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Image via Universal Pictures
There’s nothing quite like when different film genres are combined in one movie. Horror with a side of comedy or a detective story set in space are fun possibilities to play with for a creative director or writer to explore. The films that stitch multiple genres together often defy expectations because, when done well, the finished product looks like nothing that came before it.
Especially at a time when franchises play it safe so as not to alienate audience members, a genre mash-up is an exciting breath of fresh air that promises a unique experience. The following films are the best examples of different genres coming together as one, ranked by how seamlessly the unrelated concepts merged. These movies dared to think outside the box, delivering something new and refreshing that remains inspiring today.
10 'Brick' (2005)
Directed by Rian Johnson
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Image via Focus Features
In the hard-boiled teen noir Brick, high school loner Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) receives a mysterious call from a troubled old flame. Brendan’s wits and resolve will be tested as he navigates a complicated web of dangerous characters in pursuit of his missing ex-girlfriend, Emily (Emilie de Ravin). The first feature-length film from director Rian Johnson, Brick is a tense mystery modeled after classic detective stories like The Maltese Falcon, swapping shadowy alleys for high school hallways.
The high school setting of Brick is a clever novelty against scenes where each actor is playing their part with stoic sincerity. The entire cast does a fantastic job with the material, but Gordon-Levitt shines as the troubled “detective” who would wash away his troubles with a stiff drink if he were old enough to enter a bar. While the concept of teens behaving like adults is a fun twist, removing it would still leave a compelling mystery with enough twists to make Dashiell Hammett proud.
Brick
Release Date April 14, 2006
Runtime 110 minutes
Writers Rian Johnson
9 'Little Shop of Horrors' (1986)
Directed by Frank Oz
Image via Warner Bros.
A horror comedy musical with a 1950s sci-fi B movie aesthetic, Little Shop of Horrors mixes roughly every genre possible flawlessly. Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) eeks out an existence in a plant shop where he’s disrespected by his boss and unseen by his co-worker and crush, Audrey (Ellen Greene). Seymour’s fortune turns around when he comes across a unique plant that makes him a local celebrity, but there’s a catch: the plant needs human flesh to survive.
Whether it’s Steve Martin crooning as a motorcycle-riding sadistic dentist or a gigantic alien venus fly trap singing for its supper, the songs in Little Shop of Horrors will please even the most ardent anti-musical viewer. Based on the stage musical, which was, in turn, based on the 1960 Roger Corman movie of the same name, Little Shop of Horrors had an unlikely but entertaining journey returning to the big screen in a new form.
The Little Shop Of Horrors
Release Date December 19, 1986
Runtime 94 Minutes
8 'What We Do In the Shadows' (2014)
Directed by Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi
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Image Via Unison/Paladin
In What We Do In the Shadows, a group of vampires invite a documentary crew into their home to learn what life is like for a modern creature of the night in New Zealand. What We Do In the Shadows uses well-known vampire tropes to create an often hilarious mockumentary that lovingly satirizes the famous bloodsuckers. For a movie about the undead, the humor is often sweet-natured or silly in the face of ritualistic murders to achieve immortality.
Serving as writers, directors, and actors in the film, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi take on the most mundane activities and create supernatural comedy in large and rewarding doses. The low-budget horror comedy survived on strong word of mouth, with largely positive reviews from audiences and critics. What We Do in the Shadows built such a well-crafted world of vampires enjoying a comfortable life that it made sense that the FX spin-off series of the same name would enjoy a successful six-season run on FX.
Release Date June 19, 2014
Runtime 86 Minutes
7 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996)
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Image Via Miramax
In From Dusk Till Dawn, George Clooney stars as the ruthless but mostly level-headed criminal Seth Gecko, who takes a family hostage as cover for him and his brother Richie (Quentin Tarantino) to cross the Mexican border. What’s meant as a celebratory drink in a Mexican bar becomes a fight for survival as the staff become vampires and, in a move that is terrible for repeat business, attempt to eat the patrons.
While many of the other genre mash-ups attempt to weave different concepts together from the beginning, From Dusk Till Dawn abruptly shifts from crime thriller to horror so quickly that it’s momentarily disorienting when it happens. The action is fast and bloody, with all the hallmarks of a grindhouse classic playing on a weathered drive-in movie screen. The action-horror hybrid was a sleeper hit, with multiple From Dusk Till Dawn sequels as well as a TV series of the same name.
From Dusk Till Dawn
Release Date January 19, 1996
Runtime 108 minutes
6 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World' (2010)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Image via Universal Pictures
Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is enjoying the simple life of hanging out and playing in his band, The Sex Bob-Ombs, when his world is turned upside down by the alluring and aloof Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Before Scott can hope to ride off into the sunset with Ramona, he will first need to vanquish her seven evil exes to win her hand. In the pursuit of love (or infatuation), Scott will battle a movie star, a vegan demi-god, and the most frightening of all, a record executive.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a comedic love story wrapped in a quilt of anime, 8-bit video games, and martial arts films to make a movie that looks and plays like no other. Director Edgar Wright has made a career off of throwing different genres in a hat and shaking them around, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is arguably his most visually striking production. The movie criminally underperformed at the box office, but the years have been kind to Scott and his gang of friends and foes, turning it into a cult classic romance that is revisited often by its fans.
Release Date August 12, 2010
Runtime 113 minutes
Writers Edgar Wright , Michael Bacall
Studio(s) Marc Platt Productions , Big Talk Films , Closed on Mondays Entertainment , Dentsu
5 'The Matrix' (1999)
Directed by Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski
Image via Warner Bros.
In The Matrix, a computer hacker going by the name Neo (Keanu Reeves) is given a choice to see the truth behind the world he lives in. One swallowed pill later, Neo is off on a surreal battle for survival against a world of machines that see humans as nothing more than AA batteries. As Neo learns more about his fabled role as “The One,” he develops powers while training under the enigmatic Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) that will allow him to conquer even the most advanced mechanical foe.
The action film doesn’t hide the source material that inspired it, with heavy cues taken from Blade and Ghost in the Shell, but the disparate pieces of media formed a worldwide sensation when The Matrix was released. A mixture of kung fu action with science fiction-infused live-action anime, The Matrix introduced a style that was immediately imitated and parodied but never quite duplicated, even by the directing team of the Wachowskis themselves.
The Matrix
Release Date March 31, 1999
Runtime 136 minutes
4 'Blade Runner' (1982)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Image via Warner Bros.
Blade Runner is a dazzling combination of cyberpunk visuals with noir storytelling in a world that seems simultaneously familiar and foreign. Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a blade runner whose job is to track down replicants, or humanoid androids, who have gone on the run in an effort to pass as humans. As Deckard tracks down a new group of runaway replicants, he begins to question if there’s more humanity in the machines than his superiors believe.
While Blade Runner was not met with a warm reception upon its release, it has since received a cult fandom and is now widely considered not only the best sci-fi movie of the '80s but one of the genre's all-time great efforts. Multiple cuts of Blade Runner have left fans debating which is the superior version, each offering a slightly different perspective of the narrative. The film's enduring popularity led to a sequel starring Ryan Gosling, Blade Runner 2049, which featured a returning Ford as Deckard.
Release Date June 25, 1982
Runtime 117 minutes
Writers Hampton Fancher , David Webb Peoples , Philip K. Dick , Roland Kibbee
3 'Shaun of the Dead' (2004)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Image via Focus Features
Shaun (Simon Pegg) is in a rut that threatens to end his relationship. Thankfully, a zombie apocalypse comes along to shake things up in director Edgar Wright’s acclaimed 2000s horror comedy Shaun of the Dead. With the threat of death around every corner, Shaun must team up with his best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), to save his mother, his girlfriend, and, if he absolutely must, his girlfriend’s disapproving friends.
A cult classic that made stars out of Pegg and Wright, Shaun of the Dead balances romance, comedy, and horror into an energetic, addictively rewatchable package. Shaun of the Dead leans more toward comedy than horror for most of its runtime, but that doesn’t mean it lacks depth. Because all of the characters are charming in their unique ways, when the unlucky few succumb to the zombie threat it can lead to remarkably emotional scenes as the survivors are forced to carry on.
Shaun of the Dead
Release Date September 24, 2004
Runtime 99 minutes
2 'Alien' (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Image via 20th Century Studios
A detour to answer a distress call sends the crew of a commercial spaceship down a doomed path in the sci-fi horror classic Alien. Unknowingly bringing a lethal threat on board, the crew will be mauled one by one until only Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) remains to face the horrifying creature. Alien would turn Weaver into a household name and give director Scott the boost to a legendary filmmaking career.
Science fiction and horror were by no means strangers before the release of Alien, but Scott’s claustrophobic horror story mixed the two in a way that seemed revelatory for the time. The character design of the deadly Xenomorph alien is still unmatched with its ability to remain menacing years after audiences became familiar with its sleek curves. Alien is one of the more lucrative franchises still producing new entries with various sequels, prequels, and an upcoming television show that broadens the mythology of the killer species one chest burst at a time.
1 'Ghostbusters' (1984)
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Three scientists pull their resources to get into the business of busting ghosts in the Ivan Reitman classic Ghostbusters. Doctors Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) open a supernatural pest removal service for New York City, and it turns out their specialty is in high demand. With the help of new hire Winston Zedmore (Ernie Hudson), the Ghostbusters uncover a paranormal force that threatens to destroy the world one marshmallowed step at a time.
Even though Ghostbusters is considered one of the most well-known franchises in movie history, there was a time when the mixture of science fiction, horror, and comedy was a big swing that could have failed with audiences. Reliably strong performances from the likes of Murray and Aykroyd, along with instantly loved characters like Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, made Ghostbusters a comedy horror blockbuster. Spawning multiple sequels and a few beloved cartoon series, Ghostbusters redefined comedy by making a blue-collar story about the fantastic and impossible.
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