10 Horror Movies That Have the Most Fun, Ranked

Horror is a genre designed to terrify, shock, or disturb audiences by exploring the darkest parts of the human experience and unashamedly shining a spotlight on them. Whether it’s guts and gore, thrills and chills, monsters and mayhem, or exposing the more sinister instincts of humanity, it can all be piled under the horror umbrella. Classic horror movies include A Nightmare On Elm Street, Rosemary’s Baby, Halloween, and Poltergeist – the stories of which differ drastically despite being part of the same genre, showing just how far the genre can be stretched.

Horror knows no limitations, and can even be wickedly funny and fun to watch. There are a few great movies that have tried to give horror a playful makeover and have become classics deeply woven into popular culture, such as the comedy slasher Scary Movie, the glamorous and visually stunning Death Becomes Her, and the laugh-out-loud murder mystery Hubie Halloween.

10 ‘Scary Movie’ (2000)

Directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans

For the perfect paradoy movie that affectionately mocks several tropes from the horror and slasher genres, the Scary Movie franchise (written by and starring brothers Marlon and Shawn Wayans) is a great pick. This classic American slasher movie is full of shocks and screams, while also remaining playful and full of silly humor. There are five movies in the Scary Movie franchise, so that’s a lot of hilarious horror to watch in time for Halloween.

Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) and her friends accidentally kill a man and find themselves in a sinister situation a year later as a terrifying masked man leaves threatening phone messages and stalks the group, killing them one by one. A lot of the humor is based on the intelligence of the characters – or lack of, as a group of hapless teens go head-to-head against a blundering serial killer. The incompetence of both sides makes for an even playing field and a hilarious watch full of 90s nostalgia.

9 ‘Hubie Halloween’ (2020)

Created by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy

Fun movies are something Adam Sandler is an expert in, and his family-friendly horror Hubie Halloween is no exception. Adam Sandler stars as Halloween’s biggest fan and Salem’s biggest joke – Hubie. But this Halloween, Hubie becomes the town’s only hope as he finds himself embroiled in a real murder mystery.

Expect lots of laughs and goofiness in this horror comedy, which stars a few huge comedy legends, including Julie Bowen, Kevin James, Ben Stiller, Maya Rudolph, and Tim Meadows. This movie won’t terrify you, but it’s definitely a movie that will get you excited for Halloween.

8 ‘Gremlins’ (1984)

Directed by Chris Columbus

Whatever you do, do NOT feed them after midnight! At first, these peculiar-looking creatures resembling popular late 90s toy ‘Furbies’ seem super adorable – but only remain that way if you don’t break three important rules: no water, no food after midnight and no bright lights. And of course, all these rules are accidentally broken by Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) in the hit 80s movie Gremlins – which leads to chaos that’s both hilarious and frightening to watch.

Gremlins completely destroy and take over the town in this fun 80s horror movie, and it’s up to Billy and his friends to try and stop them. Gremlins is a cute and chaotic horror and a great choice for lovers of 80s nostalgia to watch.

7 ‘Freaky’ (2020)

Directed by Christopher Landon

Freaky showcases a horror twist on the movie Freaky Friday in which a mother and daughter switch bodies and have to live each other’s lives. In Freaky, a female high-school student switches bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer after discovering an ancient dagger. Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) is the student who only has twenty-four hours to solve the mystery or she will inhabit the body of serial killer Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) forever.

Freaky is a frightening and tense watch as fans witness time running out for Millie as she tries to reverse the curse undetected, all while looking like the Blissfield Butcher – but what makes this movie such a fun watch is seeing comedic actor Vince Vaughn acting as a teenage girl.Freaky is one of the best slasher movies with great acting, and incredibly thrilling to watch.

6 ‘Death Becomes Her’ (1992)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Madeline (Meryl Streep) and Helen (Goldie Hawn) are both in love with Ernest (Bruce Willis). Both drink a potion to stay young – which makes them immortal, meaning that Madeline survives when Ernest pushes her down the stairs. It’s a movie that almost feels like a fever dream as Madeline and Helen fight to the death, both getting severely injured but unable to die from the violence they inflict on one another.

Death Becomes Her is an underrated comedy. It’s dark yet glamorous and full of great acting and visual effects convincing enough to make your toes curl. Unsurprisingly, this movie won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and remains a firm favorite among horror comedy fanatics. It’s a very over-the-top movie, but a stellar cast pulls it off, making this dramatically dark movie a delight to watch.

5 ‘Salem’s Lot (2024)

Directed by Gary Dauberman

‘Salem’s Lot is a remake of the 1979 movie, which was adapted from the novel written by Stephen King, who is considered the king of horror. ‘Salem’s Lot is a movie about writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) who returns to his childhood home, only to find that an evil and powerful vampire called Kurt Barlow (Alexander Ward) has arrived in Salem and is turning the townsfolk into vampires.

‘Salem’s Lot is a gory movie with a few decent jump scares, but it’s a lot of fun to watch, especially for Stephen King fans who enjoy movies with classic vampire roots – and never tire of another adaptation of one of King’s books. It’s a great horror mystery with likable characters and at its core, it’s a traditional horror that shows a classic good vs evil battle.

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4 ‘The Lost Boys’ (1987)

Directed by Joel Schumacher

For horror fans who love classic vampire movies, The Lost Boys is a must-watch. The 80s classic stars Corey Haim, Jason Patric, Corey Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland – who played one of the best vampire characters of all time.

Two teenage brothers, Micheal and Sam, move with their mother to Santa Carla, a fictional town in California – and a town that’s riddled with vampires. Even though The Lost Boys is a scary movie, it is full of 80s nostalgia that transports the viewer back to that decade, making this a delightful watch for classic horror fans that still leaves you on the edge of your seat.

3 ‘Fright Night’ (1985)

Directed by Tom Holland

Fright Night presents another fun twist on the vampire genre. Being set in 1985, it’s another movie that’s full of 80s nostalgia, which makes this movie a joy to watch in spite of it being a scary horror movie with great visual effects for its time.

In Fright Night, Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) knows that a vampire lives next door, but no one believes him. It’s up to Charley and his friends to stop Jerry Dandrige (Christopher Sarandon) from killing. It’s a movie packed with tension. Over-the-top and full of memorable characters, Fright Night is an enjoyable horror to watch. Fright Night was remade years later and stars Colin Farrell, who gave a killer horror performance as the enigmatic and charming Jerry Dandrige, but the 2011 remake is much more serious and darker than its 1985 predecessor.

2 ‘Shaun Of The Dead’ (2004)

Directed by Edgar Wright

Shaun Of The Dead is a classic British horror comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as best friends and roommates Shaun and Ed. These pair of layabouts need to get their lives together, but they’d much rather stop in their apartment and play video games all day. Their lives lack direction to the frustration of the people around them – but Shaun and Nick are forced to act quickly and take life seriously for once when zombies take over their town.

Shaun Of The Dead is a horror comedy that perfectly blends laughs and scares. Something that actor and writer Simon Pegg excels at with a lot of his movies is creating realistic protagonists that are funny, have great lines of dialogue, and solid character development.

1 The ‘Burbs’ (1989)

Directed by Joe Dante

For horror fans who don’t enjoy guts and gore and simply want something that is incredibly fun to watch, look no further than The ‘Burbs, which sees Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks) giving up his desire for a quiet life in his suburban home to prove that his new neighbors aren’t as creepy as they seem. But the rest of the inhabitants are convinced that something very sinister is happening with the strange newcomers who stand out like a sore thumb in the picturesque suburb of Hinkley Hills.

The ‘Burbs is one of Tom Hanks’s best film performances to date. It’s a mystery that’s so much fun to watch unfold as a host of colorful characters bicker amongst each other while they try to figure out if their new neighbors are dangerous or simply peculiar. It’s a witty movie full of suspense, and this coupled with its memorable characters and a great plot twist is what makes this one of the most fun horror movies to watch.

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