One of the most contested 12a ratings in BBFC history, The Dark Knight is obviously a more adult-orientated superhero movie than most others in the genre. But even knowing that going into it, it can still be surprising just how menacing this comic book movie actually is. Obviously, much of that horror has to do with Heath Ledger's Joker, however, while clearly off his rocker and excessively violent from the opening scene, you aren't really scared of the Joker until he sends out a videotape recording of him threatening to kill a captured police officer in exchange for Batman's true identity. As The Joker bellows to his captive hostage, erratically shaking the camera around and talking manically into the lens, there's a real sense of authenticity and grimy reality to the ransom tape. For a couple of minutes you really get to see the unfiltered insanity of the character by watching his self-directed video, and it makes for easily the most unnerving scene in any superhero film to date. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DjugnceKNk
