Surreal and Shiver Evoking films
by sergeslevin | created - 30 Jan 2013 | updated - 18 Oct 2018 | PublicA list of movies that I find surreal, abstract, and thought provoking.
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1. Possession (1981)
R | 124 min | Drama, Horror
A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.
Director: Andrzej Zulawski | Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent
Votes: 42,815 | Gross: $1.11M
Love isn't something you can just switch from channel to channel
2. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
R | 110 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Despite being under heavy sedation, a young woman tries to make her way out of the Arboria Institute, a secluded, quasifuturistic commune.
Director: Panos Cosmatos | Stars: Eva Bourne, Michael J Rogers, Scott Hylands, Rondel Reynoldson
Votes: 16,897 | Gross: $0.06M
Bring home the mother lode, Barry
3. Borgman (2013)
Not Rated | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A vagrant enters the lives of an arrogant upper-class family, turning their lives into a psychological nightmare in the process.
Director: Alex van Warmerdam | Stars: Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Alex van Warmerdam
Votes: 18,908 | Gross: $0.06M
Trust me
4. Altered States (1980)
R | 102 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A psycho-physiologist experiments with drugs and a sensory-deprivation tank and has visions he believes are genetic memories.
Director: Ken Russell | Stars: William Hurt, Blair Brown, Bob Balaban, Charles Haid
Votes: 38,628 | Gross: $19.85M
Memory is energy! It doesn't disappear - it's still in there
5. Jacob's Ladder (I) (1990)
R | 113 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Mourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.
Director: Adrian Lyne | Stars: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven
Votes: 117,849 | Gross: $26.12M
Dream On!
6. Stay (I) (2005)
R | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A psychiatrist attempts to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide while trying to maintain his own grip on reality.
Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Kate Burton
Votes: 86,022 | Gross: $3.63M
Between the worlds of the living and the dead
7. Pi (1998)
R | 84 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart
Votes: 186,405 | Gross: $3.22M
There will be no order, only chaos
8. Paragon Algorithm (2012)
20 min | Short, Drama, Horror
Andrew is a genius student who is obsessed with solving the ultimate mathematical riddle, the Paragon Algorithm, that holds the key to unlocking the mechanics of time. Andrew's discovery takes him on a journey beyond reality.
Director: Serge Levin | Stars: Tim Duquette, Max Lodge, Haley Finnegan, Markham Anderson
Votes: 64
Reality Is Merely An Illusion, Albeit A Very Persistent One
9. Primer (2004)
PG-13 | 77 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Four friends/fledgling entrepreneurs, knowing that there's something bigger and more innovative than the different error-checking devices they've built, wrestle over their new invention.
Director: Shane Carruth | Stars: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya
Votes: 114,133 | Gross: $0.42M
What happens if it actually works?
10. Solaris (1972)
PG | 167 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A psychologist is sent to a station orbiting a distant planet in order to discover what has caused the crew to go insane.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri Järvet, Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy
Votes: 98,227
I have a feeling someone's deceiving us
11. The Brood (1979)
R | 92 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Henry Beckman
Votes: 34,299
The Ultimate Experience Of Inner Terror
12. Doom Room (2013)
90 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A woman wakes up locked in a small room with no memory of how she arrived there. Unable to escape, and tormented by a series of paranormal entities, she must uncover the riddle of who she is and how she got here.
Director: Jon Keeyes | Stars: Johanna Stanton, Nicholas Ball, Debbie Rochon, Matthew Tompkins
Votes: 342
Where am I?
13. YellowBrickRoad (2010)
R | 98 min | Horror, Thriller
1940: the entire population of Friar, New Hampshire walked up a winding mountain trail, leaving everything behind. 2008: the first official expedition into the wilderness attempts to solve the mystery of the lost citizens of Friar.
Directors: Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton | Stars: Michael Laurino, Anessa Ramsey, Alex Draper, Cassidy Freeman
Votes: 6,938
They were searching for an evil in the forest. . .but the forest found the evil in them
14. Timecrimes (2007)
R | 92 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.
Director: Nacho Vigalondo | Stars: Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernández, Bárbara Goenaga, Nacho Vigalondo
Votes: 68,762 | Gross: $0.04M
I need to be back home
15. Stalker (1979)
Not Rated | 162 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Alisa Freyndlikh, Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Nikolay Grinko
Votes: 144,704 | Gross: $0.23M
What is your wish?
16. Cube (1997)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.
Director: Vincenzo Natali | Stars: Nicole de Boer, Maurice Dean Wint, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller
Votes: 247,587 | Gross: $0.50M
Don't Look For A Reason... Look For A Way Out
17. Pin (1988)
R | 103 min | Horror, Thriller
Isolated by his strange parents, Leon finds solace in an imaginary friend, which happens to be an anatomy doll from his father's doctor office. Unfortunately, the doll begins to take over Leon's life, and his sister's life as well.
Director: Sandor Stern | Stars: David Hewlett, Cynthia Preston, Terry O'Quinn, Bronwen Mantel
Votes: 5,282
A Journey Beyond The Edge Of Fear And Madness
18. Cargo (2009)
112 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Dr. Laura P. takes a job on a cargo spaceship for 4 years plus 4 years back. She'll join her sister on Rhea. 44 months later, in Laura's shift, strange things happen in cargo. The crew is reanimated and the captain dies mysteriously.
Directors: Ivan Engler, Ralph Etter | Stars: Anna Katharina Schwabroh, Martin Rapold, Regula Grauwiller, Yangzom Brauen
Votes: 20,110
Space is cold
19. Stranded (2001)
R | 99 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
An international group of astronauts crash land on Mars with limited supplies. Help from Earth is 26 months away which means only two can survive. The crew is forced to make desperate choices.
Director: María Lidón | Stars: Vincent Gallo, Maria de Medeiros, Joaquim de Almeida, María Lidón
Votes: 2,884
There is no way back
20. The Sender (1982)
R | 91 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A disturbed telepathic man is unable to fully control his ability to transmit his dreams and visions into the minds of the people around him, or even influence reality. A female therapist tries to help him, but his mother gets in the way.
Director: Roger Christian | Stars: Kathryn Harrold, Zeljko Ivanek, Shirley Knight, Paul Freeman
Votes: 2,208 | Gross: $1.05M
Send me a dream
21. Brainstorm (1983)
PG | 106 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Researchers develop a system where they can jump into people's minds. But when people involved bring their personal problems into the equation, it becomes dangerous - perhaps deadly.
Director: Douglas Trumbull | Stars: Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson
Votes: 13,112 | Gross: $8.90M
The Ultimate Experience
22. The House at the End of Time (2013)
Unrated | 101 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Dulce is a mother of two who experiences terrifying encounters with apparitions inside her old house, a place where a tragedy occurs. Thirty years later, an elderly Dulce returns home to decipher the mystery that has tormented her for so long.
Director: Alejandro Hidalgo | Stars: Ruddy Rodríguez, Guillermo Garcia, Rosmel Bustamante, Gonzalo Cubero
Votes: 7,933
Save me
23. Nomads (1986)
R | 91 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A French anthropologist specializing in nomadic groups moves to Los Angeles with his wife, and starts following a group of sinister street punks who seem to live and move around in a black van. But they aren't what they seem.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Lesley-Anne Down, Pierce Brosnan, Anna Maria Monticelli, Adam Ant
Votes: 5,331 | Gross: $2.28M
The tribe of the dead... Stalking the living!
24. The Uninvited Guest (2004)
R | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
In the dark corridors of Félix's house, an intruder is hiding. Is he real, or is he a manifestation inside the obscure maze of his mind?
Director: Guillem Morales | Stars: Andoni Gracia, Mónica López, Francesc Garrido, Agustí Villaronga
Votes: 6,142
El habitante incierto
25. Magic (1978)
R | 107 min | Drama, Horror
A ventriloquist is at the mercy of his vicious dummy while he tries to renew a romance with his high school sweetheart.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter
Votes: 13,442 | Gross: $25.94M
Hocus Pocus
26. Enter the Void (2009)
Not Rated | 161 min | Drama, Fantasy
An American drug dealer living in Tokyo is betrayed by his best friend and killed in a drug deal. His soul, observing the repercussions of his death, seeks resurrection.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, Cyril Roy, Olly Alexander
Votes: 88,035 | Gross: $0.34M
Enter the void
27. The Lathe of Heaven (1980 TV Movie)
105 min | Sci-Fi
In a highly controlled and overpopulated society, a man who has terrifying dreams that affect reality is assigned a psychiatrist who takes advantage of the situation.
Directors: Fred Barzyk, David R. Loxton | Stars: Bruce Davison, Peyton E. Park, Niki Flacks, Kevin Conway
Votes: 2,810
Are you dreaming this?
28. Alterscape (2018)
90 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
After a failed suicide attempt, a young man coping with loss and depression, submits to a series of trials that fine-tune human emotions, but his unique reaction to the tests send him on a ... See full summary »
Director: Serge Levin | Stars: Michael Ironside, Charles Baker, Alex Veadov, Jeffrey C. Wolf
Votes: 1,689
I feel, therefore I am
29. Welcome to Willits (2016)
Not Rated | 84 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Deep in the Northern California woods, in the heart of the notorious Emerald Triangle, lies a remote cabin. The residents struggle to fight off the repeated attacks and abductions by ... See full summary »
Director: Trevor Ryan | Stars: Bill Sage, Chris Zylka, Anastasia Baranova, Sabina Gadecki
Votes: 1,596
30. Herbert West: Reanimator
Horror, Sci-Fi | Announced
Pursued by the police, an ambitious neuroscientist uses a neutrino impulse to bring his dead wife back to life, unintentionally unlocking within her dormant powers that threaten the existence of everyone he knows.
Director: Serge Levin | Star: Serge Levin
31. Lorenz Fractal (2018)
15 min | Short, Drama, Mystery
Waking up in the middle of the night, Lorenz discovers dimensional tares that lead to distant and varied locations.
Directors: Serge Levin, Rick Spalla, Joe Tripician | Stars: Francisco Filho, Lívia de Bueno, Alex Veadov, Ulisses Riyuji Matushita Isobe
32. Jack Goes Home (2016)
R | 100 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
After his father is killed in a car crash, Jack travels home to Colorado to help nurse his mother (who was injured in the crash) back to health. There, he uncovers long-buried secrets and ... See full summary »
Director: Thomas Dekker | Stars: Rory Culkin, Nando Del Castillo, Sally Del Castillo, Lawton Denis
Votes: 2,631
33. Superstrata
Sci-Fi, Thriller | Completed
On a flight from Seattle to New York, Barry Newman suspects his neighbor of orchestrating a strange anomaly that begins to fragment Barry's reality.
Director: Serge Levin | Stars: Paz de la Huerta, Jim Meskimen, Alex Veadov, Robert F. Lyons
34. Donnie Darko (2001)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
Votes: 849,881 | Gross: $1.48M
35. Shadow (II) (2009)
Not Rated | 77 min | Horror
When a young soldier leaves for a mountain biking excursion, he meets the girl of his dreams as well as a group of violent locals who want to see them dead at any cost.
Director: Federico Zampaglione | Stars: Jake Muxworthy, Karina Testa, Ottaviano Blitch, Chris Coppola
Votes: 2,772
36. Borderland (2007)
R | 105 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
On a trip to a Mexican border town, three college friends stumble upon a human-sacrifice cult.
Director: Zev Berman | Stars: Brian Presley, Jake Muxworthy, Rider Strong, Beto Cuevas
Votes: 10,644
37. Cycle (I) (2012)
Not Rated | 78 min | Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A messed up astronaut runs from the deadly black fog that slowly covers everything. He seems to have only a short memory but he needs to find a way out.
Director: Zoltán Sóstai | Stars: Mike Kelly, Mark C. Phelan, Márk Györgyfalvay, Ádám Juhász
Votes: 310
38. The Void (I) (2016)
Not Rated | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Shortly after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital, a police officer experiences strange and violent occurrences seemingly linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures.
Directors: Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski | Stars: Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Ellen Wong, Kathleen Munroe
Votes: 41,641 | Gross: $0.15M
39. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
R | 121 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos | Stars: Barry G. Bernson, Herb Caillouet, Bill Camp, Raffey Cassidy
Votes: 187,224 | Gross: $2.29M
40. Mandy (I) (2018)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
The enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance.
Director: Panos Cosmatos | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy
Votes: 89,468 | Gross: $1.21M
41. It Follows (2014)
R | 100 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
Director: David Robert Mitchell | Stars: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe
Votes: 268,882 | Gross: $14.67M
42. Videodrome (1983)
R | 87 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A programmer at a Toronto TV station that specializes in adult entertainment searches for the producers of a dangerous and bizarre broadcast.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky
Votes: 102,943 | Gross: $2.12M
43. Scanners (1981)
R | 103 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called "scanning" to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non scanners.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane
Votes: 61,733 | Gross: $14.23M
44. The Tenant (1976)
R | 126 min | Drama, Thriller
A bureaucrat rents a Paris apartment where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet
Votes: 47,609 | Gross: $1.92M
45. Repulsion (1965)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A sex-repulsed woman who disapproves of her sister's boyfriend sinks into depression and has horrific visions of rape and violence.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Yvonne Furneaux
Votes: 57,268
46. Mother! (2017)
R | 121 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer
Votes: 249,599 | Gross: $17.80M
47. The Keep (1983)
R | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Nazis are forced to turn to a Jewish historian for help in battling the ancient demon they have inadvertently freed from its prison.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Scott Glenn, Ian McKellen, Alberta Watson, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 14,294 | Gross: $3.76M
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