dark humor essay ideas

Exploring 60+ Creative Satirical Essay Topics: Beyond Comedy

• Post author By admin
• November 8, 2023

Explore a world of wit and humor with our satirical essay topics. From societal absurdities to playful parodies, find inspiration for your next laughter-inducing masterpiece.

Imagine being able to express your opinions, critique the world, and entertain your audience, all while having a good laugh.

That’s the magic of satirical essays. These essays provide a unique platform where humor meets social commentary, and where you can make a powerful point with a touch of wit and sarcasm. However, the success of a satirical essay hinges on the topic you choose.

So, whether you’re aiming to tickle funny bones or provoke deep thoughts, this article is your guide to the world of satirical essay topics.

We’ll explore ideas that are not only hilarious but also thought-provoking. Get ready for a journey through the realm of satire as we uncover the perfect subjects to fuel your creativity and captivate your readers.

Table of Contents

The Art of Satire

Satire is like a secret doorway into the world of wit and wisdom, where humor becomes a tool for unveiling the absurdities of life.

It’s an art form that has been around for ages, tickling our funny bones while nudging us to think deeper. So, what’s the deal with satire, and how does it weave its magic?

At its core, satire is like a sly social commentator. It puts society, individuals, or even entire systems under a magnifying glass, exposing their quirks, flaws, and idiosyncrasies. But here’s the twist – it does all this while making us laugh, cringe, and nod in agreement.

Satire is a versatile beast, lurking in literature, theater, TV shows, and the wild world of the internet. You can stumble upon it in essays, short stories, cartoons, or even stand-up comedy.

No matter the form, satire’s mission remains constant: to challenge the norms and jolt us into questioning our reality.

What makes satire special is its talent for confronting the unmentionable. It deals with the tough stuff – the controversial, the uncomfortable, and the thought-provoking – all wrapped up in a hilarious package. It’s like delivering bitter medicine with a sweet coating.

Mastering the art of satire demands a sharp mind and a good grip on society’s quirks. It involves using humor as a Trojan horse, smuggling important messages behind the laughter.

Satirists are the word acrobats, using irony and sarcasm to create a gap between words and meanings, inviting us to read between the lines.

Satire isn’t just about teasing others; it’s also a way for creators to turn the humor microscope on themselves and their own society. It’s a bit like saying, “We’re all in this together, folks. Let’s laugh at our shared absurdities.”

In the end, satire is a waltz between laughter and contemplation. It’s a potent tool that can hold a mirror up to the truth, challenge the powerful, and kickstart change.

So, the next time you giggle at a satirical piece, remember, it’s not just humor; it’s an artful invitation to see the world from a different angle.

Finding the Perfect Satirical Essay Topic

So, you’re gearing up to dive into the world of satirical essays, armed with humor and a desire to make a point. But there’s one small challenge: what on earth should you satirize?

Finding the perfect satirical essay topic can feel like hunting for buried treasure in a vast sea of ideas. But don’t worry; we’re here to make the search more exciting than daunting.

Explore Life’s Quirky Side

Let’s start with the everyday oddities that often go unnoticed. Satire thrives on the absurdities of life. So, consider topics like “The Chronicles of Awkward Elevator Encounters” or “The Epic Saga of Misplacing Car Keys.”

Roast Society’s Foibles

Satire is a powerful tool for poking fun at societal flaws. Delve into topics like “The Unbelievable World of Clickbait Headlines” or “The Drama of Oversharing on Social Media.”

Mock Trends and Hypes

Trends and fads come and go, but their absurdity lingers. Satirical essays can take a hilarious spin on subjects like “The ‘Instant Celebrity’ Recipe” or “The Quest for the Ultimate Superfood.”

Expose Hypocrisy

Nothing’s quite as amusing as uncovering double standards. Consider topics like “The Eco-Warrior with a Private Jet” or “The ‘Healthy Living’ Guru Who Sneaks Midnight Snacks.”

Satirize Celebrity Culture

Celebrities and public figures are a satirist’s playground. Create essays like “A Day in the Life of a Paparazzo” or “The Politician’s Guide to Perfecting the Fake Smile.”

Twist Timeless Tales

Classic stories and fairytales can get a satirical makeover. Imagine “Snow White’s Reality TV Dilemma” or “The True Story Behind ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.'”

Tease Technology

Our tech-infused lives offer endless satirical material. Think about subjects like “The Smartphone Addiction Chronicles” or “The Comedy of Online Dating Fails.”

Skewer Schooling

Educational systems have quirks worth exploring. Consider topics like “The Art of Mastering Procrastination in College” or “The Confessions of a Self-Help Guru’s Ghostwriter.”

Roast Pop Culture

Pop culture is a goldmine for satire. Delve into topics like “The Art of Reality TV Editing” or “Decoding Celebrity Baby Names.”

Reflect on Human Quirks

Sometimes, the best satirical essays explore the oddities of human behavior. Think about subjects like “The Secret Language of Passive-Aggressiveness” or “The Science of Cringe-Worthy Moments.”

Remember, the key to a fantastic satirical essay is to mix humor, irony, and a dash of social critique. Seek out the absurd in the ordinary, and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries of creativity.

With the right topic in your sights, you’re on your way to crafting a satirical masterpiece that’s not only entertaining but also thought-provoking, leaving your readers chuckling and pondering the world around them. Happy satirizing!

Satirical Essay Topics

Check out satirical essay topics:

Social Issues

• The “Selfie Olympics”: A Humorous Take on Self-Obsession
• “Smart” Appliances: How Your Toaster Is Plotting Against You
• The Art of Ghosting in Modern Dating: A Guide for Cowards
• “Influencer” Starter Kits: A Satirical Look at Vanity in a Box
• “Political Correctness” Gone Mad: The Absurdity of Language Policing
• The Faux Philanthropist: Exposing Fake Social Activism
• Instagram Filters: The Gateway Drug to Plastic Surgery
• The Chronicles of “Healthy” Fast Food Chains
• “Inspirational” Quote Overload: When Motivational Messages Lose Their Meaning
• The Irony of “Cancel Culture”: Who’s Next in Line for Erasure?

Technology and Digital Age

• The Amazon Echo: Is Your Virtual Stalker Also a Comedian?
• The Satire of Social Media “Influencers” Selling the Impossible
• The Comedy of Clickbait: When Everything Is “Mind-Blowing”
• GPS Devices: Helping You Get Lost Like a Pro
• The Hilarity of Internet Trolls: A Deep Dive into the Art of Anonymity
• The True Cost of “Free” Apps: Selling Your Soul for Candy Crush
• The Mystery of “Smart” Home Devices: Are They Plotting World Domination?
• The Ridiculous World of Internet Challenges: From Cinnamon to Tide Pods
• The Irony of Virtual Reality: Escaping the Real World to Do the Same Things
• The Evolution of “Face Filters”: From Cute Animals to Unrecognizable Humans

Education and Learning

• The Art of “Wikipedia Scholar” Degrees
• Group Projects: Where Slackers Become the Best Magicians
• The Science of Fake Homework Excuses: A Comprehensive Study
• The Irony of “Learning Styles”: Are You a Visual, Auditory, or Kinesthetic Liar?
• The Satire of “No Child Left Behind”: How We Left Them All Behind
• The Comedy of “Participation Trophies”: Everyone’s a Winner (Except Not Really)
• Teachers’ Lounge Conspiracy Theories: What Really Happens in There
• The Mystery of Library “Silence” Zones: The Noisiest Places on Campus
• The Chronicles of “Extra Credit” Hustlers: Masters of the Brown-Nosing Arts
• “Back to School” Sales: How to Convince Kids That Pencils Are Fashion Statements

Pop Culture

• Celebrity Fragrances: Smelling Like You Could Be Famous
• The Comedy of Reality TV: Where Non-Celebrities Act Like Celebrities
• The Hilarity of Award Show Speeches: From “Genuine” Tears to Thanking Your Dog
• The Mystery of Viral Internet Challenges: Surviving the Stupidity
• The Absurdity of Tabloid Headlines: Alien Babies and Celebrity Reincarnations
• “Trendy” Diets: From the Cabbage Soup Cleanse to the Twinkie Diet
• The Satirical Take on Superhero Films: When Spandex Saves the Day
• The Comedy of “Real Housewives” Shows: Unreal Lives in Expensive Houses
• Celebrity Social Media Feuds: The Battle for the Most Retweets
• “Cool” Urban Legends: Bigfoot’s Hipster Cousin and the Loch Ness Hipster

Environmental Issues

• The Comedy of Earth Day Parades: Marching for the Planet with Plastic Signs
• The Irony of “Eco-Friendly” Disposable Diapers: Breaking Down in a Million Years
• The Green Guilt Trip: How Your Neighbor’s Solar Panels Shame You
• The Chronicles of the “Green” Car Owner: Driving a Gas Guzzler with a Green Sticker
• “Zero-Waste” Instagram Accounts: How to Produce Tons of Trash for Likes
• “Organic” Fast Food: Because Deep-Fried Organic Is Healthier, Right?
• The Absurdity of “Recycling” Electronics: Sending Your Old Laptop to a Landfill
• The Hilarity of “Farm-to-Table” Restaurants: How Far Is That Farm, Really?
• “Eco-Friendly” Water Bottles: Saving the Earth, One Plastic Bottle at a Time
• The Satire of “Vegan” Junk Food: Tofu Hot Dogs and Deep-Fried Kale Chips

Political Issues

• Political Campaign Slogans: Promising Everything, Delivering Nothing
• The Comedy of Political Debates: Where Civility Goes to Die
• Political “Spin Doctors”: Turning Scandals into Inspirational Stories
• The Absurdity of Political Ads: Making Promises You Know Won’t Be Kept
• The Mystery of Bureaucratic Jargon: Translating “Government Speak” into English
• Election Promises vs. Reality: A Satirical Look at Broken Pledges
• The Irony of Campaign Fundraising: How the Poor Donate to the Rich
• Presidential Twitter Wars: When World Leaders Act Like Teenagers
• Political Conventions: Where Balloons Are the Highlight of the Evening
• The Satire of Political Polls: Predicting the Future with a Magic 8-Ball

The Recipe for a Perfect Satirical Essay

Satirical essays are a unique and entertaining form of writing that allows you to explore and critique various aspects of society, culture, and human behavior with a humorous twist.

Crafting the perfect satirical essay requires a blend of wit, humor, and keen observation. Whether you’re an experienced satirist or just dipping your toes into this literary art form, here’s the recipe for creating a deliciously satirical essay:

Choose a Target

Start by identifying your target, which is the subject of your satire. It can be a social issue, a cultural phenomenon, a common behavior, or any aspect of society that you find intriguing or absurd.

Your target should be something you have strong opinions about, as satire involves commentary.

Understand Your Audience

Consider your audience’s sensibilities and preferences. Satire should be funny and thought-provoking, but it should also resonate with your readers. Know what will make them chuckle or nod in agreement.

Develop a Strong Thesis

Your satirical essay should have a clear thesis statement that conveys your central message or criticism. This statement will guide your entire essay and help your readers understand the purpose of your satire.

Embrace Exaggeration

Exaggeration is a key ingredient in satirical writing. Amplify the flaws, quirks, or absurdities of your target to an extreme degree. Push it to the limit to create humor and emphasize the point you’re making.

Employ Irony and Sarcasm

Irony and sarcasm are your trusty companions in satire. Use them to highlight the gap between appearances and reality, between what’s said and what’s meant. Witty one-liners and clever wordplay can add an extra layer of humor.

Employ Parody

Parody involves mimicking or imitating a particular style, genre, or individual to create humor. You can parody well-known personalities, famous works of literature, or iconic brands. This approach adds a layer of recognition for your readers.

Use Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an extravagant exaggeration used for emphasis. It’s an effective tool for satirists. Make the ordinary extraordinary, and the absurd even more ridiculous with the use of hyperbole.

Employ Ridicule

Ridicule is the act of mocking or making fun of your target. It’s a fundamental component of satire. Create amusing caricatures, funny situations, or absurd scenarios to ridicule your subject.

Craft a Catchy Title

Your essay’s title is your first chance to grab your readers’ attention. Make it catchy, clever, and relevant to your subject matter. A well-crafted title sets the tone for your satire.

Provide Real-World Examples

Support your satire with real-world examples, anecdotes, or observations. These give your essay authenticity and make your critique more relatable.

Maintain Consistency

Stay consistent in your satirical approach throughout the essay. Your humor, tone, and style should remain constant from start to finish.

Offer a Resolution or Alternative

A good satirical essay doesn’t just point out flaws; it suggests improvements or alternative solutions. Offer a thought-provoking resolution or present an absurd alternative to highlight the flaws in the existing system or behavior.

Revise and Edit

Like any other type of writing, satirical essays benefit from revision and editing. Review your work for clarity, coherence, and grammatical correctness. Ensure that your humor is sharp and your message is clear.

Seek Feedback:

Share your essay with friends or colleagues and ask for their feedback. A fresh perspective can help you refine your satire.

Don’t Cross Boundaries

While satire encourages humor and exaggeration, be mindful not to cross into offensive or hurtful territory. Your satire should be amusing and thought-provoking, not mean-spirited.

Incorporate these ingredients into your satirical essay recipe, and you’ll be on your way to creating a delicious, thought-provoking, and entertaining piece of satirical writing.

Remember, the goal is not just to make your readers laugh but also to make them think. Happy satirizing!

What is a good topic for satire?

When it comes to crafting a satirical essay, choosing the right topic is essential. A good satirical topic should be timely, relevant, and capable of shedding light on the hypocrisy, absurdity, or foolishness prevalent in a particular person, group, or institution.

Here, we present a handful of excellent topics ripe for satirical exploration:

The Social Media Obsession

Satire can delve into our incessant phone-checking habits and the constant updates on our lives. Explore the addictive nature of likes and followers in the digital age.

The Political Circus

Politics is a treasure trove of satirical material. Unveil the world of empty promises made by politicians or their peculiar fascination with fundraising over serving constituents.

The Cult of Celebrity

Delve into the worship of celebrities and society’s fixation on every move they make. Expose the extremes of idolizing famous figures.

Commercialized Holidays

Highlight the shift of holidays from meaningful family and friend gatherings to consumerist extravaganzas. Satirize the overwhelming emphasis on shopping.

The Wellness Mania

Poke fun at the relentless pursuit of healthy eating and exercise, sometimes taken to the point of neuroticism. Examine society’s obsession with wellness.

These topics serve as a starting point, and there are numerous other excellent options for satirical essays. The key lies in selecting a topic that seamlessly combines humor with thought-provoking insights, fostering essential conversations about pertinent issues.

In the realm of satire, humor is the vehicle, but reflection is the destination.

What is a satirical essay?

Satirical essays are a unique genre that employs humor, irony, exaggeration, and various literary devices to critique individuals, groups, or institutions.

Their purpose is to reveal hypocrisy, absurdity, or foolishness, all while prompting readers to view essential issues from a fresh perspective.

Let’s explore the defining features of a satirical essay:

Humor with a Purpose

Satirical essays are inherently humorous, but this humor serves a greater objective. It isn’t merely for laughter’s sake; it’s a powerful tool used to underscore the essay’s subject.

Masters of Irony and Sarcasm

Satire relies heavily on irony and sarcasm, two potent instruments. Irony involves using words in a way that contradicts their actual meaning, while sarcasm is a form of irony that expresses contempt or criticism.

Exaggeration for Effect

Satirical essays often amplify the flaws and shortcomings of their subjects. This amplification serves to sharpen the essay’s point and portray the subject in an even more ludicrous light.

Laser-Focused on Specifics

These essays are not vague musings. They pinpoint particular individuals, groups, or institutions, enhancing their effectiveness in conveying a message.

Clever and Witty Execution

A successful satirical essay should be clever and witty. Without these qualities, it risks losing its humor and impact.

In the world of satirical essays, humor is the vehicle, but enlightenment is the destination. These essays serve as a remarkable means to provoke reflection on crucial issues, all while bringing a smile to the reader’s face.

What is a good satire example?

In the world of literary satire, some timeless classics have managed to tickle our funny bones while offering profound insights.

These masterpieces don’t just amuse us; they make us ponder the follies of human nature and society. Here are a few of these gems:

1. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)

Swift takes us on a whimsical journey with Lemuel Gulliver through lands like Lilliput, Brobdingnag, and more. But beneath the fantastical adventures lies a clever satire on the quirks of humanity, politics, and society.

2. Candide by Voltaire (1759)

Voltaire’s story follows the eternal optimist Candide, who explores the world and encounters a string of misfortunes. Through Candide’s misadventures, Voltaire uses satire to skewer the notion of unbridled optimism and reflect on the harsh realities of our world.

3. Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)

Orwell’s allegorical tale is a biting critique of the Russian Revolution and the emergence of Stalinism. As a group of farm animals rebel against their human overlords to create their society, Orwell uncovers the corrupting influence of power.

4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

Heller’s novel hilariously underscores the absurdity of war and the bureaucratic maze of the military. Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Air Force bombardier feigning insanity to avoid more bombing missions, embodies the dark comedy that ensues in wartime.

5. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (1980)

Toole paints a satirical portrait of Southern culture and the elusive American Dream through the comical misadventures of Ignatius J. Reilly. A lovable yet exasperating character, Ignatius dreams of becoming a writer while wrestling with his own eccentricities.

These works are just a sampling of the rich tapestry of satire in literature. They remind us that humor can be a powerful tool for reflecting on society and uncovering truths in the quirkiest and most unexpected ways.

In the enchanting world of satire, the boundaries are as limitless as your creativity. Satirical essay topics offer a stage where humor, irony, and cleverness intertwine, allowing us to dive headfirst into the quirks of human behavior, the baffling peculiarities of society, and the intricacies of our ever-evolving world.

These topics spark laughter, but they do much more – they beckon us to think. Satirical essays act as a mirror, reflecting back the contradictions, paradoxes, and absurdities we often overlook.

They prod us to question the norms, to challenge established norms, and to perceive the world from a fresh angle.

So, whether you’re composing a satirical essay to entertain, to shed light on social issues, or just for the sheer joy of wit, remember that satire transcends humor – it’s an art form that inspires contemplation.

It’s a delightful nudge that reminds us humor can be a powerful instrument for change, and that even the weightiest of subjects can benefit from a sprinkle of humor.

So, let your imagination soar and your pen dance merrily, because who knows, amid the chuckles, you might uncover profound truths that were hiding in plain sight.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of a satirical essay.

A satirical essay aims to criticize and ridicule societal issues, individuals, or institutions using humor, irony, and exaggeration. Its purpose is to entertain, make readers think, and shed light on the absurdities of our world.

Can I use satire to discuss serious topics?

Absolutely! Satire is a powerful tool to address serious issues indirectly. It allows you to critique and challenge the status quo while keeping your readers engaged through humor.

How do I maintain a balance between humor and critique in a satirical essay?

Balancing humor and critique in a satirical essay is key. Ensure that your humor supports your critique and doesn’t undermine the seriousness of the issue you’re addressing. Clever wit and well-crafted irony can help maintain this balance.

Is it essential to use real examples in a satirical essay?

While using real examples can enhance the impact of your satire, it’s not always necessary. You can create fictional scenarios and characters to highlight the absurdities

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106 Humor Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Humor is a powerful tool that can be used to entertain, engage, and even persuade an audience. Writing humor essays can be a fun and creative way to explore a wide range of topics and showcase your wit and comedic skills. If you're looking for some inspiration for your next humor essay, we've got you covered with 106 topic ideas and examples to get you started.

• The struggles of adulting: How to survive paying bills and doing taxes while still maintaining your sanity.
• The art of procrastination: A step-by-step guide on how to avoid doing work at all costs.
• The joys of online shopping: Why you always end up buying things you don't need.
• The perils of social media: A humorous take on the absurdity of online trends and challenges.
• The wonders of technology: Why your smartphone is both a blessing and a curse.
• The trials and tribulations of dating in the digital age: Navigating the world of online dating and ghosting.
• The joys of pet ownership: The hilarious antics of living with a furry friend.
• The struggle of adult friendships: How to maintain relationships when everyone is busy with work and family.
• The art of self-deprecation: Embracing your flaws and imperfections with humor.
• The hilarity of family gatherings: Surviving awkward conversations and embarrassing moments with your relatives.
• The absurdity of reality TV: Why we can't stop watching shows about people doing ridiculous things.
• The joys of travel mishaps: From lost luggage to missed flights, the comedy of errors that come with exploring new places.
• The quirks of office life: Dealing with annoying coworkers and bizarre office policies.
• The absurdity of diet culture: Why we can't seem to stop obsessing over kale and avocado toast.
• The art of sarcasm: Mastering the fine line between witty banter and being a jerk.
• The hilarity of bad first dates: Tales of awkward encounters and cringe-worthy moments.
• The joys of being a parent: The funny and heartwarming moments of raising children.
• The absurdity of fashion trends: Why we're all walking around in clothes that make us look like we belong in a circus.
• The struggles of adulting: Why we all secretly wish we could go back to being kids.
• The hilarity of fitness fads: From Zumba to CrossFit, the ridiculousness of trying to get in shape.
• The art of self-care: Why a glass of wine and a bubble bath can solve all your problems.
• The absurdity of social norms: Why we all follow rules that make no sense.
• The hilarity of online dating profiles: Decoding the lies and exaggerations people use to sell themselves.
• The joys of being a foodie: Why we're all obsessed with taking pictures of our meals.
• The struggles of adulting: How to pretend you have your life together when you really don't.
• The art of making small talk: Navigating awkward conversations with strangers.
• The absurdity of celebrity culture: Why we care so much about the lives of people we've never met.
• The hilarity of office parties: Surviving awkward interactions and embarrassing moments with your coworkers.
• The joys of being a dog owner: The hilarious antics of living with a four-legged friend.
• The absurdity of beauty standards: Why we spend so much time and money trying to look perfect.
• The struggles of adulting: How to survive the daily grind of working a 9-to-5 job.
• The art of passive-aggressive notes: The hilarious messages people leave for their roommates and coworkers.
• The joys of being a cat owner: The sassy and aloof behavior of living with a feline friend.
• The absurdity of wedding planning: The stress and chaos that come with trying to have the perfect day.
• The hilarity of bad hair days: From frizzy curls to flat roots, the struggles of trying to tame your mane.
• The joys of being a plant parent: The comedy of errors that come with trying to keep your green babies alive.
• The absurdity of online reviews: From overly positive to ridiculously negative, the extremes of customer feedback.
• The struggles of adulting: How to navigate the world of taxes and investments without losing your mind.
• The art of ghosting: Why we all have a friend who disappears without a trace.
• The hilarity of grocery shopping: The comedy of errors that come with trying to navigate crowded aisles and long lines.
• The joys of being a bookworm: The hilarious moments of getting lost in a good story.
• The absurdity of fast fashion: Why we keep buying cheap

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111 Humor Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best funny essay topics & examples, 📌 simple & funny essay titles, 👍 good humorous essay topics, 😄 funny narrative essay topics.

• Humor in Lysistrata and She Stoops to Conquer: Still Funny Today For contemporary audiences yet delight in the satire of Lysistrata, the farcical comedy of manners in which the themes of national war and peace, and yes, even war and peace between the sexes, all receive […]
• The Effects of Humor and Persuasion Nevertheless, humor does still have a firm standing in as far as enhancing persuasion is concerned since the source is able to build rapport with the receiver which is the fundamental goal of persuasion. Humor […] We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Sense of Humor: How Does It Help? Satire is more particular because it is based upon a proper understanding of the target of the humor and may only be interesting and entertaining to a mature and probably educated audience.
• Humor and Parody in Japanese Literature The aim of this paper is to explore the use humor and parody in the following works of Edo and Tokugawa periods: Shikitei Sanba’s Ukiyoburo, Ihara Saikaku’s Life of a Sensuous Man, and Hiraga Gennai’s […]
• Humor in Zadie Smith’s Novels The style in which Zadie Smith writes serves as a shorthand to introduce the reader to a situation that can be regarded as ethically or socially problematic and approached from the perspective of Zadie Smith’s […]
• Comedy and humor in World Literature Here, the comedy of absurd is presented in the description of the state of poverty in the family of Okonkwo’s father.
• Drew Hayden Taylor’s Aboriginal Humor: Just Joking? This essay looks at the classical theories that could be applied to aboriginal joking while touching on the functions of joking, comedy as serious, and the analysis of a joke. It informs us of the […]
• Harpagon – The Achievement of Humor in “The Miser” by Moliere Since he has alienated himself from all the other characters, whatever unfortunate happens to him in the course of the play is a source of humor for the audience.
• Humor Importance in the Workplace Since the HRM function is charged with the development of motivation in the workplace, humor can be instrumental in the development of a free social environment.
• Racial Humor and Stereotypes in “Rush Hour 2” Due to the influence of the process of globalization various cultures on our planet started to interact very closely, massive waves of migrations covered every country and the clash of customs, traditions, religions and lifestyles […]
• Humor and Technology in “Young Frankenstein” Film One of the debates of the day was the question of the proper role of the scientist in the contemporary age, addressed in the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley.
• Humor and Horror: The Last House on the Left by D.Iliadis Review On the other hand, humor in the Film is used to generate fun, make the viewers laugh, reduce tension, and offer empathy to the characters.
• Film Noir and Black Humor in “The Missing Gun” Black humor and noir elements can also be viewed as features helping to create a specific visual image of a movie and atmosphere that would affect viewers.”The Missing Gun” combines these aspects to depict an […]
• Humor as the Leading Strategy of Stress Relief The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of humor as one of the leading stress management strategies. In other words, it does not suffice to know the sources of stress, as the […]
• Humor as a Means to Achieve Positive Results in the Workplace However, when a team represents a wide variety of ethnic groups who are hostile to each other, the manager should know how to build a good relationship in a multi-ethnic team.
• Humor Application in Conflict Management: Facilitating and Regulating Communication To an extent, the value of humor can be explained by the fact that it helps to establish a more relaxed atmosphere, the quality sometimes needed at a workplace.
• Humor as a Therapeutic Tool at Health and Humor Website Humormatters.com It can be found through the google search of “Sultanoff” and is also listed on the Pepperdine University website in the section dedicated to the researcher, as to one of the faculty members.
• Humor and Health in the Workplace: Communication and Reducing Employee Tension Additionally, the cartoon reduces tension in the workplace since it gives the employer a chance to advise the specific worker. The organization management comprehends that employees are free to develop a great deal of expertise […]
• Ethics and Persuasion of Humor: In Context to the Social Functions of Humor in the Society The mental position in this case is taken to be the attitude of the person. Humor in persuasion helps the receivers have interest in what one is trying to communicate.
• Culture-Based Humor and Stereotypes: A Comedian’s Relationship With the Audience It is impossible to distinguish the type of comedy that would be interesting for a person without analyzing one’s reaction to humor on various topics.
• Humor in Asian Cinema: The Functions of Humor in Japanese Films To conclude, humor in cinema is a valuable instrument for developing the major topics of films and adding certain distinguishing details to them.
• The Racial Humor in America: Jokes With Racial and Ethnic Contents Connotations The Indian childhood and racial stereotypes are the major areas covered by Peter Russell since the start of his performance in 1989.
• Mark Twain and His Humor According to Critics He and his family moved to Nook Farm in Hartford, Connecticut in the 1860s then to Fredonia, New York and Keokuk, Iowa.
• Humor With a Multifunctional Nature: Cultures and Traditions in Works of Comedy Considering the 2008 elections in particular, the Colbert Report served as accelerator of the people’s self-awareness and patriotism; it aimed at revealing the truth to people in humorous ways in order to compensates the lack […]
• The Strategies of Humor and Australian Art Post 1970 The role of humor concerning needs and emotions illustrates a society as a powerful teacher in the construction of the social self-reinforcing of which emotions are acceptable.
• Different Tastes of Humor Humor is a part of life, and if we try to ignore it because of too many activities, or of little things that we tend to magnify in spite of their irrelevance in our lives, […]
• Humor Therapy for Patients With Mental Illness Thus, the researchers concentrated on humor as one of the most valuable components of therapy, having the potential to lead to positive patient outcomes.
• African-American Humor as a Reflection of Change The purpose of this article is to show that humor has been employed by the African-American population as a tool of diminishing the stereotypes that get in their way towards the realization of equal privileges […]
• “Humor and Laughter” by Attardo Since then up to now, a synthesis of the different elements of humor and laughter lacks thereby, triggering the relevance of evaluating the maturation of the field.
• Humor in the Workplace The findings of this paper can be important from theoretical and practical perspectives: on the one hand, they can better explain those forces which govern the relations among colleagues; while on the other hand, they […]
• The Nature of Humor: What Makes People Laugh Academically, literary works are a creative and constructive way of condemning evils such as corruption, impunity, gender violence and discrimination of any kind, which could be understandably an obstacle to the progress of a society […]
• Dark Humor in The Cask of Amontillado Essay The use of horror and humor in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is one of the literary features that the author uses to constructs the story.
• The Impact of Fun and Humor in the Workplace on Employee Morale and Performance Although it has always been known that laughter can lower stress levels and provide several other benefits, it is generally believed that kidding around and having some laughter in the workplace is not helpful at […]
• The Theme, Message, Humor and Setting of The Fault in Our Stars, a Novel by John Green
• The Theme of Humor in The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
• Uses of Humor in The Crying Lot of 49 by Thomas Pynchon and White Noise by Don DeLillo
• Transforming the Moment: Humor and Laughter in Palliative Care
• The Humor of Absurdity in Adams’ Hitch Hiker’s Guide
• The Humor Through the Characters By Creating False Realities in the Taming of the Shrew
• The Humor and Satire in Mark Twain’s Writings
• The Use of Comedy to Add Humor in the Movie Zombieland
• The Principles of Satire and Humor in Candide by Voltaire
• Use Of Tone, Irony and Humor in The Hammon and the Beans
• The Use of Irony and Humor in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest
• The Importance of Humor in Literature for the Beginning Reader
• Use Of Humor And Language Techniques In Monbiot’s Article Modest Proposal For Youth Scourge
• The Potential Correlations Between Self Defeating Humor
• Use of Humor by Woody Allen and Sigmund Freud
• The Importance of Humor in Tragic Hamlet, a Play by William Shakespeare
• The Relationship Between Humor And Culture: Emma Jameson
• The Humor Functions in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest
• The Definition of a Parody and the Different Strategies of Finding Humor
• The Positive and Negative Implications of Humor
• The Cooperative Principle of Pragmatics: An Analysis of the Verbal Humor in Friends
• The Use of Literary Devices to Create Humor in Romeo and Juliet
• The Use of Humor in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a Play by William Shakespeare
• What Is The Triumph Of Humor Over Human Adversity
• The Similarities and Differences between Popular and Academic Sources on Humor Comprehension and Humor Production
• Using Humor in the Teaching-Learning Process To Improve the Students’ Speaking Skill
• The Truth Behind Comedy: An Analysis Of Comedians And Humor
• The Subtle Humor of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
• The Humor in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
• The Cynical Views and Dark Humor of Voltaire in Candide and Zadig
• Therapeutic Use of Humor Description
• Women And Comedy: Sexual Humor And Female Empowerment
• Using Dark Humor And Journals
• The Use of Humor in the Writings of Mark Twain
• The Importance of Humor in Creating an Effective Advertising for Marketers
• The Effects Of Humor At The Cellular Level And On The Immune System
• What Roles Does Humor Play in Flight
• The Satire and Humor In Chaucer8217s Canterbury Tales
• The Use of Humor in Richard Iii by Shakespeare
• The Powerful Humor Presented in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
• The Life of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and His Dark Humor in Satirical Novels
• The Difference Between American and British Humor
• Use Of Humor To Describe Historical Events Illustrated In George Orwell’s Animal Farm
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving and Humor
• The Use of Different Forms of Humor to Face the Harsh Reality of Everyday Life as a Prisoner During the Holocaust
• Use of Humor in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
• The Development of a Sense of Humor in Childhood
• The Main Effect of Humor Through the Contradictions Within Each Component in Foreign Bodies by Hwee Hwee Tan
• Wit and Humor in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
• Theories of Humor in Stop Me If You’ve Heard this by Jim Holt
• The Humor in 21 Jump Street, a Film by Phil Lord and Chris Miller
• What Is Mean “Bad” Humor?
• What Is the Meaning of Humor?
• What Is the Opposite of Humor?
• What Is the Best Synonym for Humor?
• Which Is the Closest Synonym for the Word Humor?
• How African American Humor Has Evolved and the Way We Look at Comedy?
• How Does Chaucer Use Humor to Make Social Criticism?
• How Does Dorothy Parker Use Humor to Explore Gender Differences?
• How Does Humor Affect Our Society?
• How Does Humor Use Humor?
• How Emily Dickinson Uses Humor and Irony in Her Poetry?
• How Can Humor Benefit Workplace Relations and Improve Employees?
• How Can Humor Create Different Emotions Within the Comedy?
• How Can Humor Serve as an Important Part of Health?
• How Humor Makes More of an Impression Than Stern Speeches?
• How Would Open-Mindedness, Responsibility, and a Sense of Humor Help Japan Become a Better Country?
• How Russel Peters’ Uses Race-Based Humor?
• What Are the Unique Characteristics of Jewish Humor?
• Who Benefits From Humor-Based Positive Psychology Interventions?
• The Moderating Effects of Personality Traits and Sense of Humor?
• Does the Relation Between Humor Styles and Subjective Well-Being Vary Across Culture and Age?
• How Does Humor Affect Brand Imaging, Interpersonal?
• How Does Humor Influences Perceptions of Veracity?
• Can a Person Be Described as Humorous?
• What Is the Importance of Humor?
• How Did Social Change and Its Humor Idiom in the Twentieth Century?
• Which Are Different Styles of Humor?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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110 Humor Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Top Humor Topic Ideas and Essay Examples

– Sense Of Humor: What Does It Do? Satire is much more particular as it relies on an accurate understanding of the intended audience.

– The impact of humor and fun in the workplace on employee morale and performance It is well-known that laughter has many benefits. However, laughter isn’t always a good thing for your […].

– The effects of humor and persuasion Humor can still be used to persuade. Comedy/Amusement

– The Cask of Amontillado Horror Story – Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe makes use of humor and horror to tell “The Cask of Amontillado”.

– Humor’s Nature: What Makes People Smile? Literary works are academically a constructive and creative way to condemn evils such corruption, impunity and gender violence.

– World Literature: Humor and Comedy Here is the absurd comedy of Okonkwo’s father’s description of his family’s poverty.

Humor in Lysistrata, She Stoops to Conquer: Still funny today The satire of Lysistrata is a farcical comedy that delights modern audiences. It focuses on national wars and peace.

Humor at Work This paper’s findings are both theoretically and practically important.

Attardo: “Humor and laughter” The field has been lacking a synthesis of laughter and humor since then.

– Racial Humors, Stereotypes, and “Rush Hour 2”, The influence of globalization made it possible for different cultures to come into contact. This led to massive migrations across every country and clashes of customs and religions

– African-American Humor: A Reflection on Change This article aims to demonstrate that the African-American population has used humor to diminish stereotypes and get them closer to realizing equal rights […]

Humor at Work: How Important is It? The HRM function is responsible with motivating workers. Humor can help create a friendly environment.

– Japanese Literature – Humor and parody This paper explores the use of humor and parody within the following works of Edo-Tokugawa periods.

– Humor in Zadie’s Novels Zadie’s style serves as a guideline to help readers understand situations that might be ethically or otherwise problematic.

Humor Therapy for Mental Illness Patients Therefore, researchers focused on humor in therapy as it has the potential for positive patient outcomes.

– Humor, Technology and the Young Frankenstein Movie One of the most heated debates was about the role of scientists in today’s age. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, which addresses this question.

Humor: Different tastes Humor is part of our human nature. […]

– Harpagon The Achievement of Humor, “The Miser” Moliere The audience can find humor in whatever happens to him throughout the play because he has become distant from all other characters.

– Strategies for Humor and Australian Art Post 1970 Humor regarding emotions and needs is a powerful tool for constructing a society that accepts these emotions.

– Humor of Multifunctional Nature: Cultural Traditions and Comedy Works The Colbert Report was a catalyst for patriotism and self-awareness in 2008, especially when it came to the elections. It was intended to make people laugh and compensate for the […] lack of truth.

– Mark Twain’s Humor according to Critics In the 1860s, he moved with his family to Nook farm in Hartford, Connecticut. Then, they moved to Fredonia, New York, and Keokuk in Iowa.

– The Racial Humors in America: Jokes with Racial or Ethnic Contents Connotations Peter Russell’s performance began in 1989 and has covered the most important areas of Indian childhood, racial stereotypes and race relations.

– Humor and Asian Cinema: The Functions Of Humor In Japanese Films Humor in cinema can help to bring out the most important themes and add some unique details.

– Culture-Based Humor, Stereotypes and Comedians’ Relationship with the Audience Without being able to analyze one’s reactions, it is impossible to determine which kind of comedy would be the most entertaining for someone.

– Ethics, Persuasion and Humor: The Social Functions of Humor in Society In this instance, the mental state is defined as the person’s attitude. Humor is an effective way to persuade others.

Drew Hayden Taylor’s Aboriginal Humor. This essay will examine the traditional theories of aboriginal humor. It informs about the […]

Humor in the Workplace: Reducing employee tension and communication The cartoon helps reduce tension at work by giving the employer an opportunity to offer advice to the worker. Management understands that employees have the freedom to learn […].

Humor as Therapy at Humormatters.com It can be searched for using the Google keyword “Sultanoff” as well as listed on the Pepperdine University website under the section dedicated o the researcher and a faculty member.

– Humor as a Method of Conflict Management: Facilitating & Regulating Communication Humor can help to create a relaxed environment, which is sometimes necessary in a workplace.

Humor can be a tool to achieve positive results at work Managers should be able to establish good relationships with multi-ethnic teams that include members from different ethnicities.

Humor is the best strategy for stress relief This paper will discuss how humor can be used to manage stress. It is not enough to understand the causes of stress.

Film Noir, Black Humor and Film Noir in “The Missing Gun” Black humor and noir elements can be seen as features that help to create an image and atmosphere in a movie. These elements are combined in “The Missing Gun” to show an […].

Simple & Easy Humor Essay Titles – The Theme. The Message. The Humor. The Setting of The Flaw in Our Stars. John Green’s Novel. – The Theme of Humor, The Taming of the Shrew (William Shakespeare) – The Crying Lot of 49 by Thomas Pynchon & White Noise By Don DeLillo – Humor and Uses – Transforming Moments: Humor and Laughter In Palliative Health Care Adams’ Hitch Hiker’s Guide to Humor and Absurdity – Humor through the Characters by Creating False Realities In the Taming Of The Shrew – The Humor, Satire and Writings of Mark Twain – Comedy as a Humorous Tool in Movie Zombieland Voltaire’s Principles of Satire and Humor In Candide – Tone, Irony and Humor in The Hammon And The Beans – Oscar Wilde’s The Imitance of Being Earnest: How Humor and Irony are Used – The Importance Of Humor In Literature For Beginning Readers – Humor and Language Techniques in Monbiot’s Article Modeest Proposal for Youth Scourge The Possible Correlations between Self-Defeating Humor and Humor Sigmund Freud and Woody Allen discuss the use of humor – The Importance Humor In Tragic Hamlet. A Play by William Shakespeare Emma Jameson: Humor and Culture in Relationship – Oscar Wilde’s The Importance and the Earnest: How Humor Works – How to Find Humor in a Parody. Humor’s Positive and Negative Implications – The Cooperative principle of Pragmatics: An Analyse of Verbal Humor among Friends – The use of literary devices to create humor for Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer night’s Dream, A Play about Humor – What is the Triumph of Humor over Human Adversity? – Humor Production: The Differences and Similarities between Academic and Popular Sources – To improve the students’ speaking skills, use humor in the teaching-learning process

Humorous Topics for Essays – The Truth Behind Comedy. A Study Of Comedians. Jane Austen’s Subtle Humor about Pride and Prejudice – The Humor of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America to Make Beneficiious Nation of Kazakhstan – The Cynical Perspectives and Dark Humor Of Voltaire in Candide And Zadig – Therapeutic Uses Of Humor – Women and Comedy: Sexual Humor And Female Empowerment Using dark humor and journals – Mark Twain’s Humorous Writings – Humor is essential in creating effective advertising for marketers – The Cellular and Immune Effects Of Humor Humor in Flight: What Roles Does It Play? – Chaucer8217s Canterbury Tales: Humor and Satire Shakespeare’s Humor: Richard Iii. – One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: Powerful Humor – Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s Life and Dark Humor in Satirical Fictions – The Difference between British and American Humor – George Orwell’s Animal Farm demonstrates the use of humor to describe historical events Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Humor – How to use humor to face the harsh realities of everyday life as a prisoner during the Holocaust – William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – Humor – The development of a sense of humor in childhood Hwee Hwee Ta – Humor through Contradictions within Foreign Body Components Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: Wit and Humor – Humor theories by Jim Holt – 21 Jump Street: The Humor of Chris Miller and Phil Lord

Questions about Humor – What Does it Mean to be “Bad”? – What is Humor? – What is the opposite of humor? – What is the best synonym for humor? – What is the closest synonym for the word humor? How African American Humor and Our View of Comedy Have Changed – Chaucer uses humor to make social criticism. – How does Dorothy Parker use humor to explore gender differences? Humor: How does it affect our society? – What is Humor? – Emily Dickinson uses humor and irony in her poetry – How can humor benefit workplace relations and improve employee performance? – How can humor create different emotions within comedy? How can humor be an important part for health? Humor can make a greater impression than Stern speeches. – How can Japan’s open-mindedness, responsibility and sense of humor make it a better country? Russel Peters uses race-based humor? – What are the unique characteristics of Jewish Humor and Humorology? Humor-Based Positive psychology Interventions for Whom? – How do personality traits and sense of humor affect your ability to make decisions? Is there a relationship between Humor Styles & Subjective Well-Being that is different across cultures and ages? How does humor affect brand imaging, interpersonal? – How does Humor influence perceptions of veracity? – Is Humor a Qualify for a Person? What is the importance of humor? – How did social change and its humor idioms in the Twentieth Century occur? – What are the Different Styles Of Humor?

Emerson McKinney is a 31-year-old mother and blogger who focuses on education. Emerson has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Carolina. She is currently a stay-at-home mom and blogger who writes about her experiences as a mother and educator. Emerson is also a contributing writer for the Huffington Post.

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Let's Get Creative!

Dark Writing Prompts That Will Haunt Your Mind

Dark, mysterious stories that push our understanding of the world are some of the most famous books, especially throughout the last decade. Books like  The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Giver,  and  The Handmaid’s Tale  grab hold of our curiosity in how deep society can fall.

Sometimes these stories are so staggering that you wonder how the ideas were thought of. And, for the writer, these dark plots can be just as exciting to write as they are to read.

If you’ve wanted to write a similar story but weren’t sure what to write about, you can use the following prompts to gain some inspiration. And, perhaps, one will lead to a full novel.

I’ve split these dark writing prompts into two categories: titles and first sentences.

• The Secret Underground
• The Tears That Divide Us
• Everything Fell
• Pieces of Our Hearts
• The Last of Life
• Our Faulty Souls
• Broken Club
• The New Flame
• The Unexplained Bones
• These Strings Hold Me Together
• Fire In Our Hands
• Branded in Coal
• Murders of Our Time
• The Four Tomes
• The Cryptic Footsteps
• Hooded Ghosts
• The Veiled Shadows
• Haunted Blood
• Nightmares in Our Attic
• The Sirens Sound
• It Blankets My Soul
• Compass to the Underworld
• Gates of Blooming Lies
• A Little Grim

First Lines:

• It wasn’t supposed to end like this…
• I apologized and pulled the trigger…
• I opened my eyes and everything was dark…
• Her heart stopped beating, but her eyes blinked open…
• The smell of blood overwhelmed me…
• The screams came from all around me…
• I tried to run, but it pulled me in…
• The fear in my gut grew as the laughing got louder…
• The abandoned mansion called to me…
• After an hour of waiting, I could no longer hear him…
• The truck wouldn’t stop following me…
• Something about their faces sent shivers down my spine…
• The boat came closer, but no one was on it…
• The soft voice came from somewhere inside…
• If it wasn’t us, then who was it…
• We needed more time, but time was up…
• The temperature was rising and there was nowhere to go…
• The hole opened under me, and I fell in…
• Once the gate opened, there was no going back…
• There was no one left when the game was done…
• Everyone had left and I had no one to help now…
• It was the end of everything, and that was only the beginning…
• Monsters were only in stories, but this was real…
• I turned the light on, and what I saw haunted me…
• It was time to sleep, but I knew it’d be back…

If you enjoyed these dark writing prompts, sign up for my mailing list and receive exclusive content, printables, and more!

Similar Posts You May Find Helpful:

• Visual Writing Prompts to Spark Inspiration
• 50 Free Writing Prompts for Creative Writers
• Writing Prompts for Adults

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BEST DARK WRITING PROMPTS

Join (probably?) the world's largest writing contest. Flex those creative muscles with weekly writing prompts.

Showing 30 prompts reset

Heavenly bodies, set your story in a type of prison cell., write a story about someone making a deal with the devil., write a story about someone trying to resist their darker impulses. whether they succeed or fail is up to you., set your story in an eerie, surreal setting., start your story with someone vowing to take revenge..

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Write about a character with questionable morals.

Write about someone deliberately trying to make somebody else envious., write a story about a pathological liar., start your story with someone receiving a one-star review., set your story on a day when the sun never sets., subscribe to our prompts newsletter.

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• Write a story titled ‘The Locked Door.’

Set your story in a labyrinth that holds a secret.

Start your story with someone being forbidden from doing something., write a story that involves sabotage..

• Set your story during the night shift.

Write about a character who has landed their dream job, only to discover it isn’t quite what they imagined it to be.

• Start or end your story with a house going up in flames.
• Write about a character who tells a lie which turns out to be true - or a truth which turns out to be a lie.

Start your story with a character having a premonition, but no one believes them.

Start your story with an unexpected knock on a window., win $250 in our short story competition 🏆.

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The best dark writing prompts

While positive stories can be a great comfort read, we're all drawn in by a little darkness at times. Whether it's a story about blood and gore, or something that's more emotionally driven, a lot of our favorite tales feature something we fear lurking in the shadows. While inspiration for these kinds of moody stories can be found anywhere (what's in that dark corner over there?), sometimes it can be helpful to get a little outside help for your writing ideas.

To help you get started, this is a list of our top ten dark writing prompts:

• Five years ago, you moved away, changed your name, got a new job, and altered your appearance. But they managed to find you anyway.
• It was a hell of a way to die.
• Write a story where one character needs to betray the other, but isn’t sure if they can.
• Write about someone who’s so obsessed with a goal that it leads to the destruction of their closest relationship.
• Your character has made a terrible mistake in his/her life and is living with the consequences, at least a decade later.
• Write a story in which a window is broken or found broken.

Want some more help writing a story that will send a chill down your readers' spines? Check out these free resources:

• How to Master the 'Show, Don't Tell' Rule (free course) — To write a dark story full of suspense and mystery, you need to get the atmosphere right. Creating vivid images and describing sensations accurately will allow readers to see through your character's eyes. Use our Show, Don't Tell course to master immersive storytelling, and make your readers feel the fear like they're right there in that dark alley, watching the man walk closer... and closer...
• How to Write a Horror Story: 7 Tips for Writing Horror (blog post) — Our horror writing bible. If your dark story errs on the side of spooky, this post tells you everything you need to know.

Want more help learning how to write a dark short story? Check ou t How to Write a Short Story That Gets Published — a free, ten day course guiding you through the process of short story writing by Laura Mae Isaacman, a full-time editor who runs a book editing company in Brooklyn.

Ready to start writing? Check out Reedsy’s weekl y short story contest , for the chance of winning $250! You can also check out our list o f writing contests or our directory o f literary magazines for more opportunities to submit your story.

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Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

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101 Hilarious (or Slightly Amusing) Comedic Story Prompts

Do you need some help conjuring compelling comedy ideas? Sometimes reading simple comedic story prompts is the easiest way to find them.

Most writers are often asked,  “Where do you get your ideas from?”  A majority of the time, writers find it difficult to answer that question.

We get our ideas from a plethora of sources — news headlines, novels, television shows, movies, our lives, our fears, our phobias, etc. They can come from a scene or moment in a film that wasn’t fully explored. They can come from a single visual that entices the creative mind — a seed that continues to grow and grow until the writer is forced to finally put it to paper or screen.

In the spirit of helping writers find those seeds, here we offer 101 originally conceived and hilarious — or at the very least, slightly humorous — story prompts that you can use as inspiration for your next horror story.

They may inspire screenplays, novels, short stories, or even smaller moments that you can include in what stories you are already writing or what you will create in your upcoming projects.

Check our our other story prompt lists here!

1. Two opposing football coaches from rival schools fall in love with each other.

2. A man is afraid of everything.

3. A mom is obsessed with wanting to be popular amongst her teenage daughter's friends and peers.

4. A past arcade game champion from the 1980s quits his job to travel the country getting high scores on classic arcade game consoles.

5. A world where cats and dogs rule Earth.

6. Mark Twain is transferred into the future to experience what life is like now.

7. Someone believes that they are an amazing athlete, but nothing could be further from the truth.

8. A character desperate for a job accepts a position as an interpreter, but can't actually speak the native language.

9. A bigot's soul is transferred into a minority's body.

10. An egotistical genius is suddenly stripped of their intelligence.

11. An unethical CEO of a superstore is ordered by the court to work a month as a cashier.

12. A cowboy is forced to work in the corporate world.

13. A male mermaid falls in love with a female castaway.

14. Mrs. Claus is forced to deliver presents on Christmas after her husband runs off with a stripper.

15. A janitor enacts hilarious daily revenge on the students that mock him.

16. A man finds a loophole to enter the Miss Universe contest.

17. A disgraced angel who hates humans is forced to live amongst them.

18. A mother and her teenage son switch bodies.

19. The world's unluckiest man.

20. An Uber/taxi driver picks up a doppelganger.

21. A world where everybody suddenly tells the truth no matter what the consequences.

22. A pastor is accidentally sent to Hell for a missionary trip.

23. A talented but laid-off chef is forced to take a job in a fast food joint.

24. A group of promiscuous high school friends decides to live like do-good virgins to win the heart of a new student.

25. What if Romeo and Juliet hated each other?

26. Someone dies, only to see that their childhood wish of returning to life as a dog comes true.

27. Someone that faints at the sight of blood becomes a vampire.

28. A man discovers that's he's actually a robot.

29. An alternate universe where adults are the children and kids run the world.

30. A man suffers from a strange mental disorder that forces him to communicate only through puns.

31. High school friends of the opposite sex vow to marry each other by 40 if they're still single — only to finally reunite at a high school reunion and discover they can't stand each other, but don't want to be alone.

32. A tone-deaf singer trying to make it as a performer.

33. An egotistical Dungeons & Dragons player wakes up within the world of their campaign.

34. Pranking gets out of hand in an office building.

35. A man finds any way he can to get his wife to divorce him — but none of it works.

36. A marriage counselor that has been married five times.

37. The world's worst beekeeper.

38. The world's worst soccer player that is only on the team because their father coaches.

39. An otherwise innocent priest is disenchanted with the church, quits, and decides to make up for lost time by sinning — but their conscience is making it very difficult.

40. The world's worst hunter.

41. The angel and devil on one's shoulders are actually real.

42. A man afraid of the water decides to confront his fear by visiting the world's biggest waterpark.

43. A man afraid of clowns decides to confront his fear by attending clown school.

44. A woman is literally afraid of her own shadow.

45. The country's funniest comedian decides to run for president as a joke — and wins.

46. The world of enthusiastic parents and coaches during a week-long soccer tournament.

47. A group of childhood friends reunites for their 25th reunion only to learn that each of them has undergone drastic changes in their genders and sexualities.

48. A character obsessed with Tom and Jerry cartoons is thrust into that world.

49. The son of a secret agent is nothing like his father.

50. A princess from another country decides to go incognito and attend an American college.

51. A prince from a male-dominated society comes to America.

52. The opposite of vertigo — the fear of being too close to the ground.

53. A woman has Sinistrophobia — the fear of objects to your left.

54. A millennial who can't detach from technology is forced to go camping.

55. A romantic comedy about two dogs that fall in love against all the odds.

56. Someone that hates horror movies because the characters make stupid mistakes is thrust into a world where those scenarios play out.

57. Dogs and cats, living together.

58. The frog that was turned into a prince turns back into a frog after the princess divorces him.

59. A millennial who can't detach from technology is transported to 1980s.

60. A hipster who wishes they could live in the simpler times of the 1800s gets their wish and realizes how hard that life really was.

61. A Little House on the Prairie fan wishes they could live in that world and realizes how hard that life really was.

62. A TV personality is a fake Shark expert on a Shark Week show.

63. A popular TV Chef that can't really cook is hired by the White House to cook for the inaugural ball.

64. An egotistical President of the United States decides to pull a publicity stunt for the upcoming election — he wants to be the first president in space.

65. A family wakes up to discover that their dog, two cats, and two frogs can now talk.

66. A family is transported to the land of Oz only to be mistaken as witches because of their smartphones.

67. Unappreciative twin brother and sister are transported into the bodies of their father (brother) and mother (sister) at their birth and get a taste of what it was like raising twins.

68. Unappreciative twin brother and sister are transported into the bodies of their father (sister) and mother (brother) at their birth and get a taste of what it was like raising twins.

69. Parents travel into the future to see what their children are like — and the results are not that great.

70. Grandparents welcome their six grandchildren for a week's vacation; only the parents never come back.

71. A group of children start an underground candy factory and run it like a drug cartel.

72. A group of soccer moms start an underground cupcake factory and run it like a drug cartel.

73. A bunch of bored fathers that binge The Sopranos decides to start a suburban mafia — but they are a far cry from gangsters.

74. A farmer decides to open a knock-off of Disneyland, complete with lackluster versions of Pirates of the Caribbean , The Jungle Cruise , It's a Small World , and many other iconic Disney rides.

75. The competitive world of belly flop competitions.

76. The competitive world of cannonball diving.

77. The competitive world of adult go-cart racing.

78. The competitive world of minigolf tournaments.

79. Neighbors living in Midwest suburbia decide to get into the lucrative world of internet couples pornography.

80. A white family wants to open up a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.

81. A group of children obsessed with 1980s movies decides to remake the classics.

82. A group of children playing hide and seek in their basement discover old VHS tapes and have no clue how to play them — leading to an adventurous journey of mystery and discovery.

83. A middle school decides to run school elections like the presidential race and prove to the world how childish adults in the political world really are.

84. A grownup butt dials their childhood phone number. Guess who answers?

85. A priest, a rabbi, and a monk walk into a bar.

86. The world's worst fistfight between two suburban dads goes viral.

87. A world where humans evolved from sloths.

88. A white-collar prisoner does everything he can to return to prison when he's released at an old age.

89. A spoof of The Shawshank Redemption where the protagonist is an idiot that makes the most stupid mistakes and gets caught at every escape attempt.

90. The world's easiest prison to escape.

91. A hardcore rapper that actually didn't grow up in the hood.

92. A mom that has had enough of her spoiled children and husband plans a vacation for herself.

93. A man and his best friend, his dog, switch bodies.

94. A woman and her best friend, a cat, switch bodies.

95. A movie buff that is sick of body switch movies actually switches bodies with someone.

96. The competitive world of the Summer Redneck Games —classic events include the toilet seat horseshoe toss, watermelon seed spitting, mud pit belly flop.

97. The competitive world of Quidditch.

98. The world of Renaissance fairs.

99. The world of cosplayers.

100. A 25th high school reunion committee decides to do an adult prom, leading to mirrored drama from twenty-five years ago.

101. A blogger trying to concoct a list of 101 hilarious (or slightly amusing) comedic story prompts runs out of ideas when he reaches the end of the list.

Share this with your writing peers or anyone that loves a funny story. Have some prompts of your own? Share them through comments on Facebook posts or Twitter retweets!

Keep writing.

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries  Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner. Follow Ken on Twitter  @KenMovies

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Dark Writing Prompts: 24 Horrifying Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on October 6, 2022

Categories Writing , Inspiration

Do you enjoy writing dark, horror-inspired stories? If so, then you will love our latest list of prompts! These horrifying ideas spark your creativity and get those creative juices flowing. Whether you are a seasoned writer or just starting, these prompts will help you create chilling tales that will send shivers down your readers’ spines. So what are you waiting for? Start writing today!

24 Dark Writing Prompts

• A family moves into a new house, realizing that demonic entities haunt it.
• A young woman is kidnapped and taken to a remote location by a madman.
• A group of friends goes camping in the woods, only to be stalked and killed by a serial killer.
• A woman finds herself pregnant with a demon’s child.
• A man discovers that he can time travel, but every time he travels to the future, it is darker and more nightmarish than the last.
• The ghost of her deceased child haunts a woman.
• A man wakes up one day to find that everyone in the world has disappeared, leaving him completely alone.
• A woman is possessed by a demon and starts committing heinous crimes.
• A group of friends investigate a haunted house and are never seen again.
• An evil witch cursed a town, turning all residents into monsters.
• The devil strikes a deal with a man, and the man must spend his life as a woman.
• A woman commits suicide, only to find that death is not what she thought it would be.
• The ghost of his dead wife haunts a man, and she tells him he must kill her little sister to set her free.
• A man tries to marry the woman he loves, but on their wedding night, she turns into a monster and tries to kill him.
• An army invades a small town, and the army consists of werewolves.
• A teenage girl uses witchcraft to bring her boyfriend back from the dead, but she soon realizes she has made a horrible mistake.
• A woman steals the legendary ruby slippers, and she soon discovers that the shoes are not only magical, but they are also alive.
• A man finds a strange camera in the woods, and every time he takes a picture with the camera, the image comes to life.
• A serial killer kills a woman, but her brain continues to function after she dies due to a rare medical condition.
• A group of young children is kidnapped and taken to a nightmarish circus, where they are forced to perform for the crowd.
• A family moves into a new home, and the house comes alive at night, killing everyone inside in the most gruesome ways possible.

Writing Dark Atmospheres: Tips and Tricks

A dark atmosphere can be integral to a story, but it’s not always easy to achieve.

One of the most important elements of a dark atmosphere is the setting. Is your story set in a dreary, fog-shrouded city? A remote, foreboding forest? Or perhaps a creaking, abandoned house? The setting should be integral to the story’s mood, and it should be clear from the outset that something is not quite right.

Another vital element of a dark atmosphere is suspense. One way to create suspense is to withhold information from the reader. This could be done by keeping certain key details about the story or characters hidden or withholding information about what will happen next. Another way to create suspense is through foreshadowing—hints or suggestions about what might happen later in the story. Foreshadowing can be subtle or overt, but it should leave the reader feeling unease.

Of course, no dark atmosphere would be complete without a few creepy details. These could include eerie sounds, unexpected appearances, or sudden disappearances. Anything that would serve to unsettle the reader can work well here. Remember not to go overboard—a few well-placed creepy details will do the job nicely.

How to Create a Dark and Dying World

To create an effective dark setting, you must first understand world-building elements. Once you have a firm grasp on the basics, you can begin to infuse your unique vision, bringing your dark world to life. Here are some key points to keep in mind as you set out to write a dark and dying world.

The End of the World As We Know It

One of the most important aspects of creating a dark setting is ensuring that your readers believe that the world is ending. To do this, you must first establish what the world is like currently. This will be your baseline; everything that follows should work to create a sense of decline from this point. When writing about the current state of affairs, be sure to include internal and external factors contributing to the decline. For example, in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by war, you might include dwindling resources, widespread disease, and mass economic collapse. Establishing a strong sense of foreboding from the outset will set the stage for the darkness to come.

Including Apocalyptic Elements

When most people think about writing a dark setting, their minds immediately jump to images of fire and brimstone, end-of-days type stuff. And while there’s a place for that kind of thing in certain stories, it’s not necessary in all cases. What is necessary, however, is a sense that things are rapidly deteriorating and there’s no turning back. So whether you’re writing about a zombie apocalypse or simply a city crumbling under its weight, be sure to include plenty of details that convey just how hopeless the situation has become.

Focusing on The Human Element

While it’s important to establish the scope and scale of the impending doom, it’s even more important to focus on how this affected individual people. After all, at the end of the day, stories are about people—not worlds—and so it’s vital that your readers feel emotionally invested in your characters and their struggles. To do this, try to put yourself in their shoes and think about how you would react if you were facing certain death. Would you give up? Would you go down fighting? Would you try to make peace with those who have wronged you? These are just some questions you should consider as you write about your characters’ trials and tribulations.

Dark characters are the best characters

We all love a good dark character. You know the type – they’re brooding, injured, damaged. They don’t play by the rules and are always just a little dangerous. But what is it that makes these characters so darn compelling? Let’s examine why dark characters make for the best stories.

Dark characters are intriguing because they’re not like everyone else. They march to the beat of their drum, and they don’t apologize for it. Something about their darkness is strangely appealing – it makes them different and unique. And in a world where we’re all trying to stand out from the crowd, who doesn’t love a little difference?

Dark characters are also usually complex and multi-dimensional. They’re not one-note beings; there’s always more to them than meets the eye. This depth makes them interesting to read about and fun to write about. It’s always a challenge to try and figure out what motivates a dark character – what drives them to do what they do? – and this can be half the fun.

Lastly, let’s not forget that dark characters are often the most passionate ones. They feel deeply and passionately, which can make for some truly intense scenes. There’s nothing quite like reading (or writing) about a dark character losing themselves in an emotion – anger, sorrow, or desire. If you’re looking for high drama, look no further than the dark character!

Deconstructing the Gothic Mystery

In literature, there is nothing quite so satisfying as a good mystery. A well-crafted mystery tantalizes readers with clues and red herrings, slowly but surely drawing them into the story until they reach the climax when all is finally revealed. And of all the different mystery subgenres, few are as atmospheric and suspenseful as the gothic mystery.

But what exactly is a gothic mystery?

The Origins of the Gothic Mystery Genre

The gothic genre has its roots in 18th-century literature when writers began experimenting with incorporating horror and suspense elements into their work. The first real gothic novel is thought to be Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1765), which tells the story of a cursed prince and features many hallmarks of the genre that would come to be defined in subsequent years.

Over time, authors began to play around with the formula, resulting in works like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). It was around this time that the term “gothic” began to be used to describe this type of literature.

What Makes a Gothic Mystery?

So what sets a gothic mystery apart from other types of mysteries? Several key elements are common to most gothic mysteries:

• A dark, atmospheric setting: Gothic mysteries often occur in haunted castles, mansions, dark forests, or other eerie locations. This provides a backdrop for suspenseful scenes and a source of fear for the characters.
• A sense of foreboding or dread: Gothic mysteries are characterized by an underlying feeling of unease or terror. This might manifest as actual supernatural events or simply as a sense that something dangerous is about to happen.
• Secretive or mysterious characters: Many gothic mysteries revolve around characters hiding something or seeming to have ulterior motives. This air of secrecy only serves to heighten the sense of suspense.
• A slow build to an explosive climax: Gothic mysteries tend to be slower-paced than other types of mysteries, gradually raising the stakes until everything comes to a head in a heart-pounding finale.
• Supernatural elements: Ghosts, witches, vampires, and other supernatural creatures are often found in gothic mysteries. These elements add an extra layer of suspense and can help create an atmosphere of terror.

English Studies

This website is dedicated to English Literature, Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, English Language and its teaching and learning.

Dark Humor in Literature

Black humor thrives on juxtaposing themes that are traditionally considered serious, such as death, suffering, and societal dysfunction, with humor, thereby challenging conventional norms and expectations.

Introduction: Dark Humor in Literature

Table of Contents

Dark humor or black humor in literature is a distinct literary device characterized by its use of dark, ironic, and often morbid humor to illuminate the absurdities and contradictions of human existence.

It thrives on juxtaposing themes that are traditionally considered serious, such as death, suffering, and societal dysfunction, with humor, thereby challenging conventional norms and expectations.

Shakespearean Dark Humor in Literature

Literary examples of dark humor.

• Explanation: In Catch-22 , Joseph Heller employs dark humor to satirize the absurdity of military bureaucracy during World War II. The titular “Catch-22” rule, where a pilot must be declared insane to avoid dangerous missions but asking not to fly proves sanity, encapsulates the absurdity of war. This darkly comic element runs throughout the novel, highlighting the futility and madness of the characters’ experiences.
• Explanation: Kurt Vonnegut uses dark humor in Slaughterhouse-Five to explore the disorienting effects of war. The recurring phrase “So it goes” following mentions of death creates a morbidly humorous commentary on mortality and the inevitability of death. This humor serves as a coping mechanism and a vehicle to convey the senselessness of violence.
• Explanation: Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay, A Modest Proposal , presents a shocking proposal with deadpan seriousness: that impoverished Irish families should sell their children as food to the wealthy. The dark humor lies in the absurdity of the suggestion, and Swift uses it to critique British exploitation of Ireland, providing a biting commentary on colonialism and social injustice.
• Explanation: In American Psycho , Bret Easton Ellis employs dark humor to expose the shallowness and materialism of 1980s American culture. The protagonist, Patrick Bateman, is a wealthy investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer. The disconnect between his violent actions and his obsession with consumerism creates a disturbing yet satirical commentary on society’s obsession with appearances and status symbols.

How to Create Dark Humor

• Juxtaposition of Contrasting Elements: Dark humor often arises from the juxtaposition of serious or grim subjects with unexpected comedic elements. Contrast serious situations with absurd or ironic twists to create a humorous effect. For example, placing a bleak scenario in a comically mundane setting can be humorous.
• Satirical Commentary : Use satire to critique societal norms, institutions, or human behavior. Create humor by exposing the hypocrisy, absurdity, or irrationality of certain situations. Satirical black humor often relies on exaggeration and irony to make its point.
• Incongruity and Surprise: Surprise your audience with unexpected and shocking twists. Introduce elements that violate expectations, such as characters reacting in bizarre ways to distressing situations. The element of surprise can provoke both laughter and discomfort.
• Deadpan Delivery: Present dark or disturbing content with a deadpan or matter-of-fact tone. The juxtaposition of serious subject matter with an emotionless or casual delivery can enhance the comedic effect. This style of delivery invites the audience to find humor in the absurdity of the situation.
• Wordplay and Wit: Clever wordplay, puns, and witty dialogue can be powerful tools for creating dark humor. Play with language to highlight the absurdity of a situation or to draw attention to the contradictions within it. Well-crafted wordplay can add depth to the humor.

Benefits of Using Dark Humor

• Engagement and Captivation: Dark humor can captivate and engage the audience by drawing them into the narrative. The unexpected and often irreverent humor can pique the audience’s curiosity, making them more invested in the story.
• Critical Social Commentary: Dark humor serves as a vehicle for critical social and cultural commentary. It allows writers to satirize and critique societal norms, institutions, and behaviors, shedding light on pressing issues in an unconventional and impactful manner.
• Coping Mechanism and Catharsis: Black humor can serve as a coping mechanism for both creators and consumers. It provides a way to address and process challenging or traumatic subjects, offering a release of tension and a sense of catharsis through humor.
• Complex Exploration of Themes: It enables writers to explore complex and multifaceted themes by juxtaposing humor with serious or dark subject matter. This complexity can lead to deeper and more nuanced storytelling, encouraging audiences to contemplate various aspects of the narrative.
• Memorability and Impact: The use of dark humor can make a story more memorable and impactful. The contrast between dark themes and humor leaves a lasting impression on the audience, provoking thought and discussion long after they’ve encountered the work.

Dark Humor and Literary Theory

Suggested readings, literary works:.

• Beckett, Samuel. Endgame . Grove Press, 1958.
• Heller, Joseph. Catch-22 . Simon & Schuster, 1961.
• Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest . Viking Press, 1962.
• Roth, Philip. Portnoy’s Complaint . Random House, 1969.
• Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five . Dell Publishing, 1969.
• Walker, Alice. The Color Purple . Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.
• Hiaasen, Carl. Tourist Season . G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1986.
• Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club . W. W. Norton & Company, 1996.

Theoretical Books:

• Bakhtin, Mikhail. Rabelais and His World . Indiana University Press, 1968.
• Raskin, Victor. The Semantic Mechanisms of Humor . Springer, 1985.
• Morreall, John. Humor Works . Prometheus Books, 1987.

Related posts:

• Onomatopoeia: A Literary Device

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9 Dark Humor Books to Provoke Your Uneasy Laughter

Steph Auteri

Steph Auteri is a journalist who has written for the Atlantic, the Washington Post, Pacific Standard, VICE, and elsewhere. Her more creative work has appeared in Creative Nonfiction, under the gum tree, Poets & Writers, and other publications, and she is the Essays Editor for Hippocampus Magazine. Her essay, "The Fear That Lives Next to My Heart," published in Southwest Review, was listed as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2021. She also writes bookish stuff here and at the Feminist Book Club, is the author of A Dirty Word, and is the founder of Guerrilla Sex Ed. When not working, she enjoys yoga, embroidery, singing, cat snuggling, and staring at the birds in her backyard feeder. You can learn more at stephauteri.com and follow her on Insta/Threads at @stephauteri .

View All posts by Steph Auteri

I have long been a fan of works that braid together the dark and the humorous. In 2021 especially, I leaned heavily on comedic horror to make it through a year of emotional overwhelm. As I DNF’d works of literary fiction and sweeping cultural critiques, my list of favorite reads included the likes of Grady Hendrix, Rachel Harrison, and Claire Kohda. Give me laughter, I demanded. Give me horror that is too outsized to ever be real .

But dark humor books are something else entirely. Not necessarily limited to horror alone, the word “dark” instead refers to the subject matter of the book, which in this particular genre is often considered taboo, serious, or far too painful to discuss. War is one example of a common theme in the genre. Poverty. Death. Disease.

The themes are horrific but, in employing humor, authors of these works can explore these topics while provoking serious thought, deep introspection and, yes, uneasy, uncomfortable laughter.

The titles in the list below sprawl across several genres. In addition to being labeled as dark comedy, they are also works of satire, dark academia, surrealism, absurdism, literary fiction and, yes, horror. No matter the genre, they’re sure to make you think differently about everything from war to sexual violence to racism to transphobia. It should go without saying but, by dint of the genre, content warnings could be applied to all of the titles below. I appreciate, however, how all of the authors handle their subject matter with thoughtfulness and care.

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour

In this satirical novel, our young protagonist is recruited out of his job at Starbucks to work on the sales team of a tech startup. After warily taking the gig, he soon realizes he’s the only Black person on staff. Emboldened by his success as a salesperson but despairing over the racial imbalance he sees, he initiates a plan to help young people of color infiltrate the white-collar workforce. The book tackles race and ambition while utilizing a sense of dark humor that will have you flying through the pages.

Bunny by Mona Awad

This Heathers -esque piece of dark academia explores class but also, more deeply, loneliness and longing, all set in the cutthroat world of the MFA program. But there are also exploding bunnies and horribly deformed fantasy suitors and, honestly, this gruesome tale is a little bit difficult to adequately describe or explain. Without revealing too much, a scholarship student finds herself suddenly absorbed into a clique of rich girls who make up the rest of her fiction writing cohort. As they invite her deeper into their world, things get wacky, and she starts to have trouble discerning the line between reality and what she thinks may just be dark dreams.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

This may be the first dark humor book I ever fell in love with. I first read it in college, when I was going through a phase in which I engorged myself on war literature. I’ve read it several times since, and it proves itself to be a delightful ride every single time. This despite the fact that its subject matter is World War II and the hideous bureaucracy that kept soldiers in combat even when the last shreds of their sanity were hanging on by a thread. This classic satire is over 60 years old now!

Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos

God, I am so heart-eyes over this cover. Anyway. This YA horror manages to tackle systemic fatphobia in the midst of a laugh-out-loud funny zombie adventure. Told from the point of view of several characters, this book is about a group of teens sent to a weight loss camp where something seems to have gone horribly wrong. Soon enough, our cast of characters is fighting for their lives. And while their opponents appear to be zombies, the real villain is…capitalism?…military experimentation?…the government? All of the above?

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars by Kai Cheng Thom

This book isn’t billed as a dark humor book, but Fierce Femmes is undoubtedly funny, even as it traffics in dark fare. This slim, surrealist story is a coming-of-age tale about an Asian trans woman who runs away from her abusive and intolerant home to make it on her own in the city. She falls in with a group of trans femmes in the pleasure district who take her under their wing, but when members of their group start coming up dead, the way forward becomes unclear. The group forms a vigilante gang and extreme violence ensues…but are they taking the right path?

How to Be Safe by Tom McAllister

This story takes place in the aftermath of a school shooting and is told from the point of view of the teacher who is momentarily named as a suspect in the shooting before quickly being cleared. The damage has already been done, however, and in the days and weeks that follow, she finds herself pinned down by her community’s misplaced judgment and scrutiny. By showing readers the mess of her life during this time, the author draws a strong connection between gun culture, misogyny, and toxic masculinity.

In Case of Emergency by Mahsa Mohebali, Translated by Mariam Rahmani

This one is a more recent title and I’m still in the middle of it, but here’s the lowdown. In a Tehran that is crumbling, our opium-addicted protagonist has only one concern: how she’ll score her next fix. Placed against the backdrop of her dysfunctional family, her depressed friends, and a troubled Iranian city, this story manages to delve into everything from authoritarianism and global capitalism to addiction, destruction, and the gender binary.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

As I’ve written previously in a post about female rage and murder , the protagonist of this satirical thriller has always protected her sociopathic, serial-killing sister. But when the man she’s been quietly pining after for years asks for her sister’s phone number, she’s forced to reconsider where her loyalties lie. In addition to murder, which is dark enough on its own, this book explores sociopathy, familial loyalty, and the enduring pain of womanhood.

Tampa by Alissa Nutting

Finally, Nutting flips the usual teacher/student affair script by providing us with a female middle school teacher who has a predatory interest in one of her 14-year-old pupils. Told from the point of view of the sociopathic, sexually voracious teacher — not the most reliable of narrators — readers get a front-row seat to her attempt at grooming, which continues to intensify until it all goes to hell.

If the thought of the books above makes you wince, perhaps you’d enjoy some full-on horror instead?

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• Film Theory

70 Hilarious Dark Comedy Movies & TV Shows | Dark Humor in 2023

T he best dark comedy movies and TV shows go for the jugular. It’s not enough to just be edgy, or even malicious. You need to tap into deep, disturbing levels of discomfort… and build a summer home.

We made the ultimate list of dark comedy movies and TV shows, plus a video essay that takes a deep dive into one dark comedy, The Lobster . Let’s jump into our list of the best dark comedy movies and TV shows.

Watch: How to Make a Dark Comedy

Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this.

Dark Humor Definition

What makes the best dark comedies.

Some of the movies on this list don't really set out to be dark comedies, but they still make us laugh at things that are truly unfortunate or just plain sad.

Some of the best movies in existence are dark comedies , and they are often built on cynical representations of otherwise dramatic subjects.

Other times, they are films that make us laugh despite being rather accurate representations of society or powerful institutions.

Dark Comedy Definition

What is dark comedy.

Dark comedy, black comedy or black humor  is a sub-genre of comedy where commonly objectionable topics and events are used in a satirical manner as a source of humor in a narrative work. A dark comedy can be a movie, TV show, novel, podcast, or any other form of narrative art.

Dark comedies intend to make light of events that would otherwise be considered too painful to discuss. The hope is that viewers will gain a cathartic experience, or simply laugh at some absurd situation.

You will probably disagree with this list in one way or another. Maybe you don’t think a particular film should be considered a dark comedy. 

We drew a very simple line...

“Do the  tragic events on screen make us laugh throughout the film?”

If the answer was, “yes”, then the film was considered for our list.

We’ve defined dark humor, so here’s our list of the best dark comedies.

Related Posts

• Zack Snyder's Directing Style →
• David Fincher's Directing Style →
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Best Dark Comedy Movies

The Coen Brothers created this dark comedy about greed and inferiority. The filmmaking techniques in this movie are some of the best ever, and worth study. Highly human, and a great protagonist. Oh yeah? Ah jeez.

Fargo | Truecoat

IMDB Synopsis: “Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.”

Best Black Comedies

2. american psycho.

Much like the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, this dark comedy movie directed by Mary Harron shows us that just because we're following a serial killer doesn’t mean the story has to be all gore and gloom.

Hold onto you funny bone for this dark comedy. Sorbet?

American Psycho Business Card Scene  •   Subscribe on YouTube

IMDB Synopsis: “A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.”

List of Dark Comedy Films

3. dr. strangelove or: how i learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.

Stanley Kubrick directed one of the earliest and truly one of the best dark comedies ever. You can't get much darker than nuclear war, and Kubrick filmed this movie made a single war room cinematic.

Dr. Strangelove | Total Commitment

IMDB Synopsis: “An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a War Room full of politicians and generals frantically try to stop.”

Best Black Humor Movies

4. fight club.

This dark comedy directed by David Fincher could be considered a lot of different things, like one of the greatest films of all time, but it has the great ability to make you laugh at just pure violence.

I haven't laughed like that since grade school. 

Fight Club | I Wan't You To Hit Me

IMDB Synopsis: “An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more.”

Best Dark Comedies

5. pulp fiction.

This dark comedy from Quentin Tarantino took the classic crime stories and gave them a twist. Adrenaline shots to the heart, burning pop-tarts, samurai swords, gimps, and speed bumps pave the way for this dark comedy movie that changed cinema forever.

Pulp Fiction | Ready, Honey Bunny 

IMDB Synopsis:  “The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.”

6. Burn After Reading

The Coen Brothers are mainstream filmmakers with a dark sense of humor who make dark comedies like no one else. this dark comedy begins like a John Le Carre spy novel but quickly becomes one of the best dark comedy movies of all time.

Burn After Reading | Osbourne Is Out

IMDB Synopsis: “A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.”

7. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Terry Gilliam can be considered a surrealist filmmaker, and each of his movies has a rich psychological theme attached. This dark comedy is centered around Hunter S. Thompson on assignment in Las Vegas.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Somewhere Around Barstow

IMDB Synopsis: “An oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.”

List of Dark Comedy Movies and TV Shows

8. the big lebowski  .

The Coen Brothers attack with one of the greatest comedy films of all time. Quite possibly their best film overall. Think this film should be number one on our dark comedy movie list?

You know what I say? Mark it zero.

The Big Lebowski | I'm The Dude

IMDB Synopsis: “Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.''

9. O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The Coen Brothers show up again with this dark comedy movie that is an adaptation of Homer’s  Odyssey . The Coens take one of the earliest stories in history and ask “What if it was meant to be a dark comedy?”

O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Your Truly

IMDB Synopsis: “In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.”

10. In Bruges

Martin McDonagh broke onto the scene with this dark comedy. The entire movie is an essay on good, bad, heaven, hell, purgatory... and Bruges. It has definitely earned a place on our list of the best dark comedy movies.

In Bruges | A Lollipop Man

IMDB Synopsis: “Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.”

Best Dark Humor Films

11. very bad things.

This dark comedy from Peter Berg is one of the best. The rhythm of the edit, the camera movement, and the use of every department to support the theme of dark comedy show why this film is such a classic.

IMDB Synopsis:  “A prostitute is killed during a bachelor party and the attendees turn on each other as the wedding approaches.”

List of Black Comedy Films

12. the death of stalin.

Stalin’s death is far from tragic, but this dark comedy from Armando Iannuci shows us the mad dash for power in a struggling Soviet Union, and how the passing of a “great leader” is a comedy-rich subject. 

IMDB Synopsis:  “Moscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly 30 years, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for power.”

The dark comedy directed by Guy Ritchie showed the world how Ritchie commands tone in his films, and much like Wes Anderson or The Coen Brothers, he can jump back and forth more effectively than most.

IMDB Synopsis:  “A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.”

BEST DARK COMEDIES

14. falling down.

The dark comedy directed by Joel Schumacher is one of those $25 million dollar films you wish Hollywood would still make. The opening scene may be one of the greatest examples of sound design and emotion.

IMDB Synopsis: “An unemployed defense worker frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society, begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.”

15. Birdman

The dark comedy directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu not only won the Academy Award for Best Picture, but it also made a lot of people laugh at violence, sexual harassment, and Broadway. Dark stuff my friends.

IMDB Synopsis: “A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.”

16. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson’s dark comedy about a hotel concierge wrongly accused for the murder of his elderly lover may be Anderson’s best film yet. Wes Anderson is a true auteurist filmmaker, and a funny one at that.

IMDB Synopsis:  “The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous hotel from the fictional Republic of Zubrowka between the first and second World Wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.”

17. Death to Smoochy

This dark comedy directed by Danny Devito boasts a really great cast and a great premise. You need directors like Danny Devito who find the comedy in the greed that surrounds children’s entertainment.

IMDB Synopsis:  “A kids show host, Rainbow Randolph, is fired in disgrace while his replacement, Sheldon Mopes, aka Smoochy the Rhino, finds himself a rising star. Unfortunately for Sheldon, the business of kids television isn't all child's play.”

List of Dark Humor Films

18. the lobster.

Yorgos Lanthimos directed this dark comedy before The Favourite , and his tone, location, and performances from his actors cement this as one of the best dark comedy movies that really leans into the dark comedy definition.

IMDB Synopsis:  “In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.”

19. The Cable Guy

This dark comedy directed by Ben Stiller follows a normal guy with some mild bravery issues, and a social outcast raised by television. This film is a really great example of how to humanize your antagonist.

IMDB Synopsis:  “A lonely and mentally disturbed cable guy raised on television just wants a new friend, but his target, a designer, rejects him, with bad consequences.”

20. Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz is the best of the dark comedy movies directed by Edgar Wright , because it is both the darkest and the funniest. This movie may, at times, be a parody of other films... but Wright has reinvented comedic cinema.

IMDB Synopsis: “A skilled London police officer is transferred to a small town with a dark secret.”

21. God Bless America

Another dark comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait that shows, very clearly, what the definition of dark comedy means. Very rarely will you find yourself cheering on the exact person we hate to see in the news.

IMDB Synopsis:  “On a mission to rid society of its most repellent citizens, terminally ill Frank makes an unlikely accomplice in 16-year-old Roxy.”

22. Raising Arizona

This is one of the first dark comedies from The Coen Brothers, and it is one of the more sadistic to boot. Nick Cage is great, The Coens really dipped into stylistic filmmaking that they scale back for later films, but never lose.

Raising Arizona

IMDB Synopsis: “When a childless couple of an ex-con and an ex-cop decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.”

23. American Beauty

Sam Mendes directs this dark comedy that proved to producers that he could handle other laugh riots like... Road to Perdition , Jarhead , Revolutionary Road and a few James Bond movies. Stars Kevin Spacey.

IMDB Synopsis:  “A sexually frustrated suburban father has a midlife crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.”

24. Thank You For Smoking

Jason Reitman directs this dark comedy that defends the world of big tobacco or at least one human behind big tobacco. He uses cinema and cutaways in a very clever way to add the necessary style to this movie.

Thank You for Smoking

IMDB Synopsis: “Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son.”

25. Election

Alexander Payne directs this dark comedy about a high school class election and shows why he is one of the best American comedy directors working today. Payne would then direct Sideways and The Descendants .

IMDB Synopsis:  “A high school teacher's personal life becomes complicated as he works with students during the school elections, particularly with an obsessive overachiever determined to become student body president.”

26. Trainspotting

Danny Boyle directs this dark comedy that took junkie culture and made it both funny and a bit hard to watch… so I guess that’s just junkie culture. Double feature this with Requiem for a Dream for a fun night.

IMDB Synopsis:  “Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and the influence of friends.”

27. Adaptation

Spike Jonze directs this dark comedy that allowed the world to finally get what it had been wanting for years… two servings of Nick Cage. This is another great dark comedy that also has a heart.

IMDB Synopsis:  “A lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.”

28. Seven Psychopaths

Martin McDonagh makes his second appearance on this list with this dark comedy. He plays with cinema and screenwriting in a rather unique way and gives some nice variety from In Bruges … minus Colin Farrell.

IMDB Synopsis: “A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.”

29. Monty Python's Life of Brian

Terry Jones directs this dark comedy about Christianity and shows how a few changes in history could have resulted in a quarter of the world worshipping a dude named Brian. Always look on the bright side of life.

IMDB Synopsis: “Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.”

30. A Clockwork Orange

Stanley Kubrick directs one of the more fringe dark comedies on this list, not because of the subject matter, but rather the approach. This movie is funny… but I wouldn’t blame you if you squint and tilt your head right now.

A Clockwork Orange

IMDB Synopsis: “In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.”

31. The Royal Tenenbaums

Call back stabbings, BBs lodged in the skin, and a HILARIOUS shaving scene are just some of the funny moments you’ll find in this dark comedy movie directed by Wes Anderson. Do you speak for everybody?

IMDB Synopsis: “The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.”

32. Barton Fink  

Barton Fink may not be the best of the dark comedies directed by The Coen Brothers, but it definitely set the stage. If you want to see where The Coens began to build their unique film language, check this movie out. 

Barton Fink

IMDB Synopsis: “A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.”

33. In The Loop

Armando Ianucci directs this dark comedy about the political will and desire of two countries to start a war with a very thin amount of evidence. This movie gave HBO reason to give Ianucci his own show, Veep .

IMDB Synopsis: “A political satire about a group of skeptical American and British operatives attempting to prevent a war between two countries.”

This dark comedy directed by Robert Altman would later go-on to be a popular television show. This film was instrumental in continuing the anti-war sentiment and rejection of jingoistic filmmaking during the 70s.

IMDB Synopsis: “ The staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and high jinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horrors of war.”  

35. Office Space

Mike Judd directed this dark comedy after the success of Beavis & Butthead , and created some of the best catch phrases and iconic scenes that have been beaten to death by the online meme community.

Office Space

IMDB Synopsis: “Three company workers who hate their jobs decide to rebel against their greedy boss.”

36. Rushmore

Wes Anderson isn’t the first name that pops up when you think of dark comedy, but he should be up there. His droll film style and willingness to build selfish characters allows for a lot of good dark comedy in his films.

IMDB Synopsis: “The extracurricular king of Rushmore Preparatory School is put on academic probation.”

37. Shaun of the Dead

Edgar Wright directs this dark comedy that shows the early signs of a true auteur. This film would lead to another dark comedy, Hot Fuzz .  The comedy is visual, which makes the film that much more effective.

IMDB Synopsis: “A man's uneventful life is disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.”

38. Throw Momma From The Train

This dark comedy directed by Danny Devito is sort of a meta-parody of Strangers on a Train . This movie makes great use of angles and cinematic gags to amplify the awkward moments into some true comedy.

IMDB Synopsis: “A bitter ex-husband wants his former spouse dead. A put-upon momma's boy wants his mother dead. Who will pull it off?”

39. World’s Greatest Dad

This dark comedy directed by Bobcat Goldthwait takes some of the most uncomfortable moments and finds a way to make them truly funny. It also poses a great question, like, “What would you do in this situation?” .

IMDB Synopsis: “When his son's body is found in a humiliating accident, a lonely high school teacher inadvertently attracts an overwhelming amount of community and media attention after covering up the truth with a phony suicide note.”

40. Being John Malkovich

Spike Jonez directs this dark comedy written by Charlie Kaufman that shows why Jonez made the leap from skate videos and music videos into feature films, and helped change how we look at surreal directing.

Being John Malkovich

IMDB Synopsis: “A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.”

41. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Directed by Shane Black , this dark comedy is a great example of how dark comedies can also have a bit of a heart, and a bit of mystery. This dark comedy has something for everyone, so put it on your list.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

IMDB Synopsis: “A murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling actress, and a thief masquerading as an actor.”

42. Death at a Funeral

Frank Oz directs this dark comedy that takes the ultimate taboo subject, death, and builds a celebration of comedy. This movie uses many of the space and blocking to keep the entire funeral connected to the comedy.

IMDB Synopsis: “Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.”

43. The Foot Fist Way

Jody Hill came onto the scene with this dark comedy starring Danny McBride, and brought a truly uncomfortable experience to the screen. Truly tragic and truly funny, a film to be studied by young directors.

The Foot Fist Way

IMDB Synopsis: “An inept tae kwon do instructor struggles with marital troubles and an unhealthy obsession with fellow tae kwon do enthusiast Chuck "The Truck" Wallace.”

44. Matchstick Men

This dark comedy from Ridley Scott is not only a really well written film, but it is the go-to movie for anyone who wants to see how advanced film language can really help to build a great dark comedy.

Matchstick Men

IMDB Synopsis: “A phobic con artist and his protégé are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the former's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.”

45. Heathers

This dark comedy directed by Michael Lehmann is all about a plot to kill the cool kids at school. Recently a Heathers TV show was created, but shelved because it was considered too inflammatory for release.

IMDB Synopsis: “In order to get out of the snobby clique that is destroying her good-girl reputation, an intelligent teen teams up with a dark sociopath in a plot to kill the cool kids.”

46. Stretch

Joe Carnahan directs this comedy after years of making action films, and the experience shows. This is a great movie if you want to see how to blend fun, exciting sequences with gallows humor and a dark comedy spin.

IMDB Synopsis: “A hard-luck limo driver struggles to go straight and pay off a debt to his bookie. He takes on a job with a crazed passenger, whose sought-after ledger implicates some seriously dangerous criminals.”

47. Observe and Report

This dark comedy from Jody Hill shows us Seth Rogen at his darkest. The main success of this film was having a group of characters who were unlikeable, had poor (but clear) motivations, and frightfully accurate.

IMDB Synopsis: “Bi-polar mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt is called into action to stop a flasher from turning shopper's paradise into his personal peep show. But when Barnhardt can't bring the culprit to justice, a surly police detective is recruited to close the case.”

48. Happiness

Todd Solondz directs this film that is one of the best examples of a dark comedy movie that you will ever find. Solondz understands that terrible situations and pure truth are some of the quickest paths to cringe worthy laughs.

IMDB Synopsis: “The lives of several individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.”

This dark comedy directed by Clark Gregg (took a sabbatical from S.H.I.E.L.D) and written by Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) is a great example of a true dark comedy. This movie was better than the reception.

IMDB Synopsis: “A sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death.”

This dark comedy directed by James Gunn stars Rainn Wilson as a defeated ex-husband who just wants his wife back. This film would oddly lead to Gunn directing The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 & 2 .

IMDB Synopsis: “After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, but lacking in heroic skills.”

51. Grosse Pointe Blank

This dark comedy from George Armitage is a great example of a dark comedy that is also a romantic comedy. It takes such a different approach to dark comedy that cuts against the tone of many films on this list.

IMDB Synopsis: “Martin Blank is a professional assassin. He is sent on a mission to a small Detroit suburb, Grosse Pointe, and, by coincidence, his ten-year high school reunion party is taking place there at the same time.”

52. The Rules of Attraction

This dark comedy directed by Roger Avary is… not as good as American Psycho , but it definitely doesn’t hide. If you’ve ever had a doubt about youth and their complicity in their own problems, watch this film.

IMDB Synopsis: “The incredibly spoiled and overprivileged students of Camden College are a backdrop for an unusual love triangle between a drug dealer, a virgin and a bisexual classmate.”

53. Drop Dead Gorgeous

This dark comedy directed by Michael Patrick Jann is a mockumentary style film about vanity, competition, and the lengths people will go to achieve even the smallest and most trivial of victories.

IMDB Synopsis: “A small-town beauty pageant turns deadly as it becomes clear that someone will go to any lengths to win.”

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Best Dark Comedy TV Shows

1. south park.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are the kings of dark comedy. They have provided the purest form of social satire for 22 years, and have reinvented how people approach animation, dark comedy, and TV in general.

3 Types of Satire Explained  •   Subscribe on YouTube

IMDB Synopsis: “Follows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.”

Best Dark Comedies on Television

2. it’s always sunny in philadelphia.

Rob McElhenny and Glenn Howerton created one of the best dark comedy shows ever made. The filmmaking style shows that camera placement and camera movement are just as important to comedy as the performances.   

IMDB Synopsis: “Five friends with big egos and slightly arrogant attitudes are the proprietors of an Irish pub in Philadelphia.”

Best Dark Comedy Shows

3. rick and morty.

Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland created this dark comedy that has captured the hearts of eight year olds and forty-somethings everywhere. This is one of the best animated dark comedy shows of all time.

Rick and Morty

IMDB Synopsis: “An animated series that follows the exploits of a super scientist and his not-so-bright grandson.”

4. The Larry Sanders Show

Dennis Klein and Garry Shandling created this dark comedy show about the complicated, awkward, and depressing world behind late night television. This show influence both 30 Rock and... Entourage ?

The Larry Sanders Show

IMDB Synopsis: “A comedic behind the scenes look at a late night talk show.”

Armando Ianucci  created this dark comedy show about the realities behind a political career, and has found a way to make the most objectionable dialogue somewhat charming. Check in out on HBO.

IMDB Synopsis: “Former Senator Selina Meyer finds that being Vice President of the United States is nothing like she hoped and everything that everyone ever warned her about.”

6. Family Guy

Created by Seth MacFarlane and David Zuckerman , this show dips into dark comedy and reference humor as much as it can before returning to the saccharine sitcom morality for one more sarcastic joke.

IMDB Synopsis: “In a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strive to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another.”

Louis C.K. created this dark comedy show, and it is one of the best to contribute to the genre. Difficult conversations, tragedy, and laughs everywhere. 

IMDB Synopsis: “The life of Louie C.K., a divorced comedian living in New York with two kids.”

8. Curb Your Enthusiasm

Larry David created this dark comedy about himself. How his life is basically one big dark joke that includes hundreds of millions of dollars, rainy golf courses, and having to live with himself. One of the best.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

IMDB Synopsis: “The life and times of Larry David and the predicaments he gets himself into with his friends and complete strangers.”

9. The Office

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant created this dark comedy show that ran in the UK before being adapted into the American version. The UK version of the show is much darker, and that’s why it made this list.

IMDB Synopsis: “The story of an office that faces closure when the company decides to downsize its branches. A documentary crew follow staff and the manager David Brent as they continue their daily lives.”

10. Eastbound & Down

This dark comedy show created by Ben Best , Jody Hill , and Danny McBride is one of those shows that makes you look away while you watch. Each season deals with Kenny Powers in a unique way, and stays fresh.

Eastbound and Down

IMDB Synopsis: “Many years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach Physical Education at his old middle school.”

11. Peep Show

Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, and Andre O’Connor created this dark comedy show that films predominantly from each character’s point of view. What would it be like to see the world from someone else's eyes?

IMDB Synopsis: “Mark and Jez are a couple of twenty-something roommates who have nothing in common - except for the fact that their lives are anything but normal. Mayhem ensues as the pair strive to cope with day-to-day life.”

Adam Reed created this animated dark comedy show that really needs to work on its phrasing. Black turtlenecks and off-black turtlenecks have never been so funny… or covered in vodka. A great show for yucks.

IMDB Synopsis: “Covert black ops and espionage take a back seat to zany personalities and relationships between secret agents and drones.”

This dark comedy anthology created by The Coen Brothers and Noah Hawley is a great example of how a great movie can be adapted into a pretty outstanding show. Each episode give you something new. 

IMDB Synopsis: “Various chronicles of deception, intrigue and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. Yet all of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.”

14. BoJack Horseman

This animated dark comedy created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg shows that having a ridiculous name won’t stop you from your own Netflix series. This is a truly unique show, and uses animation to its full advantage.

BoJack Horseman

IMDB Synopsis: “BoJack Horseman was the star of the hit TV show "Horsin' Around" in the '90s, now he's washed up, living in Hollywood, complaining about everything, and wearing colorful sweaters.”

15. Pushing Daisies

Bryan Fuller created this dark comedy show that brought Lee Pace into the conversation as a leading man in Hollywood. They also mixed interesting cinematic techniques like stop motion to add dark humor of the show.

Pushing Daisies

IMDB Synopsis: “A pie-maker, with the power to bring dead people back to life, solves murder mysteries with his alive-again childhood sweetheart, a cynical private investigator, and a lovesick waitress.”

16. Shameless

Paul Abbott and John Wells created this dark comedy show that takes no prisoners and leaves no survivors. You can see a truly frantic world filmed to perfection that will leave you wondering if you should be smiling so much.

IMDB Synopsis: “A scrappy, fiercely loyal Chicago family makes no apologies.”

17. Trailer Park Boys

Mike Clattenberg created this dark comedy show about a group of ex-cons in a Canadian trailer park that became a cult sensation. This FREE 7 part masterclass will help create your own television show from start to finish.

IMDB Synopsis: “Three petty felons have a documentary made about their lives in a trailer park.”

List of the Best Comedy Movies

Now that you have a list of the best dark comedies, why not zoom back and check out a list of the best comedy movies of all time.  

Up Next: Best Comedy Movies of All Time →  

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Great list. Missing the most spot on dark comedy of all time…. and certainly today.

“King of Comedy”.

Missing: Sunshine Cleaning, The Last Supper (Cameron Diaz), Pulp Fiction, MAY (original horror) , Swiss Army Man , Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Till Dawn, Suicide Kings

FreeWay is Fantastic! Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag, Little Nicky The Devil’s Advocate

What happened to 'All in the Family'?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO20uz8W8No&ab_channel=AndyWhitaker

Hope you don't mind this Rupert Pumpkin type contact. Andy

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• v.17(4); 2021 Nov

When Dark Humor and Moral Judgment Meet in Sacrificial Dilemmas: Preliminary Evidence With Females

Emmanuelle brigaud.

1 Department of Psychology, University of Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France

Nathalie Blanc

The influence of dark humor on moral judgment has never been explored, even though this form of humor is well-known to push the boundaries of social norms. In the present study, we examined whether the presence of dark humor leads female participants to approve a utilitarian response (i.e., to kill one to save many) in sacrificial dilemmas. The effects of two types of humorous contexts were compared (i.e., dark vs. nondark) on dilemmas, which differed according to whom benefits from the crime (i.e., oneself and others vs. others only). In addition to collecting moral responses, individuals’ emotional states were assessed at three critical steps: Before and after reading the jokes and also after performing the moral judgment task. Our results revealed that dark and nondark humor similarly elicited a positive emotional state. However, dark humor increased the permissiveness of the moral violation when this violation created benefits for oneself. In self and other beneficial dilemmas, female participants in the dark humorous condition judged the utilitarian response more appropriate than those in the nondark condition. This study represents a first attempt in deepening our understanding of the context-dependent nature of moral judgment usually assessed in sacrificial dilemmas.

Suppose a runaway trolley is about to run over and kill five people. Suppose further that a large stranger is standing on a bridge over the tracks and that the only way to stop the trolley is to push that person in front of the trolley, killing him for sure but saving the others. Would it be okay to sacrifice one life to save several others? Most people answer “no” to this “high conflict” personal moral dilemma ( Greene et al., 2001 , 2004 ).

This phenomenon has been widely studied by psychologists to understand the cognitive and affective processes underlying moral judgments (see Waldmann et al., 2012 for a review; see also Bartels et al., 2015 ). The dual-process theory provides a relevant framework to explain people’s responses to sacrificial dilemmas ( Greene, 2007 ; Greene et al., 2001 , 2004 , 2008 ). According to this well-known theory, two separate systems are involved in moral judgment: the controlled cognitive process, which corresponds to conscious reasoning (slow and effortful), and the automatic emotional one based on intuition and affects (fast and largely unconscious). In response to “high conflict” personal dilemmas, like the footbridge scenario described above ( Thomson, 1985 ), people are typically driven by automatic emotional responses and judge that it is morally unacceptable to push someone off a footbridge even though not pushing him would result in a greater number of deaths. The perspective entailing a moral violation, such as killing an innocent person triggers a strong emotional aversion that inhibits an amoral solution ( Greene, 2008 ). However, with sufficient time, motivation or resource conditions, people may engage in controlled cognitive processes regarding the costs and the benefits of killing another person. Such mechanisms result in a utilitarian judgment: approving the sacrifice of one life in order to save the lives of five is morally acceptable with respect to the number of victims.

In a footbridge-type dilemma, the rational choice (i.e., sacrifice the life of one person in order to save the lives of a greater number of people) is directly in conflict with deontological rules or intuition. Consequently, the utilitarian response requires one to control or overcome the initial aversive reaction against harming an innocent person ( Greene, 2008 ). Two sets of studies have provided converging evidence in line with this idea. First, both empirical and neuropsychological studies have shown that utilitarian judgments are due to an absent or a reduced affective response. Participants with emotion-related neurological deficits (e.g., Ciaramelli et al., 2007 ; Koenigs et al., 2007 ; Moretto et al., 2009 ), with decreased empathic concern or with antisocial personality traits ( Bartels & Pizarro, 2011 ; Conway & Gawronski, 2013 ; Gleichgerrcht & Young, 2013 ; Kahane et al., 2015 ) reach more utilitarian conclusions in sacrificial dilemmas. Secondly, other researchers have shown a link between the utilitarian response and working memory capacity ( Moore et al., 2008 ) and also between this type of response and an individuals’ need for cognition ( Bartels, 2008 ; Conway & Gawronski, 2013 ). Precisely, participants are more likely to approve a utilitarian response when they scored high in working memory capacity or in need for cognition (a motivational tendency to seek and enjoy effortful cognitive activity).

Concomitantly, environment-induced positive mood at the time of judgment increases a utilitarian response. For instance, simple exposure to humorous material before the presentation of the footbridge scenario increases permissiveness for moral violations (i.e., pushing the stranger over the bridge; Strohminger et al., 2011 ; Valdesolo & DeSteno, 2006 ). Such effect arises, because humor is usually associated with the experience of a positive emotion (i.e., mirth, laughter, pleasure). Therefore, if humor induces positive emotion at the time of judgment, the perceived negativity linked to any potential moral violation is attenuated and, thus, utilitarian response increases. This explanation is consistent with Fredrickson’s (2001) hypothesis that positive emotions can act as an antidote to negative emotions correcting or diminishing their influence.

Humor, used as a communicative activity, elicits positive emotional reactions in perceivers and tendency to laugh ( Gervais & Wilson, 2005 ; Martin & Ford, 2018 ; Veatch, 1998 ). It also indicates to the target or audience that what happening, or is going to happen, should be taken as a joke ( Gervais & Wilson, 2005 ; Ramachandran, 1998 ). In Ford's et al. (2008) words: “humor invokes a conversational rule of levity, that is, humor communicates an implicit message to the receiver that the usual rules of logic and expectations of common sense did not apply” (p. 160). In the context of social judgment, this central property of humor might allow us to treat the violation of moral rules (e.g., “it’s forbidden to kill”) as a matter of play and, therefore, favor the utilitarian judgment. Consistent with this hypothesis, Strohminger et al. (2011) found that mirth (i.e., the positive emotion associated with humor) increases permissiveness for deontological violation in moral dilemmas, whereas elevation (i.e., a positive emotion experienced upon witnessing another person perform a virtuous act; Algoe & Haidt, 2009 ; Haidt, 2003 ) has the opposite effect. This result highlighted that the influence of humor on people’s moral judgment cannot be explained simply in terms of experiencing positive emotions. They suggest that humor influences moral judgment by removing the gravitas of the moral violation (i.e., making immoral behavior funny). This interpretation is consistent with the Benign Violation Theory of humor ( McGraw & Warren, 2010 ; McGraw et al., 2012 ; Veatch, 1998 ), which suggests that humor occurs when people simultaneously appraise a violation as being normal, acceptable, or okay.

The aim of the present study was to investigate more thoroughly to what extent a humorous context can influence the response of participants in personal moral dilemmas. The only two studies ( Valdesolo & DeSteno, 2006 ; Strohminger et al., 2011 ) that focused on the role of humor on moral judgment used non-transgressive humor (i.e., inoffensive comedy). Thus, it would be interesting to see if the observed humor effect on moral judgment could be stronger when one uses humor with a transgressive content. As this form of humor is closely linked to the transgression of social norms and moral systems, it creates a context that could lead individuals to consider the utilitarian response in sacrificial dilemmas as harmless or okay. McGraw and Warren (2010) showed that moral violation is benign when another norm suggests that the behavior is acceptable or correct. In this sense, expression of transgression delivered in a humorous form could suggest that, in this context, the moral violation is okay (i.e., it’s acceptable to kill someone). This is closely linked with recent research that has shown that exposure to humorous forms of disparagement (i.e., sexist, racist or anti-gay jokes) lead to an increase in expression of prejudice toward target groups (e.g., O’Connor et al., 2017 ; Saucier et al., 2016 ; Woodzicka & Ford, 2010 ). According to the benign-violation theory hypothesis, such effects may occur because in the humorous context, the moral violation (i.e., denigrate a social group) is perceived as benign (see Gutiérrez et al., 2018 ; Thai et al., 2019 , for a similar interpretation).

A particularly interesting form of humor to study in sacrificial dilemmas is dark humor because it treats sinister and tragic subjects, like death, with amusement and trivializes the victim’s suffering ( Aillaud & Piolat, 2012 ). Dark humor (death-related humor) is described as cynical, gallows, morbid. Playing with serious or sad real life events, dark humor is generally considered as transgressive since it crosses the red line of social norms and moral systems. This form of humor takes its name from jokes about condemned men or hopeless victims to relieve tension before being executed ( Freud, 1905 ). Thus, the condemned to death may well declare when led to the scaffold on a beautiful Monday morning, “This is a week that is starting well!” The juxtaposition of morbid and farcical elements in dark humor elicits two simultaneous perceptions: one, that the dark content constitutes a moral violation in which negative serious topics are mocked and, the other, an interpretation that the dark content is benign. Since dark humor treats negative serious ideas (like death, suffering of the victims or body integrity) in a light-hearted, playful manner ( Charaudeau, 2006 ), it is not surprising that people use it as a coping strategy in stressful life-and-death situations ( Christopher, 2015 ; Rowe & Regehr, 2010 ; van Wormer & Boes, 1997 ; Young, 1995 ). In the context of social judgment, dark humor might signal that the violation of moral rule (i.e., to kill someone) is fine and, therefore favor the utilitarian response. Thus, we predicted that participants exposed to dark humor before performing a moral judgment task would answer in a more utilitarian fashion (i.e., approving killing one) compared to participants exposed to nondark humor.

To deepen our understanding of moral judgment in a humorous context, we questioned whether the humor effect depends on who benefits from the crime. Our research considered cases where crime benefits oneself and others versus others only. We predicted that dark humor reinforces the tendency to morally approve the act of killing someone in particular when such action benefits the self in addition to others. This prediction is consistent with two results in psychology of morality (for a review see Ellemers et al., 2019 ). The first one showed that the tendency to produce utilitarian responses is strongly tied to consideration of self-interest ( Christensen et al., 2014 ; Kahane et al., 2015 ). Indeed, people are more inclined to approve harm if their own life is at stake than if the moral transgression is merely to save others. The second one suggested that people feel less negative emotions (e.g., guilt and shame) about their dishonest actions and perceived them to be morally acceptable when there are other beneficiaries for these actions in addition to themselves ( Gino et al., 2013 ). In this case, people use the potential benefits for others as a way to justify their self-interested and unethical actions (self-serving altruism). After being exposed to dark humor, committing harm could be considered less socially inappropriate when participants are faced with self and other beneficial dilemmas, because the crime relies on their own utility since this “selfish” consideration enables them to save others too.

The objective of the present research was to investigate more specifically the impact of two humorous contexts (i.e., dark and nondark jokes) on people’s responses to sacrificial dilemmas) as a function of whom benefits from the crime (other vs. self and other).

Participants

One hundred and thirty-six female undergraduate students 1 from the University of Montpellier 3 (France) took part in this experiment. The average age of the sample was 20.75 years ( SD = 3.40). Informed consent was obtained from all students prior to participating in any of the tasks. They were informed that their responses remained anonymous in respect of the Data Protection law. All students received course credit as compensation.

Humorous Materials

To assess the effects of humor on moral judgment, we used 12 jokes: six jokes were not transgressive (i.e., nonsense or clownish humor) and six dark jokes with a transgressive content (i.e., dealing with sinister topics with amusement like death, suffering of the victims and body integrity). For example, one of the dark jokes used:

A lawyer goes to the coroner about an autopsy: – Before signing the death certificate, did you take this man’s pulse? – No. – Did you check to see if his heart was still beating? – No. – Did you check whether he was still breathing? – No. – So you signed this death certificate without performing any of the recommended tests for establishing whether a person is really and truly dead? – Yes. Why? Did you find his head?

These jokes were selected on the basis of pretest ratings given by a total of 180 undergraduate students from the University of Montpellier 3, France ( M age = 19.84 years, SD = 2.63; the majority were female, 86%). They were all volunteers and were compensated with course credit for their participation.

A first group of 90 participants were asked to rate 30 jokes regarding their darkness. They rated “How dark is the joke?” using a scale from 1 ( not at all dark ) to 5 ( very dark ). Because participants were tested collectively, jokes were presented in a counterbalanced order across participants. Based on the results of this pilot study, we selected 12 jokes from the pool of the 30 rated jokes (i.e., those that lead to the most consistent appraisal among the sample): six jokes were attributed the lowest score (i.e., 1 = not at all dark ) by at least 78% of the sample and six jokes were attributed the highest score (i.e., 5 = very dark ) by at least 72% of the sample. All other jokes were excluded from the experimental material.

To ensure that this set of jokes (i.e., dark and nondark jokes) was similar in terms of funniness ratings, but distinct in terms of transgressive content, we recruited a second group of 90 participants. After reading each joke, they answered the two following questions: “How funny is the situation described in this joke?” and “How unbecoming and unseemly 2 is the situation described in this joke?.” Using the same procedure as Aillaud and Piolat (2012 , 2014 ), responses were made on a 4-point scale (1 = definitely not , 2 = not , 3 = slightly yes , and 4 = definitely yes ). Note that this 4-point scale enabled us to avoid a midpoint evaluation.

A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA; Type of humor: Dark vs. Nondark) was made for each rating. These analyses revealed a main effect of transgressive content ratings only, F (1, 88) = 77.45, p < .001, η p 2 = .47, dark jokes being judged as more unbecoming and unseemly ( M = 2.64, SD = 0.69) than nondark ones ( M = 1.23, SD = 0.32). There were no significant differences between dark and nondark jokes regarding funniness ( M = 2.57, SD = 0.48 and M = 2.69, SD = 0.63, respectively), F (1, 88) = 0.93, p = .34. These results confirm that participants perceived a difference between dark and nondark humor solely on the transgressive dimension.

Moral Dilemmas

We selected four high conflict personal dilemmas from a previously used set (see Greene et al., 2001 , 2004 ) in which the participant was always presented as the main protagonist of the situation (i.e., the one who was supposed to carry out the moral violation). The dilemmas were similar regarding at least two dimensions: All dilemmas involved killing one person in order to save several others; the number of people saved was comparable ( N = 10). In addition, all these dilemmas were known to elicit mainly the same negative emotion (i.e., guilt) during judgment ( Choe & Min, 2011 ). The dilemmas were only distinguished according to whom benefits (other vs. self and other) from the crime. The footbridge and the vitamins were the two other-beneficial dilemmas, while the lifeboat and safari were self and other beneficial ones. In the latter, the crime enabled one to save others as well as the protagonist herself. For example, in the lifeboat dilemma, the protagonist must choose whether to throw a person overboard to save the life of remaining passengers and her life too.

Emotional Scales

Participant’s emotional state was assessed on two dimensions: valence (positive vs. negative) and arousal (level of activation) using the Valence and the Arousal scales of the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM; Lang, 1980 ). According to Bynion and Feldner (2017) , the SAM is a brief and nonverbal measure of emotional state which reliability has been confirmed by numerous studies conducted in various domains (e.g., psychology, communication, advertising; Morris, 1995 ) and populations (e.g., gender, age, race; Backs et al., 2005 ; Nabizadeh Chianeh et al., 2012 ). The SAM scales consist of two sets of five figures depicting different levels of affective valence and arousal (see Figure 1 ). For each dimension, participants were instructed to place an “X” on or between the figures that best described their emotional state. The Valence scale (A) ranged from unhappy (1) to happy (9) and the Arousal scale (B) from calm (1) to excited (9).

After giving their informed consent, participants were randomly assigned either to the dark humor condition ( N = 68) or to the nondark humor condition ( N = 68). All participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire composed of two parts: First, they were exposed to six jokes and then they had to complete a moral judgment task. Immediately after reading the humorous material, all participants responded to four high-conflict personal dilemmas. The order of presentation of the dilemmas was counterbalanced within and between the dark and nondark humor conditions. For each dilemma, participants had to decide whether the utilitarian option (i.e., to kill someone) was appropriate or not (yes/no question). The answer “yes” always represented the utilitarian response. The scenarios were briefly introduced by stating that they refer to serious situations that could be seen as unpleasant but require making a difficult choice. To put the participants “in context” for the task that awaited them, and to ensure that they were engaged in the moral issues at stake, they were instructed to imagine themselves in each situation so that their answer could mirror their action in real life (e.g., see Tassy et al., 2013 ). They were asked to be as honest as possible in their responses, knowing that there is no good or wrong answer. In addition to recording responses to the dilemmas, we also assessed the participant’s emotional state in three steps: before reading the jokes (Time 1), after reading the jokes (Time 2) and after the moral judgment task (Time 3). Participants rated their emotional state using the Valence and Arousal scales of the SAM ( Lang, 1980 ).

Emotional States

To examine whether participants’ emotional states fluctuated throughout the experiment, a repeated ANOVA was conducted, first on the valence ratings and, second on arousal ratings. The type of humor (i.e., Nondark humor vs. Dark humor) was the between-participant factor, and the mood assessment time (Time 1 vs. Time 2 vs. Time 3) was the within-participant factor. Mean ratings (and standard deviation) of valence and arousal are reported in Table 1 .

Note. Before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) reading the jokes; after the moral judgment task (Time 3).

Regarding valence ratings, a significant effect of time assessment was observed, F (2, 268) = 59.34, p < .001, η p 2 = .31. Post hoc analysis (Scheffé test) revealed that participants reported feeling happier after reading the jokes than before reading the jokes (Time 2, M = 6.05, SD = 1.68; Time 1, M = 5.43, SD = 1.82), but their induced happiness decreased after the moral judgment task (Time 3, M = 4.17, SD =1.92) ( ps < .001). Regarding arousal ratings, ANOVA revealed a significant effect of time assessment, F (2, 268) = 5.51, p < .01, η p 2 = .04. Participants reported feeling more excited after (Time 3, M = 5.49, SD = 2.07) than before the experiment (Time 1, M = 4.90, SD = 1.86), ( p < .01). No other effects were significant.

Moral Judgment

The mean proportion of utilitarian responses (i.e., killing is judged morally appropriate) was analyzed (ANOVA) to explore the effect of both the type of humor (i.e., Nondark humor vs. Dark humor) and the type of dilemma (i.e., Self and Other-beneficial vs. Other- beneficial). This 2 × 2 analysis showed a main effect of the type of dilemma indicating that killing to save oneself and others was judged to be more appropriate ( M = 0.55, SD = 0.38) than killing to save only others ( M = 0.19, SD = 0.30), F (1, 134) = 94.99, p < .001, η p 2 = .41. A significant Type of humor × Type of dilemma interaction showed that this tendency to accept moral violation in their own self-interest increased when participants were exposed to dark jokes, F (1, 134) = 7.75, p = .006, η p 2 = .05 (see Figure 2 ). Post hoc analysis (Scheffé test) revealed that, in self and other beneficial dilemmas, the mean proportion of utilitarian responses was significantly higher in the dark humor condition than in the nondark ones ( p < .001). No significant difference between these two conditions was found for other-beneficial dilemmas ( p = .60). No other effects were significant.

Note . Error bars depict standard errors.

Compared to the existing literature dealing with humor and moral judgment ( Strohminger et al., 2011 ; Valdesolo & DeSteno, 2006 ), the present study highlights the relevance of distinguishing different types of humorous inducing materials. Contrary to previous studies that only considered nondark humor, our comparison between dark and nondark humor revealed that variability in moral judgment could not simply be explained in terms of experiencing positive emotions or in terms of the levity property of humor. The content of humorous jokes deserves to be considered especially when this content relies on the transgression of social norms. Under the veil of amusement, moral violation in self and other beneficial scenarios increased in a more important way when participants were exposed to dark humor. To deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the permissiveness within different humorous contexts, four main lines of research must be considered.

First, it’s noteworthy that people are motivated by their self-interest and prone to behave for their own benefit in moral dilemmas ( Christensen et al., 2014 ; Moore et al., 2008 , 2011 ). In our study, individuals tended to exhibit a utilitarian response style when the transgressive act was described as self and other beneficial as compared to other-beneficial. This effect is coherent with Greene’s dual-process model ( Greene et al., 2001 , 2004 , 2008 ), which suggests that utilitarian judgments result from a deliberate analysis of costs and benefits. In this cost-benefit perspective of moral judgment, saving oneself (in addition to others) could be considered as an additional benefit: The gains represented by saving oneself and others outweigh the gains of saving others only. Hence, people probably experience less conflict in the analysis of cost-benefit ratio when action is for their own benefit too. This interpretation is compatible with Moore et al. (2008 , 2011 ) who showed that individuals were faster to approve the “utilitarian” response when those who benefited from the crime included themselves. This interpretation is also consistent with Shalvi et al. (2015 ; see also Gino et al., 2013 ) who underlined that people experience less internal conflicts when the temptation to profit from unethical behavior can be justified by saving others. This self-serving altruism could explain our results. In the present study, the self and other beneficial scenario enabled people to violate moral rules (e.g., approve a behavior that cause harm to a victim) while maintaining their positive self-image, because the moral violation also benefitted others.

Secondly, our results showed that the tendency to accept moral violation in both their self and other interest increased when participants were exposed to dark jokes. According to the benign violations theory literature ( McGraw & Warren, 2010 ; Warren & McGraw, 2015 , 2016 ), this result suggests that humorous contexts affect moral judgment via appraisal processes. Indeed, the fact that the permissiveness of the moral violation increases in self and other beneficial dilemmas under dark humorous context suggests that this informational context promotes the appraisal of utilitarian response as a benign violation. In other words, when negative serious ideas (like death or suffering of the victims) are associated to farcical elements through dark jokes, the utilitarian response probably becomes more benign, especially when it benefits oneself in addition to others. However, such explanation should be considered with caution since we did not directly emphasize the moral component of the utilitarian response. In the present study, the harmful actions described in sacrificial dilemmas were judged appropriate or inappropriate only. Future studies should directly investigate if utilitarian judgment is perceived as more or less immoral according to the type of humor (Dark vs. Nondark) and the type of dilemma (Self and Other-beneficial vs. Other- beneficial). Another limitation, inherent to almost all moral dilemma research is about the nature of the task and the corresponding measure. As highlighted by Crone and Laham (2017) , sacrificial dilemma responses have to be considered with caution since they have been proved to be a poor indicator of moral values. Obviously, there is a huge difference between what one judges as morally acceptable and what one actually does (see also Tassy et al., 2013 ). A profitable line of research would consist of distinguishing between evaluative judgments and choices of action.

Thirdly, the way the scenarios are perceived is another line of research that deserves to be considered. Bauman et al. (2014) strongly recommend that researchers be cautious when using sacrificial dilemmas to studying moral judgment: The ecological validity of sacrificial dilemmas needs to be carefully considered (see Körner et al., 2019 ) because the lack of realism may threaten the validity of moral decision processes under interest. Also, because the scenarios are hypothetical, a utilitarian response (i.e., kill someone) could be seen as both a violation and benign. In this circumstance, the benign-violation predicts that people will be amused. In accordance with this hypothesis, Bauman et al. (2014) showed that, in the footbridge scenario, people considered pushing the man to be wrong, but also reported laughing. If sacrificial dilemmas have the power to elicit humor, we can hypothesize that exposure to dark jokes promotes the violation and benign appraisals of the situation described in the scenario, and thus, generates laughter. The question is can dark humor transform a serious scenario into a humorous one, because its transgressive content leads to perceive that moral violation is actually okay. Rather than abandoning sacrificial dilemmas entirely, using a virtual reality paradigm may offer a more vivid experience of the scenarios, making their realism more salient (e.g., McDonald et al., 2017 ; Slater & Sanchez-Vives, 2016 ), and elicit more serious moral deliberation.

A last but not least contribution of the present study concerns individuals’ emotional state when faced with moral dilemma. Contrary to previous studies that only considered nondark humor, our comparison between dark and nondark humor revealed that variability in moral judgment could not simply be explained in terms of experiencing positive emotions. Interestingly, the benign-violation theory ( McGraw & Warren, 2010 ) suggests that humor does not systematically involve positive emotions (e.g., amusement, mirth). Because humor results from violations that are simultaneously seen as benign, it may elicit mixed emotions. This idea is in line with theorists (e.g., Larsen & McGraw, 2014 ; Larsen et al., 2001 ; Schimmack, 2001 ) who argue that positive and negative emotions do not mutually inhibit each other, and may at times even co-occur (i.e., mix). Clearly, humor elicits mixed feelings such disgust and amusement. For instance, people are both amused and disgusted when exposed to a disgusting humorous clip ( Hemenover & Schimmack, 2007 ). Aillaud and Piolat (2014) provided additional evidence when underlying that participants used both positive and negative emotional lexicon to describe the emotional experience associated with dark and nondark humorous cartoons. These authors reported that dark humor is particularly conducive to provoking mixed emotions. Not only does its transgressive content elicit amusement, but also triggers negative emotions such as shame or disgust. Since the present study operationalized dark humor, participants may have felt amusement and shame (or/and disgust), two emotions of opposite valence. This hypothesis cannot be tested in our study since we measured emotional valence only. Our results revealed that participants reported feeling happier after reading the jokes than before reading the jokes, but their induced happiness decreased after the moral judgment task. Further research should consider the panel of discrete emotions to understand how individuals manage mixed feelings when asked to judge whether the acts are morally appropriate or not. It would be interesting to examine what they feel in the different steps: before the moral judgment task, during the reading of the scenario and after the moral judgment. Because the dilemmas have proven to elicit different negative emotions (i.e., guilt, disgust, sadness, empathy, anger; see Choe & Min, 2011 ), the question remains on how different types of humor can counterbalance such negative feelings.

Overall, there is no doubt that the next step to overcome in deepening our understanding of moral judgments is to focus on its context-dependent nature. This line of research allows us to get a better understanding of the mechanisms in which humor influences moral judgment. Some additional factors may contribute to this line of research like an individuals’ need for humor ( Cline et al., 2003 ; see also Picard & Blanc, 2013 ) and also gender (e.g., Herzog & Anderson, 2000 ). Interestingly, in the present research, dark humor effects are observed on a sample composed exclusively of females. It is noteworthy that females are known to usually find less humor in dark events than males ( Aillaud & Piolat, 2012 ). The tendency to produce a utilitarian response could be strongly reinforced under dark humor with males who are predisposed to generate and seek out humor (i.e., who scored high in need for humor). Future research is needed to test this hypothesis. Finally, this study sheds light on the necessity to not neglect the fact that moral judgments take place in a specific sociocultural environment more or less prompt to accept dark humor. The exposure to dark humor in an individualist culture is of great importance since moral decision experienced in everyday life is often driven by selfish attitudes. The presence of dark humor can promote moral transgression that favors the tolerance of utilitarian response.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions. We also thank Rachel Michel for her careful reading of our manuscript.

Biographies

Emmanuelle Brigaud is an associate professor at the University of Montpellier 3. Her main works concern applied social psychology, mainly through the domain of communication, with a special interest for studying humor effects.

Nathalie Blanc is a professor at the University of Montpellier 3. The scope of her interests covers the field of cognitive and developmental psychology, mainly in regard to higher cognition and its interaction with emotions involved in educational and communication domains.

The authors have no funding to report.

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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