Do I see a high-IQ intellectual searching for the best dark comedy movies? Firstly, the Google algorithm landed you on the right page. And secondly, no, I’m not being sarcastic about you having a big brain. That’s what science says, and we trust science, right? A recent study published in the journal Cognitive Processing found a significant link between IQ and dark humor. After surveying 156 men and women, researchers concluded that people with a dark sense of humor have higher IQs. Look at you, intelligent and with a (twisted) sense of humor, one lucky fella, ain’t you?
Enjoying dark comedy movies and laughing at things you shouldn’t by no means makes you a bad person, contrary to popular belief. Instead, it might mean that you have bigger and faster neurons or a higher IQ in plain people’s language. Or you simply have a morbid sense of humor. It’s either one of the two. It has also been proven that people use dark comedy to cope with difficult or stressful situations. You may think that a person who cracks a dark joke at a funeral is heartless, but it’s probably just their way of coping with loss. To cite one of Mark Twain’s quotes , “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.”
One might think that black comedy movies are quite a niche in the movie world because people might not get them or get offended and give the movie a low rating. However, some of the best comedy movies feature plenty of morbid humor. One of our features on the list, horror-comedy Ready or Not , was a surprise box office hit and made $31 million worldwide on a $6 million production budget. And although the stakes are pretty high, with the film being either an absolute flop or a total hit, it’s a risk that filmmakers are willing to take.
Below, we have featured, in our opinion, the best black comedy movies that may not be everyone’s cuppa but will for sure be enjoyed by buffs of dark humor. What are your favorite dark comedies? Let us know!
1996 | 1 hour 38 minutes | Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Starring William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi No matter how we look at it, Fargo is a fantastic piece of cinema that would be challenging for its creators to surpass in terms of perfection. As a genuine masterpiece, it only improves with time and develops new layers with each viewing. It’s a gorgeously filmed, darkly humorous thriller that subtly breaks every genre rule. No film better captures the two brothers’ and directors’ film style than this polite midwestern crime drama that expertly walks the line between woeful and dryly comedic.
2019 | 1 hour 35 minutes | Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett Starring Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien Not precisely a horror film that ignites tremendous fear, but nonetheless a great one. The original idea is one thing that makes the movie stand out. If you didn’t enjoy watching it, perhaps you viewed it incorrectly because, heck, it’s meant to be absurd and silly! It’s a gold mine for light-hearted horror, thriller, and B-movie fans. The humor is superb, the protagonist is an absolute badass instead of some stupid Final Girl , and the killings are gory and hilarious. The film veers between horror and thriller, but it never loses sight of its sharp, biting satire and succeeds in making audiences laugh despite every bizarre and sinister turn.
1988 | 1 hour 32 minutes | Directed by Tim Burton Starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton Many older movies age not so gracefully, and crappy video effects or bad montages are so evident that the whole film turns sour when you watch it after a while. Beetlejuice aged gracefully, thanks to a huge injection of humor, a charming cast, and cynical twists in the plot. This bizarre movie (we think this description fits Beetlejuice perfectly) explores what happens after death, including becoming a ghost and having to accept that you died and should now move on. What if, however, one ghost had perhaps too much fun and simply wanted to shock the living world? This is what the film is about — the one zombie you’d love to party with once, but just once. Never again.
2019 | 2 hours 10 minutes | Directed by Rian Johnson Starring Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas Sweet beans! Although Knives Out is far from being the grimmest whodunit on the list, it does include some dark comedy, just like most of Rian Johnson’s movies. Superb editing, outstanding performances, slick writing, and evocative music are all brought together by expert directing. Agatha Christie and vintage murder mystery fans will both find plenty to enjoy here. Knives Out is comparable to an Agatha Christie novel set in the present, featuring Americans as the main characters. But it’s also a genuinely excellent and distinctive movie in its own right, not just a parody of Christie-style movies. A family tragedy featuring a brilliant amateur detective, a housekeeper, a heritage that none of the family members deserve, and… oh, enough with the spoilers! See it for yourself.
2009 | 2 hours 33 minutes | Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth Another great work from top cult director Tarantino himself. Although Inglorious Bastards definitely goes the furthest with it, most of Quentin Tarantino’s films can be classed as having at least some dark comedy elements. Even though World War II is one of the most tragic events in history, Tarantino finds a way to make it fun (I’m fully aware of how wrong it sounds). The film is simultaneously shocking, dramatic, suspenseful, and funny. It’s worth watching because it’s jam-packed with everything you want in a movie and is made in that distinctive Tarantino style. There are too many enjoyable parts of this film to list them all, but you must see it because it greatly benefits from its outrageousness.
2017 | 1 hour 44 minutes | Directed by Jordan Peele Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford While classified as horror, the most profitable film of 2017, Get Out , looks more like a thriller with humorous and horrific elements. And this combination works perfectly well, with the thriller elements being taut, suspenseful, and unsettling, the comedic parts being clever and slyly funny, and the horror parts being creatively shocking and subtly disturbing. Get Out was Jordan Peels’ directorial debut, and it turned out to be an absolute box office hit. It’s fascinating how a fresh director in the filmmaking world understood how to so expertly weave lighthearted, satirical, and humorous moments into its otherwise terrifying social thriller premise.
2019 | 2 hours 28 minutes | Directed by Ari Aster Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren This is more than just a horror film. It is a tale about coping with loss. How reality isn’t always what it seems. How being in a group of people who are willing to listen to you makes suffering more bearable. This film is about many different things. This movie occasionally makes it difficult to watch because of the graphic violence, disgusting content, or plain strangeness, but you just can’t turn away. You must keep watching with morbid curiosity to find out what the actual heck is happening. And even though it won’t be to everyone’s taste, Midsommar touches on topics related to the human psyche that are well worth exploring. The performances of Jack Reynor and Will Poulter, who play “the bad guys” in the movie, provide some fantastic comedic moments to offset a few scenes of brutal violence.
2018 | 1 hour 52 minutes | Directed by Boots Riley Starring LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler We’d even say it’s one of the most inventive (and oddly bizarre) films we’ve seen in years! The movie is refreshingly original, and along with being incredibly insightful, funny, and witty, it also makes excellent social commentary throughout. Stanfield does a fantastic job as the main character, and Boots Riley establishes himself as a director in this film. The film has a ton of unexpected twists, stunning visuals, and a jam-packed soundtrack. One of the best films of the 2010s overall and one of the best dark comedies.
2009 | 1 hour 39 minutes | Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait Starring Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, Morgan Murphy As a dark comedy, this film excelled. It went its own way and didn’t adhere to any established rules. The outcomes are incredibly sinister, at times bordering on twisted. The viewer may be unsure whether to laugh or cry during certain scenes. As for Robin Williams’ performance, he delivers his best. When he portrays someone sweet, kind, weak, and crawling through moral quicksand, as in this film, the ensuing conflict makes you laugh aloud and tremble in fear simultaneously. World’s Greatest Dad is an excellent example of a film that successfully mixes tragedy and comedy.
2002 | 1 hour 49 minutes | Directed by Danny DeVito Starring Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener This dark comedy movie, rated R for language, is sure to stir up controversy because of the language and how children’s programming is portrayed. However, you’ll find it hilarious if you go into the movie with an open mind. The most important thing to remember about this movie is that it’s a satire, so just don’t take it seriously. Director Danny DeVito and writer Adam Resnick have done an outstanding job of writing a satire that is both funny and gripping. (P.S. The ending running under the credits is a guffaw, so stick with it.)
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