Ironically, Ghostbusters: Afterlife breathed new life into the series and is considered a return to form for the long-running comedy franchise, and a ghostbusters 5 just announced which will be a direct sequel. However, ghost hunters isn’t the only afterlife comedy series that will have audiences dying of laughter.
The afterlife has been portrayed in different ways in movies, from Hell on Earth to pop bands playing their hits in heaven. And between being haunted by a bio-exorcist and playing Twister with the Grim Reaper in Hell, movies based on the afterlife are some of the most creative comedies.
ten Bill and Ted’s Fake Trip (1991) – 6.3
where the first Bill and Ted was a time travel movie featuring historical figures, the sequel completely changed the concept. Bill and Ted’s fake trip is more fantasy than science fiction. The start of the film sees the two rockers being murdered by evil robotic versions of themselves, and what follows is a bizarre journey through hell.
For a comedy, Hell is surprisingly terrifying and nightmarish, as Bill and Ted are doomed to live out their worst dreams and memories for eternity. But after winning Clue, Twister, and Battleship against the Grim Reaper, the latter becomes their minion, and it’s the funniest depiction of death in movies. What makes the game sequence so fun is that, oddly enough, every spectator can identify with San La Muerte, and even if they don’t like to lose.
9 This is the End (2013) – 6.6
For the majority, It is the end does not concern the afterlife. The dystopian film is about the apocalypse where anyone can perish from almost anything, whether it’s Aziz Ansari falling through a crack in the Earth or Jonah Hill becoming possessed by demons.
However, the final act reveals that the beams of white light that people are sucked into are skyward vessels. Heaven is depicted in a way that will make any non-believer really wish the afterlife existed, because it’s a big party where the Backstreet Boys perform and anyone’s wish will come true immediately. Of all the hilarious cameos in the film, the group’s appearance is one of the best and most surprising. The movie is full of the dark humor and brilliantly vulgar jokes the cast is known for, which makes the upbeat ending funnier by contrast.
8 Drag Me to Hell (2009) – 6.6
After making the original Spider Man trilogy, filmmaker Sam Raimi returned to what he does best, horror comedy. Although there were hints of it in his previous films, Raimi hadn’t done a horror-comedy since 1992. army of darknessbut drag me to hell was a satisfying return to the genre.
The film follows a banker, Christine, who gets cursed by an old woman when she is denied a bank loan, and the banker does everything she can to not be tormented by evil-talking demons and goats. . The film is full of crude comedies that make audiences look through their eyes, and few horror films are as criminally underrated as the 2009 release, and it deserves far more recognition.
seven Death Becomes Her (1992) – 6.6
While it was criticized when it was released 30 years ago, Death becomes her has gained a massive cult following in recent years. The film is about a group of superficial aging socialites who will do anything to stay young and beautiful. They drink a potion that will not only keep them young but give them the ability to survive fatal crashes, but they’re actually technically already dead.
After drinking the potion, the mundanes have no heartbeat. Already misunderstood in 1992, Death becomes her is more relevant than ever today. People can be superficial and will go to great lengths to stay young, and the film is a cautionary tale of how people shouldn’t be hung up on looks.
6 Ghost Town (2008) – 6.7
ghost town is the first film where Ricky Gervais plays the protagonist, a dentist who can see and speak with ghosts. The dentist dies for seven minutes during a colonoscopy, but he still has a connection to the afterlife after regaining consciousness. The film is like a biased version of The sixth sense and the lighthearted romantic comedy is full of really great comedies.
While Gervais is universally acclaimed as a comedian and television actor, he hasn’t had the same success when it comes to film. Gervais proves he can be a great leader with dead city, and it didn’t deserve its disappointing performance at the box office. The character has Gervais’ typical dry British humor, and it’s combined with the dark philosophical perspective he so often delves into with his other projects as the appropriate title after life.
5 Scrooged (1988) – 6.9
Scrooged is one of many adaptations of A Christmas Carol, and it is one of the most creative reinventions. As is the case with every adaptation of the novel, the main character, in this case Frank (Bill Murray,) is visited by ghosts who show him why he should be kinder and more optimistic.
But when it comes to Scrooged, ghosts are terrifying, especially Ghost of Christmas Past (Dan Akroyd) and Ghost of Christmas Future. But ghosts are as funny as they are scary, and Akroyd is endlessly entertaining when he finds his ghost hunters costar. The movie iteration of Scrooge is almost like a character from Philadelphia is always sunny, because he’s so selfish and cruel, but still undeniably comical. The 1989 film is one of Richard Donner’s finest films, and it is unique in the late great director’s filmography, which is typically replete with family adventure films.
4 Army of Darkness (1992) – 7.2
army of darkness is the last film of the evil Dead series, but where Evil Dead 2 was a partial remake of the original while applying more comedy, the threequel is far more ambitious. Besides being a comedy-horror and seeing Chainsaw and Shotgun Ash take on the undead once again, army of darkness is a medieval epic.
While it’s cinematically ambitious given its budget, it doesn’t overstay its reception, as it’s one of the best films under 90 minutes. However, it is also intentionally kitschy. At one point when Ash is attacked by skeletons, they are clearly thrown at him by an off-screen crew member. The movie is a great ending to the trilogy, but since the movie pulls the same trick as Evil Dead 2it ends with Ash being transported to another time period via a portal, this time hundreds of years in the future, Evil Dead IV could still happen.
3 Beetlejuice (1988) – 7.5
beetle juice is now considered a classic. Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the bio-exorcist sees the actor perform best in his quirky comedy and Beetlejuice’s outfit, particularly the black and white pinstripe suit, is iconic. Between the character’s agile movements, his guttural smoker’s voice and his exaggerated facial expressions, few actors have embodied one more character.
It shows how beloved the character is for only being in the film for 17 minutes, but still leaving such a huge impact on pop culture. There was a Beetle Juice 2 expected that saw the character vacation in Hawaii, but it was left in development hell for decades.
2 Evil Dead II (1987) – 7.7
the original evil Dead has an excellent rating on IMDb with 7.4, but although the evil Dead is best known for being a horror-comedy, the first film actually doesn’t feature much comedy. Director Sam Raimi’s seminal comedy only saw the light of day in Evil Dead 2but he did it with such ease.
The film sees Ash (Bruce Campbell) at war with his own hand, and he casually replaces his severed limb with a chainsaw. The 1987 sequel is by far the best film in the series and is a cult classic, thanks to the body comedy that Raimi is so good at. While the movie’s villains are Deadites, Ash has more trouble with libraries and his own limbs. The horror-comedy was even subtly referenced in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswhile Campbell plays a character who is under a spell where he can’t stop hitting himself.
1 Ghostbusters (1984) – 7.8
There are four films in the ghost hunters franchise, and they all have high enough IMDb scores to make the list, but the quality of the series is still pervasive. The original film is a classic that plays with the idea of the afterlife in creative ways, even if the idea of different forms of ghosts doesn’t make sense.
While Murray has so many classic characters under his belt, Venkman is the best known, and it’s the role that best captures his dry wit. It’s a performance from which all of the actor’s subsequent roles derive, but nothing surpasses the original. What makes the afterlife comedy so unique is how cavalier the Ghostbusters are about the idea of ghosts.
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