black comedy

American  

noun

1. comedy that employs morbid, gloomy, grotesque, or calamitous situations in its plot.

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Etymology

Origin of black comedy

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Where some see a black comedy, others see horror and/or a bleak exploration of the pressures of motherhood — an increasingly popular subgenre referred to by some as “mum noir.”

From Los Angeles Times

Her latest black comedy takes the viewer on a tour of Vienna's Baroque architecture and cobbled streets, as well into the provinces of the Habsburg Empire.

From Barron's

The actress is set to appear in two more forthcoming films: Enid Blyton fantasy The Magic Faraway Tree, and the black comedy Savage House, opposite Richard E Grant.

From BBC

Indeed, this isn’t a documentary — a black comedy, perhaps?

From Los Angeles Times

The multihyphenate entertainer has secured the Golden Globe for supporting actress in a motion picture for her performance as revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills in Paul Thomas Anderson’s black comedy “One Battle After Another.”

From Los Angeles Times