Entertainment
8 Greatest Grimdark Fantasy Movies of All Time, Ranked
Fantasy is the gift that keeps on giving. As one of the most prolific and complex genres in any medium, fantasy has sprawled into several different categories or subgenres, all of which have found great success in movies, literature, theater, and even music. High and low fantasy are probably the best-known categories within this revered genre, but few are more fascinating or underrated than grimdark. A rather recent subsection of fantasy, grimdark eschews traditional notions of good and evil to instead focus on bleak and dangerous worlds populated by morally grey characters who use brutality and cynicism to survive. Conflict is usually prevalent in these stories, with intense politics, warfare, and bloodshed.
The term itself comes from the tagline for the British miniature game Warhammer 40,000, which famously states: “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” As a new-ish subgenre of fantasy, very few movies can absolutely be classified as grimdark, and they don’t always check every box as what’s usually considered the best example of the subgenre, A Song of Ice and Fire and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones. For example, some of these have morally grey heroes but lack the sweeping political angle. However, the movies on this list all have enough qualities to not only thrive within this blossoming subgenre but also represent it quite faithfully, bringing a more cynical and often harrowing perspective to the usually black-and-white realm of fantasy.
8
‘The Head Hunter’ (2018)
Jordan Downey‘s The Head Hunter is among the most severely underappreciated fantasy movies of the new millennium. This remarkably dark gem stars Norwegian actor Christopher Rygh and is set in a fictionalized version of the Dark Ages populated by dangerous creatures that terrorize a kingdom. It centers on a knight known only as The Father (Rygh), who spends his days hunting these creatures while chasing the one that killed his daughter years ago.
Dark to a fault, The Head Hunter is probably the bleakest and most unforgiving fantasy experience we’ve seen in the last twenty-five years. It does a lot with its limited budget, even if its reach ultimately far exceeds its grasp. Yet, narratively, the film more than delivers, presenting a harrowing tale of revenge through a distinct and dangerous fantasy approach. The Father is a perfect antihero, relentlessly pursuing a monster that might just be the most sinister creation since Dragonslayer‘s Vermithrax Pejorative. Add to that one of the grimmest endings ever, and you get a fantasy movie that’s also a true punch to the gut.
7
‘Conan the Barbarian’ (1982)
A building block of cinematic dark fantasy, Conan the Barbarian is a jewel of ’80s cheese and excess. In the role that made him a star, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the titular character, a barbarian on an unstoppable quest to avenge his parents’ deaths at the hands of Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), the cruel leader of a cult. The film is based on the characters created by iconic pulp fiction writer Robert E. Howard in the 1930s.
Arguably the best sword-and-sorcery movie ever made, Conan the Barbarian is still the movie against which all subsequent entries into the subgenre are measured. Conan himself is the poster boy for complex fantasy antiheroes, a highly individualistic warrior on a fearsome quest for revenge and mainly concerned with survival and personal glory. The film is also a love letter to ’80s machismo, complete with an oiled-up Arnie at the peak of his physical abilities, a not-so-subtle weaponry fetish, and a rather inspired view of death. Today, it remains a beacon of ’80s cinema and the ultimate depiction of its pulpy character.
6
‘Tale of Tales’ (2015)
Matteo Garrone‘s 2015 fantasy horror Tale of Tales is quite possibly the most under-the-radar movie on this list. Starring an ensemble including Oscar nominees Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly alongside French icon Vincent Cassel, the film presents three different stories based on the Italian fairy tales by poet Giambattista Basile. The tales are all set in fantasy realms and explore themes of ambition, desire, lust, and obsession.
Tale of Tales is a rather singular fantasy. As any good grimdark project, the three stories are suitably bleak and have a pervasive tone of inescapable dread. There are no real winners here, only those whose ambition doesn’t get the best of them and those who succumb entirely to it. The first tale, starring Salma Hayek as a queen who will do everything to conceive a child, is the strongest, but all three are visually impressive and narratively enchanting. Garrone casts a true spell through his lush visuals, and the stories’ dark outcomes only enhance the superficial beauty, contrasting with the darkness and misery at their core.
5
‘The Crow’ (1994)
Alex Proyas‘ 1994 cult classic The Crow can be easily described as multiple genres: a revenge thriller, a supernatural mystery, a superhero movie, and an urban fantasy. However, the central gothic vibe and somber tone are its most distinct qualities. The late Brandon Lee stars as Eric Draven, a musician killed alongside his fiancée on Devil’s Night. A year later, he is resurrected by a crow and goes on a night-long quest to punish those who killed him and his love.
Nowadays, the film’s legacy can’t be discussed without mentioning the tragic death of Brandon Lee during filming. However, The Crow stands proudly as a quality gothic thriller and one of the most original urban fantasy movies ever made. The macabre tone perfectly complements Proyas’ approach to depicting a gloomy, morally bankrupt, crime-ridden Detroit, populated by gangs and murderers. As for Eric, he’s more of an avenging Angel of Death than a superhero looking for justice. Revenge is central to The Crow, and Proyas depicts it in the most stylish and striking way possible.
4
‘Mad God’ (2021)
From the wildly creative mind of the iconic Phil Tippett comes Mad God, a 2021 stop-motion animated fantasy unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The plot centers on a figure known only as The Assassin, who descends from the heavens into a sinister underworld populated with monsters, dangers, and cruelty.
“Nightmarish” is the only word to describe Mad God, a work of pure lunacy and genius from one of the industry’s most singular talents. The film is populated with the most disturbing visuals, with Tippett depicting some truly messed-up monstrosities that might stay with you, haunting your nightmares for days to come. Central to its themes are the inevitability of civilization’s demise and the cycle of violence, as well as the nature of war and the inherent irony of innocence in a world that seemingly does nothing but destroy it. The stop-motion visuals greatly enhance these ideas, culminating in an incredibly terrifying movie that might as well border on traumatizing. In other words, a must-watch.
3
‘The Green Knight’ (2021)
Few movies of the 2020s have aged as well as David Lowery‘s The Green Knight. In one of his richest and most introspective performances, Oscar nominee Dev Patel stars as Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, who accepts a challenge from the mysterious Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), sending him on a quest to discover himself and reclaim his courage. The film is among the most inspired takes on the Arthurian legend, set in an amoral, gloomy version of Camelot.
Of all the characters on this list, Gawain might be the most complex. Patel delivers one of the finest performances of his career as the selfish, self-serving knight on a quest to discover the true meaning of honor and, in the process, determine the kind of man he is. In his journey, he confronts several figures who both challenge and aid him, leading him to the final, fateful confrontation with the Green Knight. Many take issue with its abrupt and unclear ending, but that’s part of the film’s message. In the world of The Green Knight, there are no real answers, only questions; it’s the desire to solve them that matters.
2
‘The Northman’ (2022)
And speaking of fantasy masterpieces of the 2020s, we have The Northman, Robert Eggers‘ take on Norse mythology. A berserk Alexander Skarsgård stars as Prince Amleth, an exiled prince who witnesses his father’s death at the hands of his uncle, Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Years later, Amleth returns to avenge his father’s death and rescue his mother, Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), from the hands of his murderous uncle.
Unlike other Eggers movies, there’s very little left for interpretation in The Northman. Here, the director opts for an in-your-face approach to violence, depicting the Viking Age in all its furious, savage, unforgiving glory. At the heart of it all is a frenzied Skarsgård in one of his most committed performances as the tragic prince on a ruthless one-man quest to avenge his father. As bloody as it’s visually jaw-dropping, The Northman is a stellar revenge epic that audiences at the time didn’t know how to appreciate. Luckily, time has been extremely kind to it, and it’s now widely recognized as one of the greatest dark fantasies ever made.
1
‘The Seventh Seal’ (1957)
An institution in the realm of fantasy and a foundational block in cinema’s understanding of the genre, The Seventh Seal is an enduring masterpiece that only keeps getting better with each passing year. Ingmar Bergman‘s 1957 movie follows Antonius Black (Max Von Sydow), a disillusioned Swedish knight returning from the Crusades to find his country devastated by the Black Death. Soon, he finds himself facing Death himself (Bengt Ekerot) in a game of chess for his life.
One of the best Scandinavian movies of all time, The Seventh Seal is a masterclass of allegorical storytelling. Although the war and political angles are more of a background element, they have a profound impact on Antonius’ lack of purpose and his overall disinchantment. The knight itself is a perfect amoral antihero, having lost the honor that should characterize him, replacing it with a cynical view of life and a final wish to achieve a truly meaningful deed before his eventual demise. Ultimately, the film presents a miserable and almost defeatist outlook in the service of an insightful examination of life and death.
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