Compare and Contrast Essay

An analysis on the characteristics of horror and comedy movies.

Movies are a form of art made with different intentions in mind; depending on what
the creators of a film want to convey, these movies will feature a variety of characteristics
that will make the watcher have a particular experience. Comedy and horror are the genres
with the clearest purpose, and while these genres are on both sides of the spectrum, there
are things where they can converge. This essay will dive into the different aspects that
make up comedy and horror films, going from the movie setting, the realness of the
situations, and the specific emotions they are trying to convey.

Starting with comedy movies, they feel closer to reality because of the daily life
aspects used, therefore making it seem familiar. The setting of the movie can v ary by sub-
genre; it can go from a very unique world to a normal life. For instance, Shrek (2001), or
10 Things I Hate About You (1999). In movies based on real-life, Suburban areas and
sunny places are the predominant settings—Farley (2014) explains how lighting is mainly
natural, intending to highlight the main character (para. 6). Furthermore, comedy movies
have a sense of reality because of the elements of friendship, school life, and daily
struggles. An example of this can be Yes Day (2021), presenting a family, or Mean Girls
(2004), which exemplifies many prejudices high-schoolers face in order to fit in. However,
not many situations are alike to real-life, since actions are exaggerated; sometimes made so
the audience can laugh about the frustrations of life (Filmsite, n.d., para. 1). And finally,
the main purpose of these films is to make people have a good time. As the plot is light and
full of wholesome and funny moments, it produces laughter and positive feelings.

On the other hand, horror movies happen under singular and out-of-the-ordinary
circumstances that produce fear in the audience. The use of darkness is the most common
element of horror since it is linked with mystery and the unknown. Often, horror movies
are set inside houses but terrific and paranormal features; making the place we feel the
safest in into a nightmare—“[Horror houses] takes us out of our comfort zone by violating
our private space” (Staines, 2020, para. 3). Likewise, as these movies use elements and
have situations that wouldn’t occur normally, they are fictional, such as the presence of
unknown entities trying to kill people, ghosts, or possessed dolls. However, some horror
movies are based on true stories, exaggerating some facts so it is more movie-like (Hayes,
2020, para. 2). And moreover, these kinds of movies are made so people can experience
the sentiment of horror and fear. For a lot of people, it is exciting to feel the thrill and
anxiety that a horror movie causes because they know they are experiencing it as outsiders
(Bologna, C. 2020, para. 7).

To summarize, things such as emotions, realness, and setting are the ones that
differentiate horror movies from comedy movies. The setting helps to set the mood and for
the audience to have an expectation of what is going to happen; likewise, it is one of the
elements that will convey the emotions intended—sunlight equals positive feelings, while
darkness equals negative feelings. However, something in which both types of movies
intersect is the realness; they are filled with actions and things that would rarely be seen, if
ever, in real-life—but this seems to be a requirement for any kind of movie.
 REFERENCES

 The Psychology, Geography, and Architecture of Horror: How Places Creep Us Out.

(2020, January 23). Academic Studies Press.

https://www.academicstudiespress.com/asp-blog/how-places-creep-us-out

 Comedy Films. (n.d.). Filmsite. https://www.filmsite.org/comedyfilms.html

 Lea Valley Media. (n.d.). Film genre research. Slideshare.

https://es.slideshare.net/LVHS/film-genre-research

 D’Monte, A. (2020, October 30). ‘Too Close To Home’: The Terrifying Role Of

Houses In Horror Films. Impact Magazine.

https://impactnottingham.com/2020/10/too-close-to-home-the-terrifying-role-of-

houses-in-horror-films/

 Hayes, A. (2021, May 10). People Shared Horror Films That Most People Don’t

Realize Are Based On True Events And Holy Heck, Y’all. BuzzFeed.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alliehayes/horror-movies-based-on-a-true-story-flipped

 Martin, N. G. (2019). (Why) Do You Like Scary Movies? A Review of the Empirical

Research on Psychological Responses to Horror Films. Frontiers.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02298/full

 Bologna, C. (2020, October 31). Why Some People With Anxiety Love Watching

Horror Movies. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anxiety-love-watching-

horror-movies_l_5d277587e4b02a5a5d57b59e