I’ve talked about the challenges that come with uniting horror and comedy, two disparate elements that might be the oil and water of the storytelling world. A while back, I critiqued the film “Night of the Living Deb” which I felt fell flat in its attempt.

Good news: “Life After Beth” is the movie “Night of the Living Dead” wanted to be.

(Comparing the two movies seems apt as they both take a familiar phrase/title and replace a word with a woman’s name.)

In “Life After Beth”, Zach Orman (Dane DeHaan) learns that his girlfriend Beth (Aubrey Plaza) has been killed by a snake bite. The news unsettles him and he finds himself frequently visiting with Beth’s parents to commiserate in their shared grief. Then Beth’s parents become distant, refusing Zach’s calls and not answering the door when he drops by. To add to the mystery, Zach catches a glimpse of someone who looks a lot like Beth through the window.

And indeed, it turns out, Beth has returned (I don’t think that’s spoiler with the title being what it is.) But what is she? A Jesus-like resurrection? Or something more sinister?

The movie took some time to get going, but when it did, it was very good. It is a comedy, but not so much a laugh out loud one, more a series of bemused chuckles. Sometimes that’s all that needed.

There’s plenty of gore and violence for hardcore horror hounds.

My only complaint is that when a particular character is revealed to be villainous, it felt unconvincing, like a contrivance to hit a plot point. But the acting is great, and the general drama is carried out successfully on what was obviously a small budget.

Best line: “How can I be dead when I’m alive?”