What is the difference between Horror Comedy and Black Comedy?
 |
| The Men Who Stare at Goats - Dark Comedy |
Horror Comedy and Black Comedy are two very similar sub-genres of comedy film however they are not identical. Horror Comedy tends to make light of horror and scary themes (e.g. Zombie apocalypse, haunted house, etc.) whereas Black Comedy makes light out of rather serious and dark subject matters (e.g. illness, murder, etc). Horror comedy can also be used in the form of a parody or a spoof. This isn't very common with black comedy as there are lots of iconic horror moments in many previous films that can be parodied however black comedy revolves comedy around the themes of the film so therefore, parodying is very difficult.
 |
| Horror Comedy - Dawn of the Dead Spoof |
Are there any similarities between Horror Comedy and Black Comedy?
There are a few similarities between these two genre and the differences between them are rather subtle. One very large similarity between these two genres of film include the way lighting is used. In horror films, lots of low key lighting is used to help establish the idea of darkness, fear also mystery. This idea is also used in Horror Comedy and Black Comedy films however, both of these genres tend to also use elements of high key lighting to help brighten up the film and provide opportunities for comedy. Another similarity between these two sub-genres is the use of stereotypes. Stereotypes are a great way to help establish character in a small amount of time and also, they are good for creating comedy. This idea of stereotypes complements the horror comedy and black comedy.
No comments:
Post a Comment