Edgar Wright believes that audiences should support original movies to ensure the future viability of the film medium. He has always been fascinated by both horror and comedy films and was inspired by An American Werewolf in London's ability to achieve a sophisticated tone through blending the two genres. Sam Raimi intended for Crimewave to be an ultimate entertainment experience that would thrill, chill, make audiences laugh and cry but it ended up scaring them away. An American Werewolf in London paved the way for a new style of horror-comedy blending that can be seen in films like Shaun of the Dead and Cabin in the Woods. Edgar Wright's films like Shaun of the Dead and the Cornetto trilogy effectively blend

1. Essay quotes
Edgar Wright. “We need to make more original movies, and audiences would do well to
support original movies for the future of the medium.” – Source:
https://industrialscripts.com/edgar-wright-quotes/
Edgar Wright. “I've always been fascinated by horror films and genre films. And horror films
harboured a fascination for me and always have been something I've wanted to watch and
wanted to make. Equally, I'm very fascinated by comedy. I suppose the reason that An
American Werewolf in London (1981) changed my life is that very early on in my film-
watching experiences, I saw a film that was so sophisticated in its tone and what it managed
to achieve.” – Source:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0942367/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_qt_sm#quotes
Sam Raimi. on Crimewave (1985) “I wanted it to be the ultimate picture of entertainment.
To thrill, chill, make the audience laugh, cry, scream... They screamed for their money back.”
– Source: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000600/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_qt_sm#quotes
Evil Dead. “There are inventive camera angles and effective jump-scares and atmospheric
settings (it’s amazing what you can do with some fog and a few bright lights). And the film’s
commitment to being the goriest ever made is admirable, even if you feel the film-makers’
giddiness at the special effects is driving the story more than any dramatic imperative. Blood
flows by the bucketload, by the tanker-load – enough to earn Evil Dead infamy as one of the
key “video nasties” of the 1980s – but from today’s perspective, the gore is so unconvincing
as to be comical rather than disturbing.” – Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/26/evil-dead-review-
John Landis. “You always want to do something different. I enjoy the process. I like making
movies, and it's increasingly hard to find a movie you'd want to make.” – Source:
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1280391
TV tropes. “Comedy dominant works have more leeway here. They may be a straight up
comedy or parody set in a typical horror setting or premise, or use Black Comedy along with
splatter horror to maximum effect. Comedy dominant works often deconstruct horror
tropes for laughs, other times playing them hilariously straight as an Affectionate
Parody (with perhaps a Lampshade Hanging).” – Source:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HorrorComedy
Jule Selbo. “Exaggeration and absurdity are key elements in the construction of a comedy
film, while being excessive is vital to the creation of horror productions. Comedy and horror
are linked through their willingness to go over the top.” – Source:
https://theconversation.com/horror-and-comedy-films-have-more-in-common-than-you-
might-realise-85048

2. Army of darkness. “Ash's fish-out-of-water exploits in medieval times, with the character's
sarcastic, sardonic observations on his surroundings lending the early part of the
proceedings a hilarious and thoroughly compelling vibe.” – Source:
https://www.reelfilm.com/samraimi.htm
Shaun of the dead. “Shaun‘s deserving of the “Best Edgar Wright Film” moniker is in that,
like all good films, it takes the reality that we recognise and bends it – this time into a
controlled world of horror, gore, and adventure.” – Source:
https://oneroomwithaview.com/2017/06/20/shaun-of-the-dead-edgar-wrights-best-film/
The Cornetto trilogy. “The style that slowly gains more and more backbone with each film is
fun to watch evolve.” – Source: https://www.theslateonline.com/blog/movie-
mayhem/2013/09/cornetto-trilogy-
review#:~:text=Seeing%20the%20entire%20trilogy%20in,place%20in%20the%20same%20u
niverse.
An American werewolf in London. “An American Werewolf in London paved the way for a
whole new style of thrills seen in the likes of Lost Boys, Fright Night, Scream, Shaun of the
Dead, and Cabin in the Woods, among others. It also remains the most visceral experience
in prosthetic horror to date, handily winning Rick Baker the first Oscar for makeup effects,
as well as inspiring the Michael Jackson “Thriller” video (which Landis also directed).” –
Source: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/an-american-werewolf-in-london-is-still-the-
best-horror-reimagining/
Jumping fence scene. “But we liked the idea of these little running gags,” explains Wright.
“And, because Nicholas Angel is a supercop, wouldn’t it be funny if he excelled at doing
what Shaun did badly?” – Source: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/empire-
30-edgar-wright-greatest-shots/