You get the popcorn ready. You get the drinks ready. You prep the couch. And you decide to watch a trendy movie. But here’s the plot twist: the movie is called “Poor Things” and you don’t quite know what to do. This is what weird filmmakers do: they bring the weird, the bizarre, the less than probable on your screens.
David Lynch
David Lynch is like the poster child for “weird” in the movie world. If you feel like you’ve walked into someone else’s nightmare, chances are you are watching one of his movies. You get a mix of mundane stuff with disturbing twists, a mix that in the end will make you question reality. “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Mulholland Drive” are some of his most famous works. And then we have the all-time classic “Twin Peaks,” a surreal 90’s series that turned into a worldwide phenomenon. He’s made some of the weirdest movies that’s for sure.
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Next up, Jodorowsky, aka that eccentric uncle who tells you crazy stories that make no sense but for some reason you just have to listen to the story unfold to the very end. His movies are full of bizarre, mystical imagery, often loaded with a ton of symbolism. They’re not the kind of movies you “get” on the first watch—or ever, really. Two of his movies, “El Topo” and “The Holy Mountain,” gained the cult classics badge that combine spirituality, surrealism, and the kind of weirdness that might give you a major headache.
Harmony Korine
Harmony Korine is the guy who’d rather show you the grime of everyday life than give you a polished story. His films often explore the fringes of society, featuring characters who are usually ignored or labeled as outcasts.. His debut “Gummo” is a disjointed, semi-documentary look at a small, run-down town in Ohio after it was hit by a tornado, and it’s as unsettling as it is captivating. Then there’s “Spring Breakers,”a movie that will take the party-gone-wrong theme to a bizarre, neon-drenched extreme: drugs, guns, and the ensuing chaos.
Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos, name that came to center stage in 2023 when “Poor Things” was released. He has this unique ability to make the mundane feel completely absurd. Let’s be blunt: he likes societies with strange rules and even stranger characters. “The Lobster,” where single people are turned into animals if they don’t find a mate, and “Dogtooth,” about a family so isolated that the children don’t even know what the outside world is like, are two perfect examples that will help you understand exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin is a Canadian filmmaker that’s constant in his weirdness. His movies are often shot in black and white or have that vintage film vibe, giving them an old-timey feel even when they’re completely bizarre. “My Winnipeg” is a dreamy, half-documentary about his hometown that’s part history, part myth. “The Saddest Music in the World” features a contest where countries compete to see who can play the saddest music, and yes, it’s as strange as it sounds.
Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam, a former member of Monty Python, uses the same kind of absurd, dark humor MP is known for but he also uses fantastical elements. His visuals are often exaggerated and surreal, making each movie quite the experience.. “Brazil,” for example, is a dystopian nightmare filled with bizarre bureaucratic chaos, while “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” is a psychedelic trip into the heart of the American Dream gone wrong, you’ll love it!
Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé isn’t just weird—he’s provocative, often to the point of being controversial. And his movies follow suit: they are infamous for their intense, graphic content and unsettling plots. Noé loves to mess with the viewer’s mind using disorienting camera work and disturbing themes. “Irreversible” is a brutal, non-linear film that plays out in reverse, with some scenes that are nearly unbearable to watch. “Enter the Void” is a trippy, first-person journey through life, death, and everything in between, set against the neon lights of Tokyo.
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is the master of pushing boundaries, often going to extremes to explore the darkest corners of the human psyche. His films are emotionally raw, and they often challenge the audience with their bleak, even nihilistic outlook on life. “Antichrist” is a disturbing horror film that covers grief and madness, while “Melancholia” uses an apocalypse as a backdrop to explore depression and human relationships and it makes for a very weird storyline.
Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike is as prolific as he is notoriously unpredictable. His work spans all kinds of genres, but he’s best known for his ultra-violent and bizarre films. “Audition” starts as a slow-burn drama but takes a sharp turn into horror, with some of the most shocking scenes in cinema. “Ichi the Killer” is another extreme movie, blending gore, dark humor, and a twisted take on the crime genre.
Quentin Dupieux
Also known as Mr. Oizo in the music world, Quentin Dupieux brings his absurdist sense of humor into his filmmaking. His movies are often surreal, with plots that make you question reality. “Rubber” is about a sentient tire that rolls around the desert killing people with its mind—yes, you read that right. “Deerskin” is another offbeat story about a man obsessed with his deerskin jacket, leading to increasingly bizarre situations.
Sion Sono
Sion Sono is another Japanese filmmaker who loves to blend genres, often mixing horror, drama, and surrealism. His movies are chaotic, colorful, and filled with dark humor. “Love Exposure” is a four-hour epic movie that combines religion and romance into a wild narrative, while “Red Post on Escher Street” is a fun movie, for a change, often being referred to as a love-letter to cinema itself.
That was it, folks. Hope you’ve got your fix of weird filmmakers and if you know of any others that would fit this list, don’t keep them to yourself and share them in the comments. For more weird people that make movies go here.
Have a great one!
