[Editorial] 5 Feel Good Horrors: Braiiinnnnssssss!
We all bang on about how we find catharsis through the horror films we watch, and that’s certainly true, but it also has to be said that sometimes, it does bring down the mood a little.
Whilst we're in an ongoing pandemic and the news is depressing as hell, some of us just need a little pick-me-up. Which is exactly why I thought, let’s cover some ‘Feel Good Horror’ films, the ones that you can pop on, open a beer, have some laughs and don’t need to pay too much attention to.
For our first slice of serotonin, we’re opening up minds across the globe by looking at some fun and fresh zombie movies!
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Is there really anything better than Edgar Wrights’ 2004 film Shaun of the Dead? I remember watching this repeatedly during my teens and the gags never seem to tire, even after multiple watches. Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost) are just two regular nerds living out their everyday lives in London when they find themselves in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. This is a true representation of how I think many of us in the UK would handle the scenario, and it results in comedic effect.
Zombieland (2009)
Not only is Ruben Fleischer’s comedy zombie film Zombieland an absolute blast to watch, but there also are some handy little tidbits in there that might just genuinely help in a zombie apocalypse… Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a dorky college kid who is just trying to survive from flesh-eating zombies, when he ends up inadvertently teaming up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson). If they thought the undead were bad, they quickly discover two badass babes, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who make them look like idiots whilst inciting feelings of romance.
Cooties (2014)
Never feed the kids manky chicken, because you just don’t want to see the results. That’s right, in Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion’s playground horror Cooties, we see the end results of contaminated poultry being consumed by little children. Clint (Elijah Wood) is working as a substitute teacher as a school when all the little monsters turn into zombies, which means (in an unconventional fashion), the teachers need to club together to fight against the miniature horrors that are hungry to pick their teachers’ brains!
Dead Snow (2009)
Nazi zombies… Yes you read that right! In Tommy Wirkola’s Norwegian horror film, Dead Snow, we get to see just what it would be like to fight against a battalion of nazi zombies, just in case you were wondering. A group of students head into the mountains for a weekend of partying on the slopes, but instead they come up against a rogue group of zombies from WWII who want nothing more than to continue their reign of terror. At some points these monsters are pretty scary, but it’s a helluva lot of fun.
Black Sheep (2006)
Have you ever looked at some fluffy little lambs and thought anything other than how adorable they are? Well Jonathan King’s pitch-black comedy horror Black Sheep might just change your mind on that. Henry (Nathan Meister) has a phobia of sheep and is horrified to learn that his brother Angus (Peter Feeney) has been up to no good on the family farm, and has been conducting experiments which have turned all the sheep into flesh munching savages. This New Zealand comedy is hilarious but also super, super gross-out in places.
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