Obviously there’s lots of weird trash in the direct to VHS/DVD/streaming ecosystems, but when it comes to something that actually got a first run theater release, what is your strangest?
For me, it’s Southland Tales. I actually kind of love this movie but it’s difficult to recommend because people you recommend it to might not look at you the same afterwards. The cast is positively stacked with big names, the movie looks great, and there’s a fantastic and really sad musical number half way through. This is the only movie that has truly captured the vibe of reading the biblical book of Revelation in that it’s making you go “wait, what?” every five minutes as it spirals into either intensely meaningful imagery or schizophrenia manifest on 35mm.
Splice. It was a surprise screening, we didn’t know what movie we were watching and none knew about it before hand.
At some point when they hybrid starts seducing the main character the girl beside me as just “what the fuck is going on with this movie??”
As a movie I don’t revving l recommend, but the experience was great.
I loved that movie. I gather there aren’t many of us.
don’t revving
What does this mean?
Kinda the same, 2/3 the way through I’m just like “so he wants to fuck it? The hell?”
Movie then fell apart…
Bubba Ho-Tep is the winner for me. Elvis, still alive and kicking in a retirement home, needs to team up with JFK (who the CIA dyed black) to stop an Egyptian mummy that is eating the souls of the elderly.
I knew exactly what I was in for, and I had an absolute blast. I took my father with me, and his response was, “What the hell did I just watch?”
Still wish we’d actually gotten the prequel Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires.
Strangest has to be The Quiet Earth. I don’t remember what exactly caught my attention years ago when I downloaded and watched it
The strangest was Flow (2024), a Latvian animation film about a cat trying to survive during an apocalypse.
There’s not a single line of dialog in the whole movie, since there are no humans.I watched it 3 times. Seriously, go check it out, it’s absolutely awesome.
I wouldn’t call it anywhere near the strangest that I have seen, but it was a very good movie. Very emotional.
Seen it. Tremendous piece of work.
I just watched Zardoz with Sean Connery last night. I’m pretty sure it got a mainstream release back in 1974. My buddy described it as “an acid-trip.”
It did, and it is
Kung Pao: Enter the Fist
I’ve never seen sooo many people walk out of a theater before.
One of my favorite! I quote it near daily. (Also, it’s Kung Pow: Enter the Fist)
I can’t purchase any nuts without saying/thinking “that’s a lot of nuts!” to this day.
The Gods Must Be Crazy
I love this movie. It’s one of the few we had on VHS in my house growing up.
See, I liked Southland Tales, too.
But, for me, and I’ve seen some pretty strange theatre releases:
Baise-Moi (2000): It was banned, for glaringly obvious reasons. But, the theatre got an injunction and we went to one of the only showings.
Happiness (1998): Todd Solondz makes everything awkward.
The Cell (2000): Tarsem’s Jennifer Lopez starring sci-fi mind trip.
House of 1000 Corpses: Rob Zombie. I’m not a horror-movie person, yet, somehow, I saw this.
하녀 (The Housemaid, 2010): one of the wildest endings I have ever witnessed. Bar none.
Irreversible (2002): My first film by Gaspar Nöe.
Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990): This is what happens when you can make literally whatever you want. And, you’re one of Japan’s greatest filmmakers.
Eraserhead
Freddy Got Fingered, my mom took me. OMG.
Tom greene was millennial tiktok.
Dude invented a whole genre of comedy.
The Room
I got dragged to the theatre to see the second Twilight film, and that was fucking bizarre
The Greasy Strangler
“Hootie tootie disco cutie!”
Did you like it? Someone suggested it and I’ve been meaning to watch it but haven’t gotten to it yet
If you like b rate cringe movies. I thought it was freaking hilarious but i seem to like really terrible movies.
The first two that come to mind are Titane and Moebius.
I went into them both mostly blind and loved them both! If you like dark and strange movies, I would strongly recommend them.
Edit: I just remembered the Takashi Miike films Gozu, Visitor Q, and The Happiness of the Katakuris which I believe all had brief theater stints.
Upstream Color. I was so hyped for the 2nd feature from the director of Primer, that I went to a premiere with Shane doing a QnA at the end. Despite him talking about it, I have no idea what the movie was about, and I have yet to figure it out. It was more like an experimental film student thesis than a movie.
Saw this. Liked it. Not as much as Primer, but still, it was good to me.
