[Hello Im Johnny Cash]

Lookin' for recommendations of lesser known movies that are: experimental, odd, insanely brilliant, etc. Also, what are some good Japanese horror films, and where can I get them?

[orange]

Well I'm a big fan of old subversive stuff and exploitation films, especially from the 1930s, so I recommend Reefer Madness, Maniac (actually anything directed by Dwain Esper is really strange) and Freaks.

You also might enjoy some of Igmar Bergman's films, they're quite well known, but are odd and considered quite popular with people who like strange fare. Fanny and Alexander is my favorite of his, although a lot of people say The Seventh Seal, about a knight who plays a chess game with the Grim Reaper, is theirs.

Regarding the Japanese films, you're probably familiar with the original Japanese versions of The Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water. If not, you should check those out, because they are very superior to the American remakes. I also like the Japanese movie Dopperugena. It's not particularly scary but it's quite strange. Some of the old Godzilla and other similar monster movies are pretty odd too, especially Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster (which has split scenes of 70s music and hippies dancing in between the battle scenes, along with some strange animation), and Taekoesu Yonggary (the Korean version of Godzilla).

I'm from Canada, and Canadian movies are often quite strange. David Cronenberg's early work Shivers (also known as They Come From Within) is an odd little horror movie with incestuous scenes and leeches that possess you and turn you into a sex maniac by entering through body orifices. Blood and Donuts is another good Canadian "film festival" movie about a vampire who has been sleeping for 30 years and wakes up to find himself next to a donut shop. The weirdest movie I ever saw was Canadian, and is called Tales from the Gimli Hospital. It actually makes very little sense, but won a lot of awards!

I've given you links to these movies at the Internet Movie Database, and if you do a search there for keywords such as "odd", "subversive", etc, you can find many more. Depending on where you live you should be able to purchase these titles or other weird titles on DVD (I own all of the above mentioned), or if you just want to rent them, go to a video store and ask for their Foreign or Cult Film sections.

[orange]

Gee, I'm surprised no one else has added anything... guess there aren't many film geeks out there! :p

Anyway, I just wanted to add movies directed by Stanley Kubrick to my list. They are obviously not obscure, but nonetheless very good and also very odd. My favorites are "Clockwork Orange" and "Full Metal Jacket".

[orange]

Err, looks like I am the only film geek on this forum, definitely! Anyway I just wanted to add one more obscure strange horror movie called "Night Train to Terror". It makes the films of Ed Wood and Mystery Science Theatre look like Oscar-winning material! Anyway check it out, it's on DVD now and available for about 2 bucks. :D

[vyki]

Don't really know what counts as obscure, but here are some of my favourite films that not many people I know have seen:

Gozu, Versus, Battle Royale 1+2, Battle Heater, Ju-On (original Grudge), Series 7, Happiness of the Katakuris, Visitor Q, Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Azumi, ichi the killer, das experiment, Tetsuo is a really cool film but I'm not sure if I liked it more than it disturbed me...

I may post back with more if I think of them...

[vyki]

Blood and donuts sounds amazing but I can't get it anywhere...

[orange]

Yes apparently it's only available in Canada. Have you tried going to your local video store and seeing if you can special order it?

[chaya]

I'm not a film geek but I am a filmmaker who's watched a lot of films and David Lynch is my all-time favorite director. He's insanely brilliant and absolutely bizarre and his films are in a genre of their own. "Eraserhead," "Blue Velvet," "Mullholand Drive," "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me," "Lost Highway,"... are so phenomenally weird and genius and fascinating! If you haven't seen them, I strongly recommend you do, soon. John Waters is another favorite of mine, but he's wildly bizarre in a totally different way. His films are hilariously over the top though: "Pink Flamingos," "Female Trouble," "Serial Mom," "A Dirty Shame," "Cecille B. Demented," to name a few. There is nothing he is shy about and there is nothing too sacred for him to pervert. You either like his films or you loathe them. If you haven't already, check him out sometime.

Good luck in your quest to become a film geek.