Know a weird movie? Something strange that glued you to the screen with awe, amazement or reverence, while your more mundane minded friends left the room (or theater) in boredom, confusion or disgust? A movie whose omission from a list of the 366 weirdest movies of all time would offend you on a personal level? Something even I haven’t heard of or considered? There are potentially thousands of forgotten films, critically dismissed films, foreign or independent films that never got a proper release, or misplaced oddities hiding out there that may deserve a place at the table. One man can’t be expected to track them all down. Here is the place to mention those treasured curios that no one else seems to have even heard of. Nominate a movie in the suggestion box and I’ll move it up on my review queue, or at the very least, explain why I’m not going to review it.
NOTICE: The “Suggest of Weird Movie!” feature has become a victim of its own success. At the time of this update, we have about 250 reader suggestions (!) in queue. Since we can only do 1 or maybe 2 reviews a week, be aware there may be a huge delay—currently, possibly over a year!—between the time you make a suggestion and the point at which it’s actually reviewed. I considered shutting down the suggestion box as of 2011, but I decided to let you keep your suggestions coming (if nothing else, it tells us what types of movies readers are interested in seeing reviews of). Just be aware that when you make a suggestion, it may not receive the promptest of attention.
If you can’t wait for one of our staff to review your movie, why not review it yourself and submit it to us via the contact form? We can’t swear we’ll publish every submission we receive, but we want reader participation and we are fairly liberal.
To prevent spam, commenting require registration. We will not share your email with third parties. All serious suggestions will receive a response, as well as all most non-serious ones.
Here’s the review queue of reader suggestions that have yet to be reviewed, in alphabetical order. You can always see this list ordered according to intended order of publication in the weekly “What’s in the Pipeline” column (published on Sundays).
Be aware that, given the number of titles here, there will be a (long and ever-growing ) delay between suggesting a title and its eventual review.
1 (2009); 1Day; 3 Women; The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao; The 10th Victim; 2001: A Space Odyssey; 11:14; “2012 Aficionado DVD Zine Issue #0″; The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T; Abnormal: The Sinema of Nick Zedd; “The Act of Seeing With One’s Own Eyes”; The Adventures of Mark Twain; The Adventures of Picasso; L’Âge d’or; Aguirre, the Wrath of God; Air Doll; Akira; Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams; “Alicia” (1994); Allegro Non Troppo; All That Jazz; Alphaville; Amazon Women on the Moon; Amelie; Amanece, que no es poco; “Analog”; Anatomy of Hell; L’Ange; Angel in the Flesh: The Confidential Report on Mr. Dennis Duggan AKA The King of Super 8 (if it’s ever released); Angelus; Angst; Anguish [Angustia]; The Annunciation; La antena; The Appointment (1981); Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters; Arrebato; Ascension; At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul; The Atrocity Exhibition; Audition; Avida; Bad Taste; Bad Timing (AKA Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession); Battle in Heaven; Beauty and the Beast (1978); Berberian Sound Studio; Bernie (1996) (depending on availability); The Beyond; Bibliotheque Pascal; Big Man Japan (official review); Big River Man; Big Time; “The Big Shave”; Birth of the Overfiend; Black Cat, White Cat; Black Devil Doll; Bliss; Blue (1993, Jarman); Blue Velvet; The Bothersome Man; The Boxer’s Omen [aka Mo]; Boxing Helena; Brain Damage; Brain Dead (1990, d. Adam Simon); Branded; The Brave Little Toaster; Breakfast of Champions; Brick; Britannia Hospital; “Broken Glass”; “The Brothers Quay Collection”; Bruce Lee vs. Gay Power; Bubba Ho-Tep; Buddy Boy (1999); Buffalo ’66; Buffet Froid; Cafe Flesh; Calamari Wrestler; Candy (1968); The Cars That Ate Paris; The Cat in the Hat; Casino Royale (1967); “Cat Soup”; Celine and Julie Go Boating; The Cell; The Cement Garden; Chappaqua; “Charleston Parade”; Charly: Dias de Sangre; “Chingsao the Clown”; Christmas on Mars; Christ the Movie; La cicatrice intérieure; Citizen Dog; City of Pirates; City of Women; Clean, Shaven; Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs; Color of Pomegranates; Confessions of a Dangerous Mind; Conspirators of Pleasure; The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover; Coonskin; Cosmopolis; Crash (Cronenberg); La Cravate; Creating Rem Lezar; Creatures of Destiny; Crimewave; Criminal Lovers; Cutie Honey; Dance With The Devil; Dante’s Inferno (2007); Dark Arc; Dark City; The Dark Side of the Heart; Dark Waters; Daymaker; Day of the Wacko; Death Powder (1986); Decasia; The Devils; Diamond Flash; Dirty Duck; A Dog Called Pain; La Dolce Vita; The Doom Generation; The Double Life of Veronique; The Drifting Classroom; Drowning by Numbers; Drunken Wu Tang; Dumplings; The Earl Sessions; Edward II; Electric Dragon 80,000 V; The Element of Crime; Evil Ed; Executive Koala; Exterminating Angel; Eyes Wide Shut; The Fall; The Falls; Fando y Lis; Fast, Cheap and Out of Control; Feherlofia; Felidae; Fido; Finisterrae; The Fountain; “Foutaises” (short); The Fox Family; Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster; “Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life”; From Beyond; Fudge 44; Funeral Parade of Roses; Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus; Gahjini; Garden State (official review); Genius Party; The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai; Glen or Glenda?; The Godmonster of Indian Flats; Goke, Body Snatcher From Hell; Goodbye 20th Century; Goodbye Uncle Tom; Green Snake; Grendel Grendel Grendel; Haggard; Hair Extensions; Hanger; Happiness; Hard Candy; “Harpya”; Head; Heartbeeps; Heart of Glass; Heavenly Creatures; Hell Comes to Frogtown; Hugo the Hippo; I Am Here Now; Ichi the Killer; ID; The Idiots; If…; I [Heart] Huckabees; The Illustrated Man; Incubus; L’Inferno; Innocence (2004); In Search of the Titanic; Insidious (2010); In the Mouth of Madness; I Think We’re Alone Now; I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse; Jack and the Beanstalk (1974, Japan); Johnny Aquarius; Killer Joe; Killer Nun; Killdozer; Killer Condom; Koyaanisqatsi; Krysar (AKA The Pied Piper of Hamelin); La Razon de Mi Vida; The Last Days of Planet Earth; Last Life in the Universe; The Last Sunset; Last Year in Marienbad; Leolo; Let the Right One In; Liquid Sky (re-review); Litan; Little Deaths; Lo; Love Me If You Dare; Lovers on the Bridge; Lucky; Mad Detective; The Magic Christian; Man Facing Southeast; Marebito; Marquis; Marutirtha Hinglaj; Master of the Flying Guillotine; Me and You and Everyone We Know; Meet the Feebles; Meet the Hollowheads; Memento Mori; Mermaid in a Manhole; Metropia; Midnight Skater; “The Mighty Boosh” (TV show); The Million Dollar Hotel; Mind Game; Moebius (1996); Momo (1986); Monobloc; Monty Python and the Holy Grail; Mr. Nobody; Multiple Maniacs; Murder Party; Mutant Aliens; My Dinner with Andre; The Mysterians; Mystics in Bali; Nails; Natural Born Killers; The Neverending Story; “Next Floor”; Night Across The Street; Nightdreams; Night of the Hunter; The Nine Lives of Thomas Katz; The Ninth Configuration; Noroi; Northfork; No Smoking; Nuit Noire; Of Freaks and Men; One Eyed Monster; “One Soldier”; On the Silver Globe; Organ; Orpheus; “The Ossuary”; Parents; Peeping Tom; Perfect Blue; Period Piece; Phantasm IV; The Phantom of Liberty; Phantom of the Paradise; Phase IV; Piano Tuner of Earthquakes; Picnic at Hanging Rock; Pierrot Le Fou; Pink Flamingos; Pink Narcissus; The Pit; Pola X; Porcile [AKA Pigpen]; Portrait of Jennie; Possession (official re-review); “Premium” (if it can be found); “Prometheus’ Garden”; Prospero’s Books; A Pure Formality; The Quiet Earth; Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure; Rampo Noir; Rat Pfink a Boo Boo; The Real McCoy; Reflections of Evil; Repo Man; Return to Oz (official review); Revolver; Robot Monster; Rock n’ Roll High School; Roller Blade; The Room; Rubin & Ed; The Ruling Class; Run Lola Run; Russian Ark; Safe; The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea; Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom; Santa Claus (1959); The Saragossa Manuscript (official review); Savages; Save the Green Planet; A Scanner Darkly; Schramm; Screamplay; The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb; “Serial Experiments: Lain” (TV show); The Shape of Things; The Shout; The Signal; Singapore Sling (official review); Sir Henry at Rawlinson End; Sitcom; Skeletons; Slacker; SLC Punk; Sleepaway Camp; “Slow Bob in the Lower Dimensions”; A Snake of June; Society (official review); Space Is the Place (re-review); Space Thang; Spermula; Spirited Away; Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds; “Star Maidens” (TV show); Static; Strange Circus; Street Trash; Stroszek; Suicide Club (re-review); Svidd neger (depending on availability); Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song; Symbol; Tales from the Quadead Zone; Tampopo; Tank Girl; The Taste of Tea; Teeth; Teknolust; The Tenant; La Teta y La Luna; That Deadwood Feeling; Themroc; They Came Back; Things; This Filthy Earth; Thriller: A Cruel Picture; Thundercrack!; Time Masters; Titicut Follies; Der Todersking; Tokyo Gore Police; Tourist Trap (1979); The Trial [Le procès] (1962); Troll 2; “Turkish Star Wars” [Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam]; Twister (1989); Uncle Meat; Underground; Uzumaki [AKA Spiral] (official re-review); Vakvagany; Vase de Noces; Vera; Vermillion Souls; Versus; Videodrome; Visions of Suffering; Visitor of a Museum [Posetitel muzeya]; Waiting for Godot; The War Zone; Watership Down; Wax, or The Discovery of Television Among the Bees; Welcome to the Dollhouse; Wicked City (1992 live-action version); Wild at Heart; Wild Tigers I Have Known; Wool 100%; W.R.-Mysteries of the Organism; Yesterday Was a Lie; Yokai Monsters, Vol. 1: Spook Warfare [AKA Big Monster War]; Zachariah; A Zed and Two Noughts.
Angel’s egg (Tenshi no Tamago) by Mamoru Oshii a surrealist anime movie, it definitely qualify
Yes, Angel’s Egg came in at #2 on our wishlist of not-on-DVD movies. We won’t put it in the queue yet without a DVD, but we won’t forget about it either.
I wanted to recommend the movie “I Never Left the White Room”, an indie horror film directed by Michael Todd Schneider, it is very insane, very trippy, very surreal and extremely creepy. It throws logic out the window in favor of an incredible ride. It is the only horror film I’ve seen in many many years that I actually thoroughly enjoyed, I think it would make a great addition to this list! c:
Kenshin: OK, I will add I Never Left the White Room to the queue.
“Faust: Love of the Damned”: now here’s something delightful: a horror/gore/romance film about a damned superhero-like man who tries to stop the devil from becoming a giant blob (or something like that.) I love this movie because of its insanity.
Motyka: Yes, Faust: Love of the Damned looks right up our alley; I’ll add it to the queue.
I recommend Jean-Luc Godard’s “adaptation” of Shakespeare’s King Lear, purely because I’d love to see the reaction of a roomful of people expecting a “normal” take on the story. As for being faithful to the source material; apparently Godard never read beyond page three. It shows.
Hi Andy, hope you’re doing well. Sure, we’re (almost) always up for some Godard, and Lear sounds like one of his weirdest. I’ll put it at the end of that long, long queue.
Daughter of Horror 1955, silent, some narration. Psycho-noir. Some incredibly good B/W work throughout.
Hi David, yes, Daughter of Horror is a good suggestion. I’m shocked it took someone this long to mention it. I’ll put it in queue.
Mr Smalley,
Reckon you’d like some independent Australian docos from the sub-tropical rainforest of Nimbin.
ALIEN ALIBI & PLANET NIMBIN : http://www.vimeo.com/warpspeedsyndicate
We’ve been published on Something Else radio : Review and Interview below :
http://eastsidefm.org/arts/somethingelse/
http://wp.me/pRxYu-vR
Hope you like !!
Sarah Pickering,
Warp Speed Syndicate
brain damage 1988
OK Sarah, we’ll check out at least one of the two–it will be a while before we can get to it, though.
James: Brain Damage is already in the queue above (great minds think alike).
Here’s another: the 1975 film Black Moon. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Moon_%281975_film%29). I only heard about it second-hand (read about it on TV Tropes), and there’s not much information about it online, but if somebody is able to get hold of a copy of it, it sounds like it should meet this site’s requirements (it’s a weird take on Alice in Wonderland, sort of, except not really).
Hi Blue, great suggestion but we have already short-listed Black Moon for eventual inclusion on the List. It’s not hard to get hold of in the US, at least not since it was added to the Criterion Collection 2 years ago.
I recently watched Shohei Imamura’s “The Pornographers”. I found it a kind of weird film. There was quite a few surrealist dream experiences. With it’s casual incest, dream sequences, people reincarnated as carp, indecipherable timeline, and the general idea that the pornographers film is somehow the film itself.
Definitely some Bunuel/Fellini in there.
The Pornographers is a great suggestion, I’ll add it.
Hmmm, I was thinking about it and I think the Clint Howard Z-grade horror campsterpiece “Ice Cream Man” might be a good fit.
Also, I’m noticing for some reason there doesn’t seem to be a lot of Almodovar films. I’ve seen three(What Have I done to Deserve This, Matador, and Dark Habits) and all of which I think would make good additions.
Hi Ervin, I will keep those in mind but not add them to the queue right now (solely because of the rule that we do not take consecutive suggestions from the same reader, to cut down on the length of the already massive list). I will add that something by Almodovar is a possibility, but the movies I’ve seen from him so far lean towards the quirky rather than the truly weird (I admit I’ve seen none of your three suggestions from him).
The End of the Golden Weather
Paperhouse
Epidemic
Hi Reece: I’ll put Paperhouse in queue for you (as the most promising of the three titles, and also the only one on DVD even though it’s Region 2 only).
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1956); Reefer Madness (1936); Phantasm (1979); Spirited Away (2001); Orgy of the Dead (1965); The Giant Claw (1957); Pink Flamingos (1972); Caravaggio (1986); Edward II (1991).
Hi Beverly:
Our thoughts on Plan 9 are here. Orgy of the Dead is briefly touched on here (and that’s probably as much coverage as we want to give it—I’ve never been so bored by naked ladies before!)
Like Plan 9, we find Reefer Madness “of interest” but not necessarily “weird.” We do have a link to watch the pot-panic pic here.
Phantasm is Certified Weird.
Spirited Away, Pink Flamingos and Edward II are already in the queue above.
I’ll put the earlier of your two remaining suggestions—The Giant Claw—into the queue.
Thanks!
How about “Suddenly Last Summer’ and “Reflections in a Golden Eye”. Also “Alice, Sweet Alice” and “Homebodies”.
Hmm… I’m going to skip over Suddenly, Last Summer (for right now, at least) as too mainstream, and Alice Sweet Alice is marginally but and not a favorite of mine. Reflections in a Golden Eye intrigues me, however. I’ll add it to the queue.
“Gerry”: a masterpiece of minimalism. Gus Vas Sant rejects any notion of plot or characters. Matt Damon and Carey Affleck are symbolic figures wandering in the desert. This movie deserves to be in the List, if only for its uncompromising refusal to be a traditional cinematic experience. “Gerry” is fascinating because of its deliberate boringness.
Hi Motyka, I will add Gerry to the queue—I think it may fit here. But, while I think I understand what you are getting at, I don’t think I would try to sell people on the movie by praising its “deliberate boringness”!
I remember watching a weird movie late at night when I was a kid. Now into my 40s I could still recall it but didn’t know what it was called. I eventually tracked it down. It’s called ‘La Cabina’ directed by Antonio Mercero – a short but disturbing classic.
(other weird favouries of mine that I didn’t see on the list: THX-1138, 2001, Death Race 2000, Momento, A Virgin Among the Living Dead.)
marc
I tried to include films I haven’t seen listed. Mars Attacks! – Tim Burton directed this zany homage to science fiction B movies, which featured a large ensemble cast and intentionally cheesy campy special effects. The Happiness of the Katakuris – Takashi Miike directed this mixture of horror and comedy with a surrealistic wildness, which features everything from claymation, interactive karaoke, and musical numbers. The Host – South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho co-wrote and directed this smart monster film, which falls between part political commentary and dark humoured satire. The Machine Girl – Following the tradition of extreme Japanese cinema, The Machine Girl more than succeeds. The over the top gore was done by cult Japanese special make-up effects artist Yoshihiro Nishimura, who went onto direct several new wave Japanese gore films himself. Besides the gore, the film features several strange body attached weapons including a machine gun arm and a drill bra. The Frighteners – Post splatter era Peter Jackson comedy horror originally intended as a Tales from the Crypt spin-off, but ended up a strange forgotten Jackson gem. Feast – A group of bar-goers fall prey to taxidermy humping monsters who begin devouring and decapitating it’s victims one by one. The Return of the Living Dead – This zombie film mixes laughs with horror and a nostalgic 80′s vibe.This cult classic also popularized the concept of zombies craving and moaning for brains. Undead – Another zombie film mixing comedy and horror this time coming from Australia. Slither – James Gunn (who started his career with Troma) wrote and directed this tribute to gory science fiction films. Eight Legged Freaks – This cheesy film features giant spiders terrorizing a small Arizona town. Campy? Yes, but weird? Maybe. Big Trouble in Little China – John Carpenters film that doesn’t conform to a single genre, but explores comedy, action, horror, martial arts, and superhero-ish qualities. This film has too many bizarre characters for it not to be considered. Kung Pow: Enter the Fist – I know this film has been mentioned, but I implore you to reconsider (pun intended). Sure the humour seems whacky and absurd, well that’s because it is. This type of offbeat humour is also the very reason why this film is strange. The ending alone builds up into a super weird absurd punch, before teasing you with the faux trailer for a Kung Pow 2. I think Steve Oedekerk nailed what he was trying to accomplish with this exercise in re-dubbed absurdist nonsense and that fearless warmth and fun creates a weird entertainment experience. Grindhouse – A double feature film from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez that fully embodied the sleazy exploitation genre of a past unfortunately gone. This film was more like an experiment to create an ultra experience for cult movie-goers. The film is a mash up of two films, 5 trailers, and vintage ratings warnings. The first film is introduced after our first faux trailer Machete (also directed by Rodriguez and spawned a film Machete and an expected sequel Machete Kills) this trailer stars Danny Trejo in a mexi-ploitation revenge story. Following this is the first feature Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, a John Carpenter-esque zombie flick. Then following that are 4 more trailers, Rob Zombie’s Werewolf Women of the SS (a Nazi-ploiation film mixing werewolfs), Edgar Wright’s Don’t (a 70ish British horror film spoof), Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving (a holiday slasher), and Hobo with a Shotgun (a contest winner that was exclusive to certain screenings and spawned a film as well. It features a vigilante hobo killing off scum). Wrapping Grindhouse up is the second feature Tarantino’s Death Proof, a car chase flick with a slasher vibe. This epic of B movie madness is a strange experience with shifts of gory horror and action to black comedy and car chase sequences. I’m interested in writing review for you guys, if someone has time to contact me at my e-mail address that’d be great! Thanks!
Hi Marc, I put La Cabina [AKA The Telephone Box] in queue for you. I will point out that 2001 is in the queue up there and we do have reviews of Death Race 2000 and Memento already.
Andrew, normally I would just take your first available suggestion but since you make such a case for Kung Pow, and as you mention we passed it over before, I’ll go ahead and add that one instead. Who knows, maybe you’ll review it before we can get to it? As far as writing articles goes, please try contacting us using the contact form; if that fails, then tell us here and we’ll make other arrangements. We want to be sure it’s working correctly.
Here is a 5-minute short I came across.
http://vimeo.com/49623723
Perhaps I found it to be so weird because I was having a stroll through vimeo’s ‘sexy’ channels, groups, etcetera and this one opens with nudity – but was it ever so out of place in those groups… I found that quite brilliant, really, though I didn’t understand the movie at all. I felt it might be appropriate to suggest it as it was very strange and unsettling. Great for a late-night viewing.
Well, I won’t add it to the queue but anyone who’s interested can follow the link (as Gill Man says it contains nudity, is only five minutes long as is somewhat puzzling, if not over-the-top weird).
Enter the void is the weirdest movie i have ever seen next to waking life
Yep, we already certified both of those weird:
Enter the Void
Waking Life
It’s getting harder to come up with a new suggestion that isn’t already covered or in the queue above, which is fine by us. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
I haven’t seen Four Rooms mentioned anywhere. Loved that weird movie :)
OK faupauxs, I’ll add Four Rooms to that long queue.
I’d like to recommend John Boorman’s Point Blank with Lee Marvin. It’s not surrealistic weird, but it’s weird. Subtly weird, but very weird.
OK, we’ll take a flyer on Point Blank (1967).
Suggested in another thread (finally!): The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
I think that Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining should be considered possibly for the list, if not for the dazzlingly hypnotic baroque shots, then because of the quick shot of the two men in animal costumes performing fellatio on one another. That’s about one of the most inexplicably bizarre moments ever put into a horror film, let alone one that is now a publicly well-regarded classic.
Caleb, that is a good suggestion. I go back and forth in my mind over whether The Shining qualifies as truly “weird” or not. I’ll add it to the queue.
Jay Rosenblatt’s ‘Afraid So’ (2006) reminiscent of Arthur Lipsett’s ’21-87′ (1964) assemblage of discarded footage from The National Film Board of Canada.
http://www.jayrosenblattfilms.com/afraid_so.php
I hadn’t quite caught on to the absolute strictness of the self-imposed rules! Seriously guys, who’s going to bother recommending “The Cabinet of Dr Caligari” to a weird film site that has a still from the film at the top of its homepage? Just stick things on The List yourselves because you know they should be there, for crying out loud! And why on earth should you be obliged to waste hours of your life not only watching the likes of “Hell Comes To Frogtown” but writing a long essay explaining why it isn’t really all that good, just because some random person typed a few words here several years ago?
However, I’m taking a Zen approach to this problem by nominating the shortest movie ever to have its own entry in “Halliwell’s Film Guide”, that immortal classic “Bambi Meets Godzilla”. I don’t think this needs any review at all – you can just say yes or no, and as evidence, offer all 90 seconds of the film itself. Which you can find here:
afm: I can review Rosenblatt’s collected films DVD down the line. It’s a little pricey, though: not exactly priced to move for a mass audience.
Otto: I made a pledge to review (almost) anything suggested because 1. we’ve got a ton of slots to fill, 2. other people’s opinions of what “weird” means matter to me, 3. no one can accuse us of a lack of thoroughness, and 4. I’ve discovered a lot of movies I otherwise never would have. I’ve also added a lot of movies from my own explorations, but people’s taste here has usually been pretty darn good. Of course, I never expected people would provide so many submissions, but I don’t complain.
That said, “Bambi vs. Godzilla” is a definite no. I never understood that thing’s enduring appeal. It did anticipate the kind of ironic pop culture video that would clog up YouTube 40 years later, so I guess that’s kind of an achievement.
Hey,
I found this on a German blog:
http://www.bhoner.com/
Let me know,
frank
Let you know what, exactly?