Scared? Nah - Horror Movies Can be Funny Too! Quiz

Answer: Shaun of the Dead

A hilarious romp through a zombie infestation, "Shaun of the Dead" uses British humour to poke fun at both the zombie horror genre and romantic comedy genre. Released in 2004, the film stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, both of whom use the everyday household objects around them to ward off the undead foes that have risen from the grave to eat brains. Of course, Simon Pegg's character needs to cross town in order to save his girlfriend from becoming a mindless cannibal, so they set out (with his mother, stepfather, and a couple of friends in tow) to hide together in a pub. Things go awry. Oddly, the film is the first in a trilogy written by Edgar Wright, the second film being "Hot Fuzz" which stars the same major actors.

Answer: Club Dread

Broken Lizard, fresh off their cult classic, "Super Troopers", soon moved into unfamiliar territory by offering up a slasher film set on a tropical island resort. Of course, there's a twist. The entire film makes a mockery of slasher conventions, often resulting in unrealistic outcomes for many of the characters (including a seemingly invincible killer). Additionally, the movie takes numerous shots at Jimmy Buffet's musical style. Starring the entire Broken Lizard Troupe (along with Bill Paxton), the film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, who also played the role of Putman. Following this film, they made "Beerfest" in 2006.

Answer: Scary Movie

"Scary Movie" couldn't put it more blatantly, though what's found in this film is hardly 'scary'. Spoofing a number of movies in the horror genre, the original "Scary Movie" starred the Wayans Brothers (who dropped out of the series and were replaced by David Zucker by the third in the series) and Anna Faris, who continued through the series as a protagonist. Similar to the story behind "Scream", the film is about a killer who starts murdering students at a local high school before his antics culminate to a rather large massacre at a party. Future installations in the series spoof haunted house films, the plague of Japanese horrors that emerged in the early 2000s, alien invasion films, and more visceral torture-horror fare.

Answer: Snakes on a Plane

Although the film's laughable premise should have been a big warning light for most film companies, "Snakes on a Plane", a concept fueled by the minds of Internet forum-goers, emerged as a film in 2006. Although such large, random hype should have equated to huge box office earnings and it doubled its budget, it was still regarded as a disappointment for the studio. Nonetheless, the film was critically favourable as it was clearly meant to capitalize off the B-movie premise and it was quite successful in being just as corny as imagined. Co-star Julianna Margulies also appeared in the horror film "Ghost Ship" about four years earlier while Kenan Thompson was a regular on "Saturday Night Live". "Snakes on a Plane" continues through its days as a cult classic created long before its release.

Answer: Planet Terror

"Grindhouse", created as a double feature (complete with faux movie trailers) showed up in movie theatres in 2007. Although this lengthy film experience didn't earn back its budget, it was still critically favored as a complete spoof of the original, exploitative Grindhouse genre of the 1970s. Beginning with the trailer for "Machete" (also by Rodriguez), the film jumps into "Planet Terror", a action film about zombies starring a number of famous actors. Following this, the trailers for Rob Zombie's "Werewolf Women of the SS", Edgar Wright's "Don't", and Eli Roth's "Thanksgiving" appear in the middle and they are followed by Quentin Tarantino's offering, "Death Proof", starring Kurt Russell.

In North America, both films were originally released on DVD as separate films until their inevitable Blu-Ray release.

Answer: Bruce Campbell

Directed and starring popular horror movie/B-movie actor Bruce Campbell, "My Name is Bruce" follows Bruce as himself as he is asked to stop the evil forces, dwelling outside a mining town, from killing everybody. The film was popular amongst fans of the B-movie mainstay, but it gained a limited theatrical release and thus did not become popular outside the DVD market.

The film also starred Ted Raimi, known for roles in his brother Sam's films. Bruce Campbell is perhaps best-known for his roles in the "Evil Dead" trilogy (directed by Sam Raimi).

In addition, he played the starring role in the cult classic "Bubba Ho-Tep", released in 2002. He also played a supporting role in the TV show "Burn Notice", which premiered in 2007.

Answer: Black Sheep

Released in 2007, this confusingly odd film was based around the premise of infected sheep attacking humans, eating them and transforming people into more mutant sheep. Of course, the film being set in New Zealand necessitates a lesser chance of survival in this post-apocalyptic sheep situation. Released on DVD in North America under the Dimension Extreme label, the film actually earned a relatively good critical standing, ranking higher than a number of internationally-released horror films in the same year. Due to the fact that it was limited release, it did not earn very much money in theatres. Nonetheless, it remains a popular B-movie of recent times...not to be confused with the Chris Farley/David Spade comedy of the same name.

Answer: Parasites

In this film, a small hick town is met with a force from outer space as a meteor lands in a forest. One man goes out to investigate and is attacked by one of the slug-like creatures housed inside and soon, things start to go a bit crazy. These slug-creatures soon take over the people in town, transforming them into mindless creatures. Eventually, the police force and the remaining survivors must band together to stop the aliens from taking over entirely. Although the film was quite popular with the critics, the box office didn't really take enough earnings for the film and it was regarded as a poor performer.

The film starred Nathan Fillion (of "Firefly" fame) and Elizabeth Banks, who went on to become quite successful herself.

Answer: The 'Burbs

Joe Dante (who previously made "Gremlins") also directed this black comedy about a small cul de sac that discovers that a new family (who moves in right next door) may be harboring a horrible, deadly secret. The film hit #1 in the box office (a common trend for Hanks' later works).
In the film, Tom Hanks plays one of many homeowners on Mayfield Place who investigates the arrival of an out-of-place family living in one of the houses on their quiet little street. Soon, they realize that there's something just not right about this creepy family, and when they find the neighbours in the backyard burying what looks to be body bags, they soon investigate their suspicions at great lengths.
Many of the houses on this street were later used in the set for "Desperate Housewives". It still exists on the Universal Studios lot.

Answer: Ghostbusters

Released in 1984, this popular film continued to legitimize the ever-growing careers of some of Hollywood's best comedic stars (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, etc.). Known for numerous scenes, including one with a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the film followed four men who planned to scientifically exorcise New York City's ghost population with their high-tech equipment. That is, of course, until bigger problems, involving the Sumerian God of Destruction, Gozer, arise and force them into action. This popular movie, directed by Ivan Reitman, ended up getting a sequel in 1989 though it wasn't as popular critically nor in the box office. "Ghostbusters" was number 1 in the box office many different times for different lengths of time. Both films were major successes.