I like weird movies. I like weird movies, because they challenge me and make me focus on them. Your standard action blockbuster, Oscar-bait drama, or sophomoric comedy we can all pretty much call the ending of when the opening credits roll. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s entertainment it should be comfortable. Sometimes I need a film to give me something more. Even if I have a good idea of where we’re going with the ending, it will distract me with stunning or unusual visuals or ideas. Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order):
- El Topo -Â A western about philosophy and religion with some really bizarre visuals at times that I’m not sure I consciously comprehend but that definitely are working on me on some level.
- Beyond the Black Rainbow -Â It’s like The Man Who Fell to Earth and 2001: A Space Odyssey made a slow-paced unsettling baby.
- Videodrome -Â Always a personal favorite and probably the one film that has influenced my work more than any other.
- Tommy – I really love musicals because I think that they encompass so much of the potential of film as a multi-disciplinary medium. I only just watched Tommy for the first time recently, but I think it will be among my favorites in the years to come because on top of being a musical it’s very very large and often non-literal. It’s not a “grounded” film. It is a spectacle in the most delightful way.
- The Big Lebowski –Â Let’s put a stoner in a film noir.
- The Lords of Salem – Another recent addition to my favorite weird movies. It’s a slow-burn, surreal horror film. No really big “scare” moments. Everything is just sort of eerie. It has a real 70s B-horror vibe to it and then veers off into something insane for the last five minutes.
- Eraserhead – Of course, Eraserhead. The first time I watched it I couldn’t get more than a few minutes in. Now, I just get entranced by it.
- Inland Empire – Okay, I’ve only watched it once, so far, but that sent me into a 12 hour writing binge during which I cranked out an … interesting … feature length script.
- Antichrist -Â I don’t want to talk about it.
- Enter the Void – The main character dies in the first act and then we float around from the perspective of his soul(?) for the rest seeing past, present, and future blended together in a visually stunning fashion.
What are your favorite weird films? What am I missing out on? Talk to me!