Film
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2
Tobe Hooper's 1986 sequel abandons the original's documentary terror for gonzo comedy-horror, turning the Sawyer family into grotesque sideshow performers. Dennis Hopper chews scenery as a vengeful ex-lawman; the film chews everything else. It's campy, visceral, and genuinely funny in ways that shouldn't work. For people who love horror that doesn't take itself seriously.
If you liked this
Evil Dead II1987
Raimi's masterclass in slapstick horror-comedy. Bruce Campbell commits entirely to the chaos, creating a film that's as hilarious as it is gruesome. Pure controlled mayhem.
But The tonal whiplash between gore and comedy won't land for everyone. Some find the relentless gags exhausting rather than charming.

The Toxic Avenger1984
Lloyd Kaufman's Troma cult classic pairs ultraviolence with intentional absurdity and genuine heart. A mutated janitor becomes a hero; it's exactly as ridiculous and committed as it sounds.
But The production values are intentionally cheap, and the humor is aggressively lowbrow. It's not polished, and some scenes haven't aged gracefully.

Chopping Mall1986
Killer robots loose in a shopping mall. It's a perfect companion piece: horror-comedy that knows exactly what it is and leans hard into the premise with genuine fun and creative kills.
But The script is thin and the characters are paper-thin. If you need plot coherence or character depth, this will frustrate you.

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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Eating Raoul1982
Both are horror-comedies about deeply dysfunctional families treated as characters rather than monsters. Both find dark humor in the grotesque without satirizing horror itself.
A married couple discovers that swingers taste like chicken. It's a pitch-black satire of suburban normalcy and class resentment, played completely straight by the leads. Darkly hilarious and genuinely strange.
But It's genuinely disturbing in its mundanity. The comedy requires distance; the film never winks. Many will find it more uncomfortable than entertaining.

More like this (8)
Re-Animator1985
Stuart Gordon's adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft weaponizes black comedy and practical effects into something grotesque and hilarious. Jeffrey Combs is magnetic as a mad scientist with terrible priorities.
But The gore is substantial and sometimes sexual in nature, which crosses a line for many viewers. The humor often lands directly on that discomfort.

Dead Poets Society1989
A paranoid horror-comedy about body horror and class anxiety. The finale alone—a practical effects extravaganza—justifies the entire film. It's weird, disgusting, and genuinely inventive.
But The plot meanders before reaching its payoff. The first hour is slower and stranger, so patience is required. Some will check out before the spectacle arrives.

Gremlins1984
Spielberg-produced creature feature that balances cuteness, genuine scares, and dark humor. The Gremlins are anarchic and funny; the film lets chaos loose in a small town with real consequences.
But It's less horror-comedy and more family adventure with horror elements. If you want gore and edge, this will feel too restrained and wholesome.

The Return of the Living Dead1985
Dan O'Bannon's zombie comedy is punk-rock fun: punk teens, military mishaps, and undead chaos. It's smart enough to be clever and dumb enough to be thrilling. A perfect Friday night.
But The tone shifts wildly between horror and comedy, which can feel uneven. Some sequences are genuinely dark in ways that undercut the joke.

Videodrome1983
Cronenberg's fever dream of media excess and body horror. James Woods descends through hallucination and mutation. It's strange and unsettling in ways that linger, with a sick dark humor.
But It's heavy, ambiguous, and deliberately disorienting. The body horror is sustained and intense. Not a fun watch, despite its brilliance.

From Beyond1986
Herbert West's cousin: a mad scientist opens a dimension of tentacles and sexuality. It's colorful, creative, and ridiculous in exactly the right ways. A genuine cult gem.
But The plot is threadbare and the effects are dated. It exists mostly for moments of practical gore and weirdness. Substance is sacrificed for spectacle.

American Movie1999
Both feature outsider artists making horror with complete commitment despite limitations and chaos. Both treat their makers with affection despite—because of—their failures.
A mockumentary following a deadbeat filmmaker making a horror short. It's heartbreaking and funny—finding genuine pathos in a man chasing an impossible dream through incompetence and stubbornness.
But The found-footage documentary approach is dated. It's slow and meandering. If you want plot or conventional narrative, you'll be lost.

Possession1981
Both use family dysfunction as the engine for horror-spectacle. Both feature unhinged performances played as sincerely as melodrama. Both prioritize mood and transgression over narrative sense.
Andrzej Żuławski's Polish-French nightmare: a marriage dissolution played as cosmic horror. Isabelle Adjani descends into possession and madness; it's operatic, grotesque, and genuinely haunting.
But It's two hours of screaming, bleeding, and psychological chaos with minimal plot. The tone is unrelentingly bleak. It's an ordeal, not entertainment.

People
Cast
Dennis HopperLieutenant 'Lefty' Enright
Caroline WilliamsVanita 'Stretch' Brock
Jim SiedowDrayton Sawyer / "The Cook"
Bill MoseleyRobert Sawyer / "Chop Top"
Bill JohnsonBubba Sawyer / Leatherface- Bob ElmoreBubba Sawyer / Leatherface
Tom MorgaBubba Sawyer / Leatherface
Lou PerrymanL.G. McPeters- Ken Evert Grandpa Sawyer
- Barry KinyonBuzz
Chris DouridasRick Gunner- Kirk SiscoDetective
Directing
- Tobe HooperDirector
Writing
- Kim HenkelCharacters
- Tobe HooperCharacters
- L.M. Kit CarsonWriter
Production
- L.M. Kit CarsonAssociate Producer
- Pat OrsethCasting
- Robert MacDonaldCasting
- Bonita PietilaCasting Director
- Tobe HooperCo-Producer
- Henry W. Holmes Jr.Executive Producer
- James JorgensenExecutive Producer
- Menahem GolanProducer
- Yoram GlobusProducer
- Henry KlineUnit Production Manager
Recommended by
The Greasy Strangler, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers