It’s a well-known truth that you can’t spell slaughter without laughter – and some of my favorite films out there involve the convergence of comedy and terror.
Round four of You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter! is all about Monsters – who may charm you enough to make you think twice about chasing them with pitchforks.
Frankenhooker
If you haven’t heard of Frank Henenlotter – then shame on you. Thanks to him we have such classic as Basketcase – Brain Damage - and yes, Frankenhooker. Frankenhooker is about a up and coming mad scientist Jeffrey Franken. He’s nerdy, banging a hot chick, and and all around pretty content dude. Until said hot chick gets annihilated by a lawnmower. So what’s a broken-hearted mad scientist to do?
Pick up the pieces. Well… what he can find. And put them back together with hooker parts – of course. Hookers who EXPLODE. There’s bunions, romantic dinners with severed heads, scattered limbs, sex, creep mutants, and did I neglect to mention hookers?
It’s kinda awesome.
Memorable Quote:
Zorro: My woman just blew up on me.
Trailer:
Monster Squad
I couldn’t write about monster-themed horror comedy without including the infamous Monster Squad. This people – is a fucking classic. Monster Squad is about a bunch of little horror fan dudes (and a little annoying sister Phoebe) who hold super awesome monster-themed meetings in a totally rad clubhouse. And then one day they gain access to Van Helsing’s diary. And with the help of the towns token German guy, they discover that an amulet exists which holds the balance of good and evil in its fate – and they have only a few days to find it or all hell breaks loose.
SWEET!
Cue Duncan Regehr as a suave ass Dracula,with his sidekicks The Mummy, Creature, Frankenstein’s Monster, and The Wolfman and BAM! Comedy ensues. This movie not only will make you laugh ’til you cry – but teach you some valuable life lessons. Like Wolfman has nards – and virgins ain’t a dime a dozen.
Memorable Quote:
Patrick: Aww, man, fat kid farted!
Trailer:
Little Monsters
Once upon a time Fred Savage was hip. I’m not sure what happened – but I’m totally thankful for it because Little Monsters happened. Meet Maurice (played by Howie Mandel) – the punk rock monster that sneaks out from under your bed and screws with your crap in order to get you into trouble. Everything is fun and games until Savage’s character Brian loses his little brother in the abyss under the bed – and has to travel down to monster land to find him. Cue 80′s music! Cue Dali stairs! Cue oddball monsters and making people drink pee!
To be honest this movie kinda creeped me out as a kid. Especially the whole concept of kids being turned into monster’s if they hang out there to long. But now as an adult? I can appreciate the subtle sleaze and leave checking under the bed to the next round of pre-teen viewers.
Memorable Quote:
Maurice: A man’s best friend – his right hand.
Trailer:
Young Frankenstein
Mel Brooks is a theatrical demi-god. And his spoof of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is nothing less then the work of a comedic genius. But whats one the best part of this movie? The fact that Gene Wilder is the lead? The incomparable snarky humor? No… it’s the fact that it was actually filmed using the same location and props as the original 1931′s Frankenstein. How rad is that?
Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein – a self-hating professor who has some serious issues about pronunciation. After inheriting his grandfather’s castle he returns to Transylvania, picks up a henchman with a switching humpback, a cute blond who likes to roll in zee hay, and a housemaid who’s so frightening even uttering her name scares farm animals. And it gets better.
Dancing laboratory monsters, charades, Gene Hackman as a hermit, and yes… MORE.
Memorable Quote:
Dr. Frankenstein: Hearts and kidneys are tinker toys! I am talking about the central nervous system!
Trailer:
Stay tuned for more You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter! and check out some previous hysterical-horror features below:
You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter! – ZomComs
You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter! – Vampires
You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter! – Murderhers
Frankenhooker one of those rare gems that use to play on HBO , that became one of my all time favorite movies. I remember I first saw this as a kid , while watching it with my mom, and we couldn’t stop laughing. I love how this movie shows how old NYC use to be like too. Crime ridden, hooker infested and pimp-dealin/drug dealers. Ha Ha Pretty much Gotham City. If you go on youtube and do a search on the actress who played Frankenhooker – you’ll find an interview with her (a recent one) , talking about the making of the movie and all that. She still looks good too.
Oh and Meg you gotta do a Frankenhooker costume XD
Ahhhhhh Monster Squad – one of those great classics that I use to watching growing up as a kid. Just love the homage to the Universal Monsters. I’ve had the privilege of meeting Mr. Noonan and Tim something who played the Creature a couple years ago at a horror con.
Ha Ha I just watched Little Monsters on The HUB channel a couple weeks ago. Man I missed that movie. I want a jacket just like Maurice’s, and as far as where has Ben Savage gone. He’s more behind the camera these days. Mostly directs alot of Always Sunny episodes.
Young Frankenstein – I never get tired of watching that movie. Just gets funnier and funnier everytime I watch it. Marty Feldman just steals that entire movie ,and probably my favorite scene is with Gene Hackman as the blindman. ha ha
Once again great article Meg
A sedagive?!
Mel Brooks is a god damn genius!