Halloween time is always the best excuse to watch any and every horror movie in the books, but since today we want to smile instead of cry, here’s a list of suggestions for comedic horror films to get you started on those spooky season favorites.

Benny Loves You

Benny Loves You is an innocent story about a stuffed animal that doesn’t want its owner to grow up. Sike! If you’re looking for the evil version of Toy Story, you’ve got it. An immature man, Jack, tries to turn his life around after his parents suffer a traumatic death, and he throws out his childhood plushy, Benny, in an attempt to move on. Unbeknownst to Jack, Benny is unwilling to let go and will kill anyone who comes in the way of their relationship.

Although we wouldn’t recommend our audiences with young kids to throw this on, if you’re detached enough from your childhood toys, this movie is incredibly over-the-top and very funny. We can’t even be mad at the cute and loveable villain because he just wants to protect his owner! If you have Showtime on Hulu or Amazon Prime, we suggest you watch it right now.

Tragedy Girls

Tragedy Girls has all the current topics for young people, making it a slasher meets social media tale. Two teens with their own crime series trap the local serial killer that’s been wreaking havoc all over town. They use this opportunity to boost their social media clout by committing the murders themselves to have the inside scoop on all of the victims and get higher ratings.

Many popular stars for young adult fandoms make an appearance in the film, such as two of The Hunger Games actors, Josh Hutcherson and Jack Quaid, as well as Alexandra Shipp from Love, Simon. The logistics of how the two main characters can go through with this are pretty unrealistic, but it’s definitely worth the laugh! You can watch this Gen Z horror-comedy on Hulu or Amazon Prime.

Trick ‘r Treat

Trick ‘r Treat is the only anthology film on this list, having a mixture of five different Halloween-centered stories, all with intertwining plots involving a memorable trick or treater named Sam that shows up when holiday-goers break the Halloween traditions. 

Given that there are so many different stories to follow and resonate with, it’s no wonder that this movie had received a cult following and even got itself a themed spot for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. The list of films on HBO Max never disappoints, so if you’re in the mood for a good early 2000s Halloween classic, you can go stream there or on Hulu!

Gremlins

Gremlins is an 80’s flick that shows how far we’ve come in film visual effects and how old horror films can even be comedic because of it. A young man receives strange creatures and disregards the three main rules needed to care for them properly: Don’t let it see sunlight, give it no contact with water, and NEVER feed it after midnight. Naturally, by avoiding these instructions, the cute fuzzy pets become a brute of destruction that terrorizes the town on Christmas Eve.

As one of the highest-grossing films of its year, anyone born before 1984 has surely watched this, and any classic moviegoer who hasn’t seen it yet needs to cross it off the list immediately. If you like the story of deceivingly cute little monsters that are capable of terrorizing a small town during holiday festivities, then this movie is right up your alley, and you should stream it now on HBO Max! 

Krampus

Krampus is the last on our list and another Christmas-themed horror about a boy who loses his Christmas spirit, thus unleashing an evil beast based on European folklore that disciplines bad kids during the holidays. 

Funny enough, one of the actors in the film and a writer for Krampus also wrote Trick ‘r Treat, as previously mentioned. To make sure that this movie was as witty as it is scary, the cast includes beloved comedic actors like Adam Scott from Parks and Recreation, David Koechner from The Office, and Conchata Galen Ferrell from Two and a Half Men. If you like mixing holidays and horror, Krampus is currently available to rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube.

Hopefully, some of these films will make you smile like us and get you just as hyped to start more horror watching as you prepare yourself for Halloween. Happy Spooktober!