Alejandro Jodorowsky is a legend of weird movies. While EL TOPO became a cult classic and a favorite of John Lennon and George Harrison, HOLY MOUNTAIN is even more bizarre. Steeped in all sorts of religion and spiritual beliefs, HOLY MOUNTAIN features a cast of nameless characters representing Tarot cards who journey towards spiritual enlightenment. Even if you don’t do drugs, you may reconsider by the time you finish this movie.
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I likely could have named any film directed by Takashi Miike to rank on this list, but GOZU takes the cake. From lactating old ladies to a skinned Yakuza at a dry cleaner all the way to a diaper-wearing man with a cow head, GOZU is a bizarre movie in every sense of the word. If you can stomach the murder of a small dog at the start of the movie, you are in for another two hours of holy shit moments.
David Lynch’s black and white film is heralded as a masterpiece by many. Most people probably know the name and recognize Jack Fisk’s iconic hairstyle, but quite a few have not seen the film from beginning to end. Inspired by the works of Franz Kafka, ERASERHEAD is a totalitarian nightmare that was panned upon release but has gone on to become a legendary film for burgeoning movie buffs. It definitely lives up to the hype if you can stomach the weird-ass alien baby.
Not too up on your Hungarian history? Take this trip down memory lane with a retelling of that country’s history from World War II to the present. It involves flame-throwing penises, fat monsters, and taxidermy. Yeah, this film has it all. Another entry in the body horror sub-genre, TAXIDERMIA could turn you off of any desire to become a competitive speed eater. Trust me.
Part of the J-horror boom in the early 2000s, this film is based on the manga of the same name which follows a small town right out of an H.P. Lovecraft story. Everyone in this town is haunted or cursed by spiral shapes which result in some grotesque and haunting death sequences. This movie will stick with you and definitely have you questioning any circular patterns for a long time to come.
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Elias Merhige’s film is one of the oddest movies you will ever see. Filmed in black and white with only sounds of water and birds to accompany the visceral images on screen, BEGOTTEN is a surreal retelling of the story of Jesus. But, unlike your Bible, this take on the tale involves God killing himself and the Virgin Mary impregnating herself after jerking off her dead dad. Yeah, this movie is all kinds of weird but is also oddly beautiful.
Leos Carax’s strange fantasy film was written specifically for star Denis Lavant who plays 10 different roles in the film, all of them weirder than the last. There is a plot about a parking garage that ties together the vignettes of the film and includes appearances by Kylie Minogue and Eva Mendes. There is a narrative here, but don’t try to make too much sense of it. Instead, enjoy the weird ass ride.
This is one weird movie, but one with a lasting impact on cinema and filmmakers like Neil Jordan. A surrealist nightmare of a horror movie, Jaromil Jireš’ film follows a thirteen year old girl through a world of vampires, priests, and other bizarre imagery. Clocking in at just 73 minutes, this is not a long movie, but it will stick with you.
Quentin Dupieux has made a career out of weird movies like WRONG and REALITY, but it was his 2010 slasher horror film that takes the cake. The killer in RUBBER is a tire. Yeah, a tire. The other characters in the film all treat this tire as if it were a human being which just makes this film all the more bizarre. Oddly, watching RUBBER reminded me a lot of PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE, so that should tell you just how odd it is.
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The most mainstream of the films on this list, Ken Russell’s ALTERED STATES was an Oscar-nominated trip through a body horror phantasmagoria. Imagine the trippiest scenes from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and combine them with nightmarish LSD hallucinations and you have ALTERED STATES. Definitely one hell of a mindf*ck.