The best surreal horror movies; From “Suspiria” to “Conquest”

The horror genre is one of the most diverse genres of cinema. Slasher movies are the most popular subgenre of horror, and audiences never get tired of seeing stories of possession and exorcism. But one of the best sub-genres of horror, which few directors can depict correctly, are surreal horror films; Films that today some consider synonymous with the adjective “Lynch.”

Making horror movies doesn’t require a lot of budget; For this reason, they make a lot of low-quality movies in this genre every year. But every now and then creative and intellectual directors are found and step further. With a subgenre like surreal horror, there are practically no boundaries to the storytelling. These directors, whose best films are discussed below, are not satisfied with sudden scares and bloodshed, but expand the boundaries of the surreal horror genre and provide a platform for deeper psychological and philosophical analyzes with the terrifying atmospheres they create.

The best surreal titles are more disturbing and complex than most of the ordinary horror films that are made every day, and for this reason, we do not recommend them to everyone. But if you can handle their weird nature, they’re even more fun to watch than regular horror movies.

The best surreal horror movies you should watch

15. In the Mouth of Madness

• Release year: 1994
• Director: John Carpenter
• Actors: Sam Neill, Julie Marman, David Warner
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.1 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 58 out of 100

One of the seasoned directors of the horror genre in Hollywood is John Carpenter. In 1994, he made a complex and strange film full of psychological twists that make the viewer doubt which part of the film is real. Sam Neill plays the role of John Trent in this movie; A detective is hired by a publishing company to investigate the disappearance of popular horror author Sutter Kane. To make the case more complicated than it already is, Trent realizes that Kane’s novels drive their readers into a state of paranoia and sometimes worse.

Trent, along with a representative from the publishing company, refer to Kane’s novels. In these novels, there are references to a remote city that attracts Trent and his companion. In the city, the two immediately encounter strange occurrences and the situation worsens as their stay continues.

“In Madness” is not only one of the best surreal horror films, it is one of John Carpenter’s best films. He has shown courage and ambition in this project that you don’t see in most of his usual films. Starring Sam Neill, a master of weird horror films, In the Mouth of Madness is a must-see amazing title.

14. Gozu

• Release year: 2003
• Director: Mike Takashi
• Actors: Hideki Sune, Shu Aikawa, Hitoshi Ozawa, Renji Ishibashi
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 6.9 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 71 out of 100

Takashi Miike has repeatedly proven himself as one of Japan‘s style directors with films such as “Audition” and “Ichi the Killer”. “Gezo” is one of his most special and scary films; A combination of everything that is in Mieke’s works and even influences from Lynch, such as “Twin Peaks” or “Vertigo” can be seen in it.

The story is about a low-level yakuza who is sent to kill his master/boss. Although this idea seems like a repetitive idea for a yakuzai movie, Mieke has managed to take it to the surreal valley. Shu Aikawa and Renji Ishibashi, Mike’s regular collaborators, give great performances. Aikawa plays a crazy yakuza and Renji Ishibashi as a caricature of a typical yakuza boss makes for one of the most disturbing elements of the film. “Gezo” is scary, strange, funny, disturbing, and like all Takashi Miike’s films, exaggerated. It also features a great mix of genres: on the one hand, it’s a full-on yakuza film, and on the other, it’s one of the best surreal horror films that pushes the known boundaries of horror in terms of style and content.

13. Mandy

• Release year: 2018
• Director: Pannus cosmatos
• Actors: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roach, Ned Dennehy, Bill Duke
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 6.5 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 91 out of 100

“Mandy” is nothing like traditional horror movies. Panos Cosmatos is more like a wild dream soaked in blood and neon, which provides the necessary background for Nicolas Cage to display one of his most insane performances. Cage plays the role of a man named Red, who after the brutal murder of his companion, Mandy (Andrea Riseborough), chooses the path of revenge; A path full of eerie and surreal images combined with blood and gore.

What makes “Mandy” one of the best surreal horror films is its strange aesthetic and Red’s eerie journey of revenge. “Mandy” gradually transforms from a film full of horror and suspense, into a whirlwind of visual and auditory assault, with exaggerated color palettes and nightmarish and grotesque images that seem to come from another dimension.

In “Mandy”, Cosmatos pays tribute to films such as “Psycho III” or “Days of Thunder”; But the film is ultimately a unique title in the horror genre that elevates violence and madness until the end of the story.

12. Antichrist

• Release year: 2009
• Director: Lars von Trier
• Actors: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 6.5 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 53 out of 100

Most of Lars von Trier’s films have traces of surrealism in them. “Antichrist” is his darkest attempt to create a world of pure terror. In the film, Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg play the role of a couple who take refuge in a forest cabin to mourn the death of their child, but end up being drawn to violence, madness and despair. There are terrible images in “Antichrist” that you will never forget; A talking fox whispering “chaos reigns” and other brutal images of mutilation and nature turning hostile.

These controversial scenes prompted some critics to accuse von Trier of vulgarity. However, it should not be forgotten that the terror and violence of “Antichrist” are designed to arouse the audience and there is a thought behind them; A poignant and unadulterated statement about the psychological horrors of grief. In this film, Von Trier doesn’t just want to shock you by relying on gruesome images, he wants to convey the sense that the world/nature itself has a hostile nature, an idea that is even more horrifying than the film’s images. Love it or hate it, you can’t go past the best surreal horror movies without mentioning Lars von Trier.

11. Suspiria

• Release year: 1977
• Director: Dario Argento
• Actors: Jessica Harper, Stefania Cassini, Flavio Bucci, Udo Kier
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.3 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 94 out of 100

In 1977, a different surreal horror film was released in Italy. Dario Argento, the king of the Italian horror genre and the Giallo movement, had already achieved international fame with his slasher masterpiece Deep Red, but he changed the game with his next horror film.

Unlike all other horror films that had come before it, Suspiria was a surreal, tense thriller that combined psychological horror with slasher-style blood and gore. The story of the film is about a young American girl named Susie who moves to Germany to study at a famous dance school. After a series of disturbing and violent events, Susie discovers that behind the walls of the school is a secret that is slowly killing the students.

The story of the film is significantly more elegant and attractive than many of Argento’s previous works; But the real strength of Suspiria, like Dario Argento’s best films, lies in its style and aesthetics. The surreal nature of the film originates from the dreamlike atmosphere that gradually engulfs the story. The juxtaposition of dancers and beautiful movements with giggling female villains and violent and lively attacks create a frightening environment for the viewer.

Additionally, Argento elevates the film with his stunning and colorful visuals and Goblin’s unexpectedly effective soundtrack. Even if you’re not a fan of the horror genre, you can’t miss Suspiria, which is considered one of the best and most creative surreal horror films of all time.

10. House

• Release year: 1977
• Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
• Actors: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Aiki Matobara
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.2 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 90 out of 100

In the same year that Argento released his horror film “Suspiria” in Italy, Nobuhiko Obayashi came to the cinema in Japan with one of the strangest surreal horror films, which has a sense of childish playfulness. On the surface, House is about a group of schoolgirls visiting a haunted house, but this haunted house tour is more of a Willy Wonka-esque trip through the weirdest surreal images you’ll ever see. Combining the repetitive haunted house scenario with special effects popular in Japan at the time, this Japanese film makes for one of the most memorable films on this list.

In “House,” the house itself becomes a monstrous entity: pianos devour girls, and cats bring supernatural chaos to the film. The change in tone and visual style makes you feel dizzy all the time. It is surprising how a movie could depict such chaos and chaos in only 88 minutes.

The combination of absurd comedy and grotesque horror heightens the anxiety of the film. Although House has been reduced to these strange images today, for its surreal horror, House must be ranked among the best horror films of all time, as funny and confusing as it is terrifying. The film was met with negative reviews, but has since earned its place as one of the classics of the genre.

9. Repulsion

• Release year: 1965
• Director: Roman Polanski
• Actors: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, Mike Pratt, John Fraser
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.6 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 96 out of 100

Roman Polanski’s second film and his first English-language film depicts a shocking tale of psychological and surreal horror. The story begins with Catherine Deneuve playing Carol, a bored London manicurist who lives with her sister. Carol is seemingly uninterested in everything and shows great impatience with men, including her sister’s boyfriend and her many suitors. When her sister goes on vacation, Carol becomes even more isolated, hallucinating and gradually losing touch with reality. Polanski shows Carol’s descent into madness with dark and surreal images, which eventually drives her to violence.

Polanski presents one of his best films with this surreal horror film. A terrible movie that also points to the limited role of women in society. Deneuve is also one of the film’s strong points, presenting the human psyche’s descent into darkness in the role of this beautiful, emotionless woman.

Disgust is the first of three Polanski horror films set in small apartments, the other two being Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant. While the other two films portray horror in a different way, “Disgust” excels in its ability to instill psychological terror and uncertainty.

8. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

• Release year: 1920
• Director: Robert Wiene
• Actors: Werner Krauss, Konrad White, Friedrich Fehr, Lil Dagofer
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 8 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 96 out of 100

“Doctor Caligari’s Office” is one of the first horror films and an integral part of the history of German Expressionism, which is a classic and a must-see for all cinema lovers due to its brilliant artistic design. Among the fans of the horror genre.

The story of the film is about a young man named Francis who tells an older man a story of his past sorrow. But the carefree life of Francis changes. During a festival, a mysterious man named Dr. Caligari appears on stage with his sleeping partner, Caesar, and Caesar magically answers questions from the sleeping crowd. Francis’s friend asks Caesar how long he will live, and he replies that he will only live until dawn. That night, an intruder sneaks into her friend’s room and kills her, prompting Francis to investigate the killer and the mysterious Dr. Caligari.

Aside from being one of the first horror movies, Caligari’s Office is considered one of the best surreal titles for many reasons. In this film, German expressionism is well represented, with colorful scenes, strange camera angles and extensive use of shadows to convey fear and other emotions. Caligari’s Office is also notable for its catchy ending, which has been copied many times since. Even if horror movies aren’t your thing, the art style and innovations in The Office of Doctor Caligari make it one of the most important films in cinema history.

7. Santa Sangre

• Release year: 1989
• Director: Alejandro Khodorovsky
• Actors: Axel Khodorovsky, Blanca Guerra, Aden Khodorovsky, Guy Stockwell
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.5 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 88 out of 100

Alejandro Khodorovsky, one of the masters of surreal cinema, has no shortage of strange films; From his famous “Holy Mountain” to “El Topo” and if his adaptation of “Dune” comes to fruition, it will add another title to his collection of fantasy/surreal films. “Santa Sangre” or “Holy Blood” is one of his other surreal films, which is filled with elements of horror, a lot of symbolism and memorable characters, and made one of the most fascinating surreal horror films in history.

Oscillating between flashbacks and the present, “Holy Blood” follows a troubled man named Felix, traumatized and traumatized at a young age by the murder of his mother, a circus performer. After escaping from the asylum, Felix wanders the city and gets involved in many surreal situations until he finds his mother, who quickly overshadows every aspect of his life.

There are multiple storylines going on at the same time that contribute to the overall structure of the story, and these violent and strange events make the film one of the most interesting and unpredictable horror films on this list. The complex plot and the dreamlike and surreal aesthetics of “Holy Blood” add a new charm to the film, which you should not miss if you are a fan of strange films.

6. Hour of the Wolf

• Release year: 1968
• Director: Ingmar Bergman
• Actors: Max von Sydow, Leo Ullmann, George Rydberg, Erland Youssefsen
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.5 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 92 out of 100

The only Ingar Bergman film that can be called a horror film in nature, it is a strong combination of gothic mood and psychological horror. The film stars Max von Sydow as an artist who crumbles under the weight of paranoia and delusions (a character some have interpreted as a stand-in for the director himself). Through the eyes of the main character, we come across a plethora of strange and surreal images, such as faces turning into masks and chaotic parties full of monstrous figures. Bergman’s style intensifies the psychological and surreal horror. Each eerie image is rooted in real trauma and psychological torment, making the film more terrifying than any fantasy horror film.

The film’s title refers to the hour before sunrise when anxieties and fears peak, and Bergman portrays this feeling with shocking precision. He shows the audience scary scenes that act as a manifestation of inner demons. As always, Bergman’s specific approach has led to numerous interpretations, which have prompted critics and fans to search deeper and analyze the film since 1968.

5. Inland Empire

• Release year: 2006
• Director: David Lynch
• Actors: Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 6.8 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 72 out of 100

David Lynch’s name is associated with surreal cinema, and “Empire Within” is one of his most disturbing films that fit into this genre. In three hours, this eerie dream follows the story of an actress (Laura Dern) whose sense of identity falls apart after being caught in a cursed work. Here, Lynch takes the digital format to its ugliest and most disturbing extreme, creating an image that looks downright wild and nightmarish. Rabbits on stage in the form of sitcoms, contorted faces, endless labyrinths of identity; The images of “Empire Within” are deeply disturbing and confusing and will make your hair stand on end.

It is a fear born of confusion, where time, identity and logic collapse. While many of Lynch’s works deal with surreal horror, “Empire Within” dives headfirst into this horror and leaves the audience in a dark labyrinth. Of course, a large part of the film’s success is due to the performance of Laura Dern, who is entrusted with an incredibly challenging role, but she performs it well; Laura Dern gives arguably the best performance of her career in “Inner Empire”.

4. Jacob’s Ladder

• Release year: 1990
• Director: Adrian Lane
• Actors: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Pina, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.4 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 72 out of 100

Although Adrienne Lyne is mostly known for Fatal Attraction, Lolita, and Indecent Proposal, her 1990 surreal horror film is Lyne’s best directorial career.

“Jacob’s Ladder” begins with a drama about a soldier returning from the war; But over time, it leads to degeneration into paranoia and trauma, which blurs the line between reality and illusion. Tim Robbins appeared as Jacob Singer in “Jacob’s Ladder”; An ex-soldier from the Vietnam War who, after returning home, is plagued by terrifying dreams and inexplicable events. With its unpredictable imagery and structure, the film captures Jacob’s troubled psyche. With the terrible figures that haunt him from his room, the loss of time and place and the heavy shadow of death that does not leave Jacob, the viewer is also dizzy with the sense of suffocation that surrounds Jacob and leads him to collapse.

Relying on Bruce Joel Rubin’s screenplay, Line refuses to provide definitive and easy answers. This is where you have to embrace ambiguity and look for clues in Jacob’s disjointed reality to figure out the nature of the story. “Jacob’s Ladder” may not be the scariest movie on this list, but its suspense, anticipation, and inner fears convey a very real feeling to you; The feeling that you are one step away from it in every second of life. Those struggling with the turmoil of post-traumatic stress disorder will probably relate the most to this film and to Jacob, whose everyday life has turned into a waking nightmare. The movie later inspired video games like Silent Hill and even got a remake in 2019. But Filmline is still better than the remakes and movies that have been overlooked.

3. A Page of Madness

• Release year: 1926
• Director: Tinosuke Kinogasa
• Actors: Masao Inoue, Ayako Ijima, Yoshi Nakagawa, Hiroshi Namto
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.3 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 75 out of 100

When talking about Japanese surreal horror films, Paprika or House are often mentioned. But one of the most underappreciated films in the history of Japanese cinema is a film that has been made for about 100 years; A silent film from 1926 is “Leaf of Madness”.

It’s amazing that a movie like “Leaf of Madness” was made 100 years ago, but it still manages to challenge the imagination of viewers. A landmark work of Japanese avant-garde filmmaking, the film was considered lost for 45 years until Tinosuke Kinogasa found it in his stash in 1971. This lively and eerie work tells the story of a man who is working in a hospital. He wants to free his imprisoned wife. Although the story of the film is simple, its performance was several light years ahead of its time.

Kinogasa was clearly influenced by The Office of Doctor Caligari, which also depicts the inner world of madmen. This film is also reminiscent of the works of French avant-garde filmmakers such as Abel Gans, Russian montage masters such as Sergei Eisenstein, and especially the subjective cinematography of F. W. Murnau is in “The Last Man” (Der Letzte Mann). Influenced by the masterpieces of other filmmakers, Kinogasa himself has created an exciting, eerie and ultimately sad masterpiece. The great Japanese critic Akira Iwazaki called the film “the first film-like film born in Japan”.

The opening sequence is enough to introduce you to the surreal world of horror. The sequence cuts rhythmically between shots of torrential rain and rushing water, then fades to a strange, surreal shot of a young woman in a headscarf dancing in front of a giant spinning ball. This woman, of course, is an inmate in a sanatorium dressed in ragged clothes. As his dancing becomes more intense, the film gets crazier, using superimpositions, panning cameras, and just about every other trick available in 1926 filmmaking.

2. Possession

• Release year: 1981
• Director: Angie Zhuofsky
• Actors: Isabelle Ajani, Sam Neill, Margaret Carstensen, Heinz Bennett
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.2 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 85 out of 100

The masterpiece of Angie Zhuofsky, a director who has many fans in the cult cinema, is today known as one of the classic works of horror cinema. “Possessed” is one of the best surreal horror films ever made, and Isabelle Ajani’s amazing and insane performance takes it to the top. The story begins with a marriage in decline. Sam Neill stars as Mark, an international spy whose life falls apart when his wife and the mother of his child file for divorce. Mark is separated from his wife but keeps visiting her because of his son.

He gradually notices the strange behavior of his wife, who sometimes leaves their child alone for hours. Mark starts following her, but can’t figure out where his wife spends all her time. In the end, Mark hires a private detective to uncover the truth and discovers a horrifying truth.

Without revealing anything about the movie, we will say that the story quickly enters the valley of madness with the conflict of Ajani’s character with the supernatural. The harrowing scene in the subway, where he convulses and screams incessantly in a nightmarish display of possession, is one of the most disturbing sequences in 80s movies, and perhaps in all of horror cinema. Through the character of Ajani, the film blurs the line between mental breakdown and supernatural invasion, and a constant suffocation and anxiety dominates the film.

This psychological anxiety and terror of “Possessed” has made it one of the best surreal and psychological horror films of all time. “The Possession” isn’t with its disturbing scenes, which is more restrained than the other films on this list, but with its story. The horror of “Possessed” feels more real than it should, with a story of emotional breakdown and deteriorating mental health. Jovaevsky, like Laine in Jacob’s Ladder, refuses to explain the film and challenges the viewer.

1. Eraserhead

• Release year: 1977
• Director: David Lynch
• Actors: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Jane Bates, Laurel Nair
• Score of website users IMDb to the movie: 7.2 out of 10
• Rating of Rotten Tomatoes website to the movie: 87 out of 100

Most of David Lynch’s films are included in this list; From “Lost Highway” to “Mulholland Drive”. But this director’s first film is one of his most terrifying films; Because it portrays a real and completely human fear in a surreal and dreamlike form: the fear of having children.

The story of the movie is about a man named Henry Spencer (played by Jack Nance) who lives in an industrial wasteland. He finds out that his girlfriend is pregnant, but when the baby is born, he sees that the baby looks more like a monster than a human. Trapped in a strange situation, Henry receives hidden advice from various beings (such as a woman in the radiator of his house and a mysterious man who has an important role in Henry’s reality).

“Head cleaner” plunges you into a black and white nightmare; Where Henry walks in a world of scary images and suffocating industrial horror. His deformed and inhuman baby is one of the most disturbing children in cinema; A symbol of fear, anxiety and parental responsibility. The worse the baby gets, the more the parent’s mental deterioration. Each image is full of meaning, but Lynch, as usual, is not interested in explaining them, leaving viewers in a surreal panic.

Although 50 years have passed since the making of this film, “Kelphakken” is still a turning point in the history of experimental and horror cinema; One of the strangest surreal horror movies that was criticized by many critics at first; But by establishing Lynch as one of the most original directors in the history of cinema, he has now found his true place.

Source: Taste of Cinema