Comedy horror

[2] The story made readers "laugh one moment and scream the next" and its premise was based on mischief typically found during the holiday Halloween.

The "pioneering" comedy horror film was One Exciting Night (1922), written, directed and produced by D. W. Griffith, who noticed the stage success of the genre and foresaw a cinematic translation.

[4] Charles Bramesco of Vulture.com identifies Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein as the first commercially successful comedy horror film.

[5] Following the success of Universal’s classic monster films, horror comedies in the mid-20th century often combined slapstick humor with supernatural elements.

Films like An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Evil Dead II (1987) featured elaborate practical effects and exaggerated gore, merging body horror with absurd humor.

[7] Other notable entries, such as Gremlins (1984) and Beetlejuice (1988), embraced fantasy-horror elements while maintaining a comedic tone suitable for wider audiences.

More recent examples include The Owl House,[9] Wednesday, Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, Gravity Falls, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.

Poster for the American comedy horror film One Exciting Night (1922)