Black comedy laughs where laughing feels forbidden, which is exactly why it works. This tag collects reviews of dark comedies: death, disaster, and taboo played for laughs that cost something.
1980sJune 6, 2026
Nicolas Cage delivers one of the most committed and bizarre performances ever as a yuppie who thinks he's turning into a vampire. Vampire's Kiss earns its 6.5 as a fascinating, deeply strange film that is far more interesting as a…
1940sMay 19, 2026
A magazine columnist who has fabricated her domestic Connecticut life must host a war hero and her publisher for Christmas. Christmas in Connecticut is Peter Godfrey's 1945 American romantic comedy about a magazine columnist whose readers believe she lives on…
2010sMay 19, 2026
Santa's bumbling son Arthur must deliver a forgotten present before sunrise, using an antique sleigh and his grandfather's wisdom. Arthur Christmas is Sarah Smith's 2011 British-American animated Christmas comedy from Aardman Animations depicting the modern operation of Santa's high-tech global…
1980sMay 19, 2026
Scrooged is Richard Donner's 1988 American comedy adaptation of A Christmas Carol, with Bill Murray as a cynical television executive producing a live Christmas Carol broadcast on Christmas Eve who is himself visited by three spirits over the course of…
1980sMay 19, 2026
Chechik's 1989 American comedy depicting Clark Griswold's plans for a perfect family Christmas at his suburban Chicago home, which unravel through extended-family chaos, holiday catastrophe, and a frozen pool that becomes the screenplay's central comic obsession. Christmas Vacation is the…
2000sMay 19, 2026
A drunken con artist working seasonal Santa jobs robs department stores on Christmas Eve and reluctantly bonds with a strange child. Bad Santa is Terry Zwigoff's 2003 American black comedy depicting Willie Soke, an alcoholic safecracker who works seasonal Santa…
2000sMay 19, 2026
A human raised by Santa's elves travels to New York City to find his biological father, an embittered publishing executive. Elf is Jon Favreau's 2003 American Christmas comedy about Buddy, a human raised among Santa's elves at the North Pole,…
2010sMay 19, 2026
A dysfunctional family's hostile Christmas attracts the attention of the anti-Santa demon Krampus, who arrives with monstrous helpers. Krampus is Michael Dougherty's 2015 American horror-comedy depicting a dysfunctional family's hostile Christmas attracting the attention of the anti-Santa demon Krampus, who…
1980sMay 19, 2026
Trading Places is John Landis's 1983 American comedy depicting two wealthy commodity brokers who place a one-dollar wager on whether a homeless con artist and an Ivy League executive can be switched places without either knowing about the experiment, with…
1980sMay 19, 2026
Tim Burton's comedy about a deceased couple haunting their old house and hiring a deranged bio-exorcist to scare out the living family. Alec Baldwin plays Adam Maitland.
2000sMay 19, 2026
A small-time thief stumbles into an LA acting career and a noir investigation, with Robert Downey Jr. as narrator across the Christmas season. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is Shane Black's 2005 American neo-noir comedy depicting a small-time New York thief…
2020sMay 19, 2026
Violent Night is Tommy Wirkola's 2022 American action-comedy depicting Santa Claus, played as a disillusioned former Viking warrior, trapped inside a wealthy family's Connecticut compound as mercenaries take the family hostage on Christmas Eve, leading Santa to fight back with…
Professional ghostwriting for executives, founders, coaches, and authors who want to get the book done right. 113+ books authored. 54+ ghostwritten for clients.
Ready to discuss your book?
BOOK YOUR PRIVATE CONSULTATIONNo pitch. No pressure.
© 2026 Richard Lowe. The Writing King. All rights reserved.
Four short, practical guides on writing, publishing, and selling your book, plus the occasional note when there's something worth your time. No fluff, no daily inbox clutter. Drop your email and they're yours.
We use MailerLite to manage our list and send these emails. Your address is used only to send you what you signed up for. We will not sell it, share it, or use it for anything else, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
