OT: Wierdest movies of all time.

[A. Flea]

You know when you go to a video store or the library, and you find a batshit crazy movie... well here's were you can tell about it.

For me, it was ERASERHEAD. At first I thought it was about Dick Tracy, but then the librarian told me it was about the making of eraser heads. Well.... it wasn't. It was a really surrealistic, abstract and crazy film. Plus, I saw it when I was 6 and it was rated PG, so I thought I'd watch it by myself. BIG MISTAKE. It gave me nightmares till i was 11, and at which point, I forgot about it (thankfully). Anyone who's seen the movie knows how crazy it is, and trust me... It's pretty crazy.

Anyone else got anything to confess?

[Brandon Panther]

Jane White is Sick and Twisted certainly qualifies as a WTF sort of film.

It's supposed to be a send-off of several different TV shows, mostly Jerry Springer Show, but in the end the film is a chaotic, raunchy mess.

[tristar]

You know when you go to a video store or the library, and you find a batshit crazy movie... well here's were you can tell about it.

For me, it was ERASERHEAD. At first I thought it was about Dick Tracy, but then the librarian told me it was about the making of eraser heads. Well.... it wasn't. It was a really surrealistic, abstract and crazy film. Plus, I saw it when I was 6 and it was rated PG, so I thought I'd watch it by myself. BIG MISTAKE. It gave me nightmares till i was 11, and at which point, I forgot about it (thankfully). Anyone who's seen the movie knows how crazy it is, and trust me... It's pretty crazy.

Anyone else got anything to confess?They have Eraserhead at my local video store. Should I rent it?

For me, the craziest movie I've ever seen was Louis Bunuel/Salvidor Dali's short film from 1929, "Un Chien Andalou".

[A. Flea]

Yeah Un Chien Andalou is also a weird film. Particulary the opening, eye-slicing scene. And the donkey carasses in the pianos.

What the hell. If you can handle weirdness, and don't get spooked easily, give eraserhead a shot.

[Marty26]

Manos: The Hands Of Fate and Titanic: The Animated Musical.

[Studio Toledo]

You know when you go to a video store or the library, and you find a batshit crazy movie... well here's were you can tell about it.

For me, it was ERASERHEAD. At first I thought it was about Dick Tracy, but then the librarian told me it was about the making of eraser heads. Well.... it wasn't. It was a really surrealistic, abstract and crazy film. Plus, I saw it when I was 6 and it was rated PG, so I thought I'd watch it by myself. BIG MISTAKE. It gave me nightmares till i was 11, and at which point, I forgot about it (thankfully). Anyone who's seen the movie knows how crazy it is, and trust me... It's pretty crazy.
This is why David Lynch is not a good role model! :p

[The "Chase"]

Manos: The Hands Of Fate and Titanic: The Animated Musical.

He said WEIRDEST, not the WORST! :p

[Marty26]

He said WEIRDEST, not the WORST! :p

Who says "weirdest" and "worst" need to be mutually exclusive? :D

[Ratso]

They have Eraserhead at my local video store. Should I rent it?

No matter how many other of his films you've seen, if you haven't experienced Eraserhead, you don't know David Lynch.

BTW, I'll be featuring the Eraserhead soundtrack on my podcast on May 15. Link below.

[tristar]

No matter how many other of his films you've seen, if you haven't experienced Eraserhead, you don't know David Lynch.

BTW, I'll be featuring the Eraserhead soundtrack on my podcast on May 15. Link below.Cool! :cool: I read on Wikipedia's Fats Waller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fats_Waller#In_popular_culture) page that his music was featured in Eraserhead. Fats Waller (and Rahsaan Roland Kirk) are my two favourite musicians of all time. This should be a treat!

[J. J. Hunsecker]

They have Eraserhead at my local video store. Should I rent it?

For me, the craziest movie I've ever seen was Louis Bunuel/Salvidor Dali's short film from 1929, "Un Chien Andalou".
By all means, rent it! Eraserhead is the film that gave David Lynch his start. It's the reason Mel Brooks hired Lynch to direct The Elephant Man (which is one of my all time favorite films).

Eraserhead is surreal, but it's also quite funny in its own way -- especially the scene where the protagonist (actor Jack Nance) has dinner with his girlfriend's family. I think the film was shot on 16mm, so the photography might not be as crisp as that of The Elephant Man.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

A film that has stuck with me for many years since I saw it as a child is Ole Olson and Chic Johnson's Crazy House (1943). It was a sequel of sorts to their first film Hellzapoppin' (1941). I've never forgotten the ending, which delighted me as a kid since it viciously lampooned romantic comedy endings.

Gabriel Over the White House (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Over_the_White_House) (1933) is another odd film I rented once in the 90's. I can't do justice to the film to describe it here, but it's an overtly political film dealing with the problems of the early 30's. It's seems to justify almost dictatorial power for the president.

I saw The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckaroo_Bonzai) in the early 80's and hated it. It tries too hard to be weird and campy, and those elements aren't fun unless they come easily and naturally to a film.

[Daffysleftfoot]

One wierd movie that comes to mind for me is Putney Swope. What the dang was that flick about?! :confused:

[Keith Paynter]

NAKED LUNCH


"I can think of at least two things wrong with that title..."

[Philo & Gunge]

I can assume these are far in insanity from David Lynch, most Tim Burton and Joe Dante films are pretty damn weird.

[tristar]

Another one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen was "What's Up Tiger Lily" (1966)
This is possibly the strangest of all of Woody Allen's films. Woody went out of his way to make sure the plot made no sense, it included extremely immature humour that Allen would never use again, and the random presence of The Lovin' Spoonful (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lovin'_Spoonful) is very out of place and eerie. (Think about it. A rock band in a Woody Allen film.)

But it is pretty damn funny.

[tristar]

By all means, rent it! Eraserhead is the film that gave David Lynch his start. It's the reason Mel Brooks hired Lynch to direct The Elephant Man (which is one of my all time favorite films).

Eraserhead is surreal, but it's also quite funny in its own way -- especially the scene where the protagonist (actor Jack Nance) has dinner with his girlfriend's family. I think the film was shot on 16mm, so the photography might not be as crisp as that of The Elephant Man.Thanks for the advice! I love "The Elephant Man", and I like what I'm hearing from the board members, so I'll rent it.

[nickramer]

I say "Coraline" was pretty weird (and very good).

[Vdubdavid]

Another one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen was "What's Up Tiger Lily" (1966)
This is possibly the strangest of all of Woody Allen's films. Woody went out of his way to make sure the plot made no sense, it included extremely immature humour that Allen would never use again, and the random presence of The Lovin' Spoonful (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lovin'_Spoonful) is very out of place and eerie. (Think about it. A rock band in a Woody Allen film.)

But it is pretty damn funny.

Actually, I recall reading somewhere (TCM.com maybe) that the Lovin' Spoonful was shoehorned into the movie at the behest of AIM executives over Allen's wishes.

And I agree, it's hilarious. "Winkin'?"

[Glowworm]

I say "Coraline" was pretty weird (and very good).

I agree with you-it was indeed bizarre as well as quite creepy(and very good) Then again it was based upon Neil Gaiman's children's novel. (Wyborn believe it or not is a new character original to the movie.)


I always thought that "Yellow Submarine" was trippy as hell-and I'll admit that I actually hate it.

Another weird movie is Sanrio's "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico"-don't let the adorable protagonist fool you-this is seriously one bizarre anime movie.

[nickramer]

I agree with you-it was indeed bizarre as well as quite creepy(and very good) Then again it was based upon Neil Gaiman's children's novel. (Wyborn believe it or not is a new character original to the movie.)



I thought so. Recently, I found a graphic novel version of the book, which I believe came out when the film was still in production (I didn't check the copyright date of the book), and Wyborn or a boy similer to him was not in it.

[janiepooh34]

Watermelon Man is a movie that sticks out in my mind as strange.

[frizfrelengfan]

One wierd movie that comes to mind for me is Putney Swope. What the dang was that flick about?! :confused:It was a comedy about an ad agency. It was directed by Robert Downey, the father of actor Robert Downey Jr.

[zavkram]

For me, the weirdest film has got to be Dwayne Esper's exploitation flick,
Maniac (1933). This film has everything: two half-naked women having a cat-fight on a dirt floor, a deranged man plucking out a cat's eyeball and then popping it into his mouth like a grape, and another guy strung-out on something called "super-adrenylin" having sex with a corpse on the side of the road.

[zoink]

I loved Eraserhead, and most older Lynch films.
Un Chien Andalou was a classic as well.

For another great surreal movie check out:
Tales from the Gimli Hospital
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096218/

Its right in the same ballpark.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

For me, the weirdest film has got to be Dwayne Esper's exploitation flick,
Maniac (1933). This film has everything: two half-naked women having a cat-fight on a dirt floor, a deranged man plucking out a cat's eyeball and then popping it into his mouth like a grape, and another guy strung-out on something called "super-adrenylin" having sex with a corpse on the side of the road.
Your description of that film has really piqued my interest. I looked up the details on imdb, and the DVD details. Now I just have to find a video store that caters to rare and cult films!

[zavkram]

The film has been PD for years. I happened to catch it in a 16mm print at a local repertory cinema back in the 80's.

Currently you can get it cheap on Alpha Video from amazon.com. I'm not sure what the picture and sound quality are like, though.

When the film was originally released, Esper tried to pass it off as a quasi-documentary on mental illness (the protagonist in the film is quite mad, you see...) and intercut title cards which detailed the tell-tale signs of someone who is going over the edge.

If you can rent or buy a copy, by all means do so... it's the perfect companion to Reefer Madness and Sex Fiends!

[Speedy Boris]

Pi is definitely up there.

[warnerbro7]

do cartoon movies count? if so a moive that comes to mind is Spirited away its an anime movie about a little girl that gets trapped in a spirital realm ..very stange on so many levels, its also pretty creepy at some parts .

[J. J. Hunsecker]

The film has been PD for years. I happened to catch it in a 16mm print at a local repertory cinema back in the 80's.

Currently you can get it cheap on Alpha Video from amazon.com. I'm not sure what the picture and sound quality are like, though.

When the film was originally released, Esper tried to pass it off as a quasi-documentary on mental illness (the protagonist in the film is quite mad, you see...) and intercut title cards which detailed the tell-tale signs of someone who is going over the edge.

If you can rent or buy a copy, by all means do so... it's the perfect companion to Reefer Madness and Sex Fiends!
The picture quality on all Alpha DVDs is quite poor. However, that wont stop me from renting the film! I've seen Reefer Madness before, and it's great! Worth every penny of the $2 I spent to rent it. These films seem like the obvious inspiration for the VD film parody in Amazon Women on the Moon.

[Thad]

How about Ted Browning's Freaks? It's not very good, but I guarantee you there's no other movie like it.

[FleischerFan]

Just about anything in the John Waters filmography would qualify, especially Pink Flamingos.

A great little weird expolitation film called High School Confidential featuring a title song performed live in the movie by Jerry Lee Lewis - Russ Tamblyn as a narc - Mamie Van Doren as his nyphomaniac "aunt" - Jackie Coogan (aka Uncle Fester) as a drug pusher - Michael Landon as the leader of the high school jocks - and John Drew Barrymore (Drew's daddy) as a rebel without a clue.

Very high on my list of cinematic strange The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. This is a live action muscial fantasy film written by Dr. Seuss about a dictatorial piano teacher (Hans Conreid) who is holding Tommy Rettig's mother prisoner. There is just no way to describe how indescribably strange this film is.

[The "Chase"]

I'm not sure if anyone will agree with me, but I think a good 1990's example of weird movies is "Romeo + Juliet". I saw the first 15 minutes of the movie once in a class, and man, I'm afraid of seeing more...

[Ratso]

You guys want truly weird? Seek out the films of Fernando Arrabel, Dusan Makavejev, Sergei Parajanov and Otto Muehl!

[J. J. Hunsecker]

A great little weird expolitation film called High School Confidential featuring a title song performed live in the movie by Jerry Lee Lewis - Russ Tamblyn as a narc - Mamie Van Doren as his nyphomaniac "aunt" - Jackie Coogan (aka Uncle Fester) as a drug pusher - Michael Landon as the leader of the high school jocks - and John Drew Barrymore (Drew's daddy) as a rebel without a clue.

Very high on my list of cinematic strange The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. This is a live action muscial fantasy film written by Dr. Seuss about a dictatorial piano teacher (Hans Conreid) who is holding Tommy Rettig's mother prisoner. There is just no way to describe how indescribably strange this film is.
I would rate High School Confidential as camp -- in the "so bad it's good" category. The miscasting of Russ Tamblyn as a tough kid is the first howler.

I saw The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T in a revival theater late at night in Hollywood years ago. (Back before DVDs.) I arrived early and thought I might have an empty theater to myself, but gradually a rough looking crowd started to filter in -- all men dressed in leather, studs and Dr. Martin boots. I was a little worried until I noticed that all the men were entering as couples and holding hands. Then I felt a little safer in assuming no violence would break out. I guess Dr. Seuss appeals to a certain subset of "alternate lifestyle" hipsters.

[Bobby Bickert]

Very high on my list of cinematic strange The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. This is a live action muscial fantasy film written by Dr. Seuss about a dictatorial piano teacher (Hans Conreid) who is holding Tommy Rettig's mother prisoner. There is just no way to describe how indescribably strange this film is.

Sideshow Bob's last name was derived from the last name of Conreid's character in this film. (And Rettig's character's name is Bart.)

[Jack G.]

How 'bout that Monkees film Head?

I've only seen bits but those bit's were strange.

[Bugsmer]

This doesn't count as a movie, but "The Star Wars Holiday Special" is the epitome of weird.

[Jack G.]

This doesn't count as a movie, but "The Star Wars Holiday Special" is the epitome of weird.That's probably why Lucasfilm won't even admit to it's existence.
I saw it when it showed on TV. Even at my young age I knew it was bad.
Peace on earth just doesn't jibe with lightsaber duels. :eek:

[jonmayo15]

Peace on earth just doesn't jibe with lightsaber duels. :eek:
Or Harvey Korman in drag.

[Jack G.]

Or Harvey Korman in drag. :eek:
I didn't remember that! Did any of the stars from the film appear in this travesty besides the droids?

As for Harvey Korman in drag, well, it might work for Carol Burnett Show.

[Nelson]

Here's some weird movies that I can think of...

Golden Dawn(30)Vitaphone/WB
Freaks(32)MGM

Oh yes!Any DOGVILLE comedy short would be perfect for this topic.

[jonmayo15]

:eek:
I didn't remember that! Did any of the stars from the film appear in this travesty besides the droids?

As for Harvey Korman in drag, well, it might work for Carol Burnett Show.Almost everyone, I believe appeared, including Harrison Ford, Mark Hammill, and Carrie Fisher.

As for Korman in drag...







Be prepared to scream...











I'm sorry...











http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/06V0b9X26Rc4R/340x.jpg

[samtheq]

Almost everyone, I believe appeared, including Harrison Ford, Mark Hammill, and Carrie Fisher.


Yep, except that Mark Hamill looked more like Dorothy Hamill, Fisher was high as a kite (and SANG, folks), and Ford was pissed off to be there even by THAT point, as were a confused and haphazard gallery of guest stars, including Korman, Art Carney, Bea Arthur as the guy who owns the cantina (also singing), and let's not forget the show-stopping number by Jefferson Airplane Starship Limited Amalgamated Minus Grace Slick. Literally show-stopping. Time itself grinds to a halt.

But, with regard to animation, the best part of the whole thing is the ten or so minute animated segment made by Nelvana (the debut of Boba Fett). People either love or hate it, but the angular style and the presence of the original actors doing the voices puts it over the top for me.

Last time I checked, the whole thing is available for viewing on Google video. I have seen it more times than I'd like to admit. (Supposedly Lucas had some story discussions, and then farmed it out since he was working on a sequel....we could give him a pass for this one, and blame him for the prequels, of course.) If you do plan on enduring it, I would recommend buying and downloading the Rifftrax commentary, it makes the experience much more enjoyable!

brant

[Studio Toledo]

Yep, except that Mark Hamill looked more like Dorothy Hamill, Fisher was high as a kite (and SANG, folks), and Ford was pissed off to be there even by THAT point, as were a confused and haphazard gallery of guest stars, including Korman, Art Carney, Bea Arthur as the guy who owns the cantina (also singing), and let's not forget the show-stopping number by Jefferson Airplane Starship Limited Amalgamated Minus Grace Slick. Literally show-stopping. Time itself grinds to a halt.

But, with regard to animation, the best part of the whole thing is the ten or so minute animated segment made by Nelvana (the debut of Boba Fett). People either love or hate it, but the angular style and the presence of the original actors doing the voices puts it over the top for me.

Last time I checked, the whole thing is available for viewing on Google video. I have seen it more times than I'd like to admit. (Supposedly Lucas had some story discussions, and then farmed it out since he was working on a sequel....we could give him a pass for this one, and blame him for the prequels, of course.) If you do plan on enduring it, I would recommend buying and downloading the Rifftrax commentary, it makes the experience much more enjoyable!

brant
I've had the whole thing on VHS or the past 10 years (with commercials), but here's a clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6QAikxAYn8) for anyone interested in checking it out!

[nickramer]

Fortuantly, there was a better Star Wars TV apperance a year later on something called "The Muppet Show", whatever that was.;)

[Jack G.]

Yep, except that Mark Hamill looked more like Dorothy Hamill, Fisher was high as a kite (and SANG, folks), and Ford was pissed off to be there even by THAT point...I do remember that "Luke Skywalker" didn't look right. Who could blame Fisher for being high or Ford being mad?
Having to be in this mess would certainly be a worthy cause.

Hey it's one of the Supremes doing a cooking show after a nuclear fallout!

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/06V0b9X26Rc4R/340x.jpg

[captchucky]

The Sound of Music. I could never watch more than a minute or two. It frightened me so much!

[tristar]

I just saw Eraserhead last night, and all I can say is wow. Definately replaces my spot for Un Chien Andalou.

[A. Flea]

Know this is kinda stepping into off-topic waters here folks, but I have found the offical Star Wars Christmas ALBUM! If you wnat to tortue your ears, go ahead... if you dare.

http://www.i-mockery.com/shorts/starwars-xmas/ (Link is near bottom picture, you need media player)

If you can make it through the whole album without turning it off, or running away screaming, then you have some goddam balls. Good luck.

[tristar]

I think I've found a rival to Eraserhead. I rented the David Lynch Short Films DVD a while back, and I saw Lynch's 1970 short, The Grandmother. Nice use of colour.

WARNING: NSFW
Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VaI1v0CIlA)
Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9TES7OHNlA&feature=related)
Part 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vssj68qY4eQ&feature=related)
Part 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE1jdJOtO5g&feature=related)