Every horror movie has some pretty comedic moments. Whether it’s due to actual dark comedy or because of a super ridiculous scene, one of the things that makes horror so loved is the balance between the two genres. Watching as victims get themselves into wild situations or brutally murdered makes audiences feel comforted by the fact that they would never do something so ridiculous.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise balances this super well. The first film was released in 1974, making it the first slasher film after Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1960. The films are old and, though they are all cult classics, have a bit of a muddy area as some of the film choices go from horrifying to almost comedic. The continuum between the original films and the remakes are all over the place, and they actually switch genres to go from pure horror to dark comedy and horror.
10 Sally’s Face During Franklin’s Death
In the very first The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the infamous wheelchair death has got to be one of the biggest points of the movie. For starters, everyone pretty much hates Franklin, the audience, his friends, and even his sister, Sally, seems to be incredibly annoyed by him.
The two go off together, calling out the friends’ names to try and find them. Of course, them calling out also alerts Leatherface to where they are. Leatherface comes swinging in, literally, and kills Franklin while Sally watches, screaming. For starters, fans are happy that the most annoying character finally hits the bucket, but Sally’s scream as she watches is utterly ridiculous, her facial expressions are totally wild. Not to mention she doesn’t run till after her brother dies and Leatherface sets his sights on her. The whole thing is just super comedic.
9 Sheriff Hoyt
In the 2003 remake, Sheriff Hoyt, who secretly is apart of the Leatherface family now called the Hewitt’s, ends up running into the survivors of the film. Five friends go on a road trip together to a concert when they encounter a disheveled hitchhiker on the side of the road.
After encountering Leatherface and the family with two friends missing, the remaining three attempt to escape while searching for help when Sheriff Hoyt arrives. The scene is comedic due to the fact that audiences already know he is a bad guy, but the characters do not. They are relieved and desperate for help, but all that he comments on is the marijuana on their dashboard and makes them get out of the car.
8 Drinking, Driving, And Playing Chicken
The opening sequence to Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is definitely a comedic start to the sequel. Two obnoxious, pompous guys are driving through Texas, shooting at random signs, drinking, and calling to annoy the local radio show host. While on the phone (because they refuse to hang up) they see an old pickup truck and decide to play chicken with the farmer in the other car.
The boys find it absolutely hilarious but as the movie cuts from day to night, and the boys are being just as obnoxious calling the radio again, the same truck stops them in the middle of the road. Leatherface appears wearing a strange costume as he swings and slashes at the hood of the boys’ car. The whole sequence is really bizarre and audiences will find themselves rooting for Leatherface just because of how awful the boys were.
7 “Step On It, Mr. Spottish”
This entire movie is just bizarre as the entire thing can probably fit into its own category of comedy. This film stars Texas borns actors, Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey in their first major roles. You would almost assume that this movie would be good due to them, but it is far from it.
After running away from Leatherface, Jenny ends up coming across an old couple driving who stops to help her as she jumps into their RV. The old woman says to her husband “Step on it, Mr. Spottish” in what is probably the calmest voice anyone could have in that kind of situation. Not only does it feel like a voice-over, but sounds so apathetic that it just makes it hilarious.
6 Trey Songz Driving Into The Gate
In Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, Trey Songz plays Ryan, the boyfriend to the final girl, Heather Miller. In an attempt to escape Leatherface, Ryan, Heather, and Nikki (Heather’s best friend who is sleeping with Ryan) all attempt an escape in the van they came in. Ryan goes full speed in the old thing in order to try and drive through a big iron gate.
The whole thing is pretty ridiculous as the gate looks super sturdy. Instead, the group just crashes into the gate which stops the car from working. It’s a pretty funny scene in which audience members are bound to groan with frustration at their stupidity.
5 The Plane
After the RV gets tipped over by Leatherface and McConaughey’s character, Vilmer, Jenny jumps out and starts to run away again. Leatherface is a bit behind her but Vilmer manages to catch up, right on her tail. Just before the maniac can grab her, a plane carefully swoops down and knocks into his head with the front blades.
He goes down instantly and the plane quickly pulls up. However, the scene is cut super weird because there is no way physically that, that could be possible. Jenny was directly in front of the man and she definitely would have been hit as well, but instead, the plane is just magically in the sky again right after.
4 Cuts His Own Leg
Towards the end of the first film, Sally is running away at full speed, a truck driver gets tangled into Leatherface’s chase. The driver is trying to help Sally escape and just as Leatherface is catching up, the driver throws a wrench at the killer’s head, which causes him to fall over and slash his own leg with the chainsaw.
This scene will make audiences laugh out loud or at least put a smile on their face as the big killer got donked on the head and messed up so badly.
3 Dinner With The Sawyers
In Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, radio host “Stretch” gets taken by Leatherface and the rest of the Sawyers. Leatherface develops a pretty intense crush on Stretch, so he consistently attempts to reassure her.
This horror movie is a bit more like a dark comedy as Drayton Sawyer tells Leatherface to bring his girlfriend down. They torture her while yelling quick bits of comedy, making this scene incredibly dark yet humorous. They try to get old Grandpa Sawyer to hit her on the head with a hammer, but the old man keeps dropping the thing in a comedic bit.
2 Leatherface’s Tantrum Dance
At the end of the original movie, Sally gets away and Leatherface ends up throwing a big old tantrum that he didn’t get to kill her. The masked murderer ends up swinging his chainsaw around at full blast, which makes it look almost like Leatherface is performing a dance number.
This, paired with Sally’s maniacal laugh as she finally escapes him, are all pretty funny. What is also interesting, is that this is pretty much how all of the movies end. In the sequel, the final girl does the chainsaw dance, and in the fourth film, Leatherface does it again after Jenny escapes.
1 The Hitchhiker
One of the major rules of horror movies is to never pick up hitchhikers, and this franchise really begins the moment the cast in the very first film break this exact rule. The Hitchhiker instantly proves himself to be a bit of a weirdo.
He carries a strange bag made of fur, with pictures of the dead cow in his slaughter how. He cuts himself with Franklin’s blade and then proceeds to cut him as well. After he is kicked out of the van, he blows raspberries at the van and leaves a mark for later. The whole sequence is super strange and bizarre and audience members can feel the gang’s discomfort while also finding the Hitchhiker quite comedic and the whole situation just totally ridiculous.
