Film

The Janitor

A janitor snaps and starts murdering his tormentors in this 2003 horror-comedy that swings wildly between gruesome kills and absurdist humour. Low-budget creature-feature energy with practical effects and an earnest tone that lets the comedy land harder. For fans of trashy midnight-movie excess who don't need a big studio logo.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy low-budget horror-comedy that leans into sour office resentment and cheerfully grotesque set pieces, the kind of gleefully nasty film that trades polish for mischief and a sense of genuine fun.

Skip it if you need a tight, carefully paced thriller or find gore-heavy comedy wearing thin, since the film stays loose and crude at close to ninety-five minutes and some jokes land harder than others.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a brisk, scrappy ride that stays mostly on its one ugly joke; it wants your tolerance for rough edges more than your close attention.

If you liked this

Nightcrawler2014

A portrait of a man rejected and overlooked by society who turns that rage inward and outward with terrifying conviction. Jake Gyllenhaal's intensity makes his descent genuinely unsettling and hypnotic.

But Relentlessly bleak and slow-burn tense. There's no release, no wink—it stays in the dark the whole time.

Nightcrawler poster

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer1986

A real landmark: handheld, unflinching, treating a killer's mundane life with documentary flatness. It redefined what horror could be honest about. Terrifyingly matter-of-fact.

But Genuinely disturbing and grim. No narrative comfort. It's made to unsettle, not entertain.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer poster

American Psycho2000

Corporate satire wrapped around a killer protagonist. Darkly hilarious about masculine vapidity and performance, with violence deployed for laughs and social critique. Bale is magnetic.

But The satire can feel thin if you're not tracking the commentary. Some find the graphic kills gratuitous rather than funny.

American Psycho poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Janitor

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Tusk2014

Both pit an outsider against a world that despises him, but where The Janitor plays it grounded, Tusk launches into grotesque cosmic nightmare—same emotional core, completely different register.

A man is surgically transformed into a walrus by a deranged recluse. Yes, really. Kevin Smith leans into body horror and transgression in ways he never has before. Absolutely unhinged and committed to its premise.

But The execution is clumsy and the pace drags. It's fascinating more as an ambition than a success. Some will find it offensive rather than artistic.

Tusk poster
More like this (8)

Belladonna of Sadness1973

An anime that's painterly, trippy, and genuinely about persecution breeding rage and dark power. Visually stunning and weird in ways live-action can't touch. Cult classic for a reason.

But Surreal and sexually explicit. The narrative is fragmented. Not for viewers wanting straightforward storytelling.

Belladonna of Sadness poster

Chopping Mall1986

Practical-effect gore comedy where security robots go haywire in a mall. B-movie charm, genuine laughs, and kills that don't take themselves seriously. Pure midnight-movie fun.

But Janky acting and effects that don't impress on their own. You have to be in the mood for camp.

Chopping Mall poster

May2003

A lonely, rejected woman spirals into obsession and violence. Character-driven, genuinely eerie, and sympathetic in ways that make the ending more effective. Tiny budget, huge heart.

But Slow build. The protagonist is deeply uncomfortable to spend time with, which is the point but asks a lot.

May poster

The Burning1981

A slasher about a disfigured janitor seeking revenge on the teenagers who hurt him. Practical gore, genuine tension, and a real moral weight beneath the exploitation.

But Relies on slasher tropes you've seen a hundred times. The script isn't sharp enough to elevate the formula.

The Burning poster

Possession1981

A marriage implodes into surreal, cosmic horror. Isabelle Adjani gives a manic, fearless performance. Visually baroque and deeply strange—cinema that doesn't fit neatly into categories.

But Narratively confusing and sometimes incoherent. Deeply uncomfortable to watch. Not rewarding in conventional ways.

Possession poster

Eating Raoul1982

A square couple murders swingers and uses the bodies for profit. Pitch-black comedy that's genuinely witty about middle-class hysteria. Weird, smart, and surprisingly touching.

But The humour is very specific and dry. If you don't vibe with the tone early, it won't win you over.

Eating Raoul poster

Come and See1985

Both are about a person ground down by a system, but Come and See uses that template to examine how cruelty shapes us—it's The Janitor stripped of genre, stripped of humour, reaching for truth.

A Soviet war film where a boy witnesses atrocity and is destroyed by it. Shot with visceral dread and commitment to human suffering. A masterpiece that rewires how you understand violence.

But Extraordinarily bleak and traumatic. Not cathartic. It sits with pain rather than resolving it. Only for viewers ready for cinema as ordeal.

Come and See poster

In a World...2013

The mirror opposite: where Lionel murders those who disrespect him, this is about a woman who carves out space through skill and persistence. Same thesis about dignity denied—opposite conclusion entirely.

Lake Bell's indie about a voiceover artist fighting for respect in her family's shadow. Funny, warm, and genuinely about labour, dignity, and small rebellions against indifference.

But Aggressively gentle. If you want transgression or real stakes, this offers neither. The humour is kind rather than sharp.

In a World... poster

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