If you like your laughs with a splash of the red stuff, chances are you can already quote
every line from Fargo, accent and all, and you think about Heathers whenever you get
a slushie.
"Our love is God.
Let's go get a slushie."
While plenty of dark comedies are bonafide classics, there are a slew of other nuanced,
hilarious, and joyfully destructive movies that may have slipped under your radar.
Here are some lesser known dark comedies that'll have you laughing the pain away.
Arsenic and Old Lace
It's a classic of the subgenre, but many younger movie-lovers have missed out on the incredible
1944 dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace.
The movie stars Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster, a pretty normal guy who is shocked to learn
that his two elderly aunts have developed a nasty habit of slaying all of their gentlemen
callers.
"You think my aunts are sweet, charming old ladies, don't you?
Well, there's 13 bodies buried in the cellar."
"Mmmmmnmm!"
The movie, which is based on the play of the same name by Joseph Kesselring, is entirely
bizarre from start to finish, with pitch-black jokes that still hold up today.
While the Brewster family is definitely not one you'd want to be a part of, their lethal
antics make for timeless dark comedy.
"The gentleman died because he drank some wine with poison in it."
Barton Fink
"The important thing is: we all want it to have that Barton Fink feeling.
I guess we all have that Barton Fink feeling, but since you're Barton Fink I'm assuming
you have it in spades."
The Coen brothers have written and directed several classic dark comedies, and although
you've likely seen many of their films, there are still some hidden gems in their filmography.
This includes the hauntingly surreal 1991 film Barton Fink, which features John Turturro
as a playwright who discovers the seedy side of Hollywood when he takes a job writing for
a movie studio.
As Turturro's Barton Fink quickly learns, the hotel he is staying at is more than just
a dump — it's also home to a brutal madman who seems to be targeting people close to
Barton.
John Goodman stars in the film as Fink's, uhh, "unique" neighbor, while Tony Shalhoub
also makes an early career appearance.
Less a bloodbath like Fargo and lacking the laugh out loud sensibilities of The Big Lebowski,
Barton Fink is a comedic — and yet deadly serious — tale of writer's block and the
classic Faustian bargain.
In other words: it's a thinking man's dark comedy.
In Bruges
Colin Farrell is a hitman with a conscience in Martin McDonagh's 2008 dark comedy action
film In Bruges.
The movie features Farrell in a Golden Globe-winning performance as Ray, a hitman who retreats
with his mentor Ken to Bruges, Belgium, after a hit gone wrong.
"You two are weird.
Would you like some cocaine?"
The movie, which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, also features
great supporting performances from Ralph Fiennes as Ray's boss Harry and Clemence Poesy as
his love interest Chloe.
Although there are plenty of funny moments, the movie is really a story about redemption,
slipping a strong message, and a surprisingly insightful examination of mortality, under
the veil of humor.
Ingrid Goes West
Aubrey Plaza's Instagram envy goes off the rails in Ingrid Goes West, which features
the former Parks and Recreation star as Ingrid, a troubled young woman who decides to move
out west and befriend L.A. socialite Taylor, played by Elizabeth Olsen.
They quickly forge a bond, but the facade soon begins to crack, leading to a darkly
funny conclusion.
Ingrid Goes West definitely pushes the boundaries of comedy, blurring the line between personal
trauma and dark humor.
While the movie features impressive back-up performances from Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr.,
and Wyatt Russell, it's Plaza who really shines, showing that her acting range goes far beyond
Park's April Ludgate.
Ingrid Goes West will make you laugh, but with Plaza at the helm, it'll also give you
all the feels.
"What's your biggest emotional wound?"
"What?"
"It's our question of the day."
What We Do in the Shadows
"When you're a vampire, you become very sexy."
Taika Waititi's What We Do in the Shadows is a vampire movie for people who hate vampire
movies.
The film follows the movements of four vampire roommates, played by Waititi, Jemaine Clement,
Jonathan Brugh, and Ben Fransham, as seen through the lens of a documentary crew.
The four vampires in question all live together, and they have the same conflicts that any
human roommates would have.
"The point is, Deacon, that you have not done the dishes for five years."
"That is right, it's unacceptable to have so many bloody dishes all over this bench
like that."
Things get even more tense for the roommates when they have to deal with the newly "turned"
Nick, whose reckless behavior threatens to expose their secrets.
Putting a human touch on the film makes the movie a very different take on the vampire
genre, and Waititi's always on point sense of humor makes it a coffin full of laughs
from start to finish.
Slither
Written and directed by Guardians of the Galaxy's James Gunn, the horror comedy Slither features
a group of small-town residents dealing with the sudden appearance of an alien parasite
that has the ability to take over people's bodies and minds.
"Oh my God, baby, what happened to your face?"
"It's just a bee sting."
Fans of Guardians of the Galaxy will be familiar with the film's antagonist, Michael Rooker,
who plays Yondu in the MCU.
Rooker is incredible as the infected Grant Grant.
Elizabeth Banks costars, providing Rooker solid back-up as his clever wife Starla.
The movie also features an impressive performance from the always charming Nathan Fillion, making
it a thoroughly enjoyable — if pretty damn gross — horror ride.
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