Tim Burton’s 1992 superhero film Batman Returns is unlike any other movie that features the masked hero of Gotham City. It is a dark, gritty, and vicious take on the classic character’s story. In fact, Burton’s film is so dark, it could be considered a horror film.
Set during the end of the holiday season, it opens up on a speech by millionaire Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) calling for the construction of a brand-new power plant for Gotham City. During his speech, a demented circus troupe bursts in to ruin the day. Their leader is Oswald Cobblepot, better known as the Penguin (Danny DeVito). His parents abandoned him in the sewers as a baby when they discovered the disfigured nature of his face and body that resembled a penguin’s. Oswald’s bitterness grew and he became one of Gotham City’s most devious villains.
Burton’s film introduced the dark backstory of Catwoman. Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) worked as a secretary for Shreck but when she discovered he plans on using the power plant to drain Gotham of its power, he pushes her from the top of a skyscraper. She dies instantly, but is brought back to life by cats, which allows her to become Catwoman. These backstories are exceptionally dark, but grow even more intense as the film progresses.
Why Batman Returns Counts As Horror
The Penguin’s physical appearance is terrifying enough, but the movie adds an extra element of horror through the character's personality. He is a sadistic person who kills at random with no true reason behind his crimes besides lingering feelings of abandonment; this seemingly random killing is similar to many horror movie villains, such as Halloween's Michael Myers. In one scene, the Penguin is shown biting a man’s nose off out of nowhere, which causes excessive, gory bleeding. Furthermore, even his cohorts are not safe from his brutality. If they do not abide by his rules, they are thrown into the sewer water to suffer a gruesome death as well.
Catwoman is less horrific, but her character is symbolic of the horrors of abuse that women experience. After coming back to life, she transforms into an evil villain who claims her home as “hell.” The plot of her seeking revenge for abuse has been done in many revenge-style horror movies from Wes Craven's Last House on the Left and even the more exploitative I Spit On Your Grave movies; although Kyle's backstory wasn't as brutal as some of these, the intent is still there. Ultimately, Catwoman gets her revenge by using a taser to kill Shreck, which literally turns him into a skeleton.
Despite the film’s villains, Batman is actually the most threatening and horrific character of the entire film. While most of his movies feature a man hellbent on saving everyone at bettering the city of Gotham, Burton’s film features a Batman devoid of any remorse or sense of empathy. He does not care who lives or dies, as long as he wins in the end. The combination of all of these elements creates the sense of a very dark, Batman-focused horror movie. Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is a deeply disturbing film in an otherwise basic superhero franchise. With almost every character displaying sadistic behaviors and characteristics, Batman Returns ultimately counts as a horror movie.