In cinema, many movies choose to play things safe and not go outside of their comfort zone with the ideas they create. Whether that be the plots, characters, or settings, most films play inside the same box and dare not venture out. While that’s typically the way to create success, audiences love seeing something weird out there. Many of these movies don’t become the biggest hits; their strangeness and weird moments get people talking.
Eyes Wide Shut
This was Stanley Kubrick’s final film, and he certainly went out with a bang. This movie stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, a rare example of a weird film featuring significant names. It dives into the human psyche and what leads to people making decisions. Whether this is through relationships or society, many eye-opening moments leave people stunned throughout.
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Directed by Todd Haynes, this biographical film about singer Karen Carpenter is unique for its use of Barbie dolls to portray real-life events. Barbie dolls have been featured in several movies, but using them to tell real-life stories certainly took people by surprise. Considering the severe nature of the story, it was a surprise that the dolls were used. The movie got pulled for different reasons, adding to its mystery.
All Jacked Up and Full of Worms
The name of this movie alone gives people an idea of how weird it would be ahead of time. It only had a small budget and focused on people who consume worms for a high. It’s a crazy concept that audiences aren’t actively seeking out, but it does give a glimpse at how certain people behave.
Sorry to Bother You
Sorry to Bother You might seem like satire at the start, but it quickly takes a crazy twist that instantly hooks audiences and leaves them questioning what will happen next. It focuses on exploitation within the corporate world and will leave people stunned.
Phantom of the Paradise
People are familiar with The Phantom of the Opera, and elements are placed into Phantom of the Paradise. But Brian De Palma opted to twist it completely by making it a satirical take on the music industry, all while using elements of the horror opera. It’s strange to see characters and ideas familiar from one world be placed into another, which made this so weird.
Skinamarink
Skinamarink focuses on how small children understand things as their world dissolves into chaos. It’s eerie and unsettling sometimes, and using children as the focal point guarantees viewers pay attention. But its unusual elements also stopped it from being a big hit.
Donnie Darko
Jake Gyllenhaal has taken on many significant parts throughout his career, which is why he’s so successful. But playing a troubled teen who gets haunted by a man in a rabbit suit had the potential to be the opposite of that. Fortunately for him, Donnie Darko ended up being an incredible movie that blended various genres together. The threat of the world hanging over the story keeps people captivated no matter how weird it gets.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
British comedy is unique to anywhere else in the world, and sometimes that means movies from that area of the world don’t translate. Monty Python and the Holy Grail didn’t have that problem, as it resonated with everyone, but that’s mainly due to how bizarre it is. Even if viewers didn’t understand all the British humor, the ridiculousness of the plot and characters captivated people.
Alice in Wonderland
Disney animated movies are generally fun, family-friendly stories that people can easily dive into and understand. But Alice In Wonderland is the opposite of that. While many fun characters make the journey accessible to any age, the trippy visuals and crazy world that Alice explores go beyond weird. Characters pop up and disappear, with audiences often left wondering what is happening.
The Shining
Even iconic movies can be weird, and The Shining certainly falls into that category. Being adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, this is all about psychological horror. It takes a deep dive into how people’s minds can be totally transformed, but the movie leaves people guessing as to what’s reality, sucking the audience into the madness.
Pink Flamingos
Some of the weirder movies in cinema history end up trying to shock people, and that’s the case with Pink Flamingos. It pushes two families competing to be seen as the filthiest people alive, which leads to them topping each other with their disgusting actions.
Dogtooth
Telling the story of a family that has purposefully isolated their children from the outside world, Dogtooth is a weird concept. It creates a twisted version of reality for the children and gives audiences an example of what heavy control can create.
Jackass
The entire Jackass franchise is one that many people find weird, as the idea of people putting themselves through serious pain to make others laugh doesn’t convey. Many viewers see Jackass as disgusting and crude, which is why it’s often weird for some. The original remains the weirdest, simply because it was so unexpected then. But the fact it’s become such a major franchise proves that the concept works.
Jacob’s Ladder
Jacob’s Ladder follows a Vietnam War veteran who deals with horrifying hallucinations afterward. It’s something that many people genuinely dealt with, and the unsettling nature of the images gives others an idea of what some veterans had to deal with, making it an interesting movie.
Eraserhead
David Lynch is a brilliant director, but he was thinking outside the box with his first feature film, Eraserhead. It created some of the weirdest visuals in cinema history that many people found too extreme. Plenty of moments will have people stunned, but that worked in its favor.
Being John Malkovich
This movie is a dark comedy, which isn’t always to the taste of the wider public. It sees John Cusack work as a puppeteer who manages to lead the mind of John Malkovich. It creates some crazy moments, but that’s something that audiences find hilarious at points in the movie.
The Lobster
The Lobster features some brilliant stars, such as Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, but it’s still a strange movie. Set in the future, this movie sees single humans turn into animals if they cannot find a partner within 45 days. It’s a completely bizarre plot, but things work because everyone commits to it.
Brazil
Brazil creates a dystopian world with imaginative and strange visuals. It is weird, but it proves that people sometimes enjoy it, even if the plot is completely absurd.
