]]''
* ''[[Boy Eats Girl]]''
* ''[[Boy Eats Girl]]''
* ''[[Braindead]]'', also known as ''[[Dead Alive]]''
* ''[[Braindead]]'', also known as ''[[Dead Alive]]''
* ''[[Bubba Hotep]]''
* ''[[Bubba Ho-Tep]]''
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''
* Any commercial featuring [[The Burger King (Advertising)|The Burger King]]
* Any commercial featuring [[The Burger King]]
* ''[[The Cabin in The Woods (Film)|The Cabin in The Woods]]''
* ''[[The Cabin in the Woods]]''
* ''[[Childs Play (Film)|Child's Play]]''
* ''[[Child's Play (film)|Child's Play]]''
* ''[[Club Dread]]''
* ''[[Club Dread]]''
* ''[[Dance Of The Dead]]''
* ''[[Dance Of The Dead]]''
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* ''[[Dead Next Door]]''
* ''[[Dead Next Door]]''
* ''[[Dead Set]]''
* ''[[Dead Set]]''
* ''[[Dead Snow (Film)|Dead Snow]]''
* ''[[Dead Snow]]''
* Some ''[[Discworld]]'', notably ''The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents'' and ''Hogfather''
* Some ''[[Discworld]]'', notably ''The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents'' and ''Hogfather''
* ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' in spades.
* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' in spades.
* ''[[Dororon Enma-kun]]''
* ''[[Dororon Enma-kun]]''
* ''[[The Dresden Files]]''
* ''[[The Dresden Files]]''
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* ''[[Eight Legged Freaks]]''
* ''[[Eight Legged Freaks]]''
* ''[[Evil Dead]]'', particularly ''Evil Dead 2'' and ''[[Army of Darkness]]''
* ''[[Evil Dead]]'', particularly ''Evil Dead 2'' and ''[[Army of Darkness]]''
* ''[[The Fearless Vampire Killers (Film)|The Fearless Vampire Killers]]''
* ''[[The Fearless Vampire Killers]]''
* ''[[Fido]]''
* ''[[Fido]]''
* ''[[Frankie and Stein]]''
* ''[[Frankie and Stein]]''
* ''[[From Dusk Till Dawn]]''
* ''[[From Dusk till Dawn]]''
* ''[[Ghostbusters]]''
* ''[[Ghostbusters]]''
** The [[Ghostbusters (2016 film)|2016 remake]] pushed the mix a bit more to the horror side than the original did, but still maintained the comedy.
* ''[[Gremlins]]''
* ''[[Gremlins]]''
* ''[[Grindhouse]]''
* ''[[Grindhouse]]''
* ''[[Hanna Is Not a Boys Name|Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name]]''
* ''[[Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name]]''
* ''[[Hatchet (Film)|Hatchet]]''
* ''[[Hatchet (film)|Hatchet]]''
* ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni]]'' starts off each chapter as a lighthearted [[Slice of Life]] comedy, until someone dies mysteriously. From there, things quickly spiral out of control, usually culminating in the gruesome murder of several major characters.
* ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' starts off each chapter as a lighthearted [[Slice of Life]] comedy, until someone dies mysteriously. From there, things quickly spiral out of control, usually culminating in the gruesome murder of several major characters.
* ''[[Homestuck]]'', comedy dominant.
* ''[[Homestuck]]'', comedy dominant.
* ''[[Horndog]]''
* ''[[Horndog]]''
* ''[[Hot Fuzz]]''. It's a comedy, but most of the film is an homage to slasher flicks and there are some bona fide [[Squick|gory]] bits in there. It's something of a three-way hybrid, among a Badass Cop movie, Comedy and Slasher. The slasher elements also segue into [[Town With a Dark Secret]].
* ''[[Hot Fuzz]]''. It's a comedy, but most of the film is an homage to slasher flicks and there are some bona fide [[Squick|gory]] bits in there. It's something of a three-way hybrid, among a Badass Cop movie, Comedy and Slasher. The slasher elements also segue into [[Town with a Dark Secret]].
* ''[[IT]]''. Heavily horror based, but still has some comedic elements thanks to Pennywise.
* ''[[IT]]''. Heavily horror based, but still has some comedic elements thanks to Pennywise.
* ''[[Jam]]''
* ''[[Jam]]''
* ''[[Jennifer's Body]]''
* ''[[Jennifer's Body]]''
* ''[[John Dies At the End]]'' is pretty balanced, and it's not unusual to find comedy and horror on the same page. This is partly because the protagonists seem to use humor as a coping mechanism, and partly due to the sheer ridiculousness of the things they encounter, like the [[Mix and Match Critters|wigmonsters]], or the ghost that possesses an entire fridge full of meat to give itself a corporeal body.
* ''[[John Dies at the End]]'' is pretty balanced, and it's not unusual to find comedy and horror on the same page. This is partly because the protagonists seem to use humor as a coping mechanism, and partly due to the sheer ridiculousness of the things they encounter, like the [[Mix-and-Match Critters|wigmonsters]], or the ghost that possesses an entire fridge full of meat to give itself a corporeal body.
* ''[[Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka]]?'' (heavily on the comedy side)
* ''[[Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?]]?'' (heavily on the comedy side)
* ''[[The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service]]''
* ''[[The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service]]''
* ''[[The Last Circus]]''
* ''[[The Last Circus]]''
* ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]''
* ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]''
* ''[[Level E]]''
* ''[[Level E]]''
* ''[[The Lieutenant of Inishmore]]''
* ''[[The Lieutenant of Inishmore]]''
* ''[[The Little Shop of Horrors]]'', as well as [[Little Shop of Horrors|the musical of the same name, and its 1986 movie version]]. The upcoming remake is said to be [[Darker and Edgier]], however (if it isn't left in [[Development Hell]]).
* ''[[The Little Shop of Horrors]]'', as well as [[Little Shop of Horrors|the musical of the same name, and its 1986 movie version]]. The upcoming remake is said to be [[Darker and Edgier]], however (if it isn't left in [[Development Hell]]).
* ''[[Maniac Mansion]]''
* ''[[Maniac Mansion]]''
* ''[[Monster Man (Film)|Monster Man]]''
* ''[[Monster Man]]''
* ''[[My Name Is Bruce]]''
* ''[[My Name Is Bruce]]''
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' is of the Horror Dominant type. Some lighthearted moments can be found between the [[Mind Rape]], [[Eldritch Abominations]], [[Cruel and Unusual Death]](s) and [[The End of the World As We Know It]].
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' is of the Horror Dominant type. Some lighthearted moments can be found between the [[Mind Rape]], [[Eldritch Abominations]], [[Cruel and Unusual Death]](s) and [[The End of the World as We Know It]].
* ''[[Night Of The Living Bread]]''
* ''[[Night Of The Living Bread]]''
* ''[[A Nightmare On Elm Street]]'', mainly as the series went on.
* ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'', mainly as the series went on.
* ''[[Brotha Lynch Hung|Now Eat]]''
* ''[[Brotha Lynch Hung|Now Eat]]''
* ''[[Paranoia Agent]]'' combines both elements of [[Surreal Horror]] with elements of [[Black Comedy]].
* ''[[Paranoia Agent]]'' combines both elements of [[Surreal Horror]] with elements of [[Black Comedy]].
* ''[[Planet Terror]]''
* ''[[Planet Terror]]''
* ''[[Poultrygeist Night of the Chicken Dead]]''
* ''[[Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead]]''
* ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Anime)|Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'': In the same vein as [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]] except it has [[Break the Cutie]] instead of [[Mind Rape]]
* ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'': In the same vein as [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]] except it has [[Break the Cutie]] instead of [[Mind Rape]]
* ''[[Psychoville]]''
* ''[[Psychoville]]''
* ''[[Rare Exports]]''
* ''[[Rare Exports]]''
* ''[[Ravenous (Film)|Ravenous]]''
* ''[[Ravenous]]''
* ''[[Red Letter Media]]''. Yes, the ''[[Star Wars]]'' reviews.
* ''[[RedLetterMedia]]''. Yes, the ''[[Star Wars]]'' reviews.
* ''[[Return of the Living Dead]]''
* ''[[Return of the Living Dead]]''
* ''[[Scary Movie]]''
* ''[[Scary Movie]]''
* ''[[Scream (Film)|Scream]]''
* ''[[Scream (film)|Scream]]''
** This is practically the [[Trope Codifier]]
** This is practically the [[Trope Codifier]]
* ''[[Severance]]''
* ''[[Severance]]''
* ''[[Shaun of the Dead]]''
* ''[[Shaun of the Dead]]''
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* ''[[Soul Eater]]'': It starts out fairly light and [[Fan Service|Fanservice]] filled, but gets darker and darker as the story goes on.
* ''[[Soul Eater]]'': It starts out fairly light and [[Fan Service|Fanservice]] filled, but gets darker and darker as the story goes on.
* ''[[Supernatural]]''
* ''[[Supernatural]]''
* ''[[Tales From the Crypt]]'': Mostly the TV series and it's [[Demon Knight|two]] [[Bordello of Blood|theatrical]] movies, but the stories from [[EC Comics]] upon which they are based counts too.
* ''[[Tales from the Crypt]]'': Mostly the TV series and it's [[Demon Knight|two]] [[Bordello of Blood|theatrical]] movies, but the stories from [[EC Comics]] upon which they are based counts too.
* ''[[Tasogare Otome X Amnesia (Manga)|Tasogare Otome X Amnesia]]'': bounces back in forth
* ''[[Tasogare Otome x Amnesia]]'': bounces back in forth
* ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Theatre)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]''
* ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (theatre)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]''
* ''[[Vagina Dentata|Teeth]]''
* ''[[Vagina Dentata|Teeth]]''
* ''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2]]''
* ''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2]]''
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* ''[[Wasting Away]]'', a zombie film from the zombies' point of view.
* ''[[Wasting Away]]'', a zombie film from the zombies' point of view.
* ''[[Yondemasu Yo Azazel-san]]''
* ''[[Yondemasu Yo Azazel-san]]''
* ''[[Zombieland (Film)|Zombieland]]''
* ''[[Zombieland]]''
* Most works by [[Garth Ennis]]
* Most works by [[Garth Ennis]]
* Most works by [[Neil Gaiman]] too.
* Most works by [[Neil Gaiman]] too.
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[[Category:Sorting Algorithm of Tropes]]
[[Category:Sorting Algorithm of Tropes]]
[[Category:Genres]]
[[Category:Genres]]
[[Category:Sliding Scale Of Comedy And Horror]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Trope]]

Latest revision as of 22:09, 12 September 2019
"I'm a student of both horror and comedy because they're different sides of the same coin: Both are about using emotion to provoke an instinctual, physical response, and if you're lucky, spontaneous evacuation of bodily waste products."
—Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, Extra Punctuation

When people think of Comedy, they rarely associate it with Horror and vice versa. However, both make great partners in crime together. If they aren't Crossing The Line Twice, they're bringing about a Sugar Apocalypse and escaping to Auda City. The reason they work so well together is that viewers need "breathers" between nonstop screaming or nonstop laughing, and one can easily segue into the other.

For purposes of this trope, we'll divide Horror and Comedy hybrids into three categories, Horror dominant, Comedy dominant, and balanced.

Horror dominant works will use comedy as a mood lightener or "breather" from the tension or gore. Characters will crack wise while they're in a safe spot, and have the monster use a Barrier-Busting Blow just as they relax. The benefit of this is that just as viewers relax along with the characters, tension is restored along with the scare. Other ways to use comedy in a horror movie is to treat viewers to some funny situational irony the characters can appreciate on an intellectual level while cursing on an "I'm gonna die now" level. The benefit here is that momentum is maintained throughout the scene.

Comedy dominant works have more leeway here. They may be a straight up comedy set in a typical horror setting or premise, or use Black Comedy and Dead Baby Comedy along with splatter horror to maximum effect. Comedy dominant works often deconstruct horror tropes for laughs, other times playing them hilariously straight as an Affectionate Parody (with perhaps a Lampshade Hanging).

A balanced work is perhaps the most subjective to qualify, because while it has equal amounts of horror and comedy, the viewer may be so sensitive to horror it seems scarier, or so desensitized to horror it seems funnier.

Of course, these works have one big problem they have to fight: avoiding jumping the shark due to Mood Whiplash. Avoiding this requires that the comedy or horror not break the feel of the established setting. Slapstick in the middle of suspenseful horror, or remorselessly and humorlessly killing a character in a comedy would do this. However, deadpan snarking and Rasputinian Death respectively would not.

See also Narm, where something that's supposed to be horrible turns out to be funny, and Nightmare Fuel, where something that might have been intended to be funny is instead unsettling. Both of them are results of something landing on the wrong side of the scale.

Examples of works in the Sliding Scale of Comedy and Horror genre include:
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