Horror-Comedy “The Parenting” Starring Lisa Kudrow and Brian Cox Drops Official Trailer

It’s a difficult proposition in this day and age, combing humor and horror in an effective and entertaining cocktail which will entertain moviegoers and television watchers. Too much over the line in either genre, and you risk sinking the very delicate balance between the two. It’s an art and if you don’t believe us, check out examples of horror and comedy that have nailed the peculiar recipe over the years such as the original Fright Night, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, House (starring William Katt, not Hugh Laurie), Return of the Living Dead and The Lost Boys. Somehow those filmmakers of Hollywood past cracked the code to deliver to viewers the perfect number of laughs intermingled with shrieks of terror. Is it too much to hope that the Hollywood of 2025 might be capable of what seemed so simple to master filmmakers in the 1980’s? It looks as if we’re about to find out once and for all with the upcoming horror/comedy film known as The Parenting.

The Hollywood Reporter piqued the curiosity of many-a-horror and comedy aficionado today with the release of the official trailer of the upcoming Lisa Kudrow and Brian Cox-led feature film, The Parenting. So, did the folks over at streaming service Max get the recipe right? You be the judge, Dear and Constant Reader, as you can check that trailer out right here.

The Parenting is about a gay couple (Nik Dodani and Brandon Flynn) who realize too late that their cozy weekend sabbatical with their respective families (Kudrow and Cox play one faction of the vacationing families) at a seemingly quaint country cottage comes with a steep price tag in the form of what seems to be a – Que the ominous music – demon.

Directed by Craig Johnson of The Skeleton Twins fame from a script by wordsmith Kent Sublette, this new film also features Edie Falco, Dean Norris, Vivian Bang and Parker Posey and, based on the trailer alone, seems to be playing into the very primal fear of spending time with our parents. Perhaps the ghosts and demons (though a poltergeist might have gotten in on the action, too, according to our sources) are just an interesting sidenote in what might otherwise be a family drama? Hey, stranger plotlines have emerged over the years…

The Parenting is coming our way via the good folks over at Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema and boasts the talented Chris Bender and Jake Weiner as producers.

As for the two Hollywood alums – Kudrow and Cox – it’s always nice to see them in any production, let alone one that looks as if it might be a real scary hoot. Kudrow is a master comedienne, while Cox has kept us riveted in a wide swath of roles in everything from Zodiac to The Mothman Prophecies.

The Parenting is set to make audiences laugh and scream in terror when it premieres on Max this March 13.