13 Best Dark Comedies

By Vlad Zakh · April 20, 2026

Fargo turned a botched kidnapping into one of the funniest, bleakest films ever, while In Bruges showed the same tonal balancing act could work decades later. Heathers is dry, dark teen satire, Burn After Reading is a spy farce where everyone is hopelessly incompetent, and Seven Psychopaths keeps undercutting its own premise. The Cable Guy, Nightcrawler, The Death of Stalin, Very Bad Things, Death to Smoochy, American Psycho and Being John Malkovich round out the list.

Heathers (1988)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A popular clique's casual cruelty turns fatal once a new boyfriend starts staging their deaths.

Directed by Michael Lehmann · 1h 43m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Cable Guy (1996)

TMDB ★ 5.9

A studio comedy that went far darker than audiences expected at the time.

Directed by Ben Stiller · 1h 36m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Burn After Reading (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A misplaced CD of memoirs spirals into a Coen brothers espionage farce.

Directed by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen · 1h 36m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A meta crime-comedy that keeps undercutting its own premise.

Directed by Martin McDonagh · 1h 50m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Nightcrawler (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 95% Metacritic 76

A sociopathic freelancer builds a career filming increasingly staged crime-scene footage.

Directed by Dan Gilroy · 1h 58m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar46 wins & 126 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Sundance Now, Netflix Standard with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Death of Stalin (2017)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 94% Metacritic 88

Soviet officials scramble for power in the chaotic, backstabbing hours after Stalin's death.

Directed by Armando Iannucci · 1h 47m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 BAFTA 18 wins & 40 nominations total

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Very Bad Things (1998)

TMDB ★ 6.5

A bachelor party in Las Vegas takes a horrifying turn after an accidental death forces a cover-up.

Directed by Peter Berg · 1h 40m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Death to Smoochy (2002)

TMDB ★ 6.1

A gleefully mean-spirited satire of children's entertainment.

Directed by Danny DeVito · 1h 49m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

American Psycho (2000)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 69% Metacritic 64

A Wall Street executive's polished exterior barely hides his violent double life.

Directed by Mary Harron · 1h 42m · Rated R

7 wins & 11 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock Premium, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Being John Malkovich (1999)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A portal into an actor's own mind turns into the strangest premise of the decade, played completely straight.

Directed by Spike Jonze · 1h 53m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

In Bruges (2008)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 84% Metacritic 67

Two hitmen hide out in a Belgian tourist town over Christmas while waiting for orders that will change everything.

Directed by Martin McDonagh · 1h 48m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar25 wins & 55 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Fargo (1996)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 95% Metacritic 88

A car salesman's botched kidnapping scheme spirals into a series of increasingly violent complications.

Directed by Joel Coen · 1h 38m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars84 wins & 59 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

13 Best Dark Comedies

Heathers (1988)

The Cable Guy (1996)

Burn After Reading (2008)

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Nightcrawler (2014)

The Death of Stalin (2017)

Very Bad Things (1998)

Death to Smoochy (2002)

American Psycho (2000)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

In Bruges (2008)

Fargo (1996)

You might also like

15 Best 2010s Comedy Movies

Jim Carrey – 10 Best Movies

Jake Gyllenhaal – 10 Best Movies

14 Best Mystery Dramas for a Rainy Night In

6 Best Hiding a Body Comedy Movies

6 Best Bachelor Party and Wild Night Movies