The works of Dark Comedy are often visual treats with beautiful dialogue and exemplary performances!
Dark Comedies are born out of something inherently sinister about the nature of existence itself; it is bleak, sinister and often excruciatingly funny. The genre itself thrives on duality and the emotions and the predicament of finding things absurdly comical in difficult times. The paradoxical nature of this genre makes it a gold mine for the screen, and since the late 1960s, some great dark comedies have come on screen but the best dark comedies are the ones which have an air of tragedy and fate ingrained in them.
Dark comedies have always been a strong hold for play writers and the 20th century has been a gold mine for such plays, the birth of the genre and its subsequent following which was due to the bleak and world altering events in past century. This list contains a number of cinematic dark comedies which will make you ponder about all the deep philosophical questions you have in your heart and it will lead you to question your reality and generate a lot of laughter in the process, the genre itself might not be outright funny like the other genres of comedy such as Slapstick comedies, romantic comedies or even physical comedies, but it has elements of comedy surrounding it yet the dialogue and the situations a character has to go through in a darkly comedic narrative can be in itself funny, the premise of the story makes the whole concept even more fascinating.
One of the best dark comedies written in the modern era, In Bruges is a starkly funny and bleak narrative. It follows two Irish hitmen who flee to Bruges in Belgium after a hit has gone terribly wrong and hilarity that ensues is both astounding and horrifying at the same time.
A classic from one of the finest creators to have ever graced the medium. Dr Stragelove is a dark comedy about a general who is keen on destroying the world and made a reaction to the ongoing Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation.
American Psycho is one of the best satires on consumer culture and the modern ideology of men. The narrative perfectly summarises the nature of self and ego and plays with complex philosophical ideas such as narcissism and how it affects one's psyche.
