These comedies turned to the dark side. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for dark comedies that took their subject matter to the absolute extreme.
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00:00 "In '87, Huey released this. 'Four,' their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is 'Hip to Be Square.'"
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo!
00:10 And today we're counting down our picks for dark comedies that took their subject matter to the absolute extreme.
00:16 Note, there'll be spoilers.
00:19 "You okay, Margie?"
00:20 "Yeah, I'm fine."
00:22 "It's just morning sickness."
00:27 Number 10. The Menu.
00:30 "Be mindful. Do not eat. Our menu is too precious for that."
00:37 It's hard to believe a story centered around a high dining experience could be so violent yet so satisfying.
00:44 Oops, we mean satirical.
00:47 After the audience is lured in with a gorgeous setting and a seemingly normal dinner,
00:51 things take a very dark turn just a few courses in.
00:55 From chefs dying before the guests' eyes to body parts being removed,
01:00 the menu showcases to both the characters and us a restaurant experience from hell
01:06 as Chef Sloic doles out suffering to those he felt destroyed his passion.
01:11 "This is what you're paying for."
01:13 "This is stunt? What is that?"
01:14 "This is an exclusive experience, please."
01:17 The meal grows more twisted, ultimately leading to the grand finale,
01:21 a s'mores-inspired death trap that ensures everyone's fate.
01:25 What makes things more dire is the chef's nonchalance towards all of the cruelty,
01:31 highlighting how his fanaticism for the craft completely warped his moral compass towards those he deemed his enemy.
01:37 "We can be subsumed and made anew."
01:43 "Thank you."
01:44 Number 9. World's Greatest Dad.
01:48 "I don't find the creative process in itself rewarding enough. I have to be honest, I want to reach an audience."
01:55 Any story pertaining to a minor losing their life is bound to be devastating, but this takes the cake.
02:02 After the accidental passing of his son Kyle,
02:04 his father and high school teacher Lance realizes that the cause could permanently affect the teenager's legacy,
02:10 so he decides to fib about what really happened.
02:13 Lance unexpectedly gets a taste of the success he always dreamed of when the note he wrote on his son's behalf is leaked to the school paper.
02:21 This causes the wannabe professional writer to create an attempt to sell content that he falsely claims was written by the deceased teen.
02:29 "What are you gonna call it?"
02:31 "I was thinking, 'I am what I hate.'"
02:35 "What?"
02:36 The thought of a man exploiting such a horrific tragedy for his own gain is sickening,
02:41 and that feeling is only exacerbated by the truth of Kyle's fate.
02:45 By exploring one of the dark sides of celebrity,
02:48 World's Greatest Dad takes a seemingly sentimental premise and turns it into something truly twisted,
02:54 but still finds some humor in it along the way.
02:57 "You're a good writer. I think you should keep writing."
03:02 "Thanks, Andrew, I will."
03:03 Number 8. The King of Comedy.
03:06 "And I'm sitting, and I'm thinking as I'm sitting here now, 'Well, maybe this is my big break. This is my big chance.' You know what I mean?"
03:15 While many black comedies are overt in their themes, some manage to convey them in a more subdued way.
03:21 This is evidenced in projects like The King of Comedy.
03:25 While it maintains a threatening aura, it does so without a single explicit scene.
03:30 It follows aspiring comedian Rupert to the point where he's willing to do anything,
03:35 even kidnap a fellow performer to pursue his dreams of fame.
03:39 "Even though this is a kind of strange situation, there are moments of friendship and moments of, I don't know, you call it sharing or whatever. Okay, let's go."
03:46 Between his obsessive tendencies and the mere implication of potential violence,
03:51 the Martin Scorsese flick does a spectacular job of showing how deep-seated Rupert's mental health issues are without spilling a drop of blood.
04:00 This is exacerbated by the finale, wherein a disembodied audience cheers and claps,
04:06 leaving the audience to wonder what's real and what's a product of his delusions.
04:10 "Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime."
04:13 [Clapping and cheering]
04:16 Number 7. Jojo Rabbit
04:18 "What's wrong, little man?"
04:21 "I a dove."
04:22 Given the horrific nature of the events that occurred during World War II,
04:26 it makes sense that any artwork depicting them would be depressing by default.
04:31 However, some art still manages to twist the knife in the wound and remind the viewer of just how awful the circumstances were.
04:38 "Not everyone's lucky enough to look stupid."
04:40 "I, for one, am just looking incredibly attractive."
04:43 Jojo Rabbit does this by presenting them through the eyes of a child
04:46 that had been groomed into supporting the genocidal regime
04:50 and had no qualms about highlighting the harsh realities of war,
04:53 including public executions carried out by Allied and Axis soldiers.
04:58 These juxtaposed with sequences of Hitler being portrayed as Jojo's bumbling imaginary friend is undoubtedly jarring.
05:05 "It is up to you to decide if you want to be remembered or disappear without a trace."
05:12 But it also effectively highlights the loss of the titular character's childlike innocence
05:17 as he learns the truth behind his hateful ideology.
05:20 "It's dangerous out there."
05:21 "Extremely."
05:26 Number 6. Heathers
05:30 "Society nods its head at any horror the American teenager can think to bring upon itself."
05:36 At the beginning, it seems as though this is going to be like any other teenage movie.
05:41 However, the shiny veneer drops pretty early on,
05:45 revealing the true underbelly of teenage angst and sadism at Westerberg High School.
05:50 After Veronica becomes disillusioned with popularity,
05:53 she decides to play a prank on the Queen Bee,
05:56 only to inadvertently poison Heather Chandler instead with a concoction created by bad boy and love interest, J.D.
06:03 "I can't believe it. I just killed my best friend."
06:08 "And your worst enemy."
06:10 This sets off a chain of increasingly chaotic events,
06:13 wherein he takes others' lives but passes off the deaths as intentional.
06:18 His delinquent tendencies go hand in hand with the student body's bizarre glamorization of the fallen teens.
06:24 By successfully capturing the broader fears caused by J.D.'s rampage
06:28 alongside the more mundane horrors of adolescence,
06:31 the black comedy creates a hyper-realistic and cynical portrayal of high school.
06:36 "Out there is a school that self-destructed not because society didn't care,
06:41 but because the school was society."
06:44 Number 5. American Psycho
06:47 "I killed Paul Allen.
06:51 And I liked it."
06:52 While other psychological horror films usually build up to its appalling aspects,
06:57 American Psycho rips the band-aid off early.
07:00 Patrick's indiscriminate way of choosing victims leads to a wide array of people being mindlessly killed,
07:06 whether he knew the victims or not.
07:08 However, it isn't just the inhumanity that lends to the grisly moments.
07:13 His carefully calculated persona is firmly in place at work,
07:17 giving off the impression that he's normal.
07:20 However, that mask slips often, revealing the darkness lurking within him.
07:25 Satirizing capitalism, culture, and other themes with both dark humor and horror,
07:30 the movie showcases Bateman desperately trying to convince others
07:33 that all the carnage he committed was real as an intense descent into madness.
07:38 "I had dinner with Paul Allen twice in London, just ten days ago."
07:42 "No, you…"
07:45 His confessions are brushed aside by the ultimate form of rejection though,
07:49 hitting him in the only place it could really hurt…
07:53 his ego.
07:54 Number 4. Trainspotting
07:56 "Choose your future, choose life."
07:59 "Here comes Johnny in again."
08:04 It turns out it is possible to hit lower than rock bottom.
08:08 Trainspotting is centered around a group of friends constantly chasing their next high,
08:12 with no regard for themselves or others.
08:15 While the depiction of hard substance use is already graphic enough,
08:19 that's just the tip of the iceberg.
08:21 The comedy-drama tackles multiple serious issues through a surreal and exaggerated lens.
08:28 "What's on the menu this evening, sir?"
08:30 "Your favorite dish."
08:33 The group can't help but drag their sober friends into their depressing vortex,
08:37 helping them ruin more lives other than their own.
08:40 Though they do try to get clean, many of their attempts fail
08:43 and they end up wanting to numb the pain of their worst moments with another hit.
08:48 Even when the protagonist himself tries to recover,
08:51 Brenton is still unable to completely bounce back.
08:55 "The truth is that I'm a bad person, but that's gonna change."
08:58 "I'm going to change."
09:00 "This is the last of that sort of thing."
09:02 Number 3. In Bruges
09:05 "Let's go out and have a look at some of the old medieval buildings and that."
09:10 "Because I bet they look even better at night all lit up."
09:13 Martin McDonagh has proven that he's one of the kings of somber humor.
09:17 Whether it's a violent ensemble piece like 'Seven Psychopaths'
09:21 or a gut-wrenching thriller like 'In Bruges',
09:23 his work has provided some of the most hard-hitting black humor in recent years.
09:28 The latter in particular has become a standout in the sub-genre.
09:32 "My mate tries to kill me, my gun gets nicked and we're standing on f***ing brus."
09:37 The comedy drama grapples with whether people can truly change
09:41 and the possibility of second chances,
09:43 interspersed with scenes of intense bloodshed and drug-fueled debauchery.
09:48 The moral conundrums it presents are thought-provoking yet unsettling
09:51 all the way up to the climax,
09:53 when one man reluctantly forces himself to stick to his principles.
09:57 "You've got to stick to your principles."
10:00 At the cost of his own life.
10:02 The macabre ending is inevitable,
10:04 but that certainly didn't lessen the suddenness of his final act.
10:09 "And I really, really hoped I wouldn't die."
10:11 "I really, really hoped."
10:16 Number 2. 'Fargo'.
10:18 "I'm in a bit of trouble."
10:19 "What kind of trouble you in, Jerry?"
10:21 "Well, that's... that's... I'm not gonna get into..."
10:24 The Coen brothers have taken on plenty of dark comedies over the course of their careers.
10:29 With each one having their own place within the genre.
10:33 While some fall more onto the satirical side, such as 'Burn After Reading'
10:37 "Aww, that's cool."
10:40 their most harrowing piece comes from a more grounded concept.
10:44 'Fargo' took the Midwest's stereotypical mild-mannered conduct
10:47 and managed to twist it into something evil,
10:50 subverting the audience's expectations of what a killer's behavior could look like.
10:55 "I'm sorry, sir."
10:56 "Ma'am, I answered your question."
10:59 "I answered the darn... I'm cooperating here."
11:02 The mindless brutality eventually culminates in one of the murderous kidnappers
11:06 becoming a victim himself, forcing him into the place of those he had victimized.
11:11 Carl being forced into a woodchipper by his own associate is the ultimate punishment,
11:16 with the image having now been burned into the minds of viewers everywhere.
11:21 "I just don't understand it."
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11:40 Number 1. Pink Flamingos
11:43 "A little sweet talking goes a long, long way. Give me your hand, honey."
11:48 This one definitely isn't for the faint of heart.
11:51 Known for its extreme and unapologetic nature,
11:54 Pink Flamingos is a black comedy that has also become a prime example of ribaldry.
11:58 It completely ran the gamut of shocking and bawdy content,
12:02 depicting extreme acts that had hardly ever been seen on the silver screen, if at all.
12:07 "It's gonna react real good."
12:11 "Oh, crackers! Oh, crackers! My baby crackers! No house can stand the two of our venoms!"
12:17 While it contains sequences that are intense,
12:20 what made them even more lurid was each character's seeming enthusiasm while participating in them.
12:25 They appeared to find pleasure in inflicting their obscenity onto others.
12:29 None could hold a candle to Divine, though,
12:32 who is willing to do everything to maintain her title as the filthiest person alive.
12:37 Including one vile act we won't show here that likely had viewers squirming, screaming,
12:42 or feeling sick to their stomachs.
12:44 "Chapter 3, June 1965.
12:48 It was about this time in my career that I realized I was capable of being perfect.
12:52 Perfect in every aspect of human development."
12:55 Which black comedy do you think has the darkest concept?
12:58 Let us know in the comments below.
13:00 "Yeah, I'm sorry for laughing at it. Very creative."
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13:11 [outro music]