Decapitation seldom appears in comedy. Nevertheless, it isn’t exactly unheard of, either.
- 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997) — One of the few motion pictures to wear
its decapitation comedy credentials on its sleeve, this Joe Pesci vehicle attempts to glean humour from the sheer ghastliness of its subject matter. Pesci plays a gangster tasked with transporting a bag full of wiseguy noggins to a mob boss. His luggage gets switched with that of a hapless college student, and wacky hijinks of the darkest variety ensue. Pesci’s jaded, seen-it-all cynicism plays quite well off of the stunned horror of the yuppie family he interacts with, and while the film didn’t attract a big audience, it’ll long be remembered for its outrageous premise.
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) — Who could forget the killer
rabbit? King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table just couldn’t take that adorable li’l beastie seriously, and the wisecracking but foolhardy Sir Bors ended up shorter by one head for his lack of respect. As with all instances of decapitation comedy, the humour comes not from the violent act itself, but from the chaotic aftermath, in which the surviving knights shriek, wet their armour and bitch at each other over failed battle plans. Meanwhile, the killer bunny resumes its placid facade and wriggles its little pink nose adorably.
- Operation Pink Squad 2 (1989) — In the action comedies of 1980s Hong
Kong, anything went. For proof, you need look no further than this giddy supernatural farce, which concludes with a flying witch’s head being chased down a hallway by remote-controlled helicopters. If that sounds like your kind of flick, believe me, it definitely is. I’d even call Operation Pink Squad 2 a "must see," if only it were easier to find.
- Cemetery Man (AKA Dellamorte Dellamore) (1994) — This deliciously
offbeat zombie art film is the work of the talented Italian cult auteur Michele Soavi. People buried at the Buffalora cemetery have a nasty habit of returning to life. The groundskeeper, Francesco Dellamorte (Rupert Everett) has grown accustomed to the routine of shooting the zombies in the head and burying them a second time. The film alternates between head-scratching philosophical oddness and offbeat, almost whimsical dark comedy. In one scene, the town mayor is appalled to find that his recently deceased daughter has returned to life as a singing zombie head, and that she intends to marry a scruffy commoner. Kids these days!
- Death Becomes Her (1992) — After an anti-aging magic charm renders
them unkillable, Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep have the mother of all catfights, and wind up in worse and worse physical condition. The humour comes from how vain the characters remain, even after becoming ghastly, stapled-together monsters.
- Idle Hands (1999) — This fun horror comedy didn’t earn much critical
respect, but remains an enjoyable diversion for adventurous DVD renters. It’s a "possessed hand" movie that seems fully aware of its own silliness, which must be why the protagonist’s two stoner friends come back from the dead with virtually no explanation. (Apparently the bright light at the end of the tunnel was "way over there," and the lazy teens just couldn’t be bothered.) One of these teen zombies gets a fair amount of comic mileage out of his own severed head, which first appears lying on the couch, catching cheetos in its mouth.
- Don’t Lose Your Head (AKA Carry On Pimpernel, AKA Carry On Don’t Lose
Your Head) (1966) — Sure, you’d expect decapitation humour from Hong Kong and Hollywood independents, but from the Carry On gang? Most viewers know these guys from their series of goofy comedies, in which snooty British prudes gasp over unintentional double entendres, while spring-loaded bikini tops go flying and Sid James unleashes the World’s Dirtiest Chuckle. Yet among their filmography is this freewheeling adaptation of the classic adventure novel The Scarlet Pimpernel. How do all of these lowbrow Benny Hill-esque shenanigans match up with classic literature? Surprisingly well, actually. Sid James stars as "The Black Fingernail," a British aristocrat bent on rescuing his French counterparts from the guillotine during the Revolution. His numerous disguises never fail to bamboozle the villains, despite the fact that, to the audience, he’s clearly just Sid James in a different coat (and occasionally, a wig and frock). Charles Hawtrey gets the biggest laughs as a foppish aristo who refuses to take his upcoming execution seriously. He arrives on the cart with his nose in a book, and can scarcely be enticed to put it down long enough to be beheaded. With a bored, offhand manner, Hawtrey gets into position on the guillotine, with a basket positioned to receive his head. When an important message arrives for him, he responds with a flippant "Oh, just throw it in the basket. I’ll read it later!" Naturally, The Black Fingernail arrives in time to stop the execution by fast-talking the dimwitted headsman into using the guillotine on himself. I must have been about seven years old when I saw this on TV one rainy afternoon, and I still remember being flabbergasted by the revelation that public executions could be made funny. |
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