Jordan Peele went from comedy sketches on MadTV and Key & Peele to Get Out, Us, and Nope.
Danny McBride went from absurd comedies to writing the most recent Halloween trilogy. The director of the Halloween trilogy, David Gordon Green, also did comedies, including Pineapple Express (which starred Danny McBride), but he was arguably from a more serious background before that.
Curry Barker went from YouTube comedy sketches to writing and directing Obsession.
Zach Cregger did internet sketch comedy with The Whitest Kids U Know and went onto writing and directing the horror movies Barbarian and Weapons.
In a recent interview by Conan O’Brien, Danny McBride agreed with Conan that there’s a lot of similarity in writing for the tension and expectations when writing comedy and when writing horror, and it makes sense.
Good comedians are almost always incredibly talented. It requires introspection, a unique world view, quick wit and a good understanding of narrative timing/phrasing. All of that translates well to most projects.
I think another part of it is that good, successful comedy with broad appeal is so hard to do that anyone who can write comedy well can write pretty much anything. You have to be so story-smart that you can take those skills to almost any genre in a way that someone who’s good at superhero stories, for instance, might not be.
The comedy to horror pipeline is interesting.
Jordan Peele went from comedy sketches on MadTV and Key & Peele to Get Out, Us, and Nope.
Danny McBride went from absurd comedies to writing the most recent Halloween trilogy. The director of the Halloween trilogy, David Gordon Green, also did comedies, including Pineapple Express (which starred Danny McBride), but he was arguably from a more serious background before that.
Curry Barker went from YouTube comedy sketches to writing and directing Obsession.
Zach Cregger did internet sketch comedy with The Whitest Kids U Know and went onto writing and directing the horror movies Barbarian and Weapons.
In a recent interview by Conan O’Brien, Danny McBride agreed with Conan that there’s a lot of similarity in writing for the tension and expectations when writing comedy and when writing horror, and it makes sense.
Good comedians are almost always incredibly talented. It requires introspection, a unique world view, quick wit and a good understanding of narrative timing/phrasing. All of that translates well to most projects.
! Zach Cregger Mentioned ! I always loved him in WKUK, and the gallon of PCP
Weapons wasn’t as big a jump between horror and comedy as it seemed. Completely surprised my wife and I. Great movie.
Horror is just comedy played in a minor key
I love this analogy, and will be using it in the future.
I think another part of it is that good, successful comedy with broad appeal is so hard to do that anyone who can write comedy well can write pretty much anything. You have to be so story-smart that you can take those skills to almost any genre in a way that someone who’s good at superhero stories, for instance, might not be.