Please do not ask “what was that movie?” questions on this page. We set up an entire site here to answer those questions. This page is for suggesting movies to be reviewed.
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. (More than that since I last updated the page)! 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. The best you can really hope for at this point is to bring something to our attention that we might have overlooked. (Also note that although we prioritize the earliest nominations later suggestions may get reviewed before earlier ones if they receive a re-release on DVD or Blu-ray, or interest us for our own inscrutable reasons).
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.
All serious suggestions will receive a response, as well as all most non-serious ones.
These are the ones that I would suggest:
– Pan’s Labyrinth
– Science of Sleep- very weird movie but oddly engrossing
– Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
– Mirrormask- kid’s movie but kinda weird and creepy
– Any Tim Burton movie- Nightmare Before Christmas, Big Fish, Beetlejuice, etc
– The Fifth Element
– Alice (1988)- based on Alice in Wonderland
– Any Evil Dead movie
– Sin City
– Hellraiser movies
– Nightmare on Elm Street movies
– Not sure if this was added but i’ll say it anyways-
Re-cycle
I think there are many more i’m forgetting but i’ll add them later.
Anna:
I’ll take the first one off your list, Pan’s Labyrinth, and put it in the review queue. I planned to get to this very beautiful movie sometime in the future.
As for the others you mention, I will definitely get to Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine, Alice, Evil Dead 2, and Sin City eventually, as well as considering multiple films from Tim Burton. I hadn’t thought of MirrorMask but I’ll have to consider it; we need more weird kids’ movies around here. The Fifth Element, Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Re-cycle are all on the outer edges of my radar screen, but any of them could see a capsule review someday.
Here are a few more suggestions for the weird list:
-Bad boy bubby (sick, weird and twisted)
-Ex Drummer
-Happyness
-The Ordeal (Belgian Movie, like deliverance on acid!)
-A scanner Darkly
-The chumb scrubber
-Thumbsucker
Enjoy the weirdness
oh yeah i forgot lost highway by david lynch…… now that is weird.
Denny, I’ll add Ex Drummer to my immediate review list. Thanks for bringing that one up, I had missed it.
As for your other titles: someone else already suggested Bubby, and I’ll be reviewing it down the line. Assuming “Happyness” is Happiness (1998) by Todd Solondz (not the Will Smith movie The Pursuit of Happyness), it could get a look. The Ordeal [AKA Calvaire] could well make the list, even though I’m not sure it’s a great film. I’ve been meaning to check out Scanner since it came out. I had never heard of Chumbscrubber (2005) or Thumbsucker (2005), so thanks for those leads. No worries about Lost Highway–all of Lynch’s movies should eventually appear here (even The Straight Story).
i know you’re really busy, so i don’t expect you to add this to the list. but if you ever run out of movies to watch waking life (2001) is one of the strangest films i’ve ever viewed. i believe it was the first to use rotoscoping on digital film. there have been two made since, (a scanner darkly and waltz with bashir,) but neither of them are remotely as bizarre.
i also agree with science of sleep and happiness. whenever you get around to them i don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Don’t worry about me being busy, Cameron. I set myself the task of selecting 366 movies. I’ve officially certified 28 so far, which leaves me with 338 open slots to fill. So I’ll add Waking Life. Of course, it looks like months until I’ll get to it.
I’m set to review: A Clockwork Orange, Funky Forest, Dr. Caligari, Nekromantic, Stalker, UHF, Bad Boy Bubby, Delicatessen, Pi, Angel’s Egg, Institute Benjamenta, Pan’s Labyrinth, Ex Drummer, and Waking Life.
I’ll be throwing in selections of my own every now and then along with doing the suggested reviews. I hope there will be some surprises there for you guys.
Some very strange Japanese movies include “Survive style 5+” “Visitor Q” “Dumplings” “Gokudô kyôfu dai-gekijô: Gozu” “Ichi the Killer (English title)Koroshiya ichi” “The Bird People in China” and I see you have “Funky Forest” in your review list 😛
Not Japanese
“eXistenZ” sci-fi thriller odd
And one last old kids movie “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” slow starter but i enjoyed its odd fantasy.
My all time weird movie Pick shall be “Little Otik(english title)Otesánek” This will fit your weird movie list 100% i’m sure!
Thanks for the Japanese movie tips, Yamota. I’ll add the first title you mention, Survive style 5+, to the end of the review list. All of the other titles you mention should all get a look sometime. Little Otik will definitely get a review down the line, along with the rest of Jan Svankmejer’s work.
The Dark Backward with Judd Nelson and Bill Paxton is weird!
Nickholas,
So I’ve heard… and I believe it. I’ll add The Dark Backward to the end of my review list.
Anna, cheers for mentioning Alice (1988). I love the animation and its quiet, odd, simple way.
Pan’s Labyrinth- beautiful, and incredibly disturbing! That dychotomy reminds me of The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover.
i found another short for you, 366. david lynch’s the grandmother, (1970,) seems to be right up your alley.
Cameron:
Handling the shorts presents a problem: can a short film be strong enough to bump a full-length feature off the list? Sometimes they probably can, but I didn’t think “The Heart of the World” deserved to, despite its excellence. But I think I can review entire collections of shorts as if they were movies, so I will put The Short Films of David Lynch (which contains “The Grandmother”) into my review queue.
In all seriousness, I could use a “shorts editor”–contact me if your intrigued by the proposition, Cameron.
The review queue now looks like this: Dr. Caligari, Nekromantic, Stalker, UHF, Delicatessen, Pi, Angel’s Egg, Institute Benjamenta, Pan’s Labyrinth, Ex Drummer, Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, and The Short Films of David Lynch (with a few surprises along the way).
Hi
I haven’t seen in your list “Santa Sangre” by Alejandro Jodorowsky (1989). It’s so weird it totally freaked me out, can’t be missed!
Very nice site!
Hi Ylenia,
I plan to review all of Jodorowsky’s films eventually… I will make Santa Sangre the second one. Jodorowsky’s films went out of print for a long time due to rights disputes, and Fando y Lis, El Topo and The Holy Mountain just recently showed up in the U.S.—but not Santa Sangre (which was briefly on DVD but sold out quickly). Fortunately, my local rare video source says they have a copy.
The updated review queue: Dr. Caligari (to be reviewed next week), Nekromantic, UHF, Delicatessen, Pi, Angel’s Egg, Institute Benjamenta, Pan’s Labyrinth, Ex Drummer, Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, The Short Films of David Lynch, and Santa Sangre. I took Stalker off because the review should be posted later today!
I always thought the film “Dead man” was a little strange and dark. the soundtrack was great, it was shot in black and white, and it had some odd moments. It starred johnny depp which really doesn’t impress me, but a good watch regardless.
Good suggestion, spalding. Dead Man is a pretty strange western. I think you shouldn’t be put off by Johnny Depp, though. I was very skeptical when he first came onto the scene but he won me over with great offbeat roles like this, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (though come to think of it he hasn’t done anything special lately; maybe Alice in Wonderland will change that).
The new review queue: Nekromantic (rare: I’m looking for a copy), UHF (scheduled for next week), Delicatessen (also hopefully next week), Pi, Angel’s Egg, Institute Benjamenta, Pan’s Labyrinth, Ex Drummer, Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, The Short Films of David Lynch, Santa Sangre, and Dead Man.
Okay, I am sorry if I merely missed you mentioning these, but anyway:
Mathew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle or drawing Restraint 9 (yes, the one with Bjork)
David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a 3 hour visceral nightmare
Altered States, which features some interesting visuals and an equally engaging plot
Guy Maddin’s Brand Upon the Brain
Pi (The movie that got me into mind bending films way back in middle school)
Betty Boop’s Snow White features a REALLY bizarre dance sequence to St. Jame’s Infirmary Blues; you can check it out on youtube.
The anime Paprika
Scanners
Crash (the Cronenberg film)
Suspiria
Blackula (campy weird)
Blue Velvet
There are also a number of newer avant-garde films that have gotten some attention at Cannes recently; check out the films Antichrist and Enter the Void. If those do not qualify as weird, what does??
Oh dear I almost forgot…THE BEAVER TRILOGY! It has sean Penn and Crispin Glover both reenacting the life of a cross dressing Olivia Newton John impersonator. It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen.
Ayla,
Very good suggestions and I can’t blame you for not reading the entire thread… it’s gotten pretty long.
I’d like to do Cremaster and the other Matthew Barney movies. The problem is that the director refuses to release any of his films on DVD and takes swift legal action against bootleggers. If he doesn’t want his films seen, I’m not going to go against his wishes and promote them. (I think he’s being an idiot, by the way). Hopefully he’ll come around.
I will put Inland Empire on my review list (it’s been suggested before). A review of Pi will be coming soon. I also mentioned the films from the 2009 Cannes festival in an earlier article.
Also, The Beaver Trilogy sounds interesting. I hadn’t heard of it before, and that’s want this page is all about (for me).
That Betty Boop segment is another cool idea.
Here’s the updated review queue: Nekromantic (still looking for a copy), UHF (scheduled for next week), Delicatessen (scheduled for next week), Pi, Angel’s Egg, Institute Benjamenta, Pan’s Labyrinth, Ex Drummer, Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, The Short Films of David Lynch, Santa Sangre, Dead Man, and Inland Empire.
Yeah, Beaver Trilogy is a little obscure; you can get it by contacting the director directly, but I assure you it’s worth it.
Thank you for reading my suggestions! 🙂
Also, I’m working on a blog about a similar topic so you can look there for more suggestions 🙂
http://twistedcelluloid.tumblr.com/
Ayla, good luck, and don’t steal too many of my readers. 😉 I’m pleased to see that you started with the Surrealists.
Check out a movie called Monday by Sabu
Folkwin, Monday (2000), a Japanese yakuza black comedy/fantasy, looks worth checking out. I will add it to the end of my review queue, but it may be difficult to find. I haven’t gone searching for it, but I notice people on IMDB wondering how to get it (and wondering whether it has English subs).
It does exist with english subs because I watched it. I got it from a friend who bought it in Hong Kong.. Not only weird but also a good movie, really worth watching.
I’m a little surprised that neither of the Dr. Phibes movies made the list yet. In the first, a telepathically communicating Vincent Price (Phibes) and his utterly silent assistant inflict Old Testament-style revenge on the doctors that couldn’t save Phibes’s wife. In the second, the same characters (although the assistant has changed appearance) work their grisly way through a pack of thieves that have invaded the doctor’s sanctuary and have stolen something precious to him.
Folkwin: I don’t doubt that an English subbed copy of Monday exists; the question is, can I find one? The only release I found for sale on the web was a Spanish/Portuguese sub. I sent an email to the major HK web retailer asking about availability.
If I can’t find a copy, that doesn’t mean I will forget it entirely. I keep a list of foreign films that need an English language release, and keep an eye out for them. Someday I will track them all down and find out their status.
This conversation reminds me about Angel’s Egg, the 1985 anime I agreed to review. My research is leading me to believe that this film may not be available on any video format (even used). Anchor Bay was supposed to release it in 2001, but the deal fell through; they said they could not acquire the rights. Since Godfrey Mattei, the reader who suggested this film, also left some backup choices, I am going to keep an eye on Angel’s Egg but provisionally I am going to review Cowards Bend the Knee in its place.
MCD: Good choice, I will add The Abominable Dr. Phibes to the end of my review queue.
I can’t seem to find it on your website, so sorry if I’ve missed it, but…
BARTON FINK
this surrealistic masterpiece by the Coen Brothers won an unprecedented 3 awards at Cannes, picking up the best actor for John Turturro in the title role, best director for Joel Coen, and the palme d’or itself.
It’s filled with themes of good and evil, and the role of the artist, all set against the backdrop of Hollywood in 1941.
Bruno maybe not for the more conservative as there are some really over the top moments but if you are not easily shocked then Bruno is a must watch!
What? (diary of forbidden dreams) by Polanski…One of my all time favourite, an underrated adsurd classic.
Deacon Lowdown: Barton Fink is definitely going on the List. I love this movie and have the DVD sitting on my “to be reviewed” shelf as we speak. I’ll put it in the review queue and it may end up jumping in front of something else.
Thailand Sims: I almost saw Bruno in theaters, but there was always something else playing that was higher priority for me. Based on Borat (although Sir Tjin Po thinks it’s weird), I don’t think it will be appropriate as a weird movie, but it’s possible I will catch it on video and review it in capsule form down the line.
Celtic Frost: What? (Diary of Forbidden Dreams) is an excellent suggestion. It’s a forgotten Polanski film (even I had forgotten it). I’ll add it to the review queue.
Thanks! I love what you’re doing with this site, by the way. I’m kind of a film buff, but I’ve never heard of most of these. It’s always good to expand your borders.
Another suggestion would be “Man with a Movie Camera”, a Russian silent film.
It’s hard to describe exactly what the movie is (slice of life documentary meets art piece is the closest I can get), but it is certainly unusual and available to watch instantly on Netflix.
I should admit that I haven’t seen all of this movie myself. I’m tried to get into silent film, but I’m sticking to more conventional movies until I get used to the medium. Still, I’ve never seen anything like this movie.
Deacon, thanks for the kind words. Believe it or not, I have seen people complain that the choices here are too obvious. This reader suggestion box has helped introduce me to strange films I had never heard of before, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
I need to view Man with a Camera sometime (it’s one of those film school staples). But, I don’t know when I will get around to it. Stick around and feel free to suggest it again later.
I actually have a question about what you’d regard as ‘weird’:
Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, for example, is filled with characters and images that are bizarre and fantastic, especially to western viewers unfamiliar with Japanese folklore. From a narrative standpoint, though, Spirited Away is very conventional, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
what I mean is, are you looking more for films that play with narrative structure, or films with fantastic or surreal elements? or both?
that said, I’d definitely like to recommend Spirited Away. I don’t know if it’s any less amazing if you’ve grown up with Japanese folklore and mythology, but as an American, I was on the edge of my seat.
The one film no-one (I think) has mentioned is John Frankenheimer’s 1966 film Seconds starring Rock Hudson. A great mindbender of a story with some innovatiive fish-eye lens camerawork by James Wong Howe.
Others that spring to mind include:
Dead & Buried (1981)
Bin-jip (3-Iron) (2004)
Teshigahara’s Woman in the Dunes (1964) & The face of Another (1966)
Donald Cammell’s Performance (1970) & Demon Seed (1977)
It’s All About Love (2003)
Intacto (2001)
Celine & Julie Go Boating (1974)
Henry Fool (1997)
Primer (2004)
Putney Swope (1969)
Lemming (2005)
Den Brynsomme mannen (The Bothersome Man) (2006)
Will that do ?
Nick
I almost forgot:
Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon
Nick
And these lot:
Tampopo (1985)
The Cell (2000)
The Deaths of Ian Stone (2007)
The Broken (2009)
The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982)
The Jacket (2005)
The Keep (1983)
The Medusa Touch (1978)
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
Deacon: I deliberately leave the word “weird” undefined, especially for purposes of the “Suggestions” feature. That’s largely because I’m interested in finding out what you perceive as “weird.”
That said, the answer to your question, from my perspective, is definitely “both.” And Spirited Away is definitely a film that’s on my radar screen. I’ll get to it eventually, but feel free to suggest it again after I’ve reviewed your last request (one at a time, please, or I’d be more swamped with requests than I already am!)
Nick: Wow, that’s a long list of obscure titles! We haven’t done Meshes of the Afternoon (although someone will get to it), but Alfred did review Deren’s At Land. Out of your list, I am going to review Intacto (2001) within the month, for the very simple reason that it is available to me free on my cable system (via the Sundance Channel’s “On Demand” offerings).
Excellent! I thought it would be something like that, I just wanted to make sure.
I’ll certainly stop suggesting things until you’ve reviewed Barton Fink (you have a lot on your hands!), but I’d just like to put this one movie down in writing so I don’t forget to suggest it later:
After Last Season
I haven’t been able to see it, as it isn’t out on DVD and only played in 4 theaters, but the trailer is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. it was so strange, Some people thought it was a hoax, or a viral advertisement, but the movie was released in theaters. If it ever does come out on DVD, you might want to check it out.
Love the website. You have lots of movies that I am going to check out.
Check these out:
Meatball Machine
Tetsuo (Iron Man)
Blood Dolls
Nekromantik
Night of the Lepus
Psyclops
Phantom of the Paradise
Slither
And on a lighter note:
Flight of the Navigator
Never-Ending Story
Dark Crystal
Keith, thanks for the compliment. I will add your first choice, Meatball Machine (2005), to my review queue. You may be pleased to hear that a review of Nekromantik is scheduled soon (I found a reasonable VHS copy and it should be on it’s way to 366 headquarters as we speak).
Updating the (massive) reader review queue: Nekromantik, Cowards Bend the Knee (substituted for the unavailable Angel’s Egg), Institute Benjamenta, Pan’s Labyrinth, Ex Drummer, Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, The Short Films of David Lynch, Santa Sangre, Dead Man, Inland Empire, Monday (assuming I can find an English language version), The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Barton Fink, What? (Diary of Forbidden Dreams), Intacto, and Meatball Machine.
This sounds really exciting! good luck with Inland Empire, someone I know once described it as three and a half hours of pain. Thing is, I think he meant it as a compliment.
By the way, is that Cesare from The Carnival of Dr. Caligari as your avatar?
Yes–but it’s the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (typo, I’m sure).
There is a fairly obscure horror/scifi movie called “Xtro” that is worth a look. It involves alien abduction and other weird goingson and has some memorable images.
Hi Bani, welcome back! Xtro is an excellent suggestion, I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. The fact that Bond girl Maryam D’Abo appears nude in it has nothing at all to do with my eagerness to review this film.
Updating the review queue: Nekromantik (should have a review for this up next week), Cowards Bend the Knee (substituted for the unavailable Angel’s Egg), Institute Benjamenta, Pan’s Labyrinth, Ex Drummer, Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, The Short Films of David Lynch, Santa Sangre, Dead Man, Inland Empire, Monday (assuming I can find an English language version), The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Barton Fink, What? (Diary of Forbidden Dreams), Intacto (it’s cutting in line—look for a review tomorrow), Meatball Machine, and Xtro.
I hope to get in a rhythm of knocking one of these out a week, two on a good week.
I think that “Manos: The Hands Of Fate” Should be listed here. That movie was outright wierd! I loved it!
Kevin, I will add Manos to the end of the review queue. I don’t know if it will make the List of the best weird movies or not—it’s one of those “special” movies—but it is weird, no doubt, and deserves to be covered. Thanks for the suggestion!
Great site.
A few suggestions to consider for the list. My goal has been to find the most bizarre, weird, disturbing film that I can. While certainly disturbing and weird are two different things I have stumbled across some head scratchers along the way. Or extremely campy to the effect they are “weird.”
In no particular order…
Basket Case – campy weird
[REC] – brilliantly shot and odd occurances with an almost absurd conclusion. Very claustrophobic as well.
Santa Sangre – the film that introduced me to Alejandro Jodorowsky.
Videodrome – another Cronenberg classic
Visitor Q – not particularly good, not particularly coherent, pretty much a bunch of odd junk thrown into one movie. Several indelible scenes of oddity thrown in by Miike.
American Gothic – campy weird. Rod Steiger and Yvonne DeCarlo do an excellent job as Ma and Pa and their 40 year old children who act like little kids.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – a musical number by dolphins, Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich…need I say more?
Funny Games – because of the way it breaks the fourth wall, several times.
If any of these movies were already mentioned above, I apologize.
Tom, no need to apologize for not reading the entire thread—it’s become a bit of a chore. I will place Basket Case in my review queue. If nothing else, Henelotter’s films don’t feel like anyone else’s, and he deserves representation here.
As for your other suggestions: Santa Sangre is already in the review queue. Videodrome and Visitor Q will definitely score reviews. Others have mentioned Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and it’s definitely a possible review. The other three films are interesting, but not on my radar screen at this time.
Updating the reader suggested review queue: Cowards Bend the Knee (substituted for the unavailable Angel’s Egg), Greasers Palace (substituted for Institute Benjamenta), Pan’s Labyrinth, Ex Drummer, Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, The Short Films of David Lynch, Santa Sangre, Dead Man, Inland Empire, Monday (assuming I can find an English language version), The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Barton Fink, What? (Diary of Forbidden Dreams), Meatball Machine, Xtro, and Basket Case.
Jisatsu sâkuru ( Suicide Club )- 2001
Noriko no shokutaku ( Noriko’s Dinner Table )- 2005
Taxidermia – 2006
Martyrs – 2008
Sam gang yi ( Three Extremes ) – 2004
Vinyan – 2008
Spider – 2002
The Fall – 2006
Repo! The Genetic Opera – 2008
Andrei, as I typically do, I will take the first movie on your list–Suicide Club—and put it in queue. Although Noriko’s Dinner Table looks slightly more interesting, I gather it’s sort of an unofficial sequel to Suicide Club, so I feel I should screen the earlier film first. As for the others in your list, I will mention we’d like to review Repo! The Genetic Opera before year’s end, so keep your eyes peeled for it.
Check out this week’s What’s in the Pipeline for the updated reader-suggested review queue.
I recommend O Lucky Man with Malcolm McDowell and Four Rooms is pretty weird film.
N.: All of the Lindsay Anderson/Malcolm McDowell collaborations will get considered, and I will happily add O Lucky Man to the review queue.