This one has lots of surreal imagery and is littered with giant beetles and strange creatures that the exterminator thinks he sees. While it might not be one of his most well known movies, this is certainly up there with Cronenberg’s strangest. 

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16. A Scanner Darkly (2006)

If you know anything about Philip K. Dick, you will understand why this film makes the list. The seminal science fiction writer was a prolific author whose work often looked at the unknown, alternate realities, authoritarian governments, human nature, and many other similar themes. 

A Scanner Darkly is based on the book of the same name and is about a drug epidemic in a police-run dystopian future. While the plot is out there, it’s visually where this film shines. It was shot digitally with real actors and then these images were drawn over by animators, giving it a very unique look. This is another trippy film with a sensational cast, with the likes of Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, and Robert Downey Jr. all featuring. 

17. Black Swan (2010)

Darren Aronofsky is another director who could have a couple of films on this list, but Black Swan is the one that immediately jumps out. Natalie Portman plays a ballerina who is cast as the lead in a performance of Swan Lake. When she discovers she has a rival for the role, played by Mia Kunis, she beings a descent into madness as the pressure builds and she starts hallucinating and seeing her doppelganger.

The ballet sequences in this film are mesmerizing and the two leads really pull you into the story. Aronofsky plays with your mental state as you being to wonder what’s real and what’s not, just like Portman’s character. 

18. Holy Mountain (1973)

This Alejandro Jodorowsky movie that makes even less sense than El Topo. Once again, Jodorowsky does it all, writing, producing, scoring, directing, and starring in The Holy Mountain. At its core, the film can be said to address man’s pursuit of greatness and ease at being corrupted. It’s about understanding the joy you can find in the small pleasures in life. But all this is warped up in a psychedelic adventure featuring nuns, an alchemist, the solar system, and the breaking of the fourth wall.