Horror comedies have been around since the early days of cinema, and they've always been a mixed bag. Almost always, horror takes a backseat in boring parodies. But a new breed of imaginative movies is changing how horror and humor mix in one film.

Gorier, wilder, and unafraid to be absurd, these movies are a new subgenre that is turning heads!

Thanks for listening!

Covered in This Episode:

Reggie Bannister (1945-2026)

Screaming Mad George (1956-2026)

Christopher Dyer's Newsletter: http://www.Dyersdungeon.com

Freaks and Psychos: The Disability in Horror Podcast: https://freaksandpsychospodcast.com/

American Graffiti (1973)

Happy Days (1974-1984)

Airplane! (1980)

Un Chien Andalou (1929)

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1954)

Student Bodies (1981)

Pandemonium (1982)

National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982)

Saturday the 14th (1981)

Wacko (1982)

Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

Hausu (1976)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

It's Alive (1976)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Evil Dead II (1987)

Bad Taste (1987)

Dead-Alive (1993)

Reanimator (1985)

Return Of the Living Dead (1984)

The Office (UK) (2001-2003)

Snakes on a Plane (2006)

Cocaine Bear (2023)

USING SALT ON SWEETS: HUMOR MAKES THE HORROR HIT HARDER

Barbarian (2022)

Cuckoo (2024)

Weapons (2025)

USING HORROR AND HUMOR AS SOCIAL SATIRE

The Substance (2024)

Sorry To Bother You (2018)

Ugly Stepsister (2025)

KILLING THE JOKE: SHOWING A JOKE SCENARIO AND TAKING IT SERIOUSLY

The Coffee Table (2022)

Obsession (2026)

SPLATTERSTICK: USING GORE AS MONTY PYTHON DID

The Monkey (2025)

Heart Eyes (2025)

CREATING A HYBRID GENRE

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2025)

Dust Bunny (2025)

Hello everyone! Hellbent for Horror is back from the dead, with fresh grave soil still underneath the fingernails.

This episode is a reconnection to you all, hopefully a resurrection, after a "lost year."

I'll give some explanations, and some good news, too!

As always, thanks for listening!

Izzy Lee is a take-no-prisoners indie filmmaker whose 20-plus genre short films garnered praise from Fangoria, Dread Central, the A.V. Club, and EW.com.

And then came the pandemic.

However Izzy Lee rose from the ashes and came back tougher than ever, with her first published novella (I Can See Your Lies) and her feature-length film directorial debut, HOUSE OF ASHES.

Join me as Izzy talks about creative influences, the art of the short film, making friends while making art, and the mission statement for genre films during uncertain times, where fact is scarier than fiction.

I hope you enjoy the show!

Moves Discussed:

House of Usher (1960)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Blood and Black Lace (1964)

Suspiria (1977)

House of Ashes (2024)

Rites of Vengeance (short) (2017)

Meat Friend (short) (2022)