40 Timeless, Twisted, Titles
by mcrosswade | created - 11 Dec 2011 | updated - 11 Dec 2011 | PublicFilms from every genre and decade in this list, but the main criteria for each is that it stays with you into the night and spills over to the next day.
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1. All About Eve (1950)
Passed | 138 min | Drama
A seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm
Votes: 138,652 | Gross: $0.01M
A creepy example of humanity, and the lengths one will go to in order to advance his/her own agenda.
2. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Not Rated | 131 min | Drama
A bitter, aging couple, with the help of alcohol, use their young houseguests to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other over the course of a distressing night.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis
Votes: 79,841
If this really is an example of how Richard Burton and Liz Taylor treated one another, as is claimed, I'm glad I wasn't their child. Oops! Did I mention a child?
3. Freaks (1932)
Not Rated | 64 min | Drama, Horror
A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, Roscoe Ates
Votes: 50,549 | Gross: $0.63M
The name says it all.
4. The Honeymoon Killers (1970)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
An obese, embittered nurse doesn't mind if her toupee-wearing boyfriend romances and fleeces other women, as long as he takes her along on his con jobs.
Directors: Leonard Kastle, Donald Volkman | Stars: Shirley Stoler, Tony Lo Bianco, Mary Jane Higby, Doris Roberts
Votes: 5,823 | Gross: $0.46M
This film plays like a reality/documentary on a marriage made in hell.
5. Blue Velvet (1986)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern
Votes: 215,456 | Gross: $8.55M
O.k., I know the obvious choice first up is "Eraserhead", but my skin crawls much more when I watch Dennis Hopper screaming, "Mommy!" while sucking down nitrous.
6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A gender-queer punk-rock singer from East Berlin tours the U.S. with her band as she tells her life story and follows the former lover/band-mate who stole her songs.
Director: John Cameron Mitchell | Stars: John Cameron Mitchell, Miriam Shor, Stephen Trask, Theodore Liscinski
Votes: 37,320 | Gross: $3.03M
Best musical out there. Don't let that turn you off. This film makes Rocky Horror look like a day on the other side of the wall.
7. Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
R | 105 min | Biography, Drama
Biographer John Lahr is writing a book about playwright Joe Orton. Joe and Kenneth meet at drama school and live together for ten years as lovers and collaborators. Both want to be writers, but only one of them is successful.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina, Vanessa Redgrave, Wallace Shawn
Votes: 6,532 | Gross: $1.65M
Nothing like an abusive, homosexual, artist who was being groomed to write The Beatles' next film, until he met his untimely death. Based on a true story...gotta love that!
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 154 min | Crime, Drama
The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
Votes: 2,216,588 | Gross: $107.93M
Really, a description of what makes this twisted? O.k., well, the only thing to be can think of is, "Check out the big brain on..." what's his name?
9. My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An ambitious Pakistani Briton and his white boyfriend strive for success and hope when they open a glamorous laundromat.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth, Daniel Day-Lewis, Richard Graham
Votes: 17,281 | Gross: $2.45M
Is it a laundry, a disco? This ain't no foolin' around.
10. The Road (I) (2009)
R | 111 min | Drama, Thriller
In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.
Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall
Votes: 253,952 | Gross: $0.06M
By far the best Post Apocolyptic film ever made. You'll want to take a long, hot shower and become a vegetarian after. Slow starter.
11. Spun (2002)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A drug dealer introduces one of his customers, a 'speed freak', to the man who runs the meth lab. A crazy three-day adventure ensues.
Director: Jonas Åkerlund | Stars: Jason Schwartzman, John Leguizamo, Patrick Fugit, Brittany Murphy
Votes: 40,720 | Gross: $0.41M
Not a bad film, just a bad subject. I grew up in a town that is in the urban dictionary for tweekers. This is a fairly good characterization...did you expect them to look like Jennifer Conolly?
12. House of Sand and Fog (2003)
R | 126 min | Crime, Drama
An abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her house's new owners.
Director: Vadim Perelman | Stars: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher
Votes: 72,551 | Gross: $13.01M
There are no winners in this illustration of bureaucratic mishaps, struggle for survival, and racism, racism, racism.
13. American History X (1998)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama
Living a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.
Director: Tony Kaye | Stars: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Jennifer Lien
Votes: 1,185,085 | Gross: $6.72M
And speaking of racism...although in this film, there seems to be redemption; it just comes at a very high cost.
14. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
In a magically realistic version of Toronto, a young man must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes one by one in order to win her heart.
Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick
Votes: 464,900 | Gross: $31.49M
This is a great comedy that has its own reasons for being twisted. If there is a better example of combining the concepts of a video game with a film, PLEASE SUGGEST IT!
15. eXistenZ (1999)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 107,100 | Gross: $2.84M
The future is almost upon us in this example of a world where marketing managers are the nerds and techies are hip, slick, and rule!
16. Play Misty for Me (1971)
R | 102 min | Drama, Thriller
The life of a disc jockey is turned upside down after a romantic encounter with an obsessed fan.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch
Votes: 31,841 | Gross: $11.80M
A much better "Fatal Attraction."
17. Memento (2000)
R | 113 min | Mystery, Thriller
A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior
Votes: 1,321,549 | Gross: $25.54M
The first film that really threw me. Very hard to keep up with the twists, which is a great thing in a cookie cutter script of a world.
18. Fight Club (1999)
R | 139 min | Drama
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier
Votes: 2,320,066 | Gross: $37.03M
Could you live in that house!? What "Spun" did for tweekers, "Fight Club" did for fighting. Makes you feel invincible, if only for an hour or so.
19. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 634,761 | Gross: $0.71M
What makes ths film twisted is just EVERYTHING! Not a taboo left unturned. Let's just say that one badass of a gangster makes a big oops when he lets others choose his lovers for him.
20. Splice (2009)
R | 104 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Genetic engineers Clive Nicoli and Elsa Kast hope to achieve fame by successfully splicing together the DNA of different animals to create new hybrid animals for medical use.
Director: Vincenzo Natali | Stars: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanéac, Brandon McGibbon
Votes: 101,730 | Gross: $17.00M
A relatively new film for my list (just something about the classics I dig), this film stars two actresses for the title character; one was a young Asian Girl. The fact that the spliced creature is only part human in this futuristic sci-fi doesn't freak you out as much as the fact that there's a real girl, actress, wearing the make-up.
21. Monster's Ball (2001)
R | 111 min | Drama, Romance
After a family tragedy, a racist prison guard re-examines his attitudes while falling in love with the African-American wife of the last prisoner he executed.
Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Taylor Simpson, Gabrielle Witcher
Votes: 94,023 | Gross: $31.27M
Abusive parents, death row inmates, and more racism. Another film with enough to keep you busy. Not to mention you get to find out what Billy Bob Thorton looks like having sex, instead of just hearing about it from his Red Carpet faux pas.
22. Quills (2000)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama
In a Napoleonic era insane asylum, an inmate, the irrepressible Marquis De Sade, fights a battle of wills against a tyrannically prudish doctor.
Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine
Votes: 56,701 | Gross: $7.06M
While probably not the true story of the Marquis De Sade, it's fun enough to imagine that his days spent in the asylum torturing a young (and hot) Joaquin Phoenix were just like this.
23. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1989–1990)
165 min | Drama
Jessica, raised in a fanatical cult, endures brainwashing until her forbidden relationship with Melanie opens her eyes. They face cruel treatment for their 'unnatural' bond, but Jessica's spirit overcomes the oppressive teachings.
Stars: Geraldine McEwan, Elizabeth Spriggs, Freda Dowie, Peter Gordon
Votes: 1,112
I didn't realize this was a mini-series, but it's available nontheless. Not really creepy, just uncomfortable at times. Don't all girls try to kiss their friends?
24. Fargo (1996)
R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller
Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Votes: 725,792 | Gross: $24.61M
Good clean fun. A scheme goes awry leading to a large body count, oopsy!
25. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
M | 129 min | Drama
The lives of a disparate group of contestants intertwine in an inhumanely grueling dance marathon.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young
Votes: 20,828 | Gross: $12.60M
A perfect illustration that this is in no particular order. If it were, this would be closer to number one. I don't think I'm alone in being ignorant to this method of earning money during the depression. You really do have to wait until the end for the big payoff, but the long dance marathon that leads up to it has plenty to chew on in the meantime.
26. The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (2009)
TV-MA | 86 min | Documentary
A year in the life of the White family, well known for Jesco White, the star of the "Dancing Outlaw" documentary.
Director: Julien Nitzberg | Stars: J. Parker Bazzle II, Big & Rich, Ponty's Camper, Derek Wayne Castle
Votes: 5,189
While wild, not so much wonderful. West Virginia's most beloved outlaws. They sure love their oxycontin. The matriarch is convinced that snorting it is the traditional, doctor prescribed method of taking this opiate. Hmmm. Excuse the fact that it's a documentary. If that were the only criteria, the list would be complete, but I'll reserve it for two in particular.
27. There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
This documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. Was she really the reckless drunk, or the perfect suburban mother?
Director: Liz Garbus | Stars: Jesse Temple, Brad Katinas, Diane Schuler, Jay Schuler
Votes: 6,379
O.k., why not? I said there'd only be two, and here's the other. I will tell you that if you ever try to defend Aunt Diane on any forum, you won't make friends. This documentary chronicles the Taconic Parkway tragedy. Pictures and all!
28. Funny Games (2007)
R | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two psychopathic young men take a family hostage in their cabin.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet
Votes: 103,757 | Gross: $1.29M
A better "Strangers". It just plays better. Long, uncomfortable scenes with Michael Pitt at the center are sufficient for this film to make the list. He turns borrowing eggs from a neighbor into a nightmarish event.
29. Junebug (2005)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
A dealer in "outsider" art travels from Chicago to North Carolina to meet her new in-laws, challenging the equilibrium of this middle class Southern home.
Director: Phil Morrison | Stars: Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, David Kuhn, Alicia Van Couvering
Votes: 23,424 | Gross: $2.68M
Isn't Amy Adams just as cute as a button? Well, not in this family drama. She's the squeaky clean little sister you never wanted. Well acted, but a little slow at times.
30. Super (I) (2010)
R | 96 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, but lacking in heroic skills.
Director: James Gunn | Stars: Rainn Wilson, Elliot Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon
Votes: 83,658 | Gross: $0.32M
A man or a mouse, this odd film tries to be a blockbuster. Halfway through is when things get weird, but when the protagonist does vere away from his New Born Christian ideals, he quickly gets back on track. It's the getting there that'll make you cringe.
31. The Exorcist (1973)
R | 122 min | Horror
When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
Votes: 454,382 | Gross: $232.91M
If you haven't seen this, do. In the original screenings, audience members fainted. Fainted!
32. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
R | 102 min | Drama
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans
Votes: 897,607 | Gross: $3.64M
Another Ode to Meth Addicts, Arronofsky's film does a great job building the drama. You feel like a snowball rolling slowly down a hill, collecting tension on the way.
33. Bright Young Things (2003)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, War
An adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel "Vile Bodies", is a look into the lives of a young novelist, his would-be lover, and a host of young people who beautified London in the 1930s.
Director: Stephen Fry | Stars: Stephen Campbell Moore, Emily Mortimer, Dan Aykroyd, Simon McBurney
Votes: 6,309 | Gross: $0.93M
This film stars many actors who, at the time, had not been discovered by Red Carpet regulars. Brilliantly British, it follows the social set of a time when everything seemed to be going right for everyone. Until it doesn't.
34. The Salton Sea (2002)
R | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After a tragic incident, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies.
Director: D.J. Caruso | Stars: Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Goldberg, Luis Guzmán
Votes: 32,006 | Gross: $0.76M
Vincent D'nofrio was robbed of an Oscar! Portraying a meth cook, he overshadows the star, Val Kilmer, as a man who's dipped his nose into the cookie jar so often, that he now sports a prosthetic. A suspense filled drama that doesn't pull any punches.
35. The Town (2010)
R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold an assistant manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 415,260 | Gross: $92.19M
Not a fantastic film, but quite good. The craziest thing were the quotes at the beginning about the fact that a statistically measurable number of Bostonians considered robbery an occupation in the 90's. Wonder what they're doing today?
36. Sybil (1976)
TV-14 | 66 min | Biography, Drama
A young woman whose childhood was so harrowing to her that she developed sixteen different personalities is treated by a doctor.
Stars: Joanne Woodward, Sally Field, Brad Davis, Martine Bartlett
Votes: 7,457
Sally Fields earned her cred for this film about a victime of what used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder. It is supposedly one of the earliest recorded cases by a psychiatrist. How she got that way is the real story.
37. 8MM (1999)
R | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A private investigator is hired to discover if a "snuff film" is authentic or not.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare
Votes: 142,617 | Gross: $36.66M
About the search for a snuff film. Is that enough for you?
38. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
PG-13 | 112 min | Biography, Drama
The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.
Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny
Votes: 110,396 | Gross: $5.99M
Based on a true story, it makes you happy that you aren't paralyzed. At least you aren't like this!
39. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Votes: 292,617 | Gross: $20.30M
O.k., o.k., there are a few repetitive themes here, but doesn't child molestation make everyone's list for creepy? A few twists as well. Extremely well acted by a few locals.
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