The most-used keyword on all of the Internet Movie Database as of this writing, with over 136,000 titles associated with it, is “music video.” “TV mini series” is next with over 70,000 examples, followed by “non fiction.” “Character name in title” has 46,000 entries. These are all useful keywords, and searching for them on IMDb lets you explore the site’s massive database and see which films grouped under those keywords are the most popular and best reviewed, among other searchable options.
But there are literally hundreds and hundreds of plot keywords housed on IMDb, some of them of them so hyperspecific it’s astonishing they exist. What practical purpose could a keyword like “Character Says ‘Easy Peasy’” serve? Others are so shamelessly pervy that you have to wonder who maintains them and for what purpose. (Did you know there are over 45,000 titles on IMDb under the keyword “female nudity?” Well, now you do. I’m sorry.)
I’ve long been fascinated with this bizarre and seemingly unregulated world; more than a decade ago, I used to use IMDb’s plot keywords to make a weekly contest on the old IFC podcast. Recently I spent a couple hours wandering the weirdest corners of IMDb’s keyword section, trying to find its funniest and strangest entries. Here now are my 25 favorites — along with some stats about the number of titles grouped under each keyword and their single most-popular film or TV show, according to IMDb’s mysterious metrics.
The Strangest Plot Keywords on IMDb
All of these IMDb keywords are real. I did not make any of them up. I swear. Go look for yourself.
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