3 Seriously Weird Films from the ’60s, ’90s, And 2000s

Here are some of the strangest movies ever made. And if you still want more info on bizarre cinema, head to my more comprehensive list that spans the whole history of Hollywood.

The Magus (1968)

The general consensus about this film is that no one, including the audience and all of the film’s creators, has the faintest clue what the film is about. Novelist John Fowles was reportedly very unhappy with how this cinematic adaptation of his novel turned out. So was the film’s star, Michael Caine, who listed it as one of the worst movies he’s ever been in. So was actress Candice Bergen. Cinematographer Billy Williams said he found the film “strange” and “unfathomable.” Actor Peter Sellers, when asked by biographer William Goldman if he had any regrets in life, said he’d do “everything exactly the same, with the exception of watching The Magus (1968)”.

In very basic terms, the “plot”—what can be discerned of it—involves a teacher (Caine) who arrives on a Greek island and falls into a dysfunctional psychological relationship with the island’s resident magician. The magician proceeds to put the teacher through a series of psychological tests involving Nazi reenactments and multiple psychological identities. Take from this film what you will.

Until the End of the World (1991)

This movie took over a decade to make. It was filmed on four different continents — Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia — and the dialogue moves seamlessly between French, German, English, Russian, Japanese, and at least three other languages. The original cut of the movie was almost 24 hours long! The version that was released in movie theaters on Christmas Day in 1991 was only 158 minutes long, though. Critics and moviegoers alike panned it as a colossal mess. It also cost over 20 million to make — a lot of money in the 1980s for a movie — while taking in only $752,856 at the box office.

The version that exists today is 4.7 hours long and was released in 2019 as the official director’s cut via the Criterion Collection. It is a strangely beautiful and boring movie. It is perhaps one of the best movies to watch to put you to sleep, which is a compliment — Until the End of the World is a dreamy movie that transcends shackles and leaves you stupefied in banality and a weird dew of awesomeness.

Southland Tales (2006)

Southland Tales is weird for a lot of reasons. The movie stars Justin Timberlake, Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, Amy Poehler, Seann William Scott, and other incredibly famous actors. It also has a soundtrack by Moby. But the movie makes absolutely no sense to any general audience — like, no sense whatsoever — and it meanders for almost 2.5 hours.

One reviewer said of the film: “Southland Tales was so bad it made me wonder if [the director] had ever met a human being.” It also cost $17 million to make and only generated $374,743 in revenue. Some will see the genius in the film though, maybe.