After officially inducting Time Bandits as the 37th entry on the List of the 366 Best Weird Movies of all time, it occurred to me—the project is now just over 10% of the way complete. What better time to announce my personal (provisional) top 10 picks in two categories: the best weird movies ever made, and the weirdest movies ever made (without regard to quality). Using only movies that have already been reviewed on these pages, this is what I came up with:
| TOP 10 BEST WEIRD MOVIES
These are essential movies that should be viewed by any movie lover. Even if they hate “weird” movies, watching these ten strong arguments for immortalizing weirdness on celluloid will at least help them formulate the reason why. 10. El Topo (1970) – Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s surreal spaghetti western, in which he casts himself as a Jesus figure, is undoubtedly one of the most narcissistic movies ever made; but it’s fascinating precisely because it’s full of passionate personal symbolism and mystical obsessions. 9. Adaptation (2002) – Charlie Kaufman successfully translates metafiction into the film world with this satirical story of a depressed screenwriter writing the script of the film as we are watching it. 8. Oldboy (2003) – The cold hand of fate hangs over Chan-Wook Park‘s improbable, operatic and extreme fable of vengeance destroying the avenger. 7. Donnie Darko (2001) – The embodiment of teenage angst comes in the figure of Donnie, a teen suffering tormenting visions sent to him by a six foot tall demonic bunny rabbit; a lovable jumbled mess of a movie with a convoluted plot that packs an emotional wallop. 6. Carnival of Souls (1962) – The amateurism of the production paradoxically lends an aura of extreme creepiness to this story of a haunted church organist at odds with reality. |
TOP 10 WEIRDEST MOVIES
These are damn weird movies that you can put on at a party if you want to clear the room of squares. 10. Archangel (1990) – Amnesiac, nearly silent parable set in a eternally dark Russian city that keeps fighting World War I not knowing the conflict is over; features a coward strangling a Bolshevik with his own intestines. 9. Begotten (1991) – Visually inventive mystical parable that features God disemboweling himself; a parade of metaphorical, metaphysical tortures that is not soon forgotten. 8. Gummo (1997) – A fractured white trash nightmare about the lost denizens of an Ohio town; who can forget Solomon, the weirdest looking kid in the world, eating spaghetti in his filthy bathtub? 7. Dr. Caligari (1989) – A neon pink midnight movie made by an avant-garde porn director; look for the rack inspired by Salvador Dali. 6. Naked Lunch (1991) – David Cronenberg wisely chose not to attempt to literally translate William S. Burroughs’ hallucinogenic novel to the screen; instead, he made a movie about Burroughs writing the novel, high on bug powder and taking dictation from typewriter that talks out of its anus. |
Place your bets now on the top 5 entries in each category before continuing…
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5. The City of Lost Children [La cité des enfants perdus] (1995) – A gorgeous modern fairy tale about a dream-stealing mad genius, set in a uniquely gorgeous and romantic city full of strongmen, clones, waifs, and brains in jars. 4. The Wicker Man (1973) – The chilling story of a sexually repressed, deeply Christian Scottish detective who investigates a mysterious disappearance on an island that has reverted to paganism; the shattering surprise ending chills the blood even if you see it coming. 3. Repulsion (1965) – The best depiction of schizophrenia on film; we are simultaneously voyeuristically intrigued and repulsed as watch Catherine Deneuve rot from the inside out. 2. A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Kubrick‘s morally complex fable brings us face to face with the problem of free will, by giving evil its due. 1. Eraserhead (1977) – No nightmare in the world can fill you with such uncomprehending dread. |
5. Elevator Movie (2004) – A loser is trapped inside an elevator with a former slut turned Jesus freak, for months on end, in a compelling low-budget surrealist drama mixing No Exit and The Exterminating Angel with a touch of Eraserhead. 4. The Milky Way [La Voie Lactee] (1969) – Two tramps take a pilgrimage and encounter characters along the way who act out various heresies from the history of the Catholic Church; this highly ambiguous and mysterious movie baffles even theologians familiar with the esoteric disputes. 3. El Topo (1970) – A godlike outlaw in black who can perform miracles abandons his naked son and faces off against four mystical gunfighters who live in the desert; then, it starts getting strange. 2. Funky Forest: The First Contact [Naisu no mori: The First Contact] (2005) – A jumbled up series of surreal short movies and music videos, linked by common characters and themes, but refusing to make sense; no one forgets the scene where the schoolgirl inserts a tube in her navel to give birth to a miniature sushi chef 1. Eraserhead (1977) – Yes, David Lynch‘s magnum opus snags first place in both categories. Watching the puffy-cheeked Girl in the Radiator sing about the delights of heaven while she stomps spermlike creatures falling from the ceiling underfoot is as weird as it gets. |
where is fight club ?
there is so many weird movies but i cant remember them now
but all this movies r soo old
exept donie darko which i was exeptin to be in ur list
Habeb, this list is not the all time top ten list, it just ranks movies from the first 38 reviews. Fight Club hasn’t been reviewed yet, that’s why it’s not on the list. But you shouldn’t say the movies are all old. Adaptation, Oldboy, Elevator Movie and Funky Forest all came out after Donnie Darko, and there are another five movies on the combined lists from the 1990s. On the other hand, there are no movies on the list from before 1962, which leaves about half of movie history totally unrepresented! Perhaps I will do a “top 10 weird films of the decade” covering only 2000-2009 next.
Thanks; looking forward to finding/viewing many of these movies 🙂
umm why is silent hill not on this list or jacobs ladder? cause that just baffles me…..
Chris, I thought Silent Hill and Jacob’s Ladder were weird enough to make a top 366 list, just not a top ten. Which movies would you remove from my list to make room for those two?
El Topo is such a dreamy movie. I love your site and I recently stumbled upon it and I’m getting the hang of using it to find the films I like. I remember you did an article about David Cronenberg where I found American Astronaut by Core Mcabee listed. I loved that film and I remember there were some others listed randomly as well which sounded very interesting but I can’t seem to find the damned thing. It was posted in may of this year I think (at least that is when I found it)
I can’t think of any Cronenberg review we did that also mentioned The American Astronaut, but you could be thinking about a page from the Suggest a Weird Movie thread. Just to show you how long the backup is on reader-suggestions now, AA was first suggested over a year ago, and there are still 17 films to cover in front of it!
Wow. no this was definitely a piece on Cronenberg, almost like an introduction piece. Then briefly there was this little mention as a side note in the text. I wonder, since you answered back so quickly, whether there are any films that pop to your head seeing that AA really fits my sense of humor. Thanks for your help. I’ll certainly be joining the site and good luck with your dozens of reviews and work. Kris
Kris, I think you must be remembering a post from another site. Everything we currently have on Cronenberg is here. As far as suggestions for someone who likes American Astronaut, can I assume you’re aware of McAlbee’s followup project, Stingray Sam (reviewed here)? He also has a new one coming out, hopefully within the year, titled Werewolf Hunters of the Midwest. We’ll see if any fans/experts have other recs for you.
Hey Kris, aside from Stingray Sam I would suggest The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, which is similarly wacky and fun and inexplicable. Also try: John Carpenter’s Dark Star, Barbarella, Six-String Samurai, Tank Girl, Repo Man… or maybe some David Lynch films?
Quite a hell of a transition to go from Repo Man to David Lynch.
I gotta say is that the original Repo Man: the Genetic Opera or the 2010 knock off that doesnt come close to surgically addicted Paris Hilton begging for drugs.. I would say the Rock Opera comes a bit close to Lynch.. (hell SkinnyPuppy is one of the main characters)… But the remake just doesn’t come close… I still have a replay of the Shylo song on repeat daily in my head.. lol
Quirkdee, I believe Alex was referring to 1984’s Repo Man with Emilio Estevez, which isn’t related to either Repo: The Genetic Opera or 2010’s Repo Men.
Wonderful site that digs me thru layers of ambiguity and creativity. Really really enjoy it.
If you’re looking for films made before 1962, try “Dreams That Money Can Buy” (1947), a low budget feature made by Dada artist Hans Richter with help from Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray and Alexander Calder. A good illustration of how imagination trumps budget. Apparently shot in Richter’s New York apartment with other emigre surrealists at the end of WWII. The various episodes are dreams sold by Joe the dream salesman. Uneven but generally captivating and had a brief theatrical run at the time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_That_Money_Can_Buy