Fans will be hopping back into the dark world of Batman’s mythos with Gotham Knights releasing on October 21st and there are likely to be some dark and disturbing elements much like in the Batman: Arkham games. With Matt Reeves’ The Batman, audiences were able to see the closest thing to a horror movie for the DC multiverse.
It showed that not only are the villains scary but so is Batman himself thus earning the title of The Dark Knight. What many do not know is that many comics embrace similar tones and styles. From supernatural to gory to psychological, the horror of Batman’s world is featured in many stories that could also be translated into future sequels to The Batman or animated straight-to-streaming movies.
Death In The Family (1988)
On its own, the Death In The Family storyline is not that scary, but there is potential for it to be. If a movie were to feature the same kind of tone as The Batman and be almost entirely from the perspective of Jason Todd AKA the second Robin, it could be a haunting experience for viewers.
An adaptation could expand upon Jason’s torture and death at the hands of the Joker. Instead of simply being brutalized in an R-rated fashion akin to slasher movies, Jason could be stalked and taunted by the clown-like villain with Batman racing against time to try and save his apprentice, increasing the tension.
Batman: Ghosts (1989)
It’s essentially Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol but with a Batman/Halloween twist. Written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale, both of whom worked on The Long Halloween which inspired Matt Reeves with The Batman, Batman: Ghosts is an easy story to adapt in the future in live-action or animated form.
Batman is always teetering on a very thin line between good and evil throughout his career as a vigilante. Batman: Ghosts showcases what could happen if the Caped Crusader drifts too far into darkness and the imagery shown is not only dark, it’s terrifying since Batman could be so much worse for Gotham than the villains he puts away.
Batman: The Court Of Owls (2012)
Though this storyline is more recognized for being the epic showdown between Batman and an ancient organization of Gotham’s elite running the city, there are a lot of horror vibes that can stem from The Court Of Owls storyline.
The idea of the Court being these enigmatic figures of wealth hidden behind white owl masks running the city like puppet masters is scary on its own. Mix in undead warrior assassins known as Talons who stalk from the shadows and kill at a moment’s notice could turn a sequel to The Batman into a terrifying conspiracy thriller.
Batman: Dark Knight, Dark City (1990)
When it comes to finding the darkest portrayals of the Edward “Nigma” Nashton AKA The Riddler, look no further than Dark Knight, Dark City. This story sends Batman down a rabbit hole filled with bloody murders all in the name of a supernatural being.
It’s such a different Batman story, even for the darker side of Batman comics. It matches that same energy as Se7en that Matt Reeves embraced but with an occult twist that would make it perfect for Paul Dano’s return as The Riddler, or it could be for a new animated sequel to The Long Halloween starring Jensen Ackles.
Batman: The Cult (1988)
It’s a common trope that a villain uses Batman’s mission and twists it to achieve their deranged goals. The Batman explored this with The Riddler and so does Batman: The Cult featuring Deacon Blackfire, a more obscure villain but one that some might recognize from the side missions of Batman: Arkham Knight.
Blackfire uses religion as a weapon to inflict torture and murder on anyone he considers sinful. With horror artist Bernie Wrightson as the illustrator, Batman: The Cult is a dark and macabre mystery thriller that could easily fit in the same style as Matt Reeves’ first film.
Arkham Asylum: Living Hell (2004)
Another story about an obscure villain, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell is mainly about Warren White who becomes a criminal mastermind all from the inside of Arkham Asylum. It’s less of a Batman story and more of a villain story which would be ideal for an episode of the upcoming Arkham Asylum series.
Warren White’s story touches on the idea that Arkham is as much of a problem as the rest of Gotham as he slowly becomes this razor-sharp tooth villain known as the Great White Shark. Villain origin stories are great, but one actually told from the villain’s perspective is even better as shown inAmerican Psycho.
Batman: The Black Mirror (2011)
One of the best strengths of The Black Mirror is showing the struggle of taking over as the new Batman. There is as much of a psychological strain for Dick Grayson as there is physical; he not only has to live up to Bruce Wayne’s legacy but also takes on cases that push him to his limits.
The unveiling of James Gordon, Jr. being this mentally-ill serial killer makes for one of the more tragic horror stories of the Batman universe. Seeing Commissioner Jim Gordon and Barbara Gordon react to James, Jr. becoming the thing that they fight for a living would be a heartbreaking storyline for a movie, but equally disturbing.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth (1989)
It’s no secret that Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth was a heavy inspiration for the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game heavily embraced the haunted house structure with Batman going through this dark and gothic mansion-turned asylum encountering his villains. The graphic novel is way more extreme with its surrealistic visual style that makes the villains look more akin to monsters, especially the Joker.
This is another story that could be its own movie or an episode of the Arkham Asylum series, forcing Batman to fight his inner demons in what is essentially a psychological horror that constantly amps up the tension and suspense, while also trying to stop the villains from killing hostages. This would be perfect for Robert Pattinson’s Batman going up against Barry Keoghan’s Joker.
Batman: Gothic (1990)
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The title is not a lie as Batman is sent into the deepest boroughs of Gotham City both old and new to uncover why children have been disappearing across Gotham. The story is wild and downright disturbing since children are often the safe ones in superhero films but Batman: Gothic fully embraces its twisted nature.
It delves into the satanic side of the DC universe, even featuring an immortal killing people in an attempt to rid himself of the bargain with the devil and escape. In many ways, it almost resembles Hellraiser in that sense with one of Batman’s darkest villains to date.
Gotham By Gaslight (1989)
Technically, there is already an animated horror movie based on this Elseworld story, but the potential for a standalone live-action Batman movie fighting Jack The Ripper in an alternate Victorian-era Gotham City is still there for live-action; Gotham By Gaslight could go to theaters or be an experimental original film for HBO Max.
Either way, Batman embracing his detective roots again to solve disturbing and bloody murders makes it into a detective horror story akin to From Hell but with a superhero twist. In style, it could even hark back to classic Hammer horror movies of the 1950s and 1960s that were ahead of their time in terms of blood and gore mixed with a gothic atmosphere.
