With the sixth entry in the ‘Scary Movie’ franchise out now, Matt Konopka looks at six other horror spoofs that’ll have you die laughing.
The sixth entry in the Scary Movie franchise from The Wayans Bros. is now in theaters. With it comes the return of a form of comedy we only see in small doses these days: The spoof.
Intent on poking fun at specific films, genres, characters, etc., these movies relish the absurd that serves up a whopping meal of side-splitting humor. They traffic in the obscene, the gross, the outright goofy. Sure, they’re rarely masterpieces. But they offer up the sort of entertainment that doesn’t ask you to do much other than have a good time. We need that sometimes. I sure as hell do. I mean, have you seen what we’re living in lately? Rhetorical question. Of course, you have, and that’s why I think you may want to seek some of these out.
Of course, that list of horror comedies that poke fun at various aspects of the genre is long and wide. So, for this particular exercise, outside of a couple of examples, I focused on films a little more in line with the silliness of the Scary Movie franchise. These are movies that don’t mind coming off a little (or very) stupid. You won’t see titles like The Final Girls, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil, or Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. All are excellent satires. But they don’t quite fit the bill of “dumb silliness” that these do.
So, kick up your feet, grab your favorite movie-enhancing product/snack, and get ready to laugh like Shorty after, well, basically anything.
Blades (1989)
I’m not going to lie to you…Blades is not some long-lost classic waiting to be rediscovered a la Possession. Let me just mow those expectations down right now. It’s a Troma film, after all, and that means it requires a very specific taste that only the most deranged of us possess (hi!). That said, it also happens to be one of my personal favorite spoofs.
Following Jaws came numerous ripoffs, sequels, and comedies referencing the shark horror phenomenon that put Spielberg on the map. But none of those films can say they sport a killer lawnmower. Thomas R. Rondinella’s absurd satire turns the deadly blades—get it?—of the mechanical monster on a golf course full of dull snobs who could frankly use a little excitement. Mangled bodies are no good for business, though, leaving the owner and others to form their own trio of mismatched hunters desperate to toss the murderous mower on the scrap heap.
The film feels like some sort of fever dream you had at four in the morning after downing a bunch of acid and watching a cocaine-addled Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive. Scene for scene, Blades plays out like Jaws, from the couple who decide to join the Hole 13 club to a shocking child death and a grizzled hired hand who’s been hurt by lawnmowers one too many times in his life. It’s not a hole-in-one, but who cares? Blades could cut a smile into any buzzkill.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
No list of horror spoofs would be complete without an appearance from Leslie Nielsen. The actor was one of the kings of the spoof. He starred in countless iconic films, from Airplane! to Wrongfully Accused and, of course, the Naked Gun franchise. He also took on The Exorcist with Repossessed (just barely didn’t compel me enough to be on the list) and Scary Movie 3-4. When I think of spoofs, I think Leslie Nielsen.
Directed by fellow legend, Mel Brooks—more on him soon—Dracula: Dead and Loving It sinks its teeth into Bram Stoker’s classic vampire with mixed results. The film more or less hits all the familiar plot points, but with a comedic twist that sucks the laughter right out of you.
It may not be one of Brooks’ stronger films, but this one staked a soft spot in my heart at a young age. I feel it in my undead bones when Nielsen rises from his coffin and smacks into a chandelier. There’s not a soul who could’ve played the role better, with his Bela Lugosi-like charm and physical comedy style. Not to mention, Peter MacNicol may be the most entertaining of any Renfield in cinema. Well worth digging out of the crypt at least once.
Dude Bro Party Massacre III (2015)
There are some films that we never forget seeing for the first time. For me, one of those isDude Bro Party Massacre III, which I saw the premiere of here in LA at midnight, and on little sleep, no less. The vibes were vibing, and by the midpoint, my delirious ass had been laughing so hard, I paused only to save myself the pain of my aching sides.
Directed by Tomm Jacobsen, Michael Rousselet and Jon Salmon, DBPMIII mashes together various slashers like Pieces and Texas Chain Saw, swapping out sorority girls for a bunch of dimwitted frat boys stalked by the infamous killer, Motherface (Olivia Taylor Dudley).
Presented as a late night recording of the third film in a no-budget franchise, it’s the sort of movie that’d make a perfect pairing with WNUF: Halloween Special. A gut-busting, insanely quotable horror comedy that pokes fun at frat boy culture, in part by reflecting on your average dude bro’s fear of women that they won’t admit. Warning, this film is NOT FOR MATURE audiences. So, it probably says a little too much about me that I think it’s one of the funniest fucking horror films I’ve seen in the last decade.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)
Any chance I get to mention the queen of horror hosts, Elvira (Cassandra Peterson), I’m going to do it. And that’s the case with one of two horror comedies starring the hostess with the mostess, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.
The 1988 cult classic follows Elvira as she arrives in a small town after inheriting a creepy mansion. Caught in a battle with her evil uncle and torch-carrying townsfolk offended by her free-spirited nature, they’re about to learn they messed with the wrong horror host.
A play on both haunted house films and Gothic monster movies, I adore what Mistress of the Dark does for goth girlies everywhere. I grew up in the ’90s when dull, so-called “normies” attempted to label goth kids, especially women, as deranged psychos who’d steal your kids and turn them into satanists. As if hailing Satan is so bad in the first place. Between prude mothers and misogynistic losers hunting Elvira like Frankenstein’s Monster and attempting to burn her at the stake as the witch they claim she is, it’s unbelievably satisfying to watch her go Rambo on their asses. Get ’em, Elvira.
The Blackening (2023)
The tagline for Tim Story’s The Blackening says it all. “We can’t all die first”. A razor-sharp commentary on how Black characters are treated in horror films, it’s the sort of horror comedy that both eviscerates the genre while killing you with laughter.
In it, a group of friends arrive at a cabin in the woods for an annual Juneteenth gathering. Once there, though, they find themselves hunted by a masked killer. And they’ll be damned if they’re going to let it play out like your average horror movie.
I’ll never forget seeing The Blackening in theaters, because it didn’t just kill…it destroyed my audience. The cast all bring an infectious energy that splits sides and takes names (special shout out to Dewayne Perkins as Dewayne). In the same way that Scream cut into tired horror tropes, The Blackening absolutely eviscerates Hollywood’s tendency to kill off Black characters, often through sacrifice for the white final girl. Story’s film shouts an emphatic “Screw that” with a proud middle finger and characters who aren’t just fodder but survivors. Hilarious ones, at that.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
If Leslie Nielsen was the king of spoofs as an actor, Mel Brooks is the king of directing spoofs. The man based his entire career around the genre, tackling everything from westerns (Blazing Saddles) to Star Wars (Space Balls) and of course, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with Young Frankenstein.
Released in 1974, the electric feature revolves around Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder), the grandson of the infamous scientist who decided to play God and discovered he wasn’t fit to be a daddy. Wanting to prove his ancestor wasn’t insane, Frederick sets out to reanimate a corpse himself. Disastrous (and hysterical) results follow.
There have been countless spoofs of horror films over the decades. Yet here we are in 2026, and Young Frankenstein is still revered as the best of them. You’ll find it at #1 on almost any list (including here if I were ranking these). A big part of that has to do with Gene Wilder, who wasn’t just a brilliant actor but also a co-writer on the script. Brooks’ frequent collaborator gives life to this Gothic romp with his signature manic style that never fails to kill. Befitting, too, as a mockery of Dr. Frankenstein, a fragile man who can’t handle a little responsibility.
What are some of your favorite horror spoofs? Let us know in the comments below! And don’t miss Scary Movie, now in theaters.
