Experimentation, distorted camera angles, and a shit ton of hallucinatory imagery, welcome to the world of psychedelic cinema. Generally psychedelic films attempt to target the audiences senses to replicate the effects of hallucinogenic drugs and whatnot, often in the form of dreamlike narratives and warped imagery. The following ten films are just some of the many psychedelic films out there from over the years, using these methods in order to create a unique cinematic experience for their respective audiences. Without further ado, here are ten psychedelic films worth watching if you're looking for something a little bit different.
The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973)
This classic folk horror follows the strict Catholic Sergeant Howie as he investigates the disappearance of a young girl on the isolated island of Summerisle. While it is a horror at its core, director Robin Hardy approaches the genre with a more fluid approach, incorporating both humor and musical numbers within the film. The musical numbers particularly make the film stand out, with their folky sound and relevance to the narrative itself, they make for an unusual contrast with the films more darker subject matter. Along with its strong themes of sexual expression and frequent pagan imagery, The Wicker Man is a thoroughly unique film that feels both grounded in reality, and simultaneously out of this world.
Requiem For A Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
Darren Aronofsky has proved time and time again that he has a talent for targeting the senses, but nowhere is this better exemplified than in Requiem For A Dream. Following a number of closely connected characters, the film explores each of their experiences with drug addiction and the insidious effect it begins to have on their lives. Using warped cinematography and harrowing performances from the likes of Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connelly, Aronofksy creates this nightmarish version of reality that demonstrates the negative effects of narcotics. It's twisted, it's nasty, and at times just downright bleak, but Requiem For A Dream is a fantastic example of a film that portrays the grim reality of drug addiction instead of glorifying it. It's the type of film that makes you want to curl up into a bawl and cry.
Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
This candy-coloured nightmare from the mind of Dario Argento follows a young ballet dancer who uncovers dark forces at work in a prestigious German dance academy. Full of colourful imagery and awe-inspiring production design, the film itself feels as though it exists in a world of its own. It's almost like Alice in Wonderland, if wonderland was inhabited by a coven of homicidal witches. As if the dreamlike imagery wasn't enough, the film is topped off with a terrifying score from Italian prog band Goblin. The baroque sound and whispering vocals are enough to send shivers down ones spine, even if you close your eyes you can't escape the terror. A true assault on all of the senses, Suspiria is a walking nightmare through and through, and with a remake set to be released later this year, there is no better time to watch it if you haven't already.
A Field in England (Ben Wheatley, 2013)
Set during the English Civil-War, A Field in England follows a group of men who find themselves in the service of a cruel alchemist, searching for fabled treasure in a field with mysterious properties. Shot entirely in black and white, the film is consistently moody and has a very avante-garde tone right from the beginning. Drawing from themes such as alchemy and the supernatural, A Field in England blurs the lines between reality, and the world beyond ours. However, things really kick off in the final act thanks to a large helping of magic mushrooms consumed by our protagonist, resulting in a kaleidoscopic standoff between good and evil. Full of bizarre imagery and a fantastic use of sound, A Field in England is a hypnotic time-warp that will grab right onto your senses and struggle to let go.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam, 1998)
Directed by Terry Gilliam and based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing has become something of a cult classic in the psychedelic genre. The film follows journalist Raoul Duke and his partner Dr. Gonzo on a drug-fuelled trip through Sin City, encountering swarms of giant bats, lizard people, and an unusual hitchhiker along the way. With its increasingly distorted perception of reality and dark sense of humour, it's no wonder the film has become such a cult classic. While it does meander a fair bit, Fear and Loathing never compromises its trippy tone and rages on right up until the head-melting finale. So if you're up for a different type of road trip full of bizarre hallucinations and druggy lexicon, then Fear and Loathing should be right up your street.
Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969)
Speaking of drug-fuelled road movies, here is the original and the best. Starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda as a duo of bikers, the film follows their journey across the American South, encountering a variety of characters and situations along the way. One of the most important of the American counter-culture movies, Easy Rider deals with themes such as free love and drug use and is often considered one of the defining films of the late 60's. The films most iconic scene involves the bikers and two women experiment with LSD in a cemetery, resulting in a lengthy trip sequence that plays with the senses. Not only is Easy Rider a landmark in psychedelic cinema, but it carries an immense amount of cultural and historical importance as well, making it worth watching for anyone with an interest in either cinema of hallucinogens.
Tommy (Ken Russell, 1975)
Directed by Ken Russell and based on the rock opera album by The Who, Tommy follows the life of the titular character (played by frontman Roger Daltry), a young man left deaf, dumb, and blind following a traumatic childhood experience. Despite his disabilities however, Tommy miraculously becomes a world renowned pinball champion before ascending to the ranks of cult leader as well. Carried by the iconic sound of The Who, the film boasts appearances from the band members themselves as well as fellow musicians such as Elton John, Eric Clapton, and Tina Turner. As well as that, the film is also full of bizarre moments such as a church that worships a Marilyn-Monroe-esque deity, and Tina Turner's iconic Acid Queen sequence. Tommy is a fantastic journey born out of the combined creative geniuses of Ken Russell and The Who themselves, it's a must see for both fans of the band and film fans in general.
The Holy Mountain (Alejandro Jodorowski, 1973)
To be fair you could put any Jodorowski film on this list, but I think The Holy Mountain perfectly embodies his filmography as a whole. Produced by Beatles manager Allen Klein, the film follows a Jesus Christ lookalike who joins an enigmatic alchemist on his journey to a fables sacred mountain. Full of religious imagery, allusions to alchemy, and production design colourful enough to make Wes Anderson weep, The Holy Mountain is a different type of cinematic experience altogether. Jodorowski crafts this outlandish world not too detached from our own, before setting us off on a psychedelic odyssey to the eponymous Holy Mountain. To even make an attempt at describing the films plot would be futile, and to try and comprehend it would be even more pointless. To truly experience The Holy Mountain, don't think too much, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip.
Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980)
The second Ken Russell film on the list, Altered States explores the concept of using sensory deprivation and hallucinatory drugs to reach altered states of consciousness. William Hurt stars in his debut role as Dr. Edward Jessup, the man partaking in these experiments, and we watch as his own sense of reality gradually begins to break down around him. In typical Ken Russell fashion, the film is full of hallucinatory dream sequences, religious imagery, and uncensored sexuality, making for a full on sensory assault. Visually and technically speaking the film is incredibly ambitious, but narratively it makes for an highly unique experience as well, putting its own spin on the body horror genre. Using both sight and sound to uniquely engage with the audience, Altered States is sure to heighten all of the senses.
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi classic is groundbreaking for numerous reasons, but most notably for how it experiments with the narrative in the films final act. The film begins at the dawn of man and subsequently follows an expedition to Jupiter many years later, after a mysterious monolith is discovered there. In the final act of the film, astronaut Dr. David Bowman leaves his ship in a pod to investigate one of the monoliths before being pulled into a strange vortex. What follows is a mind-bending sequence bursting with colour, shapes, and haunting sounds. Flashing between this mysterious vortex and shots of Bowman's perplexed expression, the sequence is incredibly hypnotic and culminates in an even stranger finale where time itself appears to have no authority. 2001 would influence countless other films, homages, and parodies, as well as some of the other entries on this list. They don't call it 'the ultimate trip' for nothing.
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