6. Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)
Frequently Asked Questions about Time Travel is a sci-fi comedy film directed by Gareth Carrivick and written by Jamie Mathieson. Sci-fi geek and enthusiast Ray has just lost his job at an amusement park, so he decides to head to the pub with his friend, fellow nerd and social outcast Toby and die hard cynic Pete.
When a woman from the future turns up, the friends find themselves stuck in a time travelling conundrum. The film received mixed reviews upon release and underperformed at the box office.
Another British comedy with a sci-fi twist, Frequently Asked Questions about Time Travel has elements of all of three of the Cornetto films. Like Shaun of the Dead, Frequently Asked Questions about Time Travel’s main protagonist is a guy lacking direction who seeks refuge in his local boozer, it uses parody like Hot Fuzz and it has prominent sci-fi themes like World’s End. In that way, it should appeal to fans of those films.
7. The Young Offenders (2016)
This Irish comedy film was written, directed and co-produced by Peter Foott. The film was inspired by and based upon the real life event of the seizure of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine near Mizen Head off of the Irish coast.
It follows two teenage best friends, Jack and Connor, who decide to find one of the missing bales of cocaine and cash in on it. Stealing two bicycles, they set off from their hometown of Cork on a quest to better their lives. The film was both a critical and financial success. It received rave reviews and won a number of accolades.
If you find yourself enjoying what British comedy has to offer, then Irish comedy should be the next go to on your list. The Young Offenders has all the same characteristics but with a unique Irish charm that makes it a highly watchable and enjoyable film. As with the films in the Cornetto trilogy, The Young Offenders makes good use of light-hearted comedy and friendship to produce a film that Cornetto trilogy fans will really enjoy.
8. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Directed by Drew Goddard in his directorial debut, The Cabin in the Woods was produced by Joss Whedon and co-written by Goddard and Whedon. The film follows a group of college friends who decide to go on a retreat to a remote forest cabin. One by one the students fall victim to zombie attacks, unaware that their terrifying situation is being manipulated by technicians in a mysterious underground facility. The Cabin in the Woods was well received critically and made $66.5 million against a $30 million budget.
Horror, satire, parody, comedy and zombies – The Cabin in the Woods is very similar to the Cornetto trilogy in that it is genre defying. Writers Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon wrote The Cabin in the Woods because of their love of the horror genre.
In the same ilk, Wright and Pegg wrote Shaun of the Dead because of their love of George A. Romero’s Dead trilogy. Both wanted to contribute to the genre that they admired, but also wanted to add their own spin on it. The Cabin in the Woods is a great meta film that manages to be scary, funny, and shocking at the same time.
9. Paul (2011)
For sixty years, wisecracking and sarcastic alien Paul has lived at a top secret government facility in the USA. Having grown tired of Earth, Paul decides to escape and hops onto the first handy vehicle he encounters – an R.V which has been rented by sci-fi geeks Graeme and Clive (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost).
Together they must hatch a plan to outrun the FBI agents on their tail and help Paul return to his spaceship so that he can finally go home. Paul received generally positive reviews and made $98 million against a $40.7 million budget.
Wright and Pegg previously worked together on British television series Spaced, in which they made liberal use of homages and references to popular culture predominantly involving sci-fi and horror. This trend was followed in the Cornetto trilogy, and was also used in Paul – which was written by Pegg and Frost. As well as this, Paul is another film that showcases the great working relationship between Pegg and Frost and is certainly worth watching for fans of the duo.
10. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Written, directed by and starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary comedy horror film. It is about a group of vampire housemates who are being filmed by a documentary crew. The vampires are trying to cope with the complexities of modern day life, all whilst introducing newly turned hipster Nick to the perks of being undead. The film made $6.9 million against a budget of $1.6 million and received critical acclaim.
Another horror comedy that was inspired by other films, What We Do in the Shadows makes reference to classic vampire films such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula. What We Do in the Shadows is also another example of an effective genre spoof, such as the films in the Cornetto trilogy are effective genre spoofs.
If the silliness and many laughs of the Cornetto trilogy appealed to you, then What We Do in the Shadows is definitely a good shout as another horror comedy that has a great premise and a great execution.