Squad Goals – 10 Of The Best Horror Movie Friendships

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are looking at, and ranking, Squad Goals – 10 Of The Best Horror Movie Friendships.

Horror Friendships that Endure Through it All

Believe it or not, this list was fairly tough to put together. Most of the time, when it comes to horror movies, friends are either betraying each other, lying to each other, or putting their own needs first leading to the death of their so called friends. You would be surprised at how few horror movies actually present positive portrayals of friendship.

I suppose it’s pretty hard to focus on the good when it is so much more fun to focus on the bad but there will be no betrayals in our list today. All of the movies here feature some of the best friendships in horror history.

We have people working together to fight off evil, people putting themselves in danger to save their friends, and comrades sticking together right until the end. Naturally, it doesn’t always turn out great for the people involved, but they stick together nonetheless. Without further ado, let’s take a look.

👯‍♀️ At a Glance: Top 5 Horror Besties

10. Re/Member (2022) – Loop De Loop

The Bond Factor: It fits our list perfectly with the group becoming fast friends and doing everything they can to help each other out. It does a great job of capturing a sense of camaraderie as they work together to find a way to break the loop.

Knockout Verdict: Live, Die, Repeat, Befriend.

We are kicking things off with a recent J-Horror from 2022 – Re/Member, otherwise known as Remember Member. This movie is based on a manga and anime of the same name and follows the story of a group of high school students who find themselves trapped in a time loop by a ghost. Each night, the group are viciously murdered and have to work together to find a way to break the loop.

I’m a big fan of Japanese horror, I am also a big fan of time loop movies. I am not, however, a big fan of Re/member. It tries its best to play out like a live action anime but comes across as cheesy and repetitive. It’s boring, the action scenes look terrible and don’t inspire much excitement, and the movie is cliched even by live action anime standards. Still, younger fans will probably find something to enjoy. We awarded Re/member 1.5/5 in our review.

9. The Ritual (2017) – Hiking into Hell

The Bond Factor: The Ritual features a somewhat more emotional and nuanced depiction of friendship than some of the other movies on this list. With the group sharing a complicated relationship set against a backdrop of loss and grief. The events the group go through do cause some degree of strain on them but the friends refuse to allow their relationships to become splintered and keep working together for each other against enormous odds.

Knockout Verdict: Bros before ancient gods.

Now that we have the only bad movie in this list out of the way, we can kick things off with the good ones. The first of which is David Bruckner’s British horror movie The Ritual from 2017. This one follows a group of friends heading out into the woods of Sweden for a backpacking trip. Only to stumble upon an ancient evil hidden among the trees.

This is a fairly decent horror movie that may surprise you a little with both its final act and it’s depiciton of friendship against the odds. It also has enough scares and tension to make it well worth a watch.

8. The Monster Squad (1987) – Wolfman’s Got Nards

The Bond Factor: The Monster Squad came about in an era where groups of kids teaming up to take on something evil was very much en vogue. Friendship is key and plays a massive part in the movie. It feels, very much, like a love letter to 30’s horror with a large dollop of The Goonies to wash it all down.

Knockout Verdict: Clubhouse rules apply.

We are going back to the late 80s for this next one and it is an absolute classic. Not a brilliant movie by any stretch but just tons of fun. The Monster Squad sees a bunch of kids attempting to prevent a whole gaggle of Universal Monsters from taking over the world. Dracula teams up with The Mummy, Wolfman, Gill-man, and even Frankenstein’s monster but The Monster Squad aren’t about to let them run rampage in this enjoyable horror comedy.

It’s derivative sure, and it was criticised at the time for being a bit crude. But The Monster Squad holds up well in an age that is completely obsessed with everything 80s. Not to mention the fact that kids are likely to love this one as well.

7. Zombieland (2009) – Rule #32: Enjoy the Little Things

The Bond Factor: Zombieland’s odd pairing of Eisenberg and Harrelson make for some serious laughs and the addition of Breslin and Stone helps bring a new dynamic to the group. Sure, they don’t necessarily fit together as a group but they stick together throughout everything and they meet Bill Murray, as well, so that is pretty cool.

Knockout Verdict: Nut up or shut up.

This is the first of a few horror comedies on this list. 2009’s Zombieland stars Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin and Woody Harrelson as the group team up on a road trip across America. The only caveat being that the place is filled with zombies.

The whole zombie thing has been done to death but Zombieland is one of a few zombie focused horror comedies that managed to be genuinely enjoyable. Funny, gory, and full of action. I’m not the world’s biggest horror comedy fan but I really enjoyed Zombieland.

6. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) – Don’t Judge a Book

The Bond Factor: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil actually manages to do something that horror comedies rarely do. It legitimately warms your heart as Tucker and Dale are just so damn likable. Alright, it may step a little too far into the sickly sweet at times but this is every bit the feel good horror comedy and they are great friends to boot.

Knockout Verdict: We have had a doozy of a day.

Next up on our list is Eli Craig’s black horror comedy movie Tucker & Dale vs. Evil from 2010. This movie flips traditional horror movie tropes on their heads as our well meaning hicks Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine), who just purchased their dream vacation home, are mistaken for maniacal killers by a bunch of dumb college students. After saving a drowning girl at a lake, her friends assume the pair are kidnapping her, prompting them to come to her rescue.

Eli Craig does a great job poking fun at horror cliches all while managing some very apt commentary on all too common social issues like judging people on appearances. Excellent stuff though it is a little top heavy. If you want to watch something completely different and feel good while doing it, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is a great option.

5. They Look Like People (2015) – Trust Exercise

The Bond Factor: The friendship between Wyatt and Christian feels both authentic and believable. The depiction of mental illness is one of the most accurate and convincing in horror history and the relationship between the friends is legitimately touching. Especially during the last 15 minutes or so.

Knockout Verdict: Trust is the only weapon.

This one is a bit of a personal favourite of mine. They Look Like People, from 2015, follows the story of two best friends meeting up for the first time in years. Wyatt has recently broken up with his fiancée and is struggling to manage day to day life. Christian, who has also recently split up with his fiancée, has turned to self help and exercise to overcome his depression. Their meeting up is a little more than coincidence, however. As Wyatt believes there are alien creatures walking among us and he is desperate to save his friend’s life.

A lot of people won’t agree with where I have placed this movie in this list. Some people find it to be too slow, some don’t enjoy the almost horror adjacent story, and some feel it is too arthouse and too subdued. But I simply love this movie. It is not for everyone and it does have its flaws, but if you enjoy slow paced horror, give They Look Like People a try. We awarded They Look Like People 3.8/5 in our review.

4. Unseen (2023) – A Vision of Friendship

The Bond Factor: This is a genuinely feel good movie that does a great job of illustrating the bond that forms between Sam and Emily. The pair become fast friends and Sam refuses to give up on Emily, despite the chaos taking place all around her. We need way more horror movies that feature strong female friendships. It is sadly lacking and Unseen shows just how endearing and positive a thing it can be.

Knockout Verdict: Blind trust.

Yoko Okumura’s Unseen was a bit of a sleeper hit in 2023, in my opinion. It follows the clinically blind Emily as she tries to escape from her boyfriend. Unable to see and without her glasses, she contacts a woman, Sam, and enlists her help in navigating via her phone’s video call feature. Together, the pair do everything they can to keep Emily safe and away from danger.

Tense, hilarious and completely enjoyable from start to finish. Unseen is awesome fun and the relationship between our two protagonists is one of the warmest in years. We awarded Unseen 3.5/5 in our review.

3. Resolution (2012) – Cold Turkey with a Side of Cosmos

The Bond Factor: Resolution follows the story of a man who, pretty much, kidnaps his junkie best friend to force him to go cold turkey in order to save his life. The core relationship between the best friends proves to be troubled, at first. Chris has no real interest in giving up his addictions. But it opens up as the movie goes on and leads to some seriously touching moments.

Knockout Verdict: A story with an ending… Kind of.

Justin Benson’s Resolution, from 2012, is next on our list. The pair of friends bicker and fight but it’s clearly coming from a place of love. Little do they realise that something is manipulating the world around them and playing with the very reality they exist in. Resolution is a pretty unique horror movie in that it isn’t overtly horror. It is slow moving and works on a sense of emerging, existential, dread rather than outright scares.

Mike (Peter Cilella) and Chris (Vinny Curran) are unsure of what is happening to them and Mike spends the entire movie attempting to find out. It’s seriously interesting stuff and does a fantastic job of dragging you in. Excellent and thoroughly compelling from start to finish. We awarded Resolution 4/5 in our review.

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – You’ve Got Red on You

The Bond Factor: The friendship of Shaun and his slacker best mate Ed (Nick Frost) is right at the heart of this movie and makes for some of the film’s biggest laughs. Shaun of the Dead manages an impressive balancing act of being funny, heart warming, inventive, and quite dark in parts.

Knockout Verdict: There’s no I in zombie.

We have another zombie based horror comedy next and you knew this one had to be on the list, right? Shaun of the Dead is Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s critically lauded British zombie flick from 2004. Following the story of a down on his luck salesman, who’s just been dumped by his girlfriend, trying to fight his way through a zombie apocalypse with his best friend and loved ones. Shaun of the Dead was a mega hit back in the early 2000s and has enjoyed sustained popularity ever since.

The second half can be a bit of a drag as the movie suddenly takes itself quite seriously but it’s hard not to appreciate what an impact this movie had on horror comedy, and horror as a whole. It features one of the best friendships in horror history, too.

1. It: Chapter One (2017) – The Losers’ Club

The Bond Factor: Hooking up with his misfit friends, the group risk it all to uncover the mystery of what took Georgie. Only friendship can save the Loser’s Club in their fight against It. Obviously both chapters of It can fit in here. It depends on whether you prefer the camaraderie and relationship of the young loser’s club or the slightly evolved relationships of the group as adults.

Knockout Verdict: Losers stick together.

This movie couldn’t not be on this list, right? The Loser’s Club is one of the most iconic friend groups from the entirety of horror. 2017’s It is a movie based on the Stephen King novel and follows a group of outcast kids attempting to fight off a malevolent entity known as It. After Bill’s brother disappears mysteriously, he is determined to find out what took him.

Let’s be real, though, the kids are better. They are better acted, funnier, and far more relatable. All of the adults, bar Bill Hader, phoned it in big time. I would actually hazard to suggest the original 90’s television miniseries of It rather than the movie. Purely because the second chapter didn’t hold up very well and Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise quickly grows stale in the second part. Tim Curry is still the vastly superior maniacal clown. We awarded It Chapter One 4/5 in our review and also awarded the 90’s It Miniseries 4/5 as well.

Bonus Entry: Ghostbusters (1984) – Who You Gonna Call?

The Bond Factor: Sure, you could argue that Egon, Peter, Raymond, and Winston are more co-workers than buddies. But it is the camaraderie of the four that keeps them together and keeps them busting ghosts against all odds.

Knockout Verdict: We came, we saw, we kicked its…

I feel like I can’t leave this list without throwing in one of the greatest horror comedies of all time, right? Okay so it doesn’t really count, completely, as horror but Ghostbusters has plenty of paranormal themes and even a few scares for younger viewers. Following the story of three university friends who set up a ghost busting service in New York City. This is a movie that is both hilarious and action packed.

An absolute classic featuring brilliant performances from Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver. Ghostbusters holds up brilliantly today and is an essential step in everyone’s horror journey.

Friends Until the End

And there we have it, proof that horror movies aren’t just about stabbing backstabbers and selfish survivors. Sometimes, amidst the zombies, ghosts, and serial killers, true friendship really does conquer all. Whether it’s fighting off a clown in the sewers or just playing video games while the apocalypse rages outside, these movies show that everything is a little less scary when you have your best mate by your side.

Why not stick around? You can always check out some horror reviews, some horror ending explained articles or some horror lists? Take care and I will, hopefully, see you again soon.

🤜🤛 Quick Picks: The Best Horror Movie Friendships by Vibe

The “Bromance” Pick: Shaun of the Dead (2004)
For when you want a laugh. Shaun and Ed are the definitive horror besties. They play video games, eat Cornettos, and fight zombies. Perfect.

The “Childhood Bond” Pick: It: Chapter One (2017)
For when you feel nostalgic. The Losers’ Club captures that specific magic of summer friendships where you feel like you can take on the world (or a clown).

The “Tough Love” Pick: Resolution (2012)
For when things get real. Handcuffing your best friend to a pipe in a cabin to get him clean is the ultimate act of friendship, even if aliens are watching.

The “Wholesome” Pick: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)
For when you want to feel good. Despite the buckets of gore, Tucker and Dale just want to fix up their vacation home and drink beer. They are adorable.

The “Ride or Die” Pick: The Ritual (2017)
For when the going gets tough. Hiking through a Swedish forest while being hunted by a god is stressful, but sticking together is the only way out.

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