Comedy movies have a simple task: make audiences laugh. Through slapstick, witty dialogue, or other tricks, they fashion ludicrous scenarios to elicit humor. As such, they don’t expect viewers to take the story or characters seriously. Sometimes, though, filmmakers throw a curve ball in this regard.
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Certain comedy flicks contain characters on the scarier side. They often serve as foils for the more lighthearted figures, but they do that job too well. These guys are so imposing that one wonders if they’re in the right genre. Instead of fond memories of laughter, audiences may have lingering nightmares.
7Vigo - Ghostbusters 2
Despite the paranormal subject matter, most ghosts theGhostbustersbustrange from mildly creepy to downright silly. The main villains, though, are the exceptions to that rule. As scary as Gozer is in the first film, Vigo is ultimately more intimidating in the sequel.
The Carpathian appears human, thereby making his supernatural qualities more grotesque. He doesn’t speak; he communicates entirely through animalistic roars and snarls. On top of that, the cross-fade effect on his movements creates an ethereal quality. The contrast with his humanoid shape means he defies definition. The fact that such an uncanny individual targets a baby makes him seem all the more ruthless. A monster always looks more imposing next to something so innocent.
Anotherhorror comedy,The Evil Deadgoes much further with the former genre. That comes from how the Book of the Dead perverts people into demonic creatures capable of countless disgusting gags. However, none stimulate the gag reflex like Linda.
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Ash’s girlfriend is responsible for the most iconic body horror in the series. In the first flick, she sings a spine-tingling song with a grotesque grin, a sequence chilling in how childlike it is.Evil Dead 2tries to top that with her decomposing corpse. Here, the reanimated Linda does a demented ballet routine, her detached head spinning and rolling like a ball. The scene is striking not just because of the visuals, but due to the off-putting stop-motion effect. After such scary sights, viewers are almost glad Ash takes a chainsaw to his former flame.
5Sid - Toy Story
This weird kid makes an unforgettable impression in the firstToy Story. Part of that is due to how thePixarfilm animates and renders humans. The stiff movements and bulbous facial features mean his maniacal laughter is a truly ugly sight to behold. Sadly, that’s only the beginning.
Sid seems worse once audiences enter his abode. Amid his darkly-lit house are the products of his twisted experiments. Various toys have their parts rearranged, making their awkward movements akin to zombies. Seeing the sadistic pleasure Sid takes in this, viewers soon feel as hopelessly trapped asWoody and Buzz. On the upside, these aspects mean it’s more satisfying when they give him a taste of his own medicine.
4Large Marge - Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Pee-wee’s adventures are essentially a farce, so audiences expect this woman to be another ridiculous figure in the crowd. However,they can tell right away that something’s different about Marge. She tells a tale of a terrible roadside accident. Her intensity rises as she relates the gory details. Pee-wee has no retort to break that intensity or lighten the mood; he just sits there, petrified.
The cherry on top comes when Marge describes what the driver looked like after the accident. She turns to the camera and morphs into a hideous stop-motion abomination. This bizarre visual blindsides viewers, capping off a wickedly weird aside in this screwball flick.
3Victor Frankenstein - Horror Of Frankenstein
Before Mel Brooks’sYoung Frankenstein, Hammer Films sought their own darkly comic take on the mad doctor.Peter Cushing didn’t reprise the role, though. Instead, the studio got Ralph Bates for what’s essentially a parody of their originalFrankensteinfilm. Fans might expect him to channel the same psychopathic energy he displayed inTaste the Blood of Dracula. He does, but only to an extent.
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Bates’s Frankenstein is extremely reserved throughout. He maintains his cold composure while leaving the outrageous performances to those around him. That steely demeanor even holds steady during the most terrible acts of murder and dismemberment. On top of the gallows humor, such an emotional disconnect is a surefire way to give people the creeps, as it means the man is capable of anything.
2Patrick Bateman - American Psycho
This movie pokes fun at corporate high rollers. To do this, it places audiences in the mind of a man who not only operates in that cutthroat world but will go to any extent to ascend its ranks. That includes killing, and Bateman makes that abundantly clear with his narration.
It’s hard not to feel unclean as the titular psycho familiarizes audiences with his warped logic. He desperately tries to paint himself as cultured and classy in spite of his murderous needs.Christian Bale’s performance cements that impression. It deliberately seems rehearsed and disingenuous, as if he’s a subhuman monster wearing a skinsuit. The effect is akin to a mental uncanny valley, and it elicits similar revulsion. Hence, it takes the “evil businessman” archetype to a new extreme.
1Gary - Game Night
This is amodern American screwball comedy. Basically, that means that everyone here is loud and exaggerated, relying on shock value for humor. That goes for all the actors…except for Jesse Plemons.
His character is on a different wavelength from both the others and the movie as a whole. In that, he’s a social outcast who creepily watches his neighbors and constantly asks to join in on Game Night. Plemons plays that part straight, intentionally bringing down the energy of every scene with downbeat intensity. If he wasn’t a cop, one would think he was a serial killer in the making. However, his noble profession doesn’t change how unsettling his presence is.
