ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Exploitation-film historian A.C. Nicholas, who has a sketchy background and hails from parts unknown in Western Pennsylvania, was once a drive-in theater projectionist and disk jockey. In addition to being a writer, editor, podcaster, and voice-over artist, he’s a regular guest co-host on the streaming Drive-In Asylum Double Feature and has been a guest on the Making Tarantino podcast. He also contributes to the Drive-In Asylum fanzine. His most recent essay, “Of Punks and Stains and Student Films: A Tribute to Night Flight, the 80s Late-Night Cult Sensation,” appeared in Drive-In Asylum #26.

Two of cinemas oldest and most venerable genres are horror and comedy. Thomas Edison famously produced a version of Frankenstein in 1910, but the earliest known silent horror film is Georges Méliès’s Le Manoir du Diable, a/k/a The Haunted Castle and The House of the Devil (1896), which followed fellow countryman Louis Lumière’s L’Arroseur Arrosé (1885), the first screen comedy. It took some time, but D.W. Griffith did a genre mash-up with the first horror–comedy, One Exciting Night, in 1922. And that genre has been going strong ever since. 

Yet for every wonderful modern horror–comedy like Shaun of the Dead or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, there are a half-dozen less-successful examples, like Pandemonium or the sequels in the Scary Movie franchise. Film critic Pauline Kael once wrote that it was the rare filmmaker who could mix comedy and horror successfully—with the comedy increasing the suspense and the horror making the comedy funnier. She cited Brian DePalma’s Dressed to Kill and Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as the best examples. I would add An American Werewolf in London, Return of the Living Dead, Dead Alive, Army of Darkness, and Night of the Creeps to the small list of funny/scary films.

But not all horror–comedies aspire to work at that dual level. Most are simply flat-out spoofs or parodies. And most don’t work because the filmmakers, instead of bringing something fresh to table, thought that all they needed was to insert a few random horror references, and fans would eat it all up simply by recognizing those references. This is the laziest type of filmmaking imaginable. (Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer made a fortune doing this with their genre spoofs like Date Movie, Disaster Movie, Epic Movie, and Meet the Spartans.) The best parodies not only replicate the tropes but also having a genuine respect for the genre. For martial arts movies, for example, Black Dynamite and the A Fistful of Yen sequence from Kentucky Fried Movie are affectionate and hilarious. 

Which brings me to one of the best, but least seen, horror–comedies, Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible (2001), a six-episode TV series for BBC Two created by beloved comedian Steve Coogan and his long-time collaborator Graham Duff. This show is unique in that each episode parodies a different horror sub-genre from Britain in the 60s and 70s. In other words, it feels like it was made just for me, which warmed my heart to no end.

Dr. Terrible, a decrepit old codger—think a less skeletal Crypt Keeper—played by Steve Coogan in heavy make-up hosts the show. Coogan also shows up in each episode, along with some recognizable British actors. With that set-up out of the way, let’s look at the individual episodes.

Lesbian Vampire Lovers of Lust: The first-aired episode is a terrific take-off on Hammer Films’ Carmilla Karnstein series: The Vampire Lovers, Lust for a Vampire, and Twins of Evil. Coogan plays a soldier, Captain Hans Broken, who along with his new bride, Carmina, runs afoul of the sexy vampire Countess Kronsteen. Supporting Coogan are fellow comedian Ben Miller, who starred in Primeval and Death in Paradise, and Honor Blackman from Goldfinger and TV’s The Avengers. In addition to the lovely Hammer touches, like the candlelit castle and lesbian bloodsuckers in diaphanous white gowns, the episode features the puns and double entendres that would distinguish the series: “He approached me from behind… I drew my sword.”

Frenzy of Tongs: This is a Terror of the Tongs/Fu Manchu spoof with Coogan as adventurer Nathan Blaze squaring off against horror superfan Mark Gatiss as the evil Hang Man Chang. Yep, it’s just as politically incorrect as those old “yellow menace” films. One character is named Sir Donald Tyburn. (Talk about an obscure horror reference!)

Curse of the Blood of the Lizard of Doom: The weakest episode of the series is a plain-vanilla riff on the “doctor meddling in things he shouldn’t” films like The Blood-Beast Terror; I, Monster; and The Creeping Flesh. Coogan injects himself with a serum that turns him into a large reptile. Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead has a cameo.

And Now the Fearing…: If you could tell from the title that this is a parody of a film from Amicus, noted for their horror anthologies, then you’ll love this episode. Parroting the familiar framing devices of Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror, three strangers trapped in a stuck elevator tell each other stories of the supernatural. Oliver Tobias, from the The Stud with Joan Collins, is the guest star.

Voodoo Feet of Death: After a tragic—and hysterical—accident, it looks like ballroom dancing champion Coogan’s career is over. That is, until he receives a transplant, feet from a murderer, in an obvious nod to Hands of a Stranger and its many variations. Busy actor Timothy Pigott-Smith and Sasha Alexander from the Britcom Coupling stop by.

Scream Satan Scream!: Saving the best episode for last, Coogan and Duff take on the classic folk-horror film Witchfinder General. It’s a laugh riot with Coogan playing Captain Tobias Slater, Witch Locater. (Just typing that makes me laugh.) Angela Pleasance from José Larraz’s Symptoms and other genre items is here, along with former Ewok Warwick Davis, who plays a dwarf named “Tigon.” (If you don’t get that cute reference, then you need to brush up on your Brit horror.)

Dr. Terrible—despite being one of the smartest, funniest things around and starring the hugely popular Coogan—was not a ratings success for the BBC. It’s easy to see why: It’s just too “inside baseball.” Unless you’re intimately familiar with the films being parodied, you’ll be mystified and find it not very funny, like a lot of critics when it originally aired. But if you’ve seen even a few Hammer or Amicus films, you’re in for a treat. The show fulfills the requirements of the best horror–comedies: It replicates the tropes, not to mention each horror studio’s signature style, with wit and loving affection. Check it out—and be prepared to go “oh, what an obscure reference!” and laugh out loud. Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible is fantastic, one of the best horror–comedies ever. The series is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.