Japan is a country known for its strange fiction. Whether it’s videogames about a plumber eating mushrooms or manga (Japanese comic books) about a guy with a chainsaw arm, they always seem to produce the most wild and whacky stuff. Here are several really bizarre movies from Japan.
- Godzilla vs. Hedorah
The “Godzilla” franchise is known for being rather goofy and has always had weird moments but “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” (also known as “Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster”) might just be the weirdest of the series. One sequence sees a man hallucinate and see everybody with fish masks. Godzilla also flies as he pursues Hedorah in one of cinema’s most absurd moments.
- Dreams
You know a film is going to be weird when it’s based on somebody’s dreams. When we sleep, some seriously odd things can happen. However, I think the stuff going on in Akira Kurosawa’s mind is a little stranger than anything that has gone on in mine. We see a collection of different dreams that span the master director’s life. It’s a film that cannot really be described very well but one that should be experienced.
- Spirited Away
Many people may forget just how weird some of the films from Studio Ghibli are because they are just so darn entertaining. While “Spirited Away” is a truly classic anime film, it’s still a weird movie where a little girl encounters so much strange stuff. Her parents get turned into pigs, she has to deal with a giant baby and there’s other weird creatures that I can’t even describe.
- House
A supernatural movie about a haunted house features many strange sights. We see a disembodied head biting a girl on the bum and somebody else gets eaten by a piano. Yes, you read that right. A piano devours someone.
- RoboGeisha
“RoboGeisha” sees a woman get transformed into a cyborg geisha assassin. Near the end, half of her body turns into a tank and she battles a giant building monster. There is also a swordfight where swords come out of several girls’ butts. This is of course one of those particularly odd Japanese splatter comedies like “Tokyo Gore Police” and “The Machine Girl”. The whole list could be filled with splatter comedies.