Christopher Walken stars in dark comedy Back in Black

The dark comedy “Back in Black,” directed by Ron Murphy, has garnered attention at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Christopher Walken as Clyde Mortimer, the charismatic owner of a generational family funeral home, alongside Jane Curtin as his wife, Autumn.

The plot follows the Mortimer family as they face financial ruin due to a lack of deaths in their small town, a situation exacerbated by pandemic-era restrictions on gatherings. To save the business, their granddaughter Sam, played by Ella Ballentine, begins using her engineering skills to cause a series of mysterious accidents around town, leading to a surge in local fatalities.

Critics have highlighted Walken’s distinctive comedic delivery and the film’s macabre, off-kilter humor, noting its blend of family dynamics and a “cozy crime” subplot involving a local deputy investigating the suspicious string of accidents.