Drop Dead Fred

Drop Dead Fred is the fiendish anti-villain of the dark comedy movie of the same name and he can be seen as either a surreal character or a (to be frank) rather disturbing symbolism depending on how one wishes to look into the film.

From the surreal point of view Drop Dead Fred is the malicious "imaginary friend" of a troubled young woman who constantly causes chaos - which she is blamed for as he is invisible to all other humans, Drop Dead Fred is basically a wacky and seemingly supernatural being that has a very anarchic outlook on life that is downright destructive and at times even sinister.. Drop Dead Fred seems to exist to spread insanity and although still a comical character is definitely a darker protagonist than is usual for comedy films (though the movie does contain black humor - which may well explain the darker aspects of his character).

From the more symbolic point of view Drop Dead Fred can be considered as a representation of suppressed psychosis (elements normally seen in psychological horror rather than comedy) - being the destructive "inner child" that exists to show the audience what the troubled young woman sees in her own mind, he also seems to exist to aid people with troubled minds but does so in a manner that is more antagonistic than appealling.

At the end of the movie however the audience is left to wonder if Drop Dead Fred is real or not when he finally leaves the troubled woman behind - only to seemingly attach himself to a new child.