Here we are again, with another entry into my The Best of October series. When it comes to action movies, at least over the past 20 years, superheroes have pretty much ruled the roost with the likes of X-Men and The Avengers. While I certainly enjoy most of them, there are certain superhero movies that have horror elements that I feel haven’t received enough attention. I’m going to be honest, some of these movies that I’m discussing here aren’t necessarily family-friendly. In fact, they are going to be pretty damn dark and feel like they should have been released in October. One thing I want to mention, is that despite having elements of horror, some of these movies aren’t actually going to be horror movies, but the tone is going to dark and Halloween-appropriate. One film I won’t bring up outside of this introduction is Venom. I enjoyed the movie, but its tone was all over the place. It wasn’t a movie that knew what it wanted to be, so it doesn’t qualify, despite the character being very dark. So, with that in mind, let’s dig into some of my favorite dark superhero movies.
The Crow
This may be a point of contention for some people, as some may not consider The Crow to be a superhero movie, and they may very well be right. For me, though, there enough superhero tropes in here that make the film qualify as one. The Crow sees Eric Draven come back from the dead to avenge the rape and murder of his girlfriend as well as his own murder by a ruthless gang. The Crow stands out to me for a number of reasons. One: The visual aesthetic of the film is dark, gritty and Gothic. In fact, this is the movie that really started the Goth trend during the 90s. Two: The film is equal parts tragic love story and brutal revenge flick. In fact, this movie is closer to a slasher film in certain respects than anything else, with Eric Draven basically killing his murderers in some pretty horrific fashion. Three: Brandon Lee’s performance in the film is one for the record books. Brandon was accidentally killed in a tragic accident during one of his scenes, so a body double and some CGI was used to complete his performance. He really did put his heart and soul into this tragic character which really drove the film’s story. Would the film have been as memorable if Lee hadn’t died? Who knows. It may be because of that incident that the film has survived this long. Even so, it’s a film that I can easily recommend.
Hellboy
Before 2004, I knew almost NOTHING about Hellboy. As soon as I saw this trailer, I started looking up the character, and it’s pretty fascinating. You don’t have a lot of demon superheroes, let alone ones with a massive stone right hand. While the film definitely is light-hearted at times, the overall tone of the film is surprisingly dark. The character of Hellboy, in the comics, was intended to bring about the end of the world, but instead was raised by a human and embraced the light. Guillermo Del Toro’s film is one of the most visually distinctive films I’ve seen in years. The real star of the show however, goes to Ron Perlman as Hellboy. The only way you could tell that it was him was when he spoke. Perlman’s voice is unmistakable. The costume design was fantastic. Some of the creature designs are pretty exceptional too, as a lot of them were done with a guy in a suit….as it should be. The action and stunt-work are second to none, and the overall story is really good. While I wouldn’t say that Hellboy is Del Toro’s best film, it’s still a damned good one.
Darkman
Believe it or not, Darkman was not based on an actual comic book. It’s very much an original superhero story, that’s clearly been inspired by other superhero movies like Batman. This is director Sam Raimi’s first attempt at a superhero film and it’s actually really good. Is it cheesy at times? Sure, but the overall tone of the film has serious edge to it. Liam Neeson takes on the role of Dr. Peyton Westlake, a scientist who is trying to create a synthetic skin to help people who have been physically scarred because of accidents or whatnot. His lab is attacked by a brutal gangster and is left horrifically deformed. Left for dead and his nerves being severed, so he can’t feel anything but his emotions, Westlake goes after the people that ruined his life. The story is pretty simple, but what really elevates this movie above a lot of others at the time was Liam Neeson’s performance. Darkman was one of his first real roles as a leading actor and he just nails it. At times, he’s scary and at others, he’s extremely sympathetic. It’s an action-packed film with an edge that you really don’t see a lot of in a mainstream superhero movie.
Blade II
Deadpool and Logan were not the first Marvel movies to be rated R, but they are the ones that most people will generally remember. Back in 1998, however, we got our first real successful comic book movie in decades at the time, Blade. Starring Wesley Snipes as the titular Blade, the film followed the half-human, half-vampire character as he took on a massive army of vampires. The first movie was more of an action film than horror, but even so, it was still a pretty good film. The second Guillermo Del Toro film on this list, Blade II takes a much darker turn as we see Blade actually team up with his arch-enemies to take on a new threat, the Reapers. Del Toro, once again in fine form, manages to combine both action and horror into a film that not only outdoes the original in every way, but ups the ante with a new breed of vampire. The horror element in this film is far more pronounced this time. Snipes is fantastic as Blade, but this film also brings in Ron Perlman and Donnie Yen. This one definitely feels like a comic book come to life. Blade II is definitely one of the better sequels out there.
Justice League Dark
Say what you will about DC’s live action superhero movies, but their animated films are truly something to behold. The first animated film on this list, Justice League Dark sees Batman recruit a different team of “superheroes” for a far more mystical threat than what the regular Justice League usually faces. Bringing in characters like Swamp Thing, John Constantine, Zatanna and Jason Blood, Batman goes into battle against a mystical demonic entity known as Etrigan. The opening to this film alone would kind of qualify it as a horror. The opening sequences is one of the most brutal and dark scenes I’ve ever seen in a DC movie. It’s pretty shocking actually, and I really appreciate that Warner Bros. allowed it. It makes for a more intense and compelling experience. The animation style is fantastic and the overall story is pretty cool.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is the first real animated movie that Warner Bros. produced. Sadly, Mask of the Phantasm was released at about the same time that Batman Forever was released. Most people wanted to see another live-action Batman movie instead of a cartoon. It’s too bad, really. Phantasm was the better film in every way. The first animated Batman movie takes unexpected risks with its main character. The film also shows Batman doing what he does best and earns the title of the world’s greatest detective. We also get to see another side of Bruce Wayne that the live-action films have never explored. We actually get to see Bruce Wayne struggle with the idea of happiness in his life, because he meets somebody that brings light into his rather dark life, but he feels guilty about it, and that makes for an interesting internal conflict for Wayne. There’s more character development in this film than in any of the live-action Batman films combined, making Mask of the Phantasm the best Batman movie ever.
Watchmen
Taking place in an alternate 1980s, Watchmen sees a group of superheroes trying to discover who murdered one of their own. Call this movie dark is like calling water wet. Watchmen goes to some really dark territory, which also includes the ending of the film. The film is based on Alan Moore’s highly celebrated graphic novel of the same name. While there are a few tweaks here and there, the overall film is pretty faithful to the original comic. The film is set in an alternate timeline when superheroes are pretty much outlawed after the Vietnam War. This is not a typical superhero movie as it does feature a heavy focus on a murder mystery. There’s definitely superhero stuff happening, with some awesome fight scenes and amazing visuals, but the focus is on how some of these character are trying to get by in a world that pretty much hates them. It takes your average superhero flick and flips it on its head. It earns its R rating for sure, but it’s still an incredibly beautiful film to watch. I consider this to be one of Zack Snyder’s best efforts. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Well, those are some of my favorite dark superhero films. It’s still October and there’s a lot more to come on The Best of October. Stay tuned, because I’ll have another one for you pretty soon.