And your winner, and “official” Weirdest Movie of All Time is…

We must say, readers showed tremendous taste and knowledge in voting throughout the entire tournament. We feared there might be significant recency bias towards films released in the late 2010s, but you guys really went for the deep cuts. There were some surprises—we didn’t expect to see Suspiria (1977) in the Freaky 4—but the final Eraserhead (1977) vs. The Holy Mountain (1973) matchup was exactly what we would have hoped for.

You can see the entire progress of the tournament (play-in rounds excepted) here.

We’re not going to count up the total number of votes cast during the tournament, but with 292 votes in the finals and 388 in the semifinals, we’d conservatively guess we tallied over 10,000 mouse clicks and mobile taps during the entire tournament (well over 1,000 votes were cast in the play-in rounds alone). That’s a pretty significant amount of data.

We can use that data to create a very unofficial ranking of the popularity of all 366 movies in our Canon. Of course, we realize this enterprise is silly and ultimately somewhat arbitrary—but people love to list things, organize and rank them, and then argue about the results. That human tendency is sort of the basis for this site’s very existence.

So, after awarding the winner and runner up, we placed each movie in the tier it was eliminated in, and then rank them by number of votes cast in their favor, breaking any ties by the movies’ initial seeding (which was itself determined by a combination of number of page visits to our site and  IMDB rankings). And here’s the way they turned out, ranked from #1 to #366 in reader preference (remembering that the “least popular” movie here is still more interesting than 90% of what’s currently playing at the cineplexes):
Continue reading MARCH MAD MOVIE MADNESS TOURNAMENT RECAP AND FINAL RANKINGS →

What you’re about to see below is probably the single most impressive fan-inspired content this site has ever seen. We have mentioned Val Santos before thanks to his complete Letterboxd list of the 366 Canon (which saved us the trouble of composing one). His latest project blows that contribution out of the water, however. Mr. Santos has taken four or five clips from every one of the 366 Caonically Weird movies and arranged them into a “supercut” that runs for over an hour. Sure, it’s a long time, but the parade of surreal imagery (expertly edited and scored to Michael Nyman) will make for great video wallpaper at your next gathering of weirdos. Give it a watch and be sure to give Val some appreciation here and on his YouTube page.

This is the final matchup G. Smalley personally was hoping for. Good job, readers.

                                             vs.

Here’s how they got here:

The Holy Mountain (1973): defeated Playtime (1967), 135-33; defeated The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), 105-36; defeated Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), 108-45; defeated Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), 107-46; defeated Spirited Away (2001), 78-55; defeated 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 106-65; defeated Suspiria (1977), 123-69.

Eraserhead (1977): defeated Evil Dead II (1987), 99-29; defeated A Clockwork Orange (1971), 102-33; defeated The Exterminating Angel [El àngel exterminador] (1962), 117-30; defeated The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), 112-41; defeated Häxan [Witchcraft Through the Ages] (1922), 111-34; defeated Mulholland Drive (2001), 151-51; defeated Un Chien Andalou (1929), 149-47.

We are expected a close and hard-fought battle between these two titans who have demolished all of their competition.

You can see how the entire tournament has played out here (but you must vote on this page, in the poll below).

Voting lasts until Wednesday, April 24 at 12:00 midnight EST. You may vote once a day. As always, no wagering, please.

Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Hagasuzza: A Heathen’s Curse [Hagazussa] (2017): A 15th century woman in an Alpine village is (appropriately) accused of witchcraft. This German art-house horror is receiving nearly universal critical acclaim. Hagazussa official Facebook page.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018): Toby, once an idealistic student filmmaker and now a director of commercials, revisits Spain to find the old shoemaker he cast as his lead in his “Don Quixote” student film now believes he is Quixote and Toby is Sancho Panza. Have you been following this? After a successful “one night only” Fathom screening, Terry Gilliam‘s “cursed” film gets a limited release after all. P.S.: it’s good. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote official site.

Under the Silver Lake (2018): Read Giles Edwards’ review. David Robert Mitchell‘s trippy conspiracy-noir bombed at Cannes and the release was repeatedly pushed back; there were rumors that distributor A24 was going to have the film re-edited, but they appear to have been scrapped. Will debut on VOD shortly (April 22, to be exact) after a very limited theatrical release. Under the Silver Lake official site.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Diamonds of the Night (1964): Two Jewish boys escape from a Nazi train carrying them to a concentration camp into a surrealistic countryside. A Czech New Wave classic from Jan Nemec that’s been long-unavailable, now rescued by the Criterion Collection and available on DVD or Blu-ray (and probably on their new streaming channel soon enough). Buy Diamonds of the Night.

Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987): Two comely secret agents accidentally come into possession of stolen diamonds which lead them to a drug kingpin. The amazing 80s and 90s films of Andy Sidaris repeated the same campy formula over and over—ex-Playboy Playmates cast as secret agents, bounteous T&A, ersatz James Bond chicanery—but this one is the most ridiculous of them all, featuring a blow-up doll destroyed by a bazooka and a deadly cancer-infected snake (!) Mill Creek releases it restored on Blu-ray with behind-the-scenes features: what an age we live in! Buy Hard Ticket to Hawaii.

Keoma (1976): A half-breed (Franco Nero) returns from his wanderings to find his hometown faced with a plague and led by a corrupt mayor, assisted by his three hateful half-brothers. A very odd (though maybe not totally weird) Spaghetti Western that’s very self-conscious in its mythologizing, with a symbolic crucifixion, a witch only Keoma can see running around spouting prophecies, and a bizarre soundtrack where the singers simply describe exactly what’s happening onscreen. Arrow Blus it this week in a lavish special edition. Buy Keoma.

The Manitou (1978): That tumor on Susan Strasberg’s back turns out to be the reincarnated fetus of an ancient evil spirit. Maybe William Girdler’s best (and final) movie, which is to say it’s an incompetent hoot that at least has Tony Curtis embarrassing himself as a psychic who fights it out out with the Native American spirit by playing a game of live-action “Asteroids.” A Shout! Factory Blu-ray release. Buy The Manitou.

The Texture of Falling (2018): Two intertwined nonlinear stories: an affair between an aspiring filmmaker and a concert pianist intercut with another couple who are into bondage and discipline. This debut from Portland-based Maria Allred bills itself as a “controversial and surrealist feature film” and is available (exclusively) on Amazon Prime. Watch The Texture of Falling.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Austin, TX, 4/21 – Akira (1988) (subtitled). Proceeds benefit the National MS Society. At the Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar).
• Boston, MA, 4/19 (midnight) – Audition [Ôdishon] (1999). At Coolidge Corner Theatre.
• Boston, MA, 4/19-4/20, 4/24 – Audition [Ôdishon] (1999). At the Brattle.
• Chicago, IL, 4/19 & 4/22 – Fantastic Planet [La Planète Sauvage] (1973). At Gene Siskel Film Center.
• Chicago, IL, 4/21 – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). At the Music Box Theatre.
• Cleveland, OH, 4/19 – Mandy (2018). At the Cleveland Institute of Art.
• Franklin, IN, 4/19-4/250 – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). At the Artcraft Theatre.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/19 (midnight) – Mandy (2018). At the Nuart Theatre.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/19 – Society (1989) with Bride of Re-Animator (1989) (double feature), with Brian Yuzna and Tim Bartell in attendance. At the Egyptian Theatre.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/21 – Donnie Darko (2001) with The Evil Dead (1981) (double feature). At the Egyptian Theatre.
• New York City, NY, 4/19-4/20 (midnights) – A Clockwork Orange (1971). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 4/19-4/20 (midnights) –Fight Club (1999). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 4/19 & 4/24 – Beauty and the Beast [La Belle et la Bete] (1946). At the Museum of Modern Art.
• New York City, NY, 4/20 – Female Trouble (1974). At the Museum of Modern Art.
• Portland, OR, 4/20 – Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990). At the Hollywood Theatre.
• San Francisco, CA, 4/25 – Mulholland Drive (2001) with L’ Important C’est D’aimer (1975) (double feature). At the Castro Theatre.
• Santa Ana, CA, 4/19-4/20 – Repo Man (1984). At the Frida Cinema.
• Santa Ana, CA, 4/24 – True Stories (1986), with co-screenwriter Stephen Tobolowsky Q&A. At the Frida Cinema.
• Silver Spring, MD, 4/22-4/25 – Akira (1988). At AFI Silver Theatre.
• Tuscon, AZ, 4/19-4/20 – Donnie Darko (2001). At the Loft Cinema.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). At the Rio Theatre.
• Yonkers, NY, 4/20 – Spirited Away (2001) (subtitled). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Yonkers, NY, 4/23 – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001). At the Alamo Drafthouse.

YOU LINK US! YOU REALLY LINK US!:

Gregory J. Smalley‘s review of Viy (1967) was quoted in Alison Nastasi’s list of 50 Visually Stunning Horror Movies for Twisted Aesthetes for Flavorwire. Nearly every movie on the list is reviewed in these pages (and 19 of them joined the Canonically Weird list), so we endorse it.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Next week will be the finals of the March Mad Movie Madness tournament (which is good, because we wouldn’t want this thing to run into May). As you read this, there’s still time to vote in the semifinals (although Eraserhead and The Holy Mountain have built such incredible leads that it’s hard to see any other permutation of finalists).

As far as new articles go, we will have at least two. Ryan Aarset brings you the scoop on Clair Denis’ trippy sci-fi feature High Times (in theaters now). And Gregory J. Smalley promises bring you at least one new review, but we can’t tell you exactly what it is because he’s failed to submit it yet. (We’d fire the cad for tardiness, but he controls the bank account and has the keys to the 366 yacht). And who knows, something else could always drop into our submission box between now and next Friday.

Onward and weirdward!

What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that I have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.

From an original 366 contenders, we’re down to the Freaky Four. Three more matches will determine our most popular weird movie of all time.

A special shout-out to Naked Lunch, who made it all the way to a special overtime round before falling to Un Chien Andalou. It deserves mention as the 5th most popular weird movie.

Here are the official Freaky 4, along with the path they took to make it this far:

The Holy Mountain (1973): defeated Playtime (1967), 135-33; defeated The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), 105-36; defeated Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), 108-45; defeated Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), 107-46; defeated Spirited Away (2001), 78-55; defeated 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 106-65.

Suspiria (1977): defeated Hour of the Wolf [Vargtimmen] (1968), 87-24; defeated Vertigo (1958), 123-39; defeated Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), 96-68; defeated The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973), 109-36; defeated Donnie Darko (2001), 93-48; defeated Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), 94-77.

Un Chien Andalou (1929): defeated Forbidden Zone (1982), 76-49; defeated The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), 76-39; defeated Daisies [Sedmikrásky] (1966), 77-61; defeated Akira (1988), 83-71; defeated El Topo (1970), 69-65; defeated Naked Lunch, 93-91.

Eraserhead (1977): defeated Evil Dead II (1987), 99-29; defeated A Clockwork Orange (1971), 102-33; defeated The Exterminating Angel [El àngel exterminador] (1962), 117-30; defeated The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), 112-41; defeated Häxan [Witchcraft Through the Ages] (1922), 111-34; defeated Mulholland Drive (2001), 151-51.

You can see the full results and progress of the entire tournament here: https://challonge.com/tsut4018 (note that this link is just for viewing results. You must vote using the forms below.)

Now it’s time to remove two more contenders and set up the final death match.

You may vote once every 24 hours. This round closes at midnight, EST Apr. 19.

Get to voting below! (No wagering, please.)

Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018): A movie in two inscrutable parts: a nonlinear mosaic of memories, and a dream. It does not appear to have much, if anything, to do with Eugene O’Neill’s play, but rather is the sophomore effort from Chinese director Gan Bi, whose debut film, Kaili Blues, was also mystical and obtuse. Long Day’s Journey Into Night official site.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Mega Time Squad (2018): Read Giles Edwards’ mini-review and listen to his interview with director Tim Van Dammen. This New Zealand set time-travel caper comedy makes it to DVD and Blu-ray. Buy Mega Time Squad.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Austin, TX, 4/16 & 4/18 – Audition [Ôdishon] (1999). At the Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar).
• Boston, MA, 4/13 (midnight) – Akira (1988). At Coolidge Corner Theatre.
• Boston, MA, 4/18 – Liquid Sky (1982). At the Museum of Fine Arts.
• Cleveland, OH, 4/18 – Mandy (2018). At the Cleveland Institute of Art.
• New York City, NY, 4/12-4/13 (midnights) – A Clockwork Orange (1971). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 4/12-4/13 (midnights) – The Holy Mountain (1973). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 4/12-4/13 (midnights) – Mulholland Drive (2001). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 4/13 – 4/14 – Fight Club (1999). At Nitehawk Cinema.
• New York City, NY, 4/16 – Mail (1929) (short) with L’Age d’Or (1930). At the Museum of Modern Art.
• New York City, NY, 4/17 – The Sex Life of a Polyp (1928) (short) with The Blood of a Poet [Le sang d’un poète] (1930). At the Museum of Modern Art.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Next week we’ll continue our Mad March Movie Madness tournament (yes, we know it’s April), and we should even start the final round. As for reviews, we’ll have at least two, as Giles Edwards reports on Netflix’s African magical realist feature The Burial of Kojo and G. Smalley brings you at least one review (Piercing, an adaptation of a novel by the guy who wrote the original Audition, with a similar sadomasochistic theme). Since this column will appear on Good Friday next week, we might take off Maundy Thursday instead… of we might sneak in another review. In either case, onward and weirdward!

What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that I have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.

We know it’s already April, but we’re too in love with alliteration to change the tournament title.

We’ve reached the quarterfinals, with only eight favorite weird movies left of the original 366 contestants.

Mostly the favorites won in the previous round. The most interesting result was Mulholland Drive, which trailed in tight voting up until yesterday but came back at the last moment to defeat Hausu and set up a death-match with another Lynch powerhouse: Eraserhead.

Here are the official Eerie 8, along with the path they took to make it this far:

The Holy Mountain (1973): defeated Playtime (1967), 135-33; defeated The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), 105-36; defeated Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), 108-45; defeated Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), 107-46; defeated Spirited Away (2001), 78-55.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): defeated Dementia [Daughter of Horror] (1955), 125-18; defeated Lost Highway (1997), 99-52; defeated Enter the Void (2009), 107-42; defeated Santa Sangre (1989), 109-51; defeated Repo Man (1984), 92-47.

Suspiria (1977): defeated Hour of the Wolf [Vargtimmen] (1968), 87-24; defeated Vertigo (1958), 123-39; defeated Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), 96-68; defeated The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973), 109-36; defeated Donnie Darko (2001), 93-48.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989): advanced through play-in round; defeated Phantom of the Paradise (1974), 64-36; defeated After Hours (1985), 79-44; defeated The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989), 89-49; defeated Barton Fink (1991), 89-68; defeated Under the Skin (2013), 75-64,

Naked Lunch (1991): defeated Time Bandits (1981), 94-44; defeated Glen or Glenda (1953), 103-16; defeated Don’t Look Now (1973), 94-52; defeated Dogtooth [Kynodontas] (2009), 98-55; defeated Possession (1981), 67-58.

Un Chien Andalou (1929): defeated Forbidden Zone (1982), 76-49; defeated The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), 76-39; defeated Daisies [Sedmikrásky] (1966), 77-61; defeated Akira (1988), 83-71; defeated El Topo (1970), 69-65.

Mulholland Drive (2001): defeated Society (1989), 111-22; defeated Orpheus (1950), 97-27; defeated Brazil (1985), 91-69; defeated The Lobster (2015), 111-43; defeated House [Hausu] (1977), 75-70.

Eraserhead (1977): defeated Evil Dead II (1987), 99-29; defeated A Clockwork Orange (1971), 102-33; defeated The Exterminating Angel [El àngel exterminador] (1962), 117-30; defeated The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), 112-41; defeated Häxan [Witchcraft Through the Ages] (1922), 111-34.

You can see the full results and progress of the entire tournament here: https://challonge.com/tsut4018 (note that this link is just for viewing results. You must vote using the forms below.)

You may vote once every 24 hours. This round closes at midnight, EST Apr. 13.

Get to voting below! (No wagering, please.)