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[mango drank]

If you've seen Vanilla Sky, odds are you had one of two reactions: "that was awful," or "I tripped balls and I loved it." In my case, it was the latter. I saw it in theaters when it first released, and the effect it had on me is probably exactly what Cameron Crowe intended: a mix of delirium, euphoria, and generally being weirded the fuck out. Like experiencing a fever dream. Or like a mild drug high without needing the actual drugs. I love movies that can do that. In Vanilla Sky's case, it was probably down to Crowe's masterful use of music, paired with the surreal plot.

I'm still chasing that high. For those who know what I'm talking about, what other movies have made you feel something similar? Is there a formula for it? Some combo of expertly-fit music, dream states, bittersweet feels, and surreal worlds? I dunno, but I can point to a few other movies that brought out shades of it for me:
Never Let Me Go
Hereditary / Midsommar
Dark City
Mulholland Drive / Lost Highway / Blue Velvet
The City of Lost Children

 

[BlackOlivesMatter]

Freddy Got Fingered

 

[Scotty W]

 

[Rasmagoric]

I think i understand what you mean.
First movies that come to mind that combine a moody visual aesthetic and plot into a dream like state are:

Enter the Void:

and Eyes Wide Shut:

 

[Deleted member 801069]

Spoiler

3 of my fav directors too

 

[RedVIper]

Enter the void is more popular than I though.

 

[Deleted member 801069]

Enter the void is more popular than I though.

Gaspar Noé is an exceptional director

I don’t think any movie has ever had such an impact on me as Irréversible

edit: hard movie to recommend tho

 

[Taxexemption]

I've been waiting for this topic for years and I didn't even know it... This movie will make you high and temporarily change your perception of reality. Watch it in a dark place, pay very close attention. I don't think anything like this has been made since then.

 

[Stouffers]

Jojo rabbit

 

[The Rain King]

The Cell does a lot of this, but it's a genuinely terrible film.

 

[teezzy]

David Lynch eat your heart out.

 

[Cannibalistic]

plus; pretty much anything by
Alejandro Jodorowsky or Andrzej Zulawski

 

[Phobos Base]

It Follows
Prince of Darkness
Under the Skin
Drive

 

[AV]

How was it ten replies before anyone even mentioned Lynch? What you're describing is (almost) his entire filmography

 

[Paasei]

Drive is a really good one.
Maybe Requiem for a dream.

 

[Kimahri]

How was it ten replies before anyone even mentioned Lynch? What you're describing is (almost) his entire filmography

Also, his music will accomplish the same thing.

 

[Kayoba]

Satoshi Kons movie Paprika.

I also would like to mention The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, although you need to watch the TV series in order to understand this one.

 

[SJRB]

Annihilation probably fits that bill nicely.

 

[jufonuk]

Keeping up with the Kardasihians. When my wife watches it and then I have to. I start to question everything. Minutes become hours hours a life time. Time has no meaning. It’s hypnotic the more time I hear “like” the more my soul tries to escape this plain of existence.

My limbs detect I’m just a point in space time folding in oneself.

I’ve seen the stars and the cosmos.
I’ve seen water droplets take a million years to fall from a tap, felt the sweet embrace of nothing and one-ness...I’ve.... oh shit hahah Kayne is a mad cunt.

 

[Thing on a Spring]

Satoshi Kons movie Paprika.

Paranoia Agent too, although not a movie.

 

[triplestation]

requiem for a dream

 

[Catphish]

Mother!

This movie was like sitting at the event horizon of a fever dream. The feelings it elicited lingered with me for days after.

 

[INC]

 

[#Phonepunk#]

2001: A Space Odyssey

 

[joedan]

Raising Arizona

 

[Slings and Arrows]

A scanner Darkly is cool af.

 

[Nymphae]

David Lynch the thread

 

[BigBooper]

Werckmeister Harmoniak. I'm not a big avant garde film school fan, but this one stuck with me.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

"Waking Life" for sure. amazing dreams-within-dreams multidimensional narrative. the central character and repetitive motifs are very dreamlike.


it's funny, on paper it isn't really all that different from his early movie "Slacker", which itself was non-linear. that movie didn't even have a main character, jumping from scene to scene, one leading subconsciously to the next. Linklater is a Stream of Consciousness filmmaker in a lot of ways. lol both these films feature Alex Jones.

"Slacker"


also Kenneth Anger's films do this a lot. these are more vintage experimental films. he purposefully uses Occult symbolism and esoteric imagery and literal rituals in his magickal work. the soundtrack was recorded from inside prison by one of Charle's Manson's after Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page failed to come up with something that satisfied Anger. Mia Farrow stars and is high af.

"Lucifer Rising"


my favorite of his dreamlike movies is the silent film homage "Puce Moment", which is a nonlinear narrative celebrating the glamor and decadence of old school Hollywood and tells a more abstract story with color, shape, and time. lots of low fi camera trickery in here and a killer proto-shoegaze soundtrack. at one point the lead actress is gliding across her room on her fainting couch.

"Puce Moment"

 

[Patrick S.]

Trainspotting
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas
Training Day

 

[Mitsuda Maniac]

I actually felt high watching the scene from Apocalypto where they walk through the Mayan city and get marched up to the pyramid. Pretty mindblowing stuff.

 

[ipukespiders]

Maybe “A Clockwork Orange”?
Could have been the conditions I first watched in, though.

 

[Red Rackham's Revenge]

Was going to say this.

The Fountain, watch it.

 

[Peggies]

Get out

 

[teezzy]

plus; pretty much anything by
Alejandro Jodorowsky or Andrzej Zulawski

i like you

 

[INC]

most hate this film tho, i personally rate it, but i get the hate

 

[Manus]

Definitely The Neon Demon.

 

[Nymphae]

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas

I love that scene where Depp goes to give his car to the valet and he's tripping balls. The valet talks to him but he's only able to squirm in his seat at imagined dangers, and the valet just goes "don't worry, I'll remember your face", and you see and hear that from Depp's warped perspective and he gets all paranoid about it.

There's something I really like about that scene, a totally friendly exchange being perceived as a life threatening endeavour

 

[TrainedRage]

Stalker
Enter The Void
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Beyond the Black Rainbow
The Cell
City of Lost Children
Dark City
Cube
Waking Life
A Scanner Darkly
Liquid Sky

 

[mango drank]

This thing blew up. Thanks for the recs everyone, will be checking a lot of these out. Can't reply to everyone, but:

Enter the Void:

Thanks, watched this last night. I liked it, and the visuals were great, but I realized as I was watching it that one of the components to that signature "fever dream" feeling is having your emotions amplified and taken on a ride. Like, getting emotionally invested in the movie, the characters, and then having your emotions fucked with, and adding surrealism to the mix. Unfortunately Enter the Void didn't do that for me, because the characters were mostly blank slates, and the actual narrative was fairly short and simple. Again, cool movie overall, but I guess trippy visuals and lavish cinematography on their own aren't enough.

The Cell does a lot of this, but it's a genuinely terrible film.

I think I've seen parts of this, but I've definitely seen some of Tarsem Singh's others. You're right, it pushes some of those buttons, but his movies in general aren't great, so I don't end up having much of a reaction.

It Follows
Prince of Darkness
Under the Skin
Drive

I've seen all of those except for Prince of Darkness. It Follows is one of my favorite movies of all time, but didn't trip me out. Under the Skin definitely has some of that feel. Very good call, forgot about it.

How was it ten replies before anyone even mentioned Lynch? What you're describing is (almost) his entire filmography

Totally forgot about Lynch. Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway definitely hit those buttons. Added to the OP.

Annihilation probably fits that bill nicely.

Seen it, had to watch it twice before I appreciated it. Yeah, it kinda hits those buttons, but wasn't feeling it too strongly. I personally think Alex Garland is overrated, though, so I'm in the minority of people who aren't huge fans in the first place.

I actually felt high watching the scene from Apocalypto where they walk through the Mayan city and get marched up to the pyramid. Pretty mindblowing stuff.

Saw this recently and liked it, but I don't remember wigging out, haha.

The Fountain, watch it.

Saw it 10+ years ago. Was cool visually, but I don't remember tripping, unfortunately.

Get out

Was good and I liked it, but fairly normcore emotionally, IMO.

most hate this film tho, i personally rate it, but i get the hate

see the first line of text in the OP, lol

City of Lost Children

YES, totally forgot about this, great example.

 

[teezzy]

dont sleep on Motorama that movie is such a hidden treasure, im not kidding. its weeeeeiiiiirrrd

 

[O-N-E]

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Can't believe I'm the first one to mention The Holy Mountain, so that:



A few were mentioned already, but a lot of anime films have that effect on me.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Flip Flappers (but that is a series)

Satoshi Kons movie Paprika.

This.

 

[ItsGreat]

Mr Robot. I hadn't a fucking clue even though I was binge watching it.

I think the 7 hour sessions made it dream like. As if it was going on in my head.

 

[En Sama]

I watched this when I was younger and thought it was a really deep moving film. If I seen it for the first time now I'd probably think it was a pretentious load of shite.

 

[Karunamon]

Immortal (2004)


"Dreamlike" is the best way I can describe it.

 

[BlackOlivesMatter]

Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Run Lola Run come to mind

 

[Noboru Wataya]

Jacobs Ladder

Not so much a film, but anything from David Firth is nightmare fuel.

 

[TomoItagaki]

Came here to post Altered States and Jacob's Ladder.
And yeah, you can also add anything by Nicolas Winding Refn and Gaspar Noe.