Film

Woodchipper Massacre

Name: Woodchipper Massacre
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Released: 1988
Cast: Jon McBride, Denice Edeal, Tom Casiello, Patricia McBride, Kim Bailey

A shot-on-video 1988 horror-comedy about three siblings who accidentally kill their elderly aunt and attempt to dispose of the body with a woodchipper. It's ramshackle and earnest, made by people learning as they go, with genuine laughs buried in the chaos. For fans of early indie horror who prize personality over polish.

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Evil Dead II1987

Sam Raimi proved you could blend graphic horror and slapstick comedy without either cancelling the other out. Wild, inventive, and funny in ways that feel dangerous.

But It's flashy and confident in a way *Woodchipper* isn't, so if you're drawn to rougher charm, this might feel overstuffed.

Eating Raoul1982

A couple murders swingers and sells them as dog food. It's transgressive, genuinely hilarious, and built on a premise as absurd and darkly clever as disposing of a body via woodchipper.

But It's cynical and arch in tone, whereas *Woodchipper* is more innocent. Some find that detachment chilly.

Motel Hell1980

Backwoods horror-comedy with a family running a motel and feeding people to pigs. Nasty premise, genuine laughs, and real affection for its freaky characters.

But Slicker than *Woodchipper*, so you lose some of that homemade energy. It's also genuinely grim in stretches.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Woodchipper Massacre

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Fargo1996

Both center on the specific problem of how to dispose of evidence, and both understand that the comedy comes from how ordinary people react to extraordinary pressure.

A wood chipper appears briefly but unforgettably. More importantly: it's the Coen brothers showing how to make a comedy-thriller where the premise (disposing of a body) is central, and both tones are entirely genuine, not winking.

But It's a masterpiece made by experts with a serious budget, so watching it after *Woodchipper* might make the roughness feel more rough. That gap can sting.

The Toxic Avenger1984

Troma's masterpiece: cheap, cheerful, morally unhinged, and made by people having the time of their lives. Proof that constraint breeds creativity.

But It's relentless and crude in ways some viewers find exhausting rather than funny. One note played very loud.

Night of the Comet1984

Teen sisters survive a comet and the dead rise. It's funny, fast, and made on a shoestring by someone who understood genre and comedy equally well.

But Lighter and snappier than *Woodchipper*. If you like the sludgier pacing and awkwardness, this moves too quick.

Killer Sofa2019

New Zealand horror-comedy about exactly what it says. It understands that a truly stupid premise requires complete commitment to work, and it commits.

But Made forty years later with modern production values, so it's glossy where *Woodchipper* is grainy. That polish changes everything.

Bad Taste1987

Peter Jackson's debut, made on his own dime with his mates: aliens, gore, and genuine affection for the chaos. The DIY energy is the entire point.

But It's more ambitious than *Woodchipper*, which means it has more to lose if you don't buy in. Not everyone does.

Teeth2008

Both use an absurd, transgressive premise as the engine for real human comedy. Both trust the audience to laugh at the situation without being told it's okay.

A young woman with vagina dentata navigates dating and assault. It's horror-comedy that treats its premise with complete seriousness while being genuinely, shockingly funny. No winking, no apology.

But It's sexually graphic and deals with sexual violence in ways that are challenging. The humor does not soften what the film is saying.

Possession1981

Both are personal, low-budget films made by someone with a vision that industry money would have regulated away. Both feel like they could not exist in any other form.

Andrzej Żuławski's fever dream about a marriage dissolving into literal chaos, with creature effects by Carlo Rambaldi, shot-on-video desperation translated into pure nightmare. It's incomprehensible, gorgeous, and unforgettable.

But It's deliberately obscure, formally difficult, and almost hostile in its refusal to make sense. You have to surrender to it; it will not meet you halfway.