Last Updated on February 25, 2024
When it comes to unusual movies, Tim Burton is king. He is a master of creating creepy and fascinating atmospheres and relatable characters (even if they happen to be a corpse bride). So, if you love dark humor, fantasy, action and movies that have an actual storyline, then grab one of these Tim Burton movies the next time you feel like watching an amazing film!
1. Batman (1989)
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
Batman fans will enjoy the background mythos being explained in this earlier chapter of the Batman series. Bruce Wayne has just decided to adopt his secret persona to protect Gotham City, mostly because he is still haunted by his parents’ murder all those years ago.
The story follows Batman’s first crusade for justice which, ironically, creates one of his greatest foes – the Joker. Viewers will also learn how the Joker, in essence, created Batman.
2. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2002)
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
In 1846, Benjamin Barker returns to London and he is bent on getting revenge. Fifteen years earlier, his happy family life had been destroyed when a corrupt judge called Turpin had Barker falsely imprisoned, then raped his wife and also kidnapped their infant daughter. Now posing as a man called Sweeney Todd, he reopens his old barbershop where he, still feeling very angry at the world, starts to kill people. His victims are then turned into pies by his friend Mrs Lovett, who owns a nearby bakery.
The dark musical follows Sweeney’s journey of revenge that ultimately destroys his chances of reuniting his family.
3. Beetlejuice (1988)
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
On their way home, Barbara and Adam Maitland drive into a river and perish. They only realize this unfortunate fact when they arrive back at the house and notice that they no longer have reflections. The couple also finds a mysterious book called the Handbook for the Recently Deceased.
When new owners move in, the Maitlands do not want them there. They use the handbook to enter a waiting room for the dead in order to seek advice from a councillor. The latter’s advice is to frighten the living away and not to use Betelgeuse, a freelance ghost who scares people. But when all their efforts fail, the Maitlands turn to Betelgeuse – with terrifying consequences.
4. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
This movie is a modern take on the Pinocchio story. Edward is left with scissor blades for fingers after his creator dies before he can give him real hands. When Peg, a saleswoman, finds him living alone in a decrepit mansion, she takes him home. There he meets Kim, her daughter, and they slowly fall in love.
But as they grow closer, Kim’s boyfriend goes out of his way to make the neighborhood fearful of Edward – and Edward’s strange behavior doesn’t help his case.
5. Dark Shadows (2012)
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
During the 1700s, Barnabas Collins is cursed by a witch after he rejects her love. Her dark magic destroys his wealth and family. Finally, she turns him into a vampire and the town buries him alive. In the 1970s, a construction crew accidentally frees Barnabas and he comically enters a world that is as strange to him as he is to the living.
Barnabas returns to his current family and moves in, much to their dismay. But they soon become embroiled in Barnabas’s destiny with the witch – who still pursues him and threatens to destroy his family once again.
6. Alice In Wonderland (2010)
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
When Alice runs away from a tea party where she received an unwanted marriage proposal, she sees a familiar-looking white rabbit. After following the animal into the woods, she falls down a hole and lands in a strange world. At first, dismissing all the wonderful things around her as a dream, Alice soon realizes that Wonderland is real and in grave danger.
She meets the Mad Hatter, who informs her that she’s been there before but after she had left, the dreadful Red Queen had taken over and brought nothing but misery to the land. The Red Queen learns that Alice is back and they are destined to a final bitter battle.
7. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
Based on the beloved children’s book, the story revolves around Charlie, an impoverished boy, who desperately wants to get his hands on a golden ticket that would allow him to visit the Willy Wonka candy factory. When he manages to find the last of five tickets, he takes his grandfather along on a grand tour through the factory, led by the eccentric Wonka himself.
But the entire ticket competition turns out to be a test to find a worthy heir to take over the factory. In true Johnny Depp style, the movie turns into a fantastic and hilarious adventure as Wonka tests each of the children to find his successor.
8. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
In 1799, police constable Ichabod Crane arrives in the small hamlet of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders. All the victims are missing their heads and while the residents blame a supernatural spectre, that of a headless horseman, Crane remains sceptical.
But Crane is forced to abandon his scientific approach when more bodies appear – and so does the horseman, leading him to suspect that someone in the village had summoned the deadly apparition for dark purposes.
9. Corpse Bride (2005)
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
In this dark comedy animation, Johnny Depp provides the voice for Victor Van Dort. A nervous groom-to-be, he goes to the forest to practice his vows. But when he slips the ring on a “branch” it turns out to be the finger of Emily, a woman who had died long ago. As she rises, she is convinced that they are now married and she whisks him off to the Land of the Dead.
Victor desperately wants to return and tricks Emily into taking him back. When she learns of the deception, his corpse bride steals him away from his living bride but once they learn that the latter is now forced by her parents to marry the same man who had murdered Emily, they team up to save her.
10. Mars Attacks! (1996)
IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
If you love dark science fiction that has a strong comedic flair, then this is one of Tim Burton’s best movies to watch for sure. The story begins when the people of Earth becomes aware of an approaching alien fleet and preparations for their landing are underway. While some believe the aliens are there to save humanity, others are ready to fight them off.
As it turns out, the aliens have an invasion on their large brains. The horror – and laughter – begins when the extraterrestrials finally drop their diplomatic act and start vaporizing everyone in sight. The survivors have to scramble to escape the global massacre and find a way to kill the technologically-superior creatures.