Subgenre Sampler
Comedy > Black Comedy: 288 Films to Buy & Rent
Witches of Eastwick (1987)
- Dir. George Miller
Feat. Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer…
- Lively comic fantasy about three bored spinsters whose dreams of Mr. Right unwittingly conjure up a diabolical Jack Nicholson.
A Very Peculiar Practice (TV Series) (+ A Very Polish Practice) (1986-1988)
- Dir. David Tucker
Feat. Peter Davison, Graham Crowden, Barbara Flynn
- A glorious surreal BBC black–comedy drama set in the health centre of a British university, based on the experiences of revered writer Andrew…
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
- Dir. Frank Oz
Feat. Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia…
- Excellent film version of the off–Broadway musical based on the 1960 horror/comedy of the same name. The story of the man–eating plant is…
Ruthless People (1986)
- Dir. David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams
Feat. Bette Midler, Danny De Vito
- A genuine classic from the Zucker brothers and Touchstone pictures. The ingenious plot is laced with great gags, giving Bette Midler and Danny DeVito…
Shadows in Paradise (Varjoja paratiisissa) (1986)
- Dir. Aki Kaurismaki
Feat. Matti Pellonpaa, Kati Outinen, Sakari Kuosmanen
- The first film in Kaurismäki's Proletariat Trilogy follows a lonely garbage collector who finds romance with a check–out clerk (Kaurismäki…
Something Wild (1986)
- Dir. Jonathan Demme
Feat. Melanie Griffith, Jeff Daniels, Ray Liotta
- The then–hip Melanie Griffith takes conservative Jeff Daniels on a crash course in carefree living and kinky sex. But the fun turns to terror…
After Hours (1985)
- Dir. Martin Scorsese
Feat. Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom…
- Scorsese picked up Best Director award at Cannes for this brilliant, Kafka–esque black comedy about an ordinary guy's traumatic and bizarre…
Brazil (1985)
- Dir. Terry Gilliam
Feat. Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Ian Holm…
- Daydreaming bureaucrat Jonathan Pryce becomes unwittingly involved with an underground superhero and a mystery woman before falling victim to his own…
Fright Night (1985)
- Dir. Tom Holland
Feat. William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowall…
- Terrific vampire satire in which a boy becomes highly suspicious of his new neighbours, led by a suave Chris Sarandon.
The superb make–up…
No Surrender (1985)
- Dir. Peter Smith
Feat. Bernard Hill, Michael Angelis, Joanne Whalley…
- Black comedy has the unfortunate Angelis getting himself into some hot water when he takes over the managment of a seedy Liverpool club. From the pen…