Top 10 Darkest Moments in Jim Carrey Movies

“The Mask” (1994)
One of Jim Carrey’s weirder efforts, “The Mask” concerns Stanley Ipkiss, a bank clerk who becomes possessed by The Mask and gets embroiled with the mafia. For a wacky Jim Carrey comedy, the initial transformation sequence makes for the stuff of nightmares. The mask literally melds itself onto Stanley’s face, and he screams in pain and absolute terror while desperately trying to claw it off. The ominous music and flashes of lightning and thunder accentuate the scene’s creepy tone. And while Carrey proves amazing as The Mask, his pale green face is certainly a little unsettling. This is pretty creepy stuff - especially for kids who may be watching.

“Dumb and Dumber” (1994)
The same year as “The Mask,” audiences were treated to “Dumb and Dumber,” which may be one of Carrey’s funniest and most lighthearted films. There’s very little drama to be found here, and the movie contains few dark scenes. Mental’s death proves the exception. Wanting to prank Mental, Lloyd and Harry stack his hamburger with chili peppers. This triggers Mental’s ulcer, and he collapses in pain. Lloyd and Harry then accidentally feed him rat poison (thinking that the pills are his medication), and Mental dies on the spot. It’s pretty dark stuff, but even this scene is largely played for laughs, complete with Harry getting kicked into the blinds and Mental’s death being accompanied by a funny gurgling noise.

“Bruce Almighty” (2003)
This comedy begins innocently enough, as Carrey’s Bruce Nolan literally becomes God. Cue the typical Jim Carrey hijinks as Bruce messes around with his newfound powers. However, he quickly learns that being God is a lot harder than it sounds, and his life spirals out of control. By the end of the movie, Bruce realizes that he has completely lost his girlfriend and walks alone in the rain - only to be hit by an oncoming truck. Bruce is literally killed and sent to Heaven, but the real God sends him back after Bruce finally shows some maturity and growth. The movie has a happy ending, but man, did things get really dark for a second, there.

“Liar Liar” (1997)
In this wonderful fantasy comedy, Fletcher Reede is forced to tell the truth at all times owing to a birthday wish that his neglected son makes. This greatly interferes with his job as a defense lawyer, and Fletcher struggles to defend his client, Samantha Cole. Wanting to delay the court proceedings, Fletcher fakes an attack by beating himself up in the bathroom. There’s nothing overly malicious within the scene, and it’s largely played for laughs. But still, images of Fletcher rubbing soap into his eyes, squashing his face with a toilet seat, and slamming his knee into a radiator may make some viewers wince.

“Batman Forever” (1995)
Despite being significantly lighter in tone when compared to its predecessors, “Batman Forever” still contains some creepy sequences - and most of them involve Jim Carrey’s Riddler. (xref) Watching Nygma in Arkham Asylum makes for some unsettling viewing, as he has completely lost his grip on reality. But perhaps the darkest moment involving The Riddler comes when Nygma murders Stickley. After Stickley discovers the truth about Nygma’s creepy invention, Nygma pushes Stickley out a window, and he proceeds to fall multiple stories to his death below. Nygma also proceeds to taunt Stickley’s death by sarcastically judging his fall like an Olympic judge. It’s pretty depraved stuff for a kids’ film!

“The Cable Guy” (1996)
Released in 1996, “The Cable Guy” did not perform well. Carrey was hot off wacky comedies like “The Mask,” “Dumb and Dumber,” and the “Ace Ventura” series, and people wanted more of the same. What they got was a dark comedy in which Carrey plays a lonely and obsessed cable guy who stalks one of his customers. The customer, a man named Steven, eventually grows so paranoid that he has a nightmare about the cable guy, and what a nightmare it is. The cable guy appears with yellow-green eyes and a creepy, echoey voice, and after he breaks down the apartment door, he proceeds to chase Steven down a seemingly endless hallway. Turns out, Jim Carrey can be really creepy and threatening.

“The Number 23” (2007)
Despite Jim Carrey’s admirable effort, “The Number 23” proved one of his weaker films. He plays a paranoid man named Walter Sparrow, who becomes obsessed with the number 23 and a novel with the number as its title. Sparrow notices similarities between the novel and his own life, and he soon becomes embroiled in a tantalizing murder mystery. The truth is eventually revealed in startling fashion. Walter is actually the book’s author and wrote a fictionalized account of a murder he committed against a woman named Laura Tollins. He subsequently suffered amnesia after a failed suicide attempt, resulting in his forgotten memories.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004)
Serving as one of Jim Carrey’s finest dramatic movies, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” concerns a couple who have their memories of each other erased. The procedure is done through a company called Lacuna, and the memories are erased in reverse chronological order. As such, Joel’s consciousness begins to regret the decision once his earlier, happier memories are erased. In one particularly poignant scene, Joel begs to keep a specific memory. The climactic sequence is also quite tragic, as Joel’s final memory of Clementine literally crumbles around him as he morosely expresses his regrets, knowing that his one true love will be erased from his memories forever. It’s a horribly sad sequence, and Carrey plays it to perfection.

“The Truman Show” (1998)
Carrey’s first drama, “The Truman Show” is a classic film that touches on a wide variety of existential themes. Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man who lives inside a simulated reality and serves as the focal point of a reality TV show. Everyone he knows are actually actors, and the town he lives in is nothing but an elaborate set. At the end of the movie, Truman reaches the limit of the set and crashes his boat through the wall. Truman touches the wall in disbelief and breaks down with the full realization that his entire life has been a fabricated lie. It serves as a wonderfully bittersweet ending. While Truman escapes the simulation, his sense of reality has been utterly shattered.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Hank Evans Tricks Irene P. Waters, “Me, Myself & Irene” (2000)
Hank Pretends to Be Charlie Baileygates So Irene Will Sleep with Him

Christmas Future, “A Christmas Carol” (2009)
Christmas Future Is Always Freaky

Colonel Stars and Stripes’s Death, “Kick-Ass 2” (2013)
Stars and Stripes Is Killed by Mother Russia

The Grinch Destroys Whoville, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000)
An Angry Green Creature Wreaks Havoc in Whoville

“Man on the Moon” (1999)
Jim Carrey earned his second consecutive Golden Globe Award for “Man on the Moon”, in which he plays famous performance artist Andy Kaufman. Much of the movie is devoted to Kaufman’s intentionally irritating shenanigans, but things take a turn for the tragic once Andy is diagnosed with lung cancer. The real Kaufman died at just 35 years old, and the movie’s final moments are devoted to his failing health. A desperate and horribly sick Andy visits the Philippines in a last ditch effort to save himself, only to realize that the psychic surgeons are frauds, much like himself. Andy can only laugh at the irony, and while it makes for a fitting conclusion to his life, it’s nevertheless a very tragic and tender moment.