Terror has been tempered by humor for as long as performance has existed, and there is no shortage of films that tip-toe the line between the mortifying and the hilarious. And while there are dozens of additional films deserving your attention, these five funny frights manage the perfect balance of gore and guffaws.

Feel free to click the title of each film to view the trailers.

Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Ostensibly a sequel to Night of the Living Dead, this wad of gaudy, ‘80s glee has no time for social commentary or tension, so it simply rolls up its sleeves and commences with the brain-gobbling. A dingy Louisville is the backdrop for the cranium-hungry cadavers, and a group of grave-crashing punkers feature prominently in the buffet.
Between the clueless warehouse workers responsible for the undead rising and "Tarman," the goopy, shuffling zombie that popularized the "Braaaains!" moan, Return is a nonstop onslaught of campy horror perfection.

Slither (2006)
A modern send-up of The Blob and zombie films, Slither shows just how bad things can go for a small town when an alien plague-spawning meteor crash lands. Michael Rooker (Mallrats) mutates into a behemoth squid-thing, space slugs are jumping down everyone's throats, and as the sheriff, Nathan Fillion ("Firefly") does his best to save his old flame, and the day.
As campy homage, Slither succeeds more than it fails; festooning the viewing with an ample amount of the red stuff, and the whole affair has a manic energy spiked with a sense that anyone is fair game. And while it skews a little heavy into gross-out horror comedy at times, Slither still manages to juggle the gags and carnage successfully, delivering a gooey cinematic treat.

Basket Case (1982)
My gold standard for ‘80s trash horror, Basket Case is the deliciously unhinged saga of Duane and his brother Belial, who split for the Big Apple with bloody revenge on their mind. See, Duane and Belial were conjoined twins forcibly parted because Belial was malformed, and with a telepathic link connecting them, they will stop at nothing to exact vengeance on the doctors that separated them and left Belial for dead. That Belial is the size of a football, feasts on raw hotdogs, and lives in the titular basket should be of little concern.
Basket Case is a nonstop riot of 42nd Street grime, off-color characters, and some of the most insanely boisterous stop motion animation and puppeteering you will ever witness. If you're not rolling with laughter when Belial lunges from his wicker home and chomps down on an unsuspecting bystander, check your pulse because you may already be a goner. 91 minutes you'll want to share again and again.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Two pals are backpacking through Britain, and find themselves lost in a foggy, ominous forest. Soon enough, a mysterious and feral creature attacks them, killing one and injuring the other. And that is when things start to get really strange.
Haunted by visions of furry murder and visits from his gradually rotting-yet-sarcastically-conversational friend, David comes to realize that he is something dangerously more than human, and a newly-blossomed love might not be enough to save him.
John Landis (Animal House) directed this gruesome laugh riot that still features maybe the best man-to-wolf transformation ever committed to film. With strong performances throughout and the Oscar-winning effects work of Rick Baker, American Werewolf is a light-hearted but surprisingly intense fusion of the ghastly and the goofy.

Tremors (1990)
When subterranean, carnivorous worm-monsters are awoken beneath the tiny town of Perfection, Nevada, it is up to handymen Val and Earl (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward) to rally the rest of the townspeople and make a run for it, in this "Jaws in the desert" high-energy thriller.
Casting can make all the difference in a genre film and Tremors is an example of it done perfectly. As Val and Earl, Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward have chemistry to spare, playing off one another like lifetime buddies would. And with a supporting cast including the riotous, armory-hoarding Michael Gross and Reba McEntire, even the lesser roles are ideally inhabited.
While the "graboids" as the worm-things are delightfully dubbed and make mincemeat out of a number of townies, the carnage is kept to a minimum, instead employing a ‘50s matinee-style of humorously nervous tension. A sequel-spawning hit for good reason, Tremors is perfect Saturday afternoon fare.

Despite minor details such as no supporting science or foothold in rational thought, this year will be chock-full of 2012 prophecy talk, and all the related end of the world ballyhoo. And while the likelihood of planetary collision or other cataclysmic occurrence is about the same as any other year, it is a deliciously topical chance to catch a few post-apocalyptic flicks. Nothing as obvious as Mad Max or the soulless spectacle of 2012 here — and no stark, Cormac McCarthy realism welcome.

2019,  After the Fall of New York (1983)
A classic of Italian trash cinema, 2019 showcases the aftermath of nuclear fallout (infertility) and wraps it in a low-budget blanket of action and violence as our hero Parsifal endeavors to locate the last remaining fertile woman. We get needlessly intense weaponry (and outfits!), mutants and more in this gnarly clunker of an Arthurian homage.

Zardoz (1974)
If you want to blow a few movie-loving friends' minds, tell them you have a Sean Connery film you're dying to show them. Five minutes into Zardoz and you will have either demolished any respect for your taste they may have had - or forever earned it. The definition of "see it to believe it" films, Zardoz is the story of a post-apocalyptic world where the near-primal survivors worship an anti-procreation, gun-spewing stone head idol and (a scantily clad) Sean Connery discovers a secret, affluent society far removed from the violence of the outside world. Part heady sci-fi, part camp masterpiece, and part red loin cloth, Zardoz is unlike anything you've seen — for better or worse.

A Boy and His Dog (1974)
It is post-nuclear war, and the titular Boy, Vic (Don Johnson. Yes, that Don Johnson) and his dog, Blood, roam the land, scavenging for what they can to survive. That ol' Blood happens to be a telepathic pooch with a bottomless stomach and what they're scavenging for is primarily female companionship, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Darkly humorous and with a vaguely nasty streak, A Boy and His Dog is something of a cult classic and is pulp sci-fi at its ragged, eccentric best.

Solarbabies (1986)
In the new world order water is hyper scarce and orphans form friendships through competing in a rollerball/hockey hybrid - sounds realistic thus far. But when one of the Solarbabies (that's the name of their team, obviously) finds a glowing orb with supernatural powers, things get a little far-fetched. And by "far-fetched" I mean "ludicrously magnificent," because Solarbabies is a delirious ‘80s romp from start to end. Who knew all it took to rise up against your water-enslaving oppressors was a magic E.T. ball and some roller skates?

Horror Express (Films)

A fantastic monster-runs-amok film, Horror Express stars Christopher Lee as an uptight professor who discovers a frozen man-ape and Peter Cushing as his meddling rival. The film works due to the dynamic, claustrophobic train setting and the chemistry of Lee and Cushing, who play off each other perfectly. Throw in some excellent make-up effects (even 40 years later, that ape monster is freaky!) and an unhinged Telly Savalas as a vodka-swilling Cossack and you have the recipe for a perfect horror matinee.

Lethal Ladies Collection (Shout! Factory)
Fresh from viewing Machete Maidens Unleashed, the wild journey into Filipino exploitation films, I had a hankering for more glorious trash and the Lethal Ladies triple feature from Shout! Factory more than fit the bill.

Squeezing more than four hours of butt-kicking, explosion-filled, jaw-dropping action insanity onto two discs, this collection is some of the worst (therefore best) that ‘70s and early ‘80s female-lead grindhouse action had to offer. With the tropical setting and eagerness of the government to court U.S. filmmakers, you get some surprisingly large set-pieces and thrills as explosions and gunfights look far bigger than they have any right to.

But what it comes down to are attractive ladies kicking butt with no interest in taking names, and the Lethal Ladies Collection has more than your recommended daily allowance.

Lucky, premiering March 13, is the third feature film between Rebel Picture's Michael McCallum and UnSAFE Film Office's Anthony Griffin. The two Michigan men have been making films together since 2005 and their first film together, Fairview St., took home multiple awards and accolades.

"We have similar tastes; a similar sense of honor and accountability. We key off each other well," Griffin said.

Don't get the wrong idea about the talented duo though. Griffin and McCallum didn't make Lucky -- or any other film — together for recognition and awards.

"We focus on stories that are smaller and more personalized and regionalized. The audience wants to be challenged, so we give them a story and let them form their own opinions," Griffin said.

"Our films are not cookie cutter. We tell the stories we want to tell," McCallum added.

Lucky is just that. It's a personal film shot entirely in Lansing over a period of a year and a half. The drama was written and directed by McCallum, while Griffin was the man behind the camera. Lucky follows the tumultuous love life of Henry, played beautifully and sincerely by McCallum himself, over the course of a couple years. The film isn't just about Henry's trouble and lack of commitment when it comes to the opposite sex though. It's more about the journey and the people he meets along the way.

What makes Lucky so personal this time around though is the fact that the filmmaking duo tried a different approach to conveying the plot. Instead of memorizing static lines and spitting them back out verbatim, Michael and Anthony encouraged improvisation. The result is a refreshing and very natural feel to the entire story. In addition to mixing up the acting in the film, they also played around with the cinematography.

"Lucky is an evolution of style because the camera work evolves along with the story. It's very different from the first two films we made together," McCallum said.

McCallum and Griffin also make sure to pay attention to all things local in their films. Not only is it shot in Lansing and features Michigan actors, but the music is completely local as well; a fact McCallum seems genuinely proud of.

"I just want to be supportive of someone else trying to do their thing. It adds such a flavor to our films and instead of paying thousands for Marvin Gaye, we can do it locally."

During the week of March 13, Lucky will be showing at Celebration Cinema Lansing with its first run on that Sunday at 7 p.m. For a complete list of showing times, click here.