Everybody loves a good dark comedy. There's something about the combination of visceral and genre inspired elements being played for laughs that always captivates a certain type of audience. As time has gone on, filmmakers have become more daring in how they choose to go for laughs in this darker and slightly more contentious way.
From scathing social commentary to fun horror-inspired fits of comedic violence, the mixture of light and dark over the last decade has given us some truly phenomenal films that push the boundaries and did not receive their just due. Here are 10 dark comedy movies that flopped, but had all the ingredients of a big hit.
They Came Together (2014)
David Wain's subversive take on the romantic comedy genre came and went in 2014 without hardly anyone noticing it. While the film has picked up a small cult following in the succeeding years, it is nowhere near as beloved or well-known as Wain's other ensemble comedy Wet Hot American Summer. Released on VOD and theatrically on the same day, the film is a mixture of extremely stupid humor mixed with a really dark series of anti-humor scenes that use shock value as their comedic tool. The star power of Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd mixed with the right marketing campaign could have rendered this one a hit in another world.
Calvary (2014)
While Calvary made a decent bit of money worldwide, the film was largely ignored domestically, both financially and by the Academy. John Michael McDonagh's dark comedy features a career-best performance from Brendan Gleeson as an Irish priest who is told by one of his congregation that he is going to be murdered in a week's time. The film's lofty mixture of Irish wit and a cynical discourse on religion make it an ideal candidate for Awards Season recognition, which would have no doubt increased its domestic box office returns.
Wild Tales (2014)
Though this anthology film from 2014 is a Spanish film, the mixture of comedy and irony with bone-crushing violence made Wild Tales a possible frontrunner for the year's big crossover hit. Unfortunately, the small arthouse run the film got in distribution prevented it from blowing up.
However, the film managed to be a success around the rest of the world. Each segment of the film tells a different tale of someone supposedly normal flying off the handle in increasingly brutal and hilarious ways. A brilliant film.
The Sisters Brothers (2018)
The Sisters Brothers is a very peculiar film. When the cast is seen on paper--John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed--the film seems like a guaranteed hit. While certainly a favorite with the critics, the film hardly made any money at the box office, failing to even recoup its modest enough budget. The film itself is a delightful western with a heavy dose of deadpan humor and a tad bit of arthouse flair for good measure. The film is certain to be rediscovered sometime in the future, it is too uniquely brilliant not to be.
It's a Disaster (2012)
Made for near $500,000, It's a Disaster only managed to recoup $60,000 back. Ostensibly a chamber piece and an ensemble comedy, the film tells the story of an afternoon where eight friends get together for brunch only to have it interrupted by old wounds, petty arguments, and the impending apocalypse. The standout of the film is undoubtedly its razor-sharp script, truly plunging some dark pits for comedic gold, and a suitable weirdo performance from David Cross. Had the film been made in the '90s, it could have been another dialogue-heavy sleeper hit a la Clerks or Swingers.
Under the Silver Lake (2018)
After making one of the decade's biggest horror delights with It Follows, David Robert Mitchell followed up with this sprawling stoner-mystery starring Andrew Garfield as a burnout who gets sucked into a psychedelic murder conspiracy that spirals into lunacy.
A one of a kind film that required some serious cajones to even attempt, the film was delayed and dumped onto Amazon Prime a year after originally being slated for theaters. Had it been given the care of other A24 marketing campaigns, the film could have been a late-night phenomenon.
Mayhem (2017)
A crowd-pleasing and violent take on the hostile workplace, this genre-bending fight-fest has all the makings of a box office smash the likes of Kingsman or Kick-Ass. When a mysterious virus invades a large corporate building, everyone begins turning on each other. It is fun as hell to watch as Samara Weaving and Steven Yeun make their way through the improvised battlegrounds on their way to the top of the food chain. Mixing hilarious over the top action with dark social commentary and brutal violence, the film is destined for Midnight Movie status.
Anomalisa (2015)
Charlie Kaufman's second directorial film, Anomalisa, is one of his most underrated compositions. The film, a stop motion film strictly for adults, is one of the finest depictions of melancholy and loneliness in recent years.
Combining Kaufman's trademark originality and humor with genuine insight into the human condition, the film should have been the most awarded film of the year. Instead, it became the film every cinephile friend started begging you to watch.
Better Watch Out (2016)
There is a serious shortage of quality horror Christmas movies. This 2016 film plays out like a potent mixture of Home Alone and The Strangers. To say too much about the plot itself would be to spoil some of its devious yuletide fun, but just know that the film always has something up its sleeve. When a babysitter agrees to babysit a precocious young boy, the night becomes rife with antics and violence that make for a fast-paced and nasty little holiday thriller that should have made a lot more money and created a lot more buzz than it did. A lot more.
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
No other dark comedy released in the decade was done dirtier than Martin McDonagh's crime caper comedy Seven Psychopaths. Featuring a bevy of hilarious and off-kilter performances from greats like Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, Sam Rockwell, and of course, Christopher Walken, the film's brilliant script is hilarious from start to finish. The film made its money back but opened in the U.S. at #9 at the box office before fading into the background. Instead, the film should have been McDonagh's breakthrough film. He would have to wait until his next film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri for that to come to fruition.