List of really strange and weird movies

GUMMO

Harmony Korine is the mastermind behind out-there gems like Spring Breakers and Mister Lonely. Gummo is probably the director’s most well-known and surreal film to date.

This 1997 art drama film had a diversely weird cast that included a young Chloe Sevigny. The film is set in the slum town of Xenia, Ohio after it was hit by a destructive tornado. The theme is loose in nature and follows the lives of several characters. Their destructive and strange ways of dealing with their boredom is the main plot point. The film features vignettes of other citizens of the town as well.

The characters range from bizarre to straight up terrible. Bunny Boy is a mute child that wears pink bunny ears and no shirt. Tummler is a horrible teen boy who kills cats for fun and huffs glue. There’s also a man who pimps out his sister, a child molester, a tennis player with ADD, and skinheads. The film explores a wide range of issues that include drug abuse, mental illness, poverty, and racism.

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NAKED LUNCH

This 1991 science fiction drama is an adaptation of the even stranger (and more amazing) novel by William S. Burroughs of the same name, as well as parts of his other works. The project was a co-production between filmmakers in America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The result was an utterly surreal, ugly, and somewhat humorous film. David Cronenberg, the director of Videodrome, also directed the adaptation. So he’s in the lead for “Weirdest Director” so far.

Naked Lunch follows William Lee, a pest control worker whose wife uses his insecticide as a recreational drug. He hallucinates various alien-like and roach-like creatures and accidentally murders his wife after a game of William Tell. He flees to a place called Interzone to escape murder charges. There, he encounters doppelgängers, horrific mutations, and other strange things. The story is loosely based on real events that Burroughs experienced as a drug addict and many characters are based on other beat writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.

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FUNKY FOREST: THE FIRST CONTACT

Don’t watch this 2005 Japanese bizarre comedy film if you’re expecting a clear and concise plot. The film is by far one of the weirdest films out there. The cast included surprisingly big names, including Rinko Kikuchi from Pacific Rim and Tabanobu Asano from Ichi the Killer.

The film follows the lives of different people who all end up being connected in some way, including an audiophile, a guitar player, a portly white boy, and a disinterested girl. Animated scenes are mixed with scenes of two men in white suits arguing before an audience. The first half of the movie is fairly tame but still odd, while the second half of the film catapults you into WTF City almost immediately after the intermission.

Funky Forest: The First Contact acquired quite a cult following in Japan and around the world, with screenshots of the film becoming memes across various image boards and social media. The film is easily accessible online and is absolutely worth watching once. But be prepared– the two hour and thirty minute runtime is no joke and the filmmakers even included an intermission counter halfway through the film.

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CAT SOUP

This experimental Japanese surrealist anime film was released in 2001 and directed by Tatsuo Sato. The film is based on the manga artwork by Nekojiru.

Cat Soup follows Nyako and her brother Nyatta, two anthropomorphic kittens that embark on a journey to the land of the dead and back. Half of Nyako’s soul is stolen by a bodhisattva and, although she is alive, she remains in a vacant, catatonic state. Using clues left by the bodhisattva, the two kittens travel to the land of the dead to retrieve the other half of Nyaka’s soul. They encounter a bunch of really strange characters, including a giant penguin full of weather, a cat-eating maniac, and an elephant made of water.

Cat Soup won an Excellence Prize at the 2001 Japan Media Arts Festival and a Best Short Film award at the 2001 Fantasia Festival. The film was generally well-received in Japan but remains somewhat obscure. It’s definitely worth hunting down.

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RUBBER

This 2010 independent dark comedy horror film may not be the greatest film ever made, but it definitely has an original plot– the film is about a tire that gains consciousness and starts killing people with its psychic abilities. Are you sold yet?

Rubber was directed by Quentin Dupieux and is an English-language French film. In the film, set in the nineties, a tire named Robert comes to life and eventually learns how to get up and roll. After realizing that it can crush small things by running them over and kill large things with some sort of psychokinetic power, Robert goes on a killing spree across a desert in California. There are a lot of interesting characters in Rubber, including a sheriff who breaks the fourth wall and a murderous accountant.

The film made it all the way to Cannes and is notorious for being a “love it or hate it” kind of film, with half of critics expressing distaste for the film while the other half expresses admiration for the film. Rubber is considered an indie cult film and is inarguably one of a kind.

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THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

Strange films go back pretty far, and this 1973 film is considered a vintage classic. The Holy Mountain is a Mexican-American surreal fantasy film that was written, directed, produced, scored, and edited by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Oh, and he also stars in the film.

In The Holy Mountain, several characters based on tarot cards and astrological signs embark on a journey of spiritual transformation led by an alchemist. The imagery in the film is crude, artistic, and disturbing. The film is based on Mount Analogue by Rene Daumal and Ascent of Mount Carmel by John of the Cross. Daumal died before finishing Mount Analogue, so Jodorowsky improvised the ending. The film was praised for its psychedelic visuals and art direction.

While the film is weird, the circumstances surrounding its creation were also very strange. Before beginning principal photography for the film, Jodorowsky went seven days without sleep with the help of a Japanese zen master. He also used LSD throughout filming and distributed magic mushrooms to the other actors. It definitely shows.

John Lennon, George Harrison, and Yoko Ono were fans of Jodorowsky’s previous work and helped fund The Holy Mountain.

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SOCIETY

This 1989 gory American horror film from Brian Yuzna is a trip from beginning to end. Yuzna had previously produced the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Re-Animator, another delightful film in a similar style to Society.

Society follows a wealthy high school student named Bill. After listening to a tape of what sounds like a violent orgy between his family members, Bill goes to a therapist. The therapist plays the tape, but what plays are totally normal sound and voices of his family. A friend of Bill’s confirms that the first tape was real, and the boy who gave it to Bill has been found dead. What ensues seems to be some kind of conspiracy that quickly descends into a surreal nightmare with shocking gore and mutating orgies.

Society has been praised for being stupid but somehow brilliant (an excellent combination for a campy film) and for its excellent makeup and special effects.

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HOLY MOTORS

The film Holy Motors is one of the most thought-provoking films on this list. This 2012 French-German fantasy drama was directed by Leos Carax and features surrealist elements. It stars Denis Lavant and features Eva Mendes and Kyle Minogue in bizarre roles.

In Holy Motors, we meet a man named Oscar who leaves in a limousine to start his job. The nature of his job is mysterious and difficult to understand– throughout the day, he changes into various costumes and assumes different identities, which range from a disturbed red-haired kidnapper to a supportive father to a Chinese gangster. It is revealed that there are other people with this “job”. Carax described the film’s theme as a look into virtual reality and how the Internet era has made identity more and more slippery to define.

The film gained positive reviews for being mesmerizing and strange as well as difficult to analyze. It also won Best Foreign Language Film at numerous international film festivals.

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BLACK MOON

This 1975 French-German avant-garde film was directed by Louis Malle and filmed in English. Also, there’s a unicorn.

In Black Moon, the earth is in the midst of a gendered war between men and women. Lily attempts to escape the war by fleeing to the countryside, where she encounters some strange events. She meets a man who cannot speak but can communicate through touch. Naked children round up farm animals. Lily is breastfed by another woman. The unicorn shows up. Lily breastfeeds the unicorn. A great film for the whole family!

Black Moon is considered a critique of gendered oppression and the surreal fears that young girls have when they descend into adolescence. The film received mixed reviews and did not find much popularity. The film has been praised for being both baffling and funny, while negative reviews for the film expressed distaste for the perceived themes of beastiality and its uncomfortable nature.

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IN MY SKIN

If you think you have a bad habit, it probably (and hopefully) doesn’t compare to In My Skin‘s lead character. The 2002 New French Extremity film was directed by and stars Marina de Van.

In My Skin follows Esther, a young woman with a pleasant life and a loving boyfriend. Esther goes to a party with her peers and accidentally injures her leg. The injury is pretty bad, but it doesn’t seem to bother Esther, who goes out drinking with her friends and doesn’t go to the doctor until the next day. Esther descends into some sort of mental downward spiral in which she is addicting initially to picking at her wound and eventually to mutilating different parts of her body. Does it get worse? It sure does! Esther eventually begins preserving pieces of flesh that she rips off of herself for fun.

Reception of the film was mixed, with more critics leaning towards positive. Our advice? Watch on an empty stomach.

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DOGTOOTH

Greece doesn’t get a lot of recognition for films. This 2009 Greek surreal film, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, is definitely interesting, if not perplexing.

The film follows the story of a couple and their three grown children who live in a fenced compound. It becomes clear that the siblings have never seen the outside world. Their parents claim that they can leave once they lose a “dogtooth” (incisor tooth) and acquire a car. The sibling pass the time by playing competitive physical games and sneakily rewatching Rocky IV.

While it is obvious that keeping your children in a compound is abusive, it also becomes clear that the parents use violence to punish their children. Throughout the film, we see very strange depictions of incest and violence. Luckily one of the sisters gets a chance to escape, but it is hard to finish the movie feeling good about it at all.

Dogtooth received favorable reviews in Greece and mixed reviews elsewhere, with the film introducing the world to Lanthimos, who directed the almost-as-weird The Lobster last year.

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ZARDOZ

If the outfits in this film don’t make you want to watch it, the insane plot definitely will. This 1974 Irish-American science fiction fantasy film was directed by John Boorman and stars a very furry Sean Connery.

In Zardoz, a post-apocalyptic Earth is composed of immortals and humans, called Eternals and Brutals respectively. Brutals live in an ugly wasteland and produce food for the Eternals, who live in a luxurious estate. Brutals often fight against one another, and a giant flying head called Zardoz supplies these exterminator Brutals with weaponry. Zed (Connery) is an intelligent rebel who seeks to end the Eternals’ tyranny.

The film inspired a DC Comics character (Vart0x) and the Zardoz head founds its way into pop culture. However, a lot of people hated Zardoz when it was released, citing its self-indulgent plot and pompous themes as unpleasant to sit through. While the film has its flaws, its eccentric flair and hilarious costume design will have you engaged at the very least. Go forth, and watch! Zardoz has spoken.

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ALICE

Alice is a truly strange movie. It's really hard to even describe the movie. It is based on the classic story of Alice in Wonderland. But, it really isn't the sweet, fun Disney story that we all grew up with. It's dark, disturbing and so bizarre that I don't even want to give away too much information about it. It is one of those movies that is better if you just see it for yourself.

It starts out with a little girl, in a dingy little room, and a close-up shot of a girl's mouth, as she narrates the beginning of the story. Alice was made in 1988, and released in The Netherlands in early 1989. It is a Czech movie, and the version I saw was dubbed into English. It is a stop-motion nightmarish version of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. It is definitely worth a watch, if you are a fan of strange movies, or if you are just curious. It isn't a great movie, not by a long shot, but it is worth a watch. It's so strange, I don't even think Tim Burton could have come up with something so bizarre.

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Being John Malkovich

While this movie was fairly mainstream, it was still a very odd movie. I loved this movie, partly because it was so strange. Having a little portal into another person's mind is an interesting concept, and to be in the mind of a celebrity, even if it's only for fifteen minutes, would be tempting for anyone. What would you do if you could be in the mind of any celebrity for fifteen minutes? Which celebrity would you choose if you had a choice? What would an experience like that be worth to you, even if it meant ending up alongside the New Jersey Turnpike?

I am a huge fan of both John Cusack and Cameron Diaz, and they were both great in this movie. The script was clever, fun and strange, and the acting was great. Even the office setting was weird. Imagine working in a tiny, low-ceiling office like that. Most offices are confining and claustrophobic to begin with. I can only imagine the back pain experienced by the actors after having to deal with the low ceilings of that set. Being John Malkovich is a great movie. It is another movie that you must see, not only because it is so strange, but also because it is so wonderful.

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BIG FISH

Big Fish is a heartwarming story full of fantasy and magic. It's the story of a storyteller, if that makes any sense. See, it's already strange. It is a fantastic and wonderful tale filled with unbelievable characters and amazing little adventures. The first time I saw this movie, I absolutely fell in love with it. It is really a story about a man and his father, and the journey the man goes through to learn more about the father he saw as a liar for most of his life.

The movie is as visually gorgeous as any fairy tale, and the story really is beautiful. The strange characters and even stranger tales that shape the life of the father are fantastic and engaging. So much so, that the son struggles to believe all the tales that he has been told all his life. I don't think I would believe my father either if he told me even half of what this man had told his son. Ewan McGregor is amazing in this film. It is one of Tim Burton's lighter movies, but still full of fantasy. Big Fish is a great movie. It really is. It is still one of my favorite movies to this day. Truthfully, I wish my own life were half this interesting.

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THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN

The City of Lost Children is one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. Having said that, it is also a wonderful movie. This movie came to me as a recommendation from my sister. She said I had to see this movie. She is rarely wrong when it comes to recommending movies for me to watch. It is a French movie, and I recommend watching it with the subtitles. It is so much better that way. I am not sure if they ever dubbed it into English, but I am not a huge fan of dubbed movies. It ruins it, and I feel that it cheapens it a little bit. Ron Perlman (of Sons of Anarchy) stars in this movie, though his dialog in the movie is very limited.

The movie is about a scientist who kidnaps children. He uses these children in a mad experiment meant to slow his aging, by stealing their dreams. It is a very strange movie with a lot of unusual characters and even stranger scenery. It is a dark, disturbing movie, but also a heartwarming movie about a man searching for his brother. It is a violent, and often disturbing movie filled with horrific images. It is visually stunning, however, and the script is very well written and incredibly acted, even by the youngest cast members. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of fantasy movies, dark movies or foreign horror movies.

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A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

A cult classic, A Clockwork Orange was a movie I was told I HAD to see years and years ago. I watched it, and I have a friend who refused to watch it. The movie is very dark and very disturbing. It is not a movie for kids. It is filled with nudity, violence and terrible images. Having said that, it is really an interesting movie. It is well scripted and well shot. I am a fan of Stanley Kubrick, so I kind of knew what to expect from a movie of his. He often ventured into the darker aspects of human existence, and this movie is no different. It is hard for me to see Malcolm McDowell as anything other than Alex, even after all these years. I see his face, even now, and I still go back to A Clockwork Orange.

For those that haven't seen the movie, it is a dark movie about a young group of trouble makers in a strange, colorful, futuristic Great Britain. Young Alex, a fan of Beethoven, ends up in prison where he volunteers for a controversial experimental program that is supposed to "cure" him of his violent tendencies. The real trouble for Alex begins after he is released from prison. The sets in the movie range from the stark prison setting to the fantastic set of his family home, and what appears to be a strange, futuristic shopping mall. For fans of this movie, the characters are easily recognizable, and I have even seen people dress up like Alex on Halloween. Even Rob Zombie and The Simpsons have pulled from this movie as inspiration.

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THE NINES

What can you say about a movie where Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy and Hope Davis each play three separate characters that end up being intertwined? It is strange to say the very least. The movie is interesting in a way I can't really describe, partly because I don't have any words to describe it, and partly because I don't want to give away any specific details to ruin the movie for anyone looking to watch it. It is a movie that must be seen in order to fully understand. I can't really say more than that.

Ryan Reynolds plays three separate characters, one is an actor who plays a television cop, another is a head of a television show, and the third is a video game designer. All three characters are connected in some way. Melissa McCarty actually plays herself in the second vignette of the three. She is delightful in this movie, as she is in most things she does. As I said, in order to understand the movie, you must see it. And look for the nines...

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RIDING THE BULLET

Riding The Bullet is about a young man who learns that his mother is dying. He decides to hitchhike across the country in order to get there. I am guessing the story was written back when that practice was a little more common. He encounters some interesting people along the way. Hitchhiking is dangerous, and he discovers just how dangerous after he is picked up by a very strange man who offers him an even stranger proposal. Johnathan Jackson (General Hospital) stars as the young man and David Arquette (from the Scream movies) stars as George Staub, the mysterious stranger. The movie is interesting and definitely worth a watch. What does it mean to "Ride the Bullet"? I will let you find that out for yourself.

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