by Sierra Knutsen
Horror movies have become increasingly popular over the years with each one attempting to either rebrand themselves as something entirely original or replicate the formula that iconic franchises have delivered audiences over the years in a new way. This year, there’s been a rise in popularity of a refreshing horror subgenre: dark comedy. Dark comedies blend horror and humor together, delivering satirical perspectives on subjects that are usually serious or taboo. In the past couple of months, there have been two films of this subgenre released that I believe have flourished the most: Companion and Heart Eyes.
Companion follows a couple, Iris and Josh, as their weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns catastrophic after one of the guests is murdered. The film’s big twist (though they do give this away in the trailer, so it’s not really a “twist”) is that Iris is actually a robot, programmed specially by Josh to be his perfect partner. As Josh and his friends are sent on a wild goose chase to find Iris and shut her down, they face numerous challenges that are equally disturbing and hilarious.
Jack Quaid’s performance as the character Josh was my absolute favorite in this film. He played the obnoxious, arrogant, “nice guy” character perfectly, making it easy to hate him. A lot of the comedy in this film came from the karma Josh was facing for his plot against Iris. Throughout the film, we see him continuously failing to catch Iris and pursue his plan, which you just have to laugh at. There’s just something so funny about seeing the failure of an egotistical man amidst the prosperity of a freshly liberated woman.
While Companion developed a plotline that was almost entirely original, Heart Eyes navigated a story more familiar to audiences, presenting itself as a slasher film. In the film, we watch as unofficial-couple Ally and Jay face the elusive “Heart Eyes Killer,” a murderer who has turned Valentine’s Day into a bloodbath by stalking and murdering couples. As the pair narrowly avoid death time and time again, they begin to fall for each other.
The humor in this film mainly comes from the love story that blossoms between Ally and Jay. While they were being attacked by a serial killer, they would say or do things straight out of a rom-com, like kiss after being pushed out of a window or laugh about their childhood while hiding from a killer. Olivia Holt, who played Ally, and Mason Gooding, who played Jay, both did a great job of portraying characters who were unbelievably over-the-top. These characters did what most characters in slasher films do, which is make horribly stupid decisions that make you yell at your screen in frustration. However, the ridiculousness of their love story and ability to continuously escape death actually made me laugh, rather than groan at their idiocy.
Both films used humor to add a unique spin to an otherwise slightly tired out horror plot. It’s very easy to miss the mark with dark comedies; some can be too out of touch, while others just aren’t funny. I believe that Companion and Heart Eyes managed to pull off the difficult task of unifying horror and comedy in ways that were genuinely enjoyable.
