Zombie comedy, often called zom com or zomedy, is a

film genre A film genre is a Genre, stylistic or thematic category for Film, motion pictures based on similarities either in the narrative , narrative elements, aesthetic approach, or the emotional response to the film. Drawing heavily from the theories ...

that aims to blend

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

motifs with

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

comedy as well as morbid humor.

History

The earliest roots of the genre can be found in

Jean Yarbrough Jean Yarbrough (August 22, 1900 – August 2, 1975) was an American film director. Biography Jean Yarbrough was born in Marianna, Arkansas on August 22, 1900. He attended the Sewanee: The University of the South, University of the South in ...

's ''

King of the Zombies ''King of the Zombies'' is a 1941 American zombie comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, and Mantan Moreland. The film was produced by Monogram Pictures, and was typical of its B films produced by the Pi ...

'' (1941) and Gordon Douglas's ''

Zombies on Broadway ''Zombies on Broadway'' (or ''Loonies on Broadway'' in the UK) is a 1945 American zombie comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas. It stars RKO's imitation Abbott and Costello, Alan Carney and Wally Brown, as a pair of men who are tasked with ...

'' (1945), though both of these films dealt with Haitian-style zombies. While not comedies, George A. Romero's '' Dawn of the Dead'' (1978) and ''

Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...

'' (1985) featured several comedic scenes and satirical commentary on society. ''

An American Werewolf in London ''An American Werewolf in London'' is a 1981 comedy horror film written and directed by John Landis. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne and ...

'' (1981) and the '' Return of the Living Dead'' series (1985) (especially the first two and the last of the series) can be considered some of the earliest examples of zombie-comedy using the modern zombie. Other early examples include ''

Mr. Vampire ''Mr. Vampire'' (Chinese: 殭屍先生) is a 1985 Hong Kong comedy horror film directed by Ricky Lau and produced by Sammo Hung. The film's box office success led to the creation of a ''Mr. Vampire'' franchise, with the release of four sequels ...

'' (1985), '' C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.'' (1989), ''

Braindead ''BrainDead'' is an American political satire science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Robert and Michelle King. The series stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Laurel Healy, a documentary film-maker who takes a job working for h ...

'' (1992), and ''

Bio Zombie ''Bio Zombie'' () is a 1998 Hong Kong zombie comedy film, starring Jordan Chan. It spoofs George A. Romero's '' Dawn of the Dead'' and shows many similarities to Peter Jackson's ''Braindead''. Plot Woody Invincible and Crazy Bee are two youn ...

'' (1998). A popular modern zombie comedy is

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical Film genre, genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zo ...

's ''

Shaun of the Dead ''Shaun of the Dead'' is a 2004 zombie comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Shaun, a downtrodden London salesman who is caught alongside his loved ones in a zombie apocalypse. It also star ...

'' (2004), a self-dubbed romantic zombie comedy, or RomZomCom, with many in-jokes and references to George A. Romero's earlier ''Dead'' films, especially '' Dawn of the Dead''. Other popular zombie comedies include

Gregg Bishop Gregg Bishop is an American film director, producer and writer. Early life Gregg Bishop grew up in Powder Springs, Georgia and started making movies with his father's Super 8 film cameras when he was 7 years old. He completed over 50 short ...

's '' Dance of the Dead'' (2008) and the 2009 film ''

Zombieland ''Zombieland'' is a 2009 American post-apocalyptic zombie comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer in his directorial debut and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. It stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, ...

''. Andrew Currie's '' Fido'',

Matthew Leutwyler Matthew Steven Leutwyler (born July 23, 1969), is an American screenplay writer, film director, and producer. Life and career Leutwyler studied film at The San Francisco Art Institute. His first feature film was the dark comedy/road picture ''R ...

's ''

Dead & Breakfast ''Dead & Breakfast'' is a 2004 musical zombie comedy film directed by Matthew Leutwyler starring Ever Carradine, Gina Philips, Erik Palladino, Bianca Lawson, Jeremy Sisto and Oz Perkins. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festiva ...

'', and

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

's ''

'' are also examples of zombie comedies.

Sam Raimi Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...

's ''

Evil Dead II ''Evil Dead II'' (also known in publicity materials as ''Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn'') is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi, who co-wrote it with Scott Spiegel. The second installment in the ''Evil Dead'' film series, i ...

'', although a more direct

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

, contains some lighthearted and dark comedy elements, and its sequel, ''

Army of Darkness ''Army of Darkness'' is a 1992 American dark fantasy comedy film directed, co-written, and co-edited by Sam Raimi. The film is the third installment in the Evil Dead, ''Evil Dead'' film series and the sequel to ''Evil Dead II'' (1987). Starring ...

'', is even more comedic. The ''

Evil Dead ''Evil Dead'' is an American horror franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of five feature films and a television series. The series follows various characters as they battle demonic forces unleashed by an ancient book called the ''Necrono ...

'' franchise features evil spirits that possess dead and living bodies and even objects, however, rather than traditional-style zombies.

List

Films that can be considered zombie comedies include: * ''

'' (1941) * ''

'' (1945) * ''

'' (1985) * ''

Re-Animator ''Re-Animator'' (also known as ''H. P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator'') is a 1985 American comedy horror film loosely based on the 1922 H. P. Lovecraft serial novelette " Herbert West–Reanimator". Directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Brian Y ...

'' (1985) * ''

The Return of the Living Dead ''The Return of the Living Dead'' is a 1985 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon (in his directorial debut) from a story by Rudy Ricci, John Russo, and Russell Streiner, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, ...

'' (1985) * ''

Redneck Zombies ''Redneck Zombies'' is a 1987 American horror comedy Z movie, directed by Pericles Lewnes and released by Troma Entertainment. Plot A barrel of radioactive waste is lost out in the woods, leading to some demented rednecks find it, and use it ...

'' (1986) * ''

Night of the Creeps ''Night of the Creeps'' is a 1986 American science fiction horror comedy film written and directed by Fred Dekker in his feature directorial debut, starring Jason Lively, Jill Whitlow, and Tom Atkins. The film is an earnest attempt at a B movi ...

'' (1986) * ''

Return of the Living Dead Part II ''Return of the Living Dead Part II'' is a 1988 American comedy horror film written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Dana Ashbrook, Thom Mathews, James Karen, and Phil Bruns. It is the first of ...

'' (1988) * ''

Dead Heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

'' (1988) * '' C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D.'' (1989) * ''

Bride of Re-Animator ''Bride of Re-Animator'' is a 1990 American comedy horror film produced and directed by Brian Yuzna and written by Yuzna, Rick Fry, and Woody Keith. It is a sequel to the 1985 film ''Re-Animator'' and the second entry in the ''Re-Animator'' fi ...

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1992) * ''

'' (1992), New Zealand film released in the US as ''Dead Alive'' * '' My Boyfriend's Back'' (1993) * ''

Return of the Living Dead 3 ''Return of the Living Dead 3'' is a 1993 romantic horror film directed by Brian Yuzna and written by John Penney. It is the third film in the ''Return of the Living Dead'' film series, following ''Return of the Living Dead Part II'' (1988). ...

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

Idle Hands ''Idle Hands'' is a 1999 American teen horror comedy film directed by Rodman Flender, written by Terri Hughes and Ron Milbauer, and starring Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson, Jessica Alba, and Vivica A. Fox. The film's plot follows t ...

'' (1999), starring

Devon Sawa Devon Edward Sawa (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, Sawa began his career as a children's action toy spokesman. He made his film debut with a supporting role in '' Little Giants'' (1994) and received wi ...

and

Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor. His film debut was '' The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting roles in comedy films in the 1980s, including '' Radio Days'' ( ...

* '' Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies'' (2001) * ''

'' (2004) * ''

SARS Wars ''SARS Wars'' ( or ''Khun krabi phirabat'', also subtitled ''Bangkok Zombie Crisis'') is a 2004 Thai action fantasy comedy horror film directed and co-written by Taweewat Wantha. The story involves people who are infected with a fictional Type 4 ...

'' (2004) * '' Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead'' (2005) * ''

Tokyo Zombie is a Japanese horror manga written in 1999 by Yusaku Hanakuma. It was subsequently made into a 2005 Japanese film written and directed by Sakichi Sato. The films stars Tadanobu Asano, Show Aikawa, and Erika Okuda. The film was released in ...

'' (2005) * '' Dead and Deader'' (2006) * '' Fido'' (2006) * '' Dance of the Dead'' (2008) * ''

Zombie Strippers ''Zombie Strippers'' is a 2008 American zombie comedy film shot, edited, written, and directed by Jay Lee. The film, starring Robert Englund, Jenna Jameson, Penny Drake, and Roxy Saint, was distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Pl ...

'' (2008) * ''

Dead Snow ''Dead Snow'' () is a 2009 Norwegian satiric horror film directed by Tommy Wirkola, starring Charlotte Frogner, Stig Frode Henriksen, Vegar Hoel, Jeppe Laursen, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jenny Skavlan, and Lasse Valdal. The film centers on a group ...

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2009), starring

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...

Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Adam Eisenberg ( ; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. Recognized for playing smart but awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a British Academy Film Award and nominati ...

Emma Stone Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress and film producer. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, she was the world's highest-paid actr ...

and

Abigail Breslin Abigail Breslin (born April 14, 1996) is an American actress. Following a string of film parts as a young child, she rose to prominence at age 10 after playing Olive Hoover in ''Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006), for which Breslin received a nomin ...

* ''Juan de los Muertos'' (2010), Spanish-Cuban film released in the UK and US as ''

Juan of the Dead ''Juan of the Dead'' () is a 2010 Spanish-Cuban zombie comedy film written and directed by Alejandro Brugués. A Spanish-Cuban co-production between La Zanfoña Producciones (Spain) and Producciones de la 5ta Avenida (Cuba) involving the part ...

'' * ''

Deadheads A Deadhead or Dead head is a fan of the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The Deadhead subculture originated in the 1970s, when a number of fans began traveling to see the Grateful Dead in as many shows or festival venues as they could. As mo ...

'' (2011) * '' Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings'' (2011), also known as ''Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington'' * ''

Cockneys vs Zombies ''Cockneys vs Zombies'' is a 2012 British zombie action comedy film directed by Matthias Hoene and written by James Moran and Lucas Roche. The plot centres on a group of Cockneys who arm themselves to rescue their grandfather and his friends from ...

'' (2012) * ''

Detention of the Dead ''Detention of the Dead'' is a 2012 American zombie comedy film written and directed by Alex Craig Mann, based on the Rob Rinow stage play of the same name. Filming began in spring 2011. It had a small theatrical release in Los Angeles on June 28, ...

'' (2012) * ''

ParaNorman ''ParaNorman'' is a 2012 American animated comedy horror, comedy horror film produced by Laika, LLC, Laika. Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler (filmmaker), Chris Butler (the latter's feature directorial debut), and written by Butler, the film ...

'' (2012) * '' Buck Wild'' (2013) * '' Warm Bodies'' (2013) * ''

Go Goa Gone ''Go Goa Gone'' is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language zombie action comedy film directed by Raj & DK. The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari, and Puja Gupta. Set partly in Mauritius, where nearly one-third of the film was sh ...

'' (2013) * ''Zombie eXs'' (2013) * ''

Ang Huling Henya ''Ang Huling Henya'' (lit. The Last Genius) is a 2013 Filipino action zombie comedy film directed by Marlon Rivera starring Rufa Mae Quinto. The film, produced by Viva Films and Multivision Pictures and distributed by Viva Films officially premi ...

'' (2013) * ''

Burying the Ex ''Burying the Ex'' is a 2014 American zombie comedy film directed by Joe Dante and written by Alan Trezza, starring Anton Yelchin, Ashley Greene, Alexandra Daddario and Oliver Cooper. It screened out of competition at the 71st Venice Internatio ...

'' (2014) * '' Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead'' (2014) * ''

Life After Beth ''Life After Beth'' is a 2014 American zombie comedy film written and directed by Jeff Baena. The film stars Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser, Matthew Gray Gubler, and John C. Reilly. Appearing in a cameo, it w ...

'' (2014) * ''

Stalled ''Stalled'' is a 2013 British zombie comedy film directed by Christian James. It stars Dan Palmer, who also wrote the screenplay, as a man confined to a bathroom stall after zombies attack. Produced by Richard Kerrigan and Daniel Pickering, the ...

'' (2014) * ''

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse ''Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse'' is a 2015 American zombie comedy film directed by Christopher Landon, and written by Landon, Carrie Evans, Emi Mochizuki and Lona Williams. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, ...

'' (2015) * ''

Night of the Living Deb ''Night of the Living Deb'' is a 2015 American romantic zombie comedy film directed by Kyle Rankin. It stars Maria Thayer, Michael Cassidy, Ray Wise and Chris Marquette. Thayer plays an awkward woman who, after a one-night stand, realizes she ha ...

'' (2015) * ''

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ''Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'' is a 2009 parody novel by Seth Grahame-Smith. It is a mashup combining Jane Austen's classic 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice'' with elements of modern zombie fiction, crediting Austen as co-author. It was f ...

'' (2016) * ''Oh My Zombie!'' (2016) * ''

One Cut of the Dead is a 2017 Japanese Independent film, independent zombie comedy film written and directed by Shin'ichirō Ueda. It follows a team of filmmakers and actors who are tasked with making ''One Cut of the Dead'', a zombie film, zombie horror film for l ...

'' (2017), a low-budget Japanese film * ''

Anna and the Apocalypse ''Anna and the Apocalypse'' is a 2017 British Christmas zombie musical film directed by John McPhail from a screenplay by Alan McDonald and Ryan McHenry, based on McHenry's 2010 BAFTA nominated short ''Zombie Musical''. It stars an ensemble ca ...

'' (2017) * '' Trip Ubusan: The Lolas vs. Zombies'' (2017) * '' The Dead Don't Die'' (2019) * '' The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale'' (2019), first South Korean zombie comedy film * ''

Eat, Brains, Love ''Eat Brains Love'', also stylized as ''Eat, Brains, Love'', is a 2019 American romantic comedy horror film directed by Rodman Flender. Based on the 2013 book of the same name by Jeff Hart, the film stars Jake Cannavale, Angelique Rivera, Sarah Ya ...

'' (2019) * '' Zombieland: Double Tap'' (2019), sequel to ''Zombieland'' * '' Little Monsters'' (2019) * ''

Zombie Reddy ''Zombie Reddy'' is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language horror crime thriller film directed by Prasanth Varma and starring Teja Sajja, Anandhi, and Daksha Nagarkar. Produced by Apple Trees Studios, the film is marketed as the first zombie film i ...

'' (2021) * ''

Aquarium of the Dead ''Aquarium of the Dead'' is a 2021 American zombie comedy-horror science fiction film directed by Glenn Miller and written by Marc Gottlieb and Michael Varrati. The film stars Vivica A. Fox, Eva Ceja, and D. C. Douglas. It is a spin-off to The ...

'' (2021) * ''Izla'' (2021) * ''

Zombivli ''Zombivli'' is a 2022 Indian Marathi-language zombie-comedy film directed by Aditya Sarpotdar. The film stars Lalit Prabhakar, Vaidehi Parshurami, Amey Wagh and Trupti Khamkar in lead roles. It was released in theatres on 26 January 2022 ...

'' (2022) * ''Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead'' (2022), live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name * ''

My Zombabe ''My Zombabe'' (stylized as ''MY ZOMBabe'') is a 2024 Philippine romantic comedy zombie film directed by Bobby Bonifacio Jr. and written by Juvy Galamiton and Bobby Bonifacio Jr. It stars Empoy Marquez and Kim Molina. The film is about a man who f ...

'' (2024)

References

{{Film genres Film genres Comedy genres Horror genres Horror comedy

History

List

See also

References