10 Far Side Comics That Are Guaranteed to Keep You Up at Night
The Far Side is a comic strip that can literally be about anything, which is why it’s had such a consistent fanbase for so many years, and why people still find it as funny today as when the comic strip was first released. The Far Side has the freedom to do random comic strips like this because it doesn’t feature a main character (like Peanuts or Garfield), meaning the jokes don’t have to be tailored to a specific character, but rather the illustrations are tailored to any given joke – and the jokes featured in The Far Side are hilariously random.
That being said, sometimes the random nature of The Far Side isn’t hilarious at all, but downright terrifying. Again, these comics are free to be about anything, which means there’s no rule that says that they have to be funny. Of course, The Far Side is always hilarious, but sometimes that humor comes with an underlying sense of terror and dread, which may overshadow the comedy in the minds of readers, making it difficult for them to fall asleep that night for fear of Far Side creatures lurking in the dark. Here are the 10 best Far Side comics guaranteed to keep fans up at night!
10
Uncanny Valley
The Far Side Explores the Horrors of the Uncanny Valley
An artist is sitting on the corner of a busy city street, charging people one dollar to have their portrait drawn by him. The joke here is that this artist is so bad that he can’t even draw a simple ‘smiley face’, which is why everyone around him on the street has an overly-simple design that isn’t indicative of Gary Larson’s typical style. However, perhaps unintentionally, this Far Side comic is also terrifying, as it ventures into the Uncanny Valley.
The Uncanny Valley is a term used to describe the eerie appearance of something that’s supposed to look human, but is just a little bit ‘off’. Certain animation styles or real-life rubber masks of human faces are examples of the Uncanny Valley, and this Far Side comic is no exception. These people don’t look like Far Side humans, yet they’re walking around as if they are, and that is certainly unsettling.
9
Nuclear War
The Far Side Plays on the Fear of Nuclear War
This Far Side comic features the devastation of nuclear war, with a television in the foreground assuring viewers that this is just a test for nuclear war, despite the fact that bombs are dropping all around it. The joke is the irony of what’s being played on the television versus what’s actually happening, but that bit of dark humor isn’t enough to make this Far Side comic any less terrifying.
The idea that humanity could fall to nuclear war, even with the ‘powers that be’ assuring people that everything is okay (just as the television broadcast is doing in this very comic strip), is one of the scariest thoughts one could have. It is a very real possibility that humanity will destroy itself through nuclear war, and this Far Side comic made that a horrifying reality.
8
Imminent Danger
The Far Side Shows Readers the Moment Before Someone’s Horrific Death
A man has found himself at a rocket launch site, and he’s sticking his face in a giant hole in the ground that he can’t immediately identify, though it’s clear to readers exactly what’s about to happen to him. This man is going to get his head blown off (and likely his body vaporized) when a rocket inevitably launches from the place where he’s sticking his face, meaning readers are witnessing the moment before this man’s horrific death.
The caption is a warning telling readers to never do what this man is doing, but that doesn’t make this Far Side strip any less horrific. This man might be stupid for putting himself in this kind of danger, but it’s still terrifying to imagine that he’s about to die, and how sudden yet gruesome his death is going to be, simply because he doesn’t understand what kind of danger he’s really in.
7
Demonic Horror
The Far Side Uses Arguably the Scariest Character in Horror: The Devil
A man walks into an elevator and goes to press the button that will take him to his desired floor. Another man is already standing in the elevator wearing a hat and a long coat, and he stops the man before he can press one of the buttons. The man in the coat and hat tells the man which button to press, as he reveals that the two of them are actually going to the same location: hell. It becomes apparent that the man in the hat and coat isn’t a man at all, but rather the devil himself, and he’s there to escort this man to hell.
A scene depicting the devil (or any kind of demon) waiting for someone in an elevator to drag them to hell is one that could be featured in any R-rated supernatural horror movie and not feel out of place, as it’s a scene that’s utterly terrifying, even in The Far Side.
6
Fear of Dentists
The Far Side Terrifies Those with a Fear of Going to the Dentist
A man is strapped to a dentist’s chair in this Far Side comic, with all manner of medical hooks and tubes going into his mouth, further restraining him to his seat. The dentist tells him that he’s going to stick a tennis ball in his mouth just to see if it will fit, and the man in the dentist’s chair can literally do nothing to stop him. The Far Side is leaning into its absurdist humor for this comic, but it’s also pulling on a pretty common phobia: fear of dentists.
Having a fear of dentists is fairly common, especially for children, as the thought of someone scraping and poking one’s mouth is a very unpleasant thought. So, the idea of a sadistic dentist deliberately using their position to cause harm, especially if it’s just for fun, is utterly terrifying.
5
Cosmic Horror
The Far Side Explores the Terrifying Nature of Cosmic Horror
An astronaut is standing on another world (either the moon, Mars, or perhaps a far-off planet), when they see a ‘Mount Rushmore’-style monument carved into the mountains, one that features alien faces rather than humans. The astronaut stares in awe of what they’re seeing, as they can do nothing except return to their ship with the knowledge that alien life does exist, and this is a mere glimpse at their civilization.
Related
15 Craziest Far Side Comics About Aliens
Aliens were integral to Gary Larson’s syndicated comic strip The Far Side, as often menacing the people of Earth as mirroring their familiar foibles.
Seeing a giant alien monument while exploring a seemingly uninhabited world would be beyond terrifying, especially a monument at this scale. In fact, this is the perfect example of cosmic horror, and The Far Side captured the utter terror of that Sci-Fi/Horror subgenre perfectly.
4
Watched By a Giant
The Far Side Merges the Fear of Being Watched with the Imposing Nature of Giants
A woman is on the phone with her neighbor discussing something of pressing importance: the giant eye that’s staring at her through her window. The woman has no idea what this thing is that’s staring at her, or what it looks like beyond its giant eye. That’s why she’s on the phone with her neighbor, as she’s hoping they can look out their window and tell her what this thing is that’s staring at her. The whole thing is played as a joke, with the woman remaining comically calm given the horrific circumstances. However, that doesn’t make those circumstances any less horrific.
This Far Side comic merges the horror of being watched with the imposing nature of giants to create a truly disturbing comic that is sure to keep readers up at night.
3
Man-Eating Mailbox
One of The Far Side’s Scariest Monsters is a Mailbox
In this Far Side comic, a mail carrier approaches a mailbox to deliver mail, as his job requires. However, the mailman didn’t count on encountering unspeakable horror on his mail route, and yet, he did. This mailbox isn’t a normal mailbox, but one that is seemingly sentient, and capable of consuming those that get too close to it. The mail carrier opens the mailbox, gets eaten by it in utterly horrific fashion, and then the mailbox raises its flag again in order to lure another mail carrier into its clutches.
Only The Far Side could actually make a mailbox terrifying, and the comic actually does an outstanding job at doing just that. Sure, the idea of a man-eating mailbox is so ridiculous it’s funny, but no one would be laughing if this actually happened to them.
2
Body Horror
The Far Side Explores Body Horror that Would Make “The Substance” Proud
A team of scientists is gathered around one of the tables in their lab, as one of them has reduced himself to a puddle of flesh, dripping off the side of the table. The scientists don’t seem to be too alarmed by the sight of their colleague, as they seem to understand the risks of the experiment the scientist was undertaking. However, average readers aren’t as desensitized to this level of body horror as these scientists clearly are, meaning this scene is still utterly horrific.
This scene is honestly reminiscent of The Substance, a horror movie with a ton of body horror imagery, which only hammers home the fact that this Far Side comic is utter nightmare fuel.
1
Scary Monster
The Far Side Knows There’s Nothing Scarier than a Classic Scary Monster
A terrifying monster creeps into a house one night, and even the family dog knows not to engage it, as the creature looks like a living nightmare. Appearing as a human-sized demonic dragon, this monster is clearly only breaking into this house to slaughter everyone inside in assuredly gruesome fashion. While the joke is that not even a dog who would bark at anything won’t bark at this creature because of how scary it is, the fact remains that this monster is still absolutely horrific.
This comic proves that The Far Side knows there’s nothing scarier than a classic ‘scary monster’, as the sight of one sneaking into a house to murder its occupants is enough to keep fans up at night.
- Writer
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Gary Larson
- Colorist
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Gary Larson
Summary
Written and drawn by Gary Larson, The Far Side is a comic strip series that ran from December 1979 to January 1995. A worldwide hit, The Far Side explores life’s surreal side and uses a mix of humans and anthropomorphic animals. As of 2020, Gary Larson decided to pick his pencil back up again and has started The Far Side up, circulating the comics on his official website.
