With Halloween season on the way, myself and a few friends recently each put together our own Movie Recommendations Iceberg Memes, and I thought it'd be fun to share mine and talk through it! If you're only able to read this and notice there's no alt text on the following image of said meme, don't worry, I'll be going through it in detail afterward <3.
Universal Appeal
All of these should be palatable and enjoyable for every type of watcher there is! Solid comfort films.
- Coraline
- Look Back
- Atlantis
- Treasure Planet
- The Princess Bride
- Blade Runner
- Your Name
- Barbie (2023)
- But I'm a Cheerleader
- Robocop (1987)
Most People Should Like This
Just one step beyond universal appeal, these have a tight focus and execute on their goals incredibly well.
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- An absolute must-watch. A masterclass in visual storytelling with not a single second wasted during its runtime. Definitely recommend checking out the black-and-white cut of the movie if you're already a Fury Road enjoyer.
- The Thing
- Redline (2009)
- Labyrinth
- The Dark Crystal
- 9
- All Guillermo del Toro Movies
- Alien / Aliens
- Chopping Mall
- The Night is Short, Walk on Girl
Up To Taste, But Easy To Watch
These movies donn't have anything I'd consider particularly offputting or hard to sit through, but they're definitely more up to individual taste rather than being broadly enjoyable.
- Ghost in the Shell (1995)
- This is currently my favourite movie :3. Shocking that I would be deeply invested in a cyberpunk narrative about transhumanism and the fluid nature of identity.
- Akira
- Noroi: The Curse
- My fave horror movie. Incredible high-effort execution on found footage as a genre. If you think you can successfully convince someone on first viewing that this is true crime rather than found footage I highly recommend it.
- Django Unchained
- Polar
- Robot Carnival
- Hardware
- Trick or Treat (1986)
- Ravenous
- Cabaret (1972)
- The Raid
- Blood Quantum
Hard To Recommend, But Worth a Try To See
These are harder sells, either because they have some rougher content in them or just because the filmcraft itself is a bit more rough around the edges. That said, these movies usually offer something unique and totally unlike the mainstream.
- I Saw the TV Glow
- A movie that will make you feel feelings! Visual delight blended with truly soulcrushing personal horror. Easily one of the most distressing PG-13 movies I've ever seen.
- It Follows
- MindGame
- An incredible standout film from animation director Masaaki Yuasa. Definitely check out The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl or Inu-Oh before this one if you're not an animation lover. This movie always leaves me with an unshakeable joy for life like no other piece of media can.
- Possession
- Event Horizon
- Diamond Cobra vs the White Fox
- House (1977)
- The Running Man
- Deathgasm
- Guns Akimbo
The ✨Art Zone✨
Time to start stretching palatability! These are movies I'd only recommend if you're already very comfortable ingesting media beyond the surface level plot and imagery. These are movies looking to really push the boundaries of what can be done with the medium of film and aren't as likely to be baseline fun to watch unless you're willing to engage as an active viewer.
- Poor Things
- Jacob's Ladder
- Tetsuo the Iron Man
- Fire Walk With Me
- Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
- End of Evangelion
- Skinamarink
Probably Unpalatable, But I Liked It
Probably don't watch these! These each have some pretty rough content but gods are they incredible. Check your content warnings, get a second opinion, and if it all checks out these are unforgettable viewings.
- Phil Tippett's Mad God
- The 30-year passion project of a visual effects legend. Every frame oozes with gleefully dense imagery and chaos.
- The Substance
- Body horror and film industry critique are a match made in heaven. Mega gross but SO GOOD.
- House of 1000 Corpses
That's the list! Whenever I do an exercise like this I always want to try digging back into Letterboxd but consistent cataloguing is hard sometimes. I'm definitely thinking about making a few more "my favourite media" posts for games and music and other nonsense as fun low-effort introductions to the blog's vibe. They're a lot of fun to put together.
Enjoy!
~ DiceMath <3