Thirty One Days of Horror Starts with a Laugh or Two

Do all horror movies have to be about serial killers slashing through co-eds at a summer camp? Do horror movies have to be about ghosts or poltergeists possessing little girls or haunting houses? What does a ghost do in an empty house to occupy its time?

We’re going to do things a little different for 31 Days of Horror 2017. We’re going to be looking at horror movies from across the spectrum of the genre. Some may be a little goofy, others may be weird, a few may be gross, and some may just be plain scary as…hell. Ready? Let’s do this, Faithful Readers.

Hell Baby

Starting off on a the lighter side of horror…Hell Baby, baby! Take some members of The State, mix well with Rob Corddry, Keegan-Michael Key, Leslie Bibb, Riki Lindhome, add in some supernatural shenanigans and you’ve got Hell Baby.

Hell Baby pokes good-natured fun at a lot of horror movie tropes- married couple buys house only to find out later house is haunted, pregnant wife will give birth to  demon, devil dog, priests come to help combat evil. It sounds like a lot to manage, but Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (writers and directors) roll all the ingredients into a tasty treat.

Jack (Rob Corddry, Ballers) and Vanessa (Leslie Bibb, The League) are the married couple in question. The comedy chemistry between the two of them can not be denied. Keegan-Michael Key and Riki Lindhome round out the family being tormented by the demonic baby. Technically, F’resnel (Key) isn’t family, but someone manages to insert himself into the family dynamic. It’s funnier than it sounds.

You can’t really exercise demons without priests. Right? Father Sebastian (Robert Ben Garant, The State) and Father Padrigo (Thomas Lennon, The State) step in to fight the evil. To be fair, the duo don’t really exercise the demon as much as beat the tar out the baby. Yes, beating a baby and tossing it around a room isn’t cool, but it’s a demon baby. It’s not how we usually see priests exorcise demons.

The movie isn’t scary and you won’t find any “jump” scares, but you will laugh at the ridiculousness and silliness of Hell Baby. What better way to start 31 Days of Horror than with some laughs before the real terror starts?

Little Evil

Netflix has been cranking out the original movies. Some have been better than others and some have been shot down based only on trailers. Little Evil has been lost somewhere among the chatter of other bigger, better promoted movies. Let’s change that now.

Gary (Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation) is a new stepdad just trying to bond with his stepson. There’s just a couple of problems preventing solid bonding time between the two. His stepson, Lucas, is the Antichrist and he’s constantly attempting to kill Gary. It’s all fun and games until Lucas buries Gary in the backyard. Alive.

Little Evil is a play on, an homage, The Omen (Now that is a truly scary movie). Lucas even dresses like young Damien. The movie is well aware of The Omen comparison. Not only is it aware of it, but it embraces the comparisons like a badge. There’s even a birthday scene for good measure.

Like Hell Baby, Little Evil isn’t scary. There are moments when the movie tries to reach into true horror territory, but these moments are tempered with gags and a corny supporting cast. At times, Little Evil reaches a little hard for the laughs. In the end, Little Evil is a fun movie about coming together, fighting the devil, and coming together as family. Isn’t that what Halloween is all about?

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

Poor Tucker and Dale. All they wanted to do was get away to their cabin in the woods for a little rest and relaxation. Things could have gone according to plan if it weren’t for the meddling kids out to party in the same woods as Tucker and Dale.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil is basically a horror movie of mistaken identity, preconceived notions, and a continuous case of wrong place wrong time. In lesser comedic hands, TDvE may have come off as one hokey joke after another. However, Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Serenity) and Tyler Labine (Reaper, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) play the roles of Dale and Tucker as honestly as possible without turning into redneck caricatures.

In some circles, Tucker and Dale vs Evil has become a pop culture classic. For some fans it has become the Christmas Story of horror movies; it’s a must watch every Halloween. I don’t make the rules, folks. If you haven’t seen Tucker and Dale vs Evil drop what you’re doing now and watch. It’s streaming on pretty much every service available.

October is just beginning and we’re just getting started. Check out all the frights, scares, and horrors here, on our Facebook page, and on Twitter.