Batman fan-films are a dime a dozen. Some are good, some are bad, and others fall right down the middle. Either way, they were all made by amateur filmmakers who took the time and effort to create something with meager budgets and limited tech to boot. That being said, there are a few passion projects out there that rise above and beyond the rest. These fan-films, inspired by The Dark Knight's multitude of comic books, graphic novels, movies, and television shows, are truly worth checking out. Whether it's the immaculate production value, the inspired plot, or just the uniqueness of their take on Gotham's Caped Crusader, there's something in these ten fan-films for the Bat-fan in all of us.

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11 Honorable Mention: Batman: Dead End

It would be a crime to list the top Batman fan-films and not include Batman: Dead End. The legendary short put fan-films in an all-new light. Directed by Sandy Collora, Dead End made its debut at San Diego Comic-Con nearly 16 years ago and was released on the internet soon after. It’s amazing how much the filmmakers managed to do with a meager $30,000 budget. From Clark Bartram’s portrayal as a burly, imposing Batman, to the late Andrew Koenig’s stellar performance as a truly unnerving Joker, there’s so much this 7-minute short has to offer. And that’s not even getting into the major plot twist at the end!

10 The Batman Chronicles

The Batman Chronicles is a three-part series that follows young Bruce Wayne as he battles the rise of criminals and corruption in Gotham. The series is an Indiegogo-funded project by editor Joseph Petruccio and stars his brother, Daniel, as Gotham’s Caped Crusader. With a mere $18K in hand, The Batman Chronicles has good production value, decent acting from its cast, and a plot that will keep you engaged through its succinct runtime. To top it all off, actor Anthony Misiano brings a unique spin to The Joker - playing him as almost-sane with hints of something sinister and maniacal brewing under the surface. With Catwoman, James Gordon, and Alfred all making noteworthy appearances, The Batman Chronicles is definitely worth checking out.

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9 Batman: The Bloody Valentine

Fancy a musical with Batman and The Joker? Batman: The Bloody Valentine is a funny albeit violent short that explores, in jest, the somewhat psychosexual relationship between Gotham’s protector and the Clown Prince of Crime. The film was produced by George and Harry Kirby at K&K Productions for Valentine’s Day. It features Joker, played by Nicholas Anscombe, holding a dozen people hostage while singing a twisted rendition of Nat King Cole’s “When I Fall In Love” as a tribute to his arch-nemesis.

Bloody Valentine has great production value and a unique concept that will keep you hooked. If it wasn’t for The Joker’s freakishly-long fake chin, this fan-film would be damn near perfect.

8 Batgirl: Spoiled

Clever dialogue, great acting, and a very likable lead; Batgirl: Spoiled has all this and more going for it. The pilot episode of a now-defunct web series features Batgirl on the prowl when she runs into a group of bad guys who collectively outnumber and overpower her. Things take a turn for the worse before two unlikely allies show up to save the day. You’ll just have to watch and find out who those two might be.

Marisha Ray plays a witty Batgirl / Stephanie Brown as she interacts with all the well-known elements that make up a story set in Gotham City. It’s a shame that Warner Bros stepped in midway and ruined all the fun the people behind this short were having.

7 The Joker Blogs

The Joker Blogs is truly extraordinary when it comes to online fan-films. Not only is it a pseudo-vlog series that’s nearly 11 years old, it also features some surprisingly good acting from a crew that’s obviously passionate about Batman lore. The Joker Blogs takes place after the events of The Dark Knight. The Joker, now incarcerated, documents his time in Arkham Asylum through a series of vlogs recorded on a camcorder. Scott McClure does a solid impression of Heath Ledger’s laughing lunatic as the character bumps into all sorts of antics and familiar faces in the asylum halls.

The series took a break for a couple of years before announcing a three-episode finale at the end of 2018. Those three episodes have yet to be released, but fans of the series are confident that they’ll see the end of this creative endeavor someday.

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6 Batman: Puppet Master

One of the best post-Nolan fan projects is a short called Batman: Puppet Master. After the death of Harvey Dent, Gotham is hit with a new crime wave. Sinister forces such as Scarface have risen to occupy vacant spots left by the mob. And then there’s the mysterious FBI agent, Edward Nygma, who seems to have uncovered a scandal regarding Dent’s demise.

Director Bryan Nest does his best to mimic Nolan’s style, which is where the film excels as well as falls short. While some performances, such as The Ventriloquist, are fantastic, others come off as cheesy or exaggerated. Nevertheless, Puppet Master sits in an elite league of fan-films. It’s so well-produced that you’d be forgiven for mistaking that some scenes are, in fact, from one of Nolan’s movies.

5 Batman Evolution

Batman films don’t have to be dark and gritty by default. Batman Evolution puts a clever spin on the classic Adam West costume, and explains the suit’s transition from bright and goofy to dark and tactical. The film is by no means serious, but it’s extremely entertaining and is bound to inspire a chuckle or two. Evolution is directed by Peter Cornwell and stars Eric Gable as a very convincing Batman, Joel Hebner as a witty, magnetic Black Mask, and Mark Erman as Robin from a bygone age. As far as fan-films go, Batman Evolution is one of the absolute best!

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4 Flashpoint Batman vs Killmonger

Including anything from Bat In The Sun Productions seems a bit unfair at this point because of how good they are and how long they've been in the game, but the legendary team of Bat-nerds started out as amateur filmmakers with a couple of cameras so they deserve to be on this list.

One of their latest superhero beatdowns pits Thomas Wayne aka "Flashpoint" Batman against one of Marvel’s most complicated villains, Killmonger, in what may be one of the best Batman-related fan projects on the internet. The production is stunning and the short is entertaining as hell to watch. Killmonger’s performance comes off a little too strong, but other than that it’s a short worth watching over and over again. Plus, amateur film favorite Kevin Porter, who has played Batman before, is back in the cowl so that alone is worth a click.

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3 Ripper

Inspired by Gotham By Gaslight, Ripper tells the story of Batman in Victorian-era London amidst a mysterious killing spree. As the world’s greatest detective, Batman must track down a deranged killer known only as “Jack the Ripper” and stop him from claiming his next victim.

Ripper is a love letter to both Gotham By Gaslight as well as Italian horror flicks from the 60s and 70s. The short-film has the aesthetic of a cheap period piece drama on PBS or Hallmark, which for some weird reason makes it all the more endearing. What really sets this project by director James Campbell apart is the last five minutes. It's a haunting interaction between Batman and the titular Ripper... followed by a gut-punch revelation!

No wonder filmmaker Kevin Smith partially funded this!

2 Batman: Patient Zero

Batman: Patient Zero is working with a micro-budget, and it shows. The costumes are tacky and the visuals could use some work, but what the film lacks in aesthetics it makes up for with fantastic sound design, a good score, and a plot twist that’s worth waiting for.

Director Andrew Ackler’s passion project takes the Caped Crusader through Arkham Asylum, where chaos reigns and the inmates have taken control of the facility. Batman encounters familiar faces from his rogue’s gallery, including The Riddler, Harley Quinn, and The Joker, as he struggles to get the situation under control. The first half of the short is fine, but the second half is where things really start to get very interesting.

1 The Laughing Man

The Laughing Man may be, hands down, the best Batman fan-film ever made. Ironically, it doesn’t feature Batman and never officially mentions the Joker either. As the name implies, The Laughing Man is about a deranged killer (hint, hint) who infiltrates a mental rehabilitation facility. Needless to say, things don’t go well for everyone involved.

Heavily inspired by Scott Snyder’s ‘Death of the Family’ comics as well as New 52’s Joker, the Hallivis Brothers have created a 20-minute take on the Clown Prince that is gruesome, violent, and definitely NSFW. Zach Avery plays an extremely unsettling version of Batman’s nemesis without ever trying to mimic previous performances seen in films. Avery’s original take makes The Laughing Man all the more impressive. While it isn’t likely to happen, a sequel to The Laughing Man with an appearance by The Dark Knight doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

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