Funny Halloween: The Best Horror-Comedies for a Party
Eight films with ghosts, vampires and zombies that are built for laughing out loud in a full room.
A Halloween party is a hard room for a serious horror film. People are talking, eating and arriving late, and nobody can follow a slow build with a plastic sword in one hand.
Horror-comedies solve the problem. They have the monsters and the costumes, but you can miss five minutes and still be laughing. These eight are the best we know for a crowd.
Eight horror-comedies for a crowd
Ghostbusters (1984)
Three out-of-work scientists start a ghost-catching business in New York City just as the city fills up with spirits. Endlessly quotable, with a giant marshmallow finale that nobody forgets.
Watch it if: you need the safest possible choice for a mixed crowd.
More about this film on TMDB
Beetlejuice (1988)
A recently deceased couple hires a crude freelance ghost to scare the new owners out of their house, and immediately regrets it. Tim Burton at his most inventive, with Michael Keaton stealing the film in a surprisingly small amount of screen time.
Watch it if: your party has a costume theme.
More about this film on TMDB
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The grandson of the famous doctor inherits the family castle in Transylvania and, despite himself, the family business. Mel Brooks shot it in black and white as a loving send-up of the 1930s monster films.
Watch it if: you like your comedy classic and silly.
More about this film on TMDB
Zombieland (2009)
Four strangers cross a zombie-filled America with a strict list of survival rules and one goal each, including the search for a last surviving Twinkie. Quick, funny and under an hour and a half.
Watch it if: you want something fast with a few real scares.
More about this film on TMDB
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
A documentary crew follows four vampire flatmates in Wellington, New Zealand, as they argue about chores and try to get into nightclubs. Deadpan, daft and endlessly rewatchable.
Watch it if: your friends quote comedies to each other.
More about this film on TMDB
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Five college friends head to a remote cabin for the weekend, and it looks like every horror film you have ever seen, until it very much doesn’t. Go in knowing nothing.
Watch it if: the room is full of horror fans.
More about this film on TMDB
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)
Two friendly hillbillies fixing up their vacation cabin are mistaken for killers by a group of college kids, with increasingly messy results. It’s one joke, and it stays funny for the whole film.
Watch it if: you don’t mind comedy with a lot of fake blood.
More about this film on TMDB
Happy Death Day (2017)
A college student is murdered on her birthday and wakes up that same morning, again and again, until she can work out who is behind the mask. Think Groundhog Day as a slasher, and far more fun than it sounds.
Watch it if: you want a mystery the whole room can try to solve.
More about this film on TMDBScores are TMDB user ratings recorded on October 8, 2026, and can change over time.
Tips for showing a film at a party
- Turn on the subtitles. In a noisy room they are the difference between people following the film and giving up on it.
- Start later than you think. Wait until most guests have arrived and have food in their hands.
- Choose something people half know. Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice work because everyone can jump back in after a trip to the kitchen.
- Keep the lights low, not off. People need to find the snacks.
Want the real thing once the party thins out? Move on to the 10 best Halloween films of all time. Children at the party? Start with our Halloween films for the whole family.
Questions and answers
What is a good Halloween film that is not too scary?
Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice and Young Frankenstein are comedies first, with almost nothing that will frighten an adult.
Which of these films are suitable for teenagers?
Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice suit most teens. Zombieland, The Cabin in the Woods and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil are bloodier and aimed at adults. Check the age rating in your country.
What is the shortest film on this list?
What We Do in the Shadows and Zombieland both run under an hour and a half, which makes them easy to fit into a party.
