9 Horror Movies That Were Ahead Of Their Time

The venerable British studio Ealing is best remembered for its string of classic comedies, many starring Alec Guinness. Before its golden period really began, though, it released Dead Of Night, a cult favourite horror that was among the first to effectively blend scares with laughs.

While the two genres don’t necessarily seem the most natural of combos, comedy and horror go together surprisingly well. Both attempt to elicit an involuntary reaction from its audience, surprising viewers with something funny or scary enough that they can’t help but react.

Dead Of Night takes place in a spooky country cottage, and takes the form of an anthology comprising four scary tales. There are plenty of classic horror tropes here - a haunted mirror, an evil ventriloquist dummy - but all are presented with Ealing’s trademark wit and panache. This isn’t a full blooded comedy - it’s foremostly a creepy mood piece - but the mixture of frolics and frights create an unsettling atmosphere.

Horror comedies would have their heyday in the 2000s, but the film was equally pioneering as an anthology piece, leading to its natural endpoint - The Simpsons’ Treehouse Of Horror episodes.