Screenwriters constantly search for techniques to enthrall their audience, and dramatic irony is usually a widespread choice. It’s not difficult to see why because irony can generate something amusing from an otherwise disastrous event. Dramatic irony is also used to instill suspense and intrigue in a film. It discloses the truth to the audience before the character knows it, resulting in a more engaging viewing experience.
The technique of dramatic irony is usually applied across various genres of movies owing to its adaptability. This list contains ten films with the juiciest dramatic irony.
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10 Jaws (1975)
Universal Pictures
Jaws is filled with so much dramatic irony that heads spin. The film is about characters battling it out with sharks in a storyline packed with scary and horrific scenes. Throughout the film, there are several moments where the audience is alerted to the shark’s presence while the characters have no clue whatsoever.
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For example, the famous beach scene shows people having fun in the waters and others basking when suddenly a girl screams out. Chief Martin Brody inspects the situation, which turns out to be a false alarm. The film then sets a peaceful tone for a short while before the camera suddenly moves below the water level, and the mood changes drastically. Creepy music plays, indicating the presence of a sinister being below, away from the view of the characters having fun above the water. We can see the shark lurking for food, but the film’s characters don’t. The audience is well aware of what is about to happen, and they hold their breath waiting for the shark to strike.
9 Psycho (1960)
Paramount Pictures
Psycho is a psychological horror thriller movie produced by Alfred Hitchcock. He is famous for his penchant for dramatic irony and did not disappoint in the film psycho. In the movie, Marion Crane takes off with her employer’s cash and is forced to spend the night in a motel due to bad weather. While in the motel, she decides to take a shower.
As the evening plays out, the camera shifts, and the audience can see the uninvited presence of a figure watching Crane while she takes a bath on the other side of the shower curtain. The audience immediately knows that something is about to happen, but Crane doesn’t suspect anything or feel she is in danger as she goes about her business.
8 The Rope (1948)
Transatlantic Pictures
The Rope is a psychological crime thriller, and like Psycho, it was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The entire movie is wrought with dramatic irony. The film begins with two young men, Brandon (John Dall) and Phillip (Farley Granger), killing their former classmate David (Dick Hogan), who is then stashed inside an antique wooden chest. Brandon and Philip then host a dinner, and Brandon uses the chest containing David’s body as the dinner table just before their housekeeper arrives to aid with the party. At the dinner party, the guests are all waiting on David’s arrival, and much of the dialogue centers on David and his strange absence. The guests are unaware that David is dead, and his body is stashed on their buffet table. The audience is aware of this information, which creates an air of tension, dreading the chilling discovery of the body.
In the film, dramatic irony is also used to generate humor. The movie’s characters look forward to David’s arrival, who has been murdered, and his body is hidden within a chest, which the guests use as a dinner table. The amusing part is when the guests wait for David’s arrival near the table.
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7 The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Mutant Enemy Productions
The Cabin in the Woods is a science fiction, horror comedy movie. In the film, five friends are taken to a remote cabin to execute an ancient ritual that they’re unaware of. The five friends unknowingly call upon a family of deadly zombies and involuntarily become tangled in a ritual of human sacrifice held to please the horrific backwoods zombies.
One by one, the friends fall victim to the underground deities, but another factor is at play. Two scientists have built an elaborate facility with many technicians manipulating the ghoulish goings-on.
The audience is aware of what is going on as, throughout the film, the cameras flash back and forth between the facility and the horror movie plot. The teens in the cabin have no clue whatsoever and are puppets on strings. Dramatic irony is also used to create humor in the scenes, which is seen when the technicians bet on which monster would kill the teens. The film is packed with dramatic irony, simultaneously making it scary and funny.
6 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Strong Heart Productions
The Silence of the Lambs is a psychological horror film where an FBI agent enlists the help of a serial killer and former psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), to catch another serial killer, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine).
The film is generally disturbing and frightening, but contains dramatic irony in some instances to create a more chilling and suspenseful atmosphere. The film also builds tension towards the movie’s end when Bill is stalking Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster). Clarice fumbles in the dark, unaware of Bill’s presence right in front of her, whereas the audience can see him.
In addition, the audience can see Buffalo Bill continue to capture and kill while Starling is standing in front of another killer’s cell, unaware of what is going on. The dramatic irony also creates frustration among the audience, but there is nothing much they can do, as they cannot warn the protagonist of what is happening.
5 Parasite (2019)
CJ Entertainment
Parasite is a comedy thriller about a struggling Korean family who sees an opportunity when the son begins working for the rich Park family. They devise a way to work within the same home and begin living a parasitic life. The Kims’ entire path to employment in the Parks’ household is grounded on deception, and they do not disclose how they are related. Their engagement in the family’s home generates a heightened case of dramatic irony, in which the audience knows something the Park family does not.
Parasite is a slow-paced thriller that keeps its audience on edge of their seats throughout the entire film, waiting for the moment the Park family will discover about the Kim family living within their household.
4 The Truman Show (1998)
The Truman Show is a satirical psychological comedy-drama about Truman (Jim Carrey), an average guy whose whole life is recorded through thousands of hidden cameras and screened as a reality television show. All his family and friends are actors, but Truman believes they are real. Throughout the film, the audience knows that Truman’s life is continuously being recorded, but the protagonist doesn’t.
Truman being unaware that he is the star of a television show creates a lot of suspense in its viewers, leaving the audience speculating whether he will finally discover the truth. Seeing Truman being manipulated by the show runner provokes emotional reactions from the viewers as they sympathize with him; this makes for a more engaging viewing experience.
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3 North by NorthWest (1959)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
North by NorthWest is a spy thriller film produced by Alfred Hitchcock and tells a tale of mistaken identity. In the movie, Cary Grant (Roger O. Thornhill) is an advertising executive who, while having lunch in a hotel, is mistaken for “George Kaplan” and kidnapped by a group of international spies. He later manages to get away, and he starts searching for Kaplan.
Dramatic irony is experienced when Grant starts looking for Kaplan, not knowing he doesn’t exist. George Kaplan is a fictitious secret agent and does not really exist. This information is revealed to the audience early in the film, but the protagonist and other characters in the movie do not know that Kaplan is just a decoy. This creates a lot of suspense and keeps the audience engaged, waiting for Grant to discover the truth about Kaplan.
2 The Godfather (1972)
In The Godfather, the head of a mafia family chooses to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino). The dramatic irony in this film is brought out when Michael comes up with a plan to kill Sollozzo (AL Lettieri) and McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) without their knowledge. The audience knows this plan, but the characters McCluskey and Sollozzo don’t. They go to a restaurant, where all three are frisked to ensure no one is carrying any concealed weapon. The camera then follows Michael into the restroom, where he retrieves a gun from the back of the toilet. At this point, the audience becomes wary about what is about to happen, creating a lot of suspense. Viewers can feel the raw emotions when Michael returns to the table.
1 Scream (1996)
Dimension Films
Scream is a slasher film directed by Wes Craven. It follows a group of friends who become a mysterious killer’s target. The movie’s opening captures the audience’s attention, creating a prey-predator feel, giving its audience a subtle hint of the direction of the action.
Dramatic irony can be seen when Casey (Drew Barrymore) talks to a man on the phone while fiddling with a kitchen knife. Casey is not at first aware that the man is dangerous and intends to kill her. However, the audience knows the phone call’s true nature, creating immense suspense.
