10 Movies WAY Darker Than Originally Advertised

It may be hard to believe for viewers who are by now well used to seeing the Canadian actor in darker fare, but there was a time when the name Jim Carrey meant guaranteed broad comedy at the multiplex.

Before the more cerebral and touching likes of The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the rubber faced funny man was best known for the goofy and light-hearted likes of Dumb and Dumber.

So fans were shocked to see the character actor, then best known for The Mask and Ace Ventura, make such a dark and underrated foray into black comedy with 1996’s The Cable Guy.

Directed by fellow comedy legend Ben Stiller, the film followed a deeply disturbed cable installer who became increasingly unhinged as he stalked Matthew Broderick’s hapless everyman hero. Despite being advertised as another silly romp from the popular comedian, the film’s tone was uncompromisingly dark and cringe inducing, using a style of uncomfortable comedy which wouldn’t be popular in the mainstream for another decade.

As a result the movie bombed, and was only deservedly recognised as a cult classic decades later.