The ideals of camp have evolved over time as our greatest creative minds have cracked open new ways to tell stories. What hasn’t changed is the roots of the style and how they still play an important role in cinema. Though the campy stylings we saw back in the ’70s are quite different from what we see today, camp is still alive and well. Over the past 10 years, campy films have risen to the top of the pack through comedy, drama, and horror, some of which have already secured a place in the conversation for future camp classics.
Since 2015, we’ve had some really fabulous entries, but these 15 are pure camp. Maybe they were unintentionally campy, like House of Gucci, or inherently campy, like The Happytime Murders. Nevertheless, these films are wonderfully campy and deserve to be on your watch list.
15
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ (2024)
There was absolutely nothing in Joker: Folie à Deuxthat was intended to be campy, but Todd Phillips‘ execution made it a disastrous comedic romp. A dreamlike jukebox musical legal drama, the Joker sequel was a misguided, confused superhero offshoot that used a well-known character to create an absolutely gratuitous mess. And there, my friends, is why Joker: Foile a Deux is a bona fide camp classic. A stunning visual exploration, the film follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) at Arkham State Hospital as he awaits trial for the crimes depicted in the previous film. As it gets closer to the day, he develops a romantic relationship with another inmate, Harley “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga).
With much anticipation for its release, the film had an underwhelming performance at the box office as it failed to meet expectations.With a theatrical sensibility, it’s become a camp masterpiece. Perhaps if it had embraced its elements rather than attempting to deliver its intent, audiences would have accepted it for what it was. Instead, it halted any forward motion for a franchise. Perhaps the only saving grace about this film is that we got some new Lady Gaga bangers out of it!
14
‘Friendship’ (2024)
There is an abundance of styles under the umbrella of comedy. Not every comedy is going to make you roll on the floor laughing; some are meant to make you laugh uncomfortably. If there is one actor who personifies that, it’s Tim Robinson. As a comedian who is finally getting his flowers, one of the projects that elicits uncomfortable laughter is Friendship. Written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, Friendship tells the story of extremely socially awkward Craig, a down-on-his-luck marketing executive, and his increasingly fraught connection with his new neighbor, Austin (Paul Rudd), a local TV meteorologist. As friendship leads to obsession, Craig’s already downward-spiraling life is about to reach rock bottom.
Robinson is perfect in this role. In fact, the part was specifically written with him in mind. Unlike some other entries in this list, the humor is meant to be uncomfortable. You’re almost willed to watch through your fingers as things get increasingly worse for Craig. We tend to see Rudd as the funny one in films, but his darker turn here lends to the stressful humor. Even Kate Mara’s wickedly unaware, despondent wife makes you cringe. And that’s where the camp comes in. Tapping into a different aesthetic makes Friendship an artistically sufficient cringe comedy.
13
‘The Happytime Murders’ (2018)
I will forever consider Melissa McCarthy one of the greatest comedic actresses of our generation. Her body of work in comedies is extraordinary, guaranteeing laughs in nearly everything she does. Easily her campiest film to date, McCarthy pairs up with puppets for the buddy cop crime comedy The Happytime Murders. In a universe in which humans and puppets co-exist, puppet private investigator Phil Phillips (Bill Barretta) and human police detective Connie Edwards (McCarthy) must solve a murder spree of retired sitcom stars from the 1980s puppet show The Happytime Gang. Normally, I’d say no puppets were harmed during the filming, but that would be a lie.
Despite the puppets, this is not a movie meant for kids. The humor is absolutely adult-oriented. The Happytime Murders is high-concept camp that is littered with crude jokes, satire, and graphic violence. You know exactly what’s in store when the logline is, “Sex. Murder. Puppets.” Despite the awful Rotten Tomatoes score, the reaction is likely from individuals who didn’t appreciate Brian Henson’s vision. This is not The Muppets that his father turned into beloved household names. The Happytime Murders is a whole new way of puppeteering. If you love shock value, this movie is perfect for you.
12
‘Freaky’ (2020)
Though some might consider Freaky Friday as the ultimate body-swapping comedy of the 21st century, there have been a few that have tested its title since its release. One such film is the comedy slasher flick Freaky. A twist on the aforementioned story, Freaky watches as Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton), a tormented high school student, unintentionally switches bodies with the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn), an aging serial killer known as an urban legend in the town. As freaky deaky as the hilarious movie is, it’s pure camp. Just look at Vaughn’s performance! It’s one of the best and most underrated in his later career.
Freaky is essentially a mashup of Scream and Freaky Friday with a touch of tongue-in-cheek humor. Christopher Landon, who also directed Happy Death Day, employs a horror-comedy style that melds the genres seamlessly in this underseen smash.
11
‘Free Guy’ (2021)
It’s absolutely wild that the guy who once starred in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place has become a mega Hollywood star who owns a soccer club and a mobile company. But that’s our timeline! Ryan Reynolds has played many action heroes in his illustrious career, but when he took on the leading role in Free Guy, he proved, once again, that he can do literally anything. Shawn Levy’s Free Guy brings the video game world to life as it shares the tale of Guy (Reynolds), a bank teller, who discovers that he is a non-player character in a massively multiplayer online game, who then partners with player and unemployed software designer Millie Rusk (Jodie Comer) to find evidence that a gaming company’s CEO stole the source code of the player’s game.
The universe Free Guy creates is absolutely bonkers. Levy drops us into this digital world while establishing the film as a high-octane action film. The film pays homage to the games we adore playing while also openly mocking and parodying them. Reynolds’ performance is simply charming and endearing. Even Comer’s performance as a certified action star pairs well with Reynolds, playing the straight guy to Guy. Free Guy is a blast of a film. Its silliness, paired with its over-the-top sincerity, makes it a wonderful camp movie.
10
‘Birds of Prey’ (2020)
Let’s get it out of the way: Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn is perfection. The moment she stepped inside the DCEU, superhero movies changed forever. Her colorful and whimsical portrayal of the crazed criminal and Joker’s girlfriend changed our perception forever. As the definitive Harley Quinn, we all wanted more, and so we were given a sequel to Suicide Squad called Birds of Prey. A girl power-forward film, Birds of Prey finds a single Harley being threatened by Gotham City crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) and joins forces with Helena Bertinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save Cassandra Cain.
With a flamboyant palette and a lighthearted, irreverent tone, Birds of Prey is as fun as it is an action thriller. Though its predecessor and subsequent follow-up use a similar tone, Birds of Prey stands out as a camp classic because it assures the female solidarity that’s central to the film. We’ve seen kickass female heroes and women, but it’s a rarity to see them team up in this manner without a male character taking over. The fresh perspective on superhero films was too much for some fanatics, which is a shame. Birds of Prey will always have a place in my heart.
9
‘Bottoms’ (2023)
Bottoms follows two high school seniors, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), who happen to be “untalented gays,” who start a fight club as a way to hook up with cheerleaders. Absurd and wildly over-the-top, Bottoms is like if Bring It On and But I’m a Cheerleader had a Gen Z baby. Emma Seligman and Sennott created a surreal, over-the-top high school in which satire keeps the focus on raunchy, unapologetic, and irreverent themes. Though it is an homage to teen sex comedies of the past, Bottoms is unapologetically revelatory.
By igniting the comedy through a queer lens, Bottoms naturally fits the mold of a camp film, but its ability to appeal to a wider audience speaks to its style and accessibility. With a generation proudly questioning their identity and sexuality, Bottoms provides a safe place to laugh and ponder simultaneously. If you watched in real time or are coming at it fresh today, it’s now automatically campy to see Kaia Garber, Nicholas Galitzine, and Edibori go completely ham. With a wonderfully nostalgic tone, Bottoms is destined to become a future camp classic.
8
‘House of Gucci’ (2021)
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I know what you’re thinking. How is House of Guccia campy film? I urge you to go back and watch. From the costumes to the accents, from Jared Leto to everything Lady Gaga does on screen, House of Gucci is a whirlwind of everything you could ever desire. The Ridley Scott film is more than just a biographical crime drama — it’s an experience. The film is a dramatized retelling of the Gucci family, focusing on Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) and Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). From marriage to an acrimonious divorce, driven by Patrizia’s ambition and the family’s internal struggles over the fashion empire, the crime comes alive as Patrizia orchestrates her ex-husband’s murder. With a cast that also includes Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons, House of Gucci was an ambitious undertaking to say the least.
With both fact and fiction colliding through artistic liberties, if you take House of Gucci for what it is, it’s an absolute delight. You might even wonder if Ryan Murphy was a part of its creation. Now, to the cons. The problem with the film is that its tonal shifts are poorly played. They don’t mesh well, causing the uneven storytelling to veer into the camp world. Though played completely straight, everything about House of Gucci is actually quite exaggerated, and we’re all better for it.
7
‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ (2022)
Horror comedies are innately camp. When a horror comedy finds the balance between storytelling and style, it becomes something worthwhile. In Bodies Bodies Bodies, audiences are taken on a wild adventure through friendship and murder with unexpected moments along the way. The brilliantly hilarious film follows a group of friends reuniting at a remote mansion. As they are stranded during a hurricane, they kill time by playing a murder-in-the-dark style party game that results in an actual dead body and a whole lot of lies and deception. With a killer among them, Bodies Bodies Bodies is about truth and survival.
A hyper-stylized film, Bodies Bodies Bodies is more than just a silly thriller — it’s filled with a brilliant discussion of class, privilege, and generational culture. Imagine anAgatha Christie mystery with a modern lens, and that’s what this film exudes. There are over-the-top moments and characters that bring out genuine laughter alongside those moments of uncomfortable chuckles. The film also holds a mirror up to Gen-Z’s politically correct beliefs about image and perception, where trust and loyalty are almost instantly tossed out the window. The movie is a bloody good time.
6
‘Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar’ (2021)
If the title alone doesn’t scream camp, I don’t know what does! Written and starring Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, reuniting after working on Bridesmaids together, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Martells the story of two lifelong best friends from the Midwest who leave their small town for the first time to go on vacation in Florida, where they get mixed up in a villain’s plot to kill everyone in town. With an ensemble that includes stellar performances from Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans, Wendi McClendon-Covey, Vanessa Bayer, and more, this absurdly funny flick is a brightly colored delight.
The plot is goofy, mixing its comedy with its thrills, and it finds the campy balance needed. The leading ladies have an exuberant amount of fun delivering the funny. And yes, we have permission to laugh at the accents. For a film that was forced to have a streaming release, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar received enough love through word of mouth that it became a quick hit. Surely, there’s a universe in which Barb and Star get a sequel!
