The Silence Of The Hams & 9 Other Horror Parody Films You Need To See

Horror parodies/spoofs often mock the horror movie genre by blending scares and laughs. While a couple of parodies end up being wildly entertaining, many end up flopping after struggling to get the best out of the material they are spoofing.

Given that dozens of parodies have been made over the years, it can be a bit tough for the viewer to dig through them in order to access the gems. Luckily, we have some recommendations that you just might love.

10 The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Horror movie genius George A. Romero is credited to have given birth to the modern zombie genre with his 1968 movie Night of the Living Dead. About 17 years later, the highly-entertaining spoof The Return of the Living Dead came out. 

The parody film even hints that Romero’s movie was a true story, which is highly unlikely since zombies aren’t real. There are half-dogs, and as if quiet and rumbling zombies aren’t scary enough, there are those that talk. One of them bluntly says: “I want to eat your brains.“

9 Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

The movie is shot in a documentary style, and it depicts an alternative world where all popular horror movie antagonists are real. In it, a female journalist decides to document an aspiring killer named Leslie Vernon and how he rises to be an infamous murderer.

Interestingly, Leslie later turns on the journalist and her crew and begins murdering them. Small references to popular slasher films are included. There is even a tour of Elm Street. A couple of famous horror actors such as Robert Englund make appearances too.

8 Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes (1978)

The movie spoofs the emerging 1970s horror movies that relied on sci-fi for scares. In it, tomatoes become tired of being just tomatoes and begin to fight for their rights. They don’t do it by marching on the streets. They do it by killing humans.

Soon, it is discovered that the killer tomatoes can be killed by playing terrible Rock music. All the tomatoes eventually meet their demise, not in the kitchen, but when the song “Puberty Love” gets played in loudspeaker inside a stadium.

7 Scary Movie (2000)

Scary Movie spoofs a couple of ’90s TV shows and teenage horror films. However, two notable movies are spoofed the most: I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream. There are hilarious recreations of some of the key scenes of both movies.

The plot? A group of fun-loving teenagers gets into trouble as usual. They accidentally hit a man with their car and get rid of the body. Soon, a masked killer begins to hunt them down. One of them notices that whatever is happening is familiar. She has seen it in movies before.

6 Repossesed (1990)

Repossessed parodies the classic horror film The Exorcist. Linda Blair—the star of the original film—also has a lead role in the parody. Notable things about The Exorcist, like the green vomit and the spinning heads, can also be seen in the parody.

In the movie, Nancy—who was possessed in the original film as a little girl—is now an adult with a family. She becomes possessed again, but instead of getting rid of the demons quietly, she hatches a plan to have her second exorcism aired on live TV.

5 Student Bodies (1981)

No, Student Bodies is not about student organizations. It’s about the actual dead bodies of students. The movie spoofs the popular slasher film Friday The 13th as well as Halloween and Prom Night. A real-time body count is also displayed on the screen.

Student Bodies follows a serial killer named The Breather who kills every student that tries to have sex. Yes, he’s the ultimate champion of celibacy. The movie flopped upon its release but went on to gain cult status after being aired on TV multiple times.

4 Love At First Bite (1979)

There have been plenty of dark, scary movies about Dracula, and Love At First Bite does a good job of spoofing them all. The movie follows the notorious vampire as he is evicted from his castle by the communist government of Romania and relocates to New York.

The movie was financially successful, grossing nearly $44 million against a budget of $3 million. Despite only being a spoof, it is considered one of the best vampire movies ever made. Even though a sequel was rumored to be in development, it never quite happened.

3 Young Frankenstein (1974)

This movie parodies the 1931 horror film Frankenstein as well as the numerous other adaptations of Mary Shelley’s best-selling novel. It centers on Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, who is a descendant of the original Frankenstein and seeks to continue his work.

The parody is also shot in black and white like the original film and makes use of opening and closing credits that were popular in 1930s movies. The same lab equipment used as props in the original film was also used in the parody.

2 What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Before Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit made Taika Waititi a household name, he made this horror spoof. Just like Behind the Mask, this movie is shot in a documentary style. It revolves around three vampires living in an apartment block.

It spoofs movies such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Lost Boys, and Interview with the Vampire.  The movie was well-received by critics. It currently has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes. A TV adaptation was later developed too.

1 The Silence Of The Hams (1994)

The parody was so good it even had a fight scene between George. H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The plot centers on a rookie detective hunting down a serial killer who has committed 120 murders. To catch the killer, he enlists the help of another convicted killer named Dr. Animal Cannibal Pizza.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1212 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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