Celebrate Spooky Season With the Best Horror Comedy Shows on Streaming
Does Peacock’s new series, ‘Hysteria!’ make the list?
It’s the spooky season, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a laugh at the same time.
That’s why I’m pulling out my list of the top 7 horror comedy TV shows you can stream right now – just in time to enjoy Peacock’s newest entry to the genre with “Hysteria!” The new horror comedy series is set during the “Satanic Panic” of the late 1980s when a heavy metal band trying to take advantage of the craze finds themselves at the center of a witch-hunt. If you missed my movie list of top horror comedies, check it out here. And if you’re wondering why I don’t have a list of straight-up scary movies, the reason is simple – I don’t watch them because they terrify me. My babysitter showed me the original “It” when I was much too young and now it seems every hit horror movie features a killer clown (like this one). Nope… no thanks. So, back to the lighter side of death with the top 7 horror comedy TV shows on streaming right now.
Top 7 Horror Comedy TV Shows On Streaming Right Now:
No. 7: Stan Against Evil (2016) | Prime Video
What do you do when angry demons haunt your town? You begrudgingly battle them. That’s basically the plot of “Stan Against Evil,” set in a small New Hampshire town plagued by supernatural forces. The story follows Stan Miller (John C. McGinley), a curmudgeonly, recently retired sheriff who, after his wife’s death, teams up with the new sheriff, Evie Barret (Janet Varney). Together, they fight demonic creatures connected to a 17th-century witch hunt, all while Stan begrudgingly adjusts to his new life. What’s not to like? “Stan Against Evil” is created by Dana Gould.
Stan Against Evil
An aging police sheriff who has recently lost his position due to an angry outburst begrudgingly joins an alliance with new sheriff, Evie Barret to battle angry demons haunting their small New Hampshire town.
No. 6: Ash vs Evil Dead (2015) | Prime Video
The “Evil Dead” movies are cult classics, and so it was only natural for creator Sam Raimi to take his beloved protagonist, Ash Williams into the world of TV for a gory, hilarious continuation of what already worked so well.
“Ash vs Evil Dead” does just that. It follows Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) as he’s dragged out of retirement after 30 years to face a new Deadite plague. Armed with his chainsaw and boomstick, Ash joins forces with two young sidekicks, Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo), to battle demonic forces, blending awesome horror with dark humor.
The show stars Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, and Lucy Lawless as Ruby, a mysterious figure connected to the evil. It is co-created by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, and Tom Spezialy.
Ash vs Evil Dead
Bruce Campbell reprises his role as Ash Williams, an aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who’s spent the last three decades avoiding maturity, and the terrors of the Evil Dead. But when a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, he’s forced to face his demons — both metaphorical and literal.
No. 5: Santa Clarita Diet (2017) | Netflix
What happens when a suburban real estate agent turns into a zombie? Victor Fresco (“Better Off Ted”) answers that question with “Santa Clarita Diet,” a dark comedy that puts a gory twist on suburban life.
“Santa Clarita Diet” follows Sheila and Joel Hammond (Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant), a married couple who are real estate agents in the quiet town of Santa Clarita. Their mundane lives take a grisly turn when Sheila becomes a zombie and develops an insatiable craving for human flesh. Together, they have to… adjust to Sheila’s new undead lifestyle while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for their family and avoid getting found out.
The show stars Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant (who have great chemistry together), along with Liv Hewson, and Skyler Gisondo.
Santa Clarita Diet
They’re ordinary husband and wife realtors until she undergoes a dramatic change that sends them down a road of death and destruction. In a good way.
No. 4: Scream Queens (2015) | Hulu
From Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, the creators of “Glee” and “American Horror Story,” comes “Scream Queens” — a sharp, satirical slasher series that’s as funny as it is scary.
“Scream Queens” follows the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority, led by the ruthless Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts), as they’re targeted by a mysterious Red Devil killer. The series mixes over-the-top horror with biting humor, giving viewers scares and satire with a fun college backdrop. Its mix of plot twists and shock value means there’s never a dull moment… not that you’d ever expect one in a Ryan Murphy show.
“Scream Queens” stars Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, and Keke Palmer and was co-created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan.
Scream Queens
The super-charged comedy-horror series is a modern take on the classic whodunit with a killer cast.
No. 3: The Addams Family (1964) | Prime Video
From cartoonist Charles Addams’ ghoulish New Yorker comics came the classic 1960s television adaptation, “The Addams Family.”
“The Addams Family” aired on ABC from 1964 to 1966, introducing television audiences to the eccentric family. The show centers around Gomez Addams (John Astin) and his wife Morticia (Carolyn Jones), who live in a gothic mansion with their children Wednesday (Lisa Loring) and Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax), along with Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan) and their butler Lurch (Ted Cassidy). Despite their love for the bizarre and the macabre, the Addams family is endearingly close and unaware of just how strange they are to outsiders.
The show was created by David Levy and brought to life the charm of Addams’ one-panel cartoons so well that it made the family iconic. Although the series only ran for two seasons, its dark humor and strange characters have inspired multiple reboots, animated series, and movies.
The Addams Family
A satirical inversion of the ideal of the perfect American nuclear family, they are an eccentric wealthy family who delight in everything grotesque and macabre, and are never really aware that people find them bizarre or frightening. In fact, they themselves are often terrified by “normal” people.
No. 2: Wednesday (2022) | Netflix
From the wild mind of Tim Burton comes “Wednesday,” a supernatural horror comedy series that dives into the world of Wednesday Addams, the iconic character from “The Addams Family.”
“Wednesday” follows the morbid teenager, played by Jenna Ortega, as she tries to survive her new life at Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts. While mastering her emerging psychic abilities, Wednesday uncovers a series of local murders and a dark mystery involving her parents from 25 years ago. The show does a nice job of blending supernatural elements with coming-of-age drama while also keeping things funny.
The series stars Jenna Ortega, Gwendoline Christie, and Christina Ricci (who famously portrayed Wednesday in the 1990s films). It was co-created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, with Burton directing four episodes in season one.
Wednesday
Wednesday Addams is sent to Nevermore Academy, a bizarre boarding school where she attempts to master her psychic powers, stop a monstrous killing spree of the town citizens, and solve the supernatural mystery that affected her family 25 years ago — all while navigating her new relationships.
No. 1: What We Do In The Shadows (2019) | Hulu
Entering its sixth and final season is the best horror comedy TV show on my list – “What We Do in the Shadows” – based on the also-excellent movie of the same name.
Created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, “What We Do in the Shadows” is a mockumentary-style comedy following four vampires—Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, and energy vampire Colin Robinson—who live together on Staten Island. The show hilariously explores their relationship with the modern world, other supernatural beings, and their human familiar, Guillermo, who longs to become a vampire.
The popularity of the show on FX further solidifies Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s positions at the top of the food chain in Hollywood comedy, bringing along stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, and Mark Proksch. It’s a masterclass in world-building, laugh-out-loud funny, and the best horror comedy TV show I’ve ever seen. So, check it out!
What We Do in the Shadows
A documentary-style look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of a group of vampires in Staten Island who have “lived” together for hundreds and hundreds of years.