Films: The Weird and Weirder.
Recently I've had movies on the brain again, and for some reason in particular, the weird and weirder of them. While not a comprehensive list, I thought I'd share my thoughts. So here are some movies you just may have seen, and consequently, the stuff I still can't get over in them.
1. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The entire movie still feels like a whimsy acid trip. From grandpa's song as he floats away, to the flying car, the love tropes, musical toys for the childish king to the candy temptations for children capture (in ironic opposition to the previous).
Speaking of candy to kidnap children, it would be near impossible to mention this film without a specific eccentric character--The Child Catcher. Aside from the entirety of his strange, creepy, and questionable demeanor, the guy looks like the Wicked Witch of the West, and Goth Eric Draven** birthed a love child with a personality disorder. That said, I have no choice but to list a related film next.
*The Wizard of Oz film reference (1939).
** The Crow film reference (1994).
2. The Wiz (1978 film). A different spin on The Wizard of Oz classic we all know.
Although I found that the original could almost be on this list for several reasons, The Wiz takes the cake. Aside from the dark ambiance shadowing the entire film, the fact that Miss One, the Good Witch of the North, and children spirits peel of the walls, let alone talk and sing the way they do, definitely weirded me out as a kid. The questionable happenings of the pleasure house - or whatever the poppy girls scene where they were glitter drugged was supposed to be - was like stomping on the big red button 🔴❌️ everyone tells you not to touch.
Speaking of red, that disaster which introduced us to The Wicked Witch of the West, is also permanently etched into my subconscious. Just another weird thing to add the the pile. To this day, Michael Jackson's portrayal as the Scarecrow and the piano keys bringing the subway columns and the rest of that entire subway peddler scene to life still creep me out. Yep. No amount of Diana Ross' beautiful singing voice, glitter, or Black representation could make me forget it.
3. The Dark Crystal.
I used to watch this film every few months. I was absolutely in awe of Kira's gentle nature and thought she was very pretty, even if she was a puppet. Of course, I also got a kick out of Fizzgig's wild personality, who had his own kind of fascination with her. I think it probably wins first place as the most disturbing depiction of puppets eating I'd ever seen (thank you, Skeksis with those atrophied limbs).
It was a super strange experience to see sensitivity and beauty in certain characters, be weary of others like Aughr's at-will eye socket and eccentric personality, and somehow go to the full-on disquiet of The Emperor's death.
4. Leprechaun.
One of the most insane movies in the 90s, yet we totally watched it anyway. Think..Lucky Charms on acid, with a horror spin. He murders for his gold. And although he looks the same and has the same actor, I believe they aren't supposed to represent the same figure coming back to life every time. If that's the case, it's something they probably should have touched more on because I'm still not certain.
He was most definitely a little creep in the movie, but it was interesting that they'd given more thought to the background story for murderous magic beings (giving a king powers in exchange for gold and the job of protecting King's Gold to the point of bloodshed before eventually being able to return home to the wood). Anyone who has seen this series has to agree that the bicycle scene where he is racing to the hospital, the obsessive shoe shining, the flour leaf clover in the gum trick, the boobs to lawnmower incident (no that wasn't a typo for the rest of you), Cody's weird decision after he caused so much havoc in the second film, the Leprechaun bite and woman's body pretty much inflating in the third, were all crazy weird with a pinch of wtf.
I only recently found out that there was Leprechaun 4: In Space before Back to the Hood. Though I don't know how to feel about it. Also, was I the only one who didn't know there was another movie in the franchise released in 2018 (sequel to the first)? I can't figure out if I want to watch them, but my brain won't let me forget them anyhow.
5. Voldermort's portrayal in Deathly Hollows.
Ever since I was forced - yes forced, as I have never been a Harry Potter fan and a friend of the time wanted me to binge the series during covid sickness - to watch, I could not handle Voldemort's horrendous reveal. Already, the guy looks weird. They could have depicted him as snake-like without the watermelon seed nostrils, which used to give me the creeps as is. But no, they required further scarring.
Some people, since the time I watched the series, mentioned that this bloodied fetal position skeletal figure was a representation of the child in him. I have no idea if they were correct and couldn't manage to get past the other feelings that overwhelmed me to find out. I keep thinking back to this moment as of late, and I SERIOUSLY can't be the only one who thought that "He who shall not be named," in equal parts hilarity and disgust, looked like a skimpy buffalo hot wing??? Albeit, the most horrendous one in existence but I digress.
I was so disturbed at the time by his appearance in those few moments. When I understood that it was some alive.. thing I literally had to pause the movie so I could laugh until I cried. All the while, I was also absolutely mortified that I had thought of food for even a moment. Of course, tortured by my brain for weeks after, I feared eating anything that even slightly resembled hot wing Voldemort. Needless to say, I stayed away from chicken for a while after that. And buffalo wings are my favorite 🙃😭. The memory still haunts me today.
I know I'm pretty strange but am I the only one who felt this way? Every movie on the list had laudable moments with some creepy factored in. Can you think of any other films you've seen that might belong on the list?