Horror is a long standing, deeply nuanced genre of film. It attracts a wide range of audience members with its many offerings of discomfort. One can watch a psychological thriller, a slasher, true crime, supernatural, gothic, or found footage. This list continues and the options are endless. But there is a new subcategory of horror films on the rise: horror movies directed by comedy actors and writers. What is motivating comedians to turn from laughs to screams and why is it so successful?
Fangoria, a long-standing horror and cult film magazine, covered Seven Comedy Directors that Turned to Horror. In their article, they cover names like David Gordon Green who went from Pineapple Express (2008) to Halloween (2018) to John Krasinski, comedic star of The Office (2005) to A Quiet Place (2018). While they mention many other successful directors, it is important to attribute the rise of this genre to the proper person: Jordan Peele.
There is no denying that Jordan Peele owns this category. His beginnings as a star in MadTV and a member of the sketch comedy duo Key & Peele made him standout in comedy. While his skits and moments on screen were based in the comedy world, Peele also introduced complexity and darker moments in his work, making his transition into horror and psychological thrillers seamless. The release of Get Out (2017) marks Peele’s first venture into the new genre and it is inarguable his most iconic.
Get Out follows Chris, played by Daniel Kaluha, who is meeting the family of his girlfriend Rose, played by Allison Williams. The film goes south when racial differences make key moments uncomfortable and dangerous, taking Chris on a darker twisted path that was impossible to foresee. The film is complex and takes the viewer on a journey never ventured on screen. It was original and left viewers unsettled. Get Out was also funny, with moments of relief from Lil Rey Howery who played Chris’s best friend Rod Williams.
The film was a box office hit. It grossed $255–$259.8 million worldwide and received a 98% rating on rotten tomatoes. It is unnerving how successful Peele, a once prominent figure in comedy, was able to delve into horror and create truly uncomfortable, iconic, and important pieces of media.
Another example of the comedy to horror pipeline can be seen in the recently released film Obsession (2025), directed by director and actor Curry Barker. Barker is associated with the sketch-comedy duo “that’s a bad idea” alongside Obsession star Cooper Tomlinson. Barker has also directed horror films including The Chair (2023) and Milk & Serial (2024). Obsession follows Bear, played by Michael Johnston, who faces the consequences of making a wish that his crush Nikki, played by Inde Navarrette, would “love him more than anyone in the world.”
The film had a successful opening weekend, earning $23.1 million worldwide. I recently watched this movie, and it was safe to say it evoked similar feelings of a car crash: you want to look away but for whatever reason cannot. This film was deeply unsettling and Navarrette’s performance was haunting. I am excited to see what she does next.
Similar to Get Out, Obsession also balanced humor and horror successfully. This conversation of the “comedy to horror pipeline” is relevant within the media. It is interesting because the films these comedic geniuses are producing are original and different from the repetitive franchises seen in Hollywood. While they evoke different reactions, the two genres are not as different as they seem.
To laugh and be scared are extremes that sit on different ends of an emotional spectrum. One comes from a place of comfort and happiness while the other is unsettling and disturbing. Both emotions are extremely vulnerable. They are universal feelings that to be successful, you must connect with every single person in the audience.
So are these comedians slipping into horror due to their ability to read a room and understand their audience. Is it because they are familiar with allowing creativity to push them farther? Is it because they are simply unafraid to fail?
In an interview with the Australian radio station triple j, Barker spoke about why the transition is effortless.
“I think when you make a sketch you are kind of making fun of what we do as humans, right that is all it is,” Barker said. “It lends itself really well to horror because if you can understand psychology and get inside the head of an audience member, you have a pretty big leg up when it comes to horror.”
I have a firm belief that to be funny you must be smart. For me, the scariest movies are the most subtle. The horror isn’t in the gore but the tension. And this genius only comes from an innate understanding of timing. And no one knows good timing like a great comedian.
This is a great time to be a lover of film. Creativity is contagious and there seems to be an outbreak in Hollywood. Every day, new filmmakers are given opportunities, and they consistently produce original films. I love it. Barker’s next project is adapting the iconic Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I never thought I would look forward to being scared but these films challenge the superficial spell that horror can fall into. They are more than scary; they are cultural commentaries and constantly starting conversations. It is refreshing as we are in a world that is motivated to create content for the sole purpose of monetization. We are seeing a Renaissance film, and I am here for it.