Jack Nicholson Wanted His Version Of The Joker To Be Something To Scare Kids

Nicholson, at least in my case, was absolutely right. With his Joker, he encapsulated what was so alluring about Burton's dark take on Batman. It was a movie that kids would obviously want to see, but probably shouldn't. For me, watching the Joker murder people in devilishly ingenious ways was as thrilling as it was terrifying. Seeing him converse with the smoking corpse of a mob boss before sardonically announcing "I'm glad you're dead" got my adrenaline pumping more than any Superman movie, no matter how bad it sounded. central character is unquestionably honest.

It was something different — the kind of thing that leaves indelible images in your mind. And not in the "I'm scarred for life" way some horror movies do (I'm looking at you "Speak No Evil"). No, for me and I'm sure so many other kids, it was our first exposure to darker ideas. Despite the austere subject matter, it felt oddly uplifting in the sense that it broadened our perspective on the world. Just like the actor said, the more we were scared, the more we wanted because it was like discovering new parts of our own mind. It was scary and intriguing as any worthwhile new experience can be.

In retrospect, "Batman" seems like such an unlikely confluence of ideas and sensibilities. Everyone, Nicholson included, was united with the director in pursuit of a singular vision. And while I've since grown to particularly love Nicholson as a talented and intelligent actor, his Joker will always be my favorite role. For that, I think I can speak for a lot of nostalgic 30-somethings when I say, thank you for scaring us when we were kids, Jack.