Join to get exclusive perks & news!

Top 20 Surreal Movies That Feel Like a Dream

1-20

Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - June 1st 2025, 15:00 GMT+2

Cropped Beau is Afraid — Beau Is Afraid (2023)

If anxiety were a cinematic genre, *Beau Is Afraid* would be its undisputed king. Ari Aster, the mind behind *Hereditary* and *Midsommar*, delivers an epic odyssey of neurosis, mommy issues, and absolute dread – wrapped in surrealist absurdity. Joaquin Phoenix stumbles, cries, and flees his way through a world that seems custom-built to crush him, as if Kafka and Charlie Kaufman co-wrote a video game on hard mode. Every scene makes you wonder: is this a metaphor, or is this just how Beau’s Tuesday is going? The production design alone feels like a stress dream brought to life by a very expensive therapy bill. | © A24

Mad god msn — Mad God (2021)

Phil Tippett, the legendary stop-motion artist behind *Star Wars* and *Jurassic Park*, emerged from the shadows with *Mad God*, a passion project 30 years in the making – and, wow, did he let his nightmares do the talking. There’s no dialogue, no hand-holding, just a grotesque descent through a dystopian hellscape populated by decaying creatures and industrial monstrosities. It’s like a Hieronymus Bosch painting started animating itself while screaming into a void. You won’t find any big-name actors here, but trust me, the true star is Tippett’s disturbingly beautiful imagination. It’s gory, grimy, and oddly mesmerizing – like claymation for people who sleep with one eye open. | © Tippett Studio

Cropped mandy — Mandy (2018)

Ah, *Mandy*. The movie where Nicolas Cage finally found a role that matched the intensity of his meme-worthy rage face. Directed by Panos Cosmatos, this psychedelic revenge opera drenches itself in neon blood and doom metal. Cage plays a lumberjack whose quiet forest life is destroyed by a demonic cult – and from there, things only get weirder. Chainsaw duels? Check. Animated dream sequences? You bet. A cheddar-fueled Cage meltdown in a bathroom that deserves its own Oscar? Oh yes. This is less a film and more a heavy-metal fever dream wrapped in cinematic glitter. | © RLJE Films

Cropped beyond the black rainbow — Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)

Before *Mandy*, Panos Cosmatos introduced his singular brand of slow-burn surrealism with *Beyond the Black Rainbow*. Set in a mysterious research facility and drenched in synth-heavy dread, this movie is like being trapped in a sci-fi screensaver from the 1980s... if that screensaver had psychological warfare, telekinesis, and existential dread baked in. Don’t expect answers – this is more about mood, vibes, and weird glowing pyramids. There are no marquee celebrities here, but the cold intensity of Michael Rogers as the unhinged Dr. Arboria is deeply hypnotic. Watching this is less about following a plot and more about surrendering to the vibes and hoping your brain doesn't melt. | © Magnet Releasing

Cropped enter the void — Enter The Void (2009)

Gaspar Noé doesn’t just make movies – he opens trapdoors into the psyche, and *Enter The Void* might be his most ambitious descent yet. Told largely from a first-person perspective (yes, seriously), this Tokyo-set acid trip follows the soul of a drug dealer after death. If that sounds wild, just wait till you *see* it – fluorescent visuals, strobing lights, and metaphysical flights through the afterlife make this more of a sensory experience than a traditional film. Paz de la Huerta adds some wild-eyed intensity, grounding the chaos with her signature volatility. It’s hypnotic, frustrating, provocative – and kind of unforgettable, even if you’re not sure what you just watched. | © Wild Bunch

Cropped synecdoche new york — Synecdoche, New York (2008)

If existential dread wore a turtleneck and directed stage plays inside a massive warehouse, it would be *Synecdoche, New York*. Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut stars the late, brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman as a theater director who builds a life-sized replica of New York inside a warehouse... to better understand his own life. Meta enough for you? The film folds in on itself like a dream within a dream within a midlife crisis. With supporting turns from Samantha Morton, Catherine Keener, and Michelle Williams, this isn’t just a movie – it’s a mirror maze for the soul. It’ll make you laugh, cry, and question whether your apartment is actually just a set. | © Sony Pictures Classics

Cropped Paprika — Paprika (2006)

Before *Inception* dared to dream within dreams, there was *Paprika*. Directed by anime legend Satoshi Kon, this visually stunning film follows a psychologist who enters people's dreams using a device called the DC Mini. As expected, chaos ensues – and by chaos, we mean parade floats made of refrigerators, sentient dolls, and enough visual overload to short-circuit your cerebrum. If you thought reality was fragile, *Paprika* will smash it with a technicolor sledgehammer. No Hollywood stars here, but the film’s influence on western directors (hello, Christopher Nolan) is undeniable. It’s a wild ride through the subconscious and a feast for eyeballs that crave overstimulation. | © Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan

Cropped inland empire — Inland Empire (2006)

David Lynch said he didn’t need a script for *Inland Empire*, and oh boy, does it show – in the best way possible. Laura Dern gives a mesmerizing, chaotic performance as an actress who may or may not be spiraling into madness... or inhabiting multiple realities... or playing a woman playing another woman playing a role? Honestly, who knows. Shot on low-grade digital video and running a glorious three hours, this is Lynch unleashed, with no studio in sight. It’s disturbing, dreamlike, and deliciously baffling. You’ll either love it or feel like you accidentally downloaded a cursed VHS from the dark web. | © StudioCanal

Cropped Mulholland Drive — Mulholland Drive (2001)

Ah, *Mulholland Drive –* the film that launched a thousand Reddit threads. Another Lynchian masterpiece, this noir-ish Hollywood fever dream stars Naomi Watts in a career-defining role, alongside Laura Harring and Justin Theroux. What starts as a girl-meets-girl mystery unravels into a spiraling tale of identity, jealousy, and shattered dreams, all drenched in surreal atmospherics and that infamous diner scene (you know the one). Is it a dream? A memory? A metaphor? The answer is yes. It’s sexy, haunting, and proof that David Lynch dreams in riddles. | © Universal Pictures / StudioCanal

Cropped naked lunch — Naked Lunch (1991)

Imagine trying to adapt a book that was once declared unfilmable – and then doing it anyway, while under the influence of insect typewriters, talking sphincters, and paranoia-induced hallucinations. That’s *Naked Lunch*, directed by body-horror master David Cronenberg and based (very loosely) on William S. Burroughs’ infamous novel. Peter Weller plays Bill Lee, a writer who drifts through Interzone – a Kafkaesque realm full of drug-fueled insanity and spy intrigue. With support from Ian Holm, Judy Davis, and Roy Scheider, this film is like watching a fever dream try to write itself. It’s bizarre, brilliant, and absolutely not safe for lunch. | © 20th Century Fox

Cropped Jacobs Ladder — Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

You know that feeling when reality seems just a *bit* off – like the walls are breathing and strangers keep morphing into demons? *Jacob’s Ladder* turns that feeling into a full-blown psychological horror trip. Tim Robbins plays a Vietnam vet haunted by terrifying visions and flashbacks that suggest something deeply wrong is happening to his mind – or maybe his soul. The film has influenced everything from *Silent Hill* to *The Sixth Sense*, and it’s easy to see why. It’s unsettling, poetic, and layered with enough meaning to warrant multiple rewatches – and possibly a nightlight. | © TriStar Pictures

Cropped Brazil — Brazil (1985)

What if George Orwell took a few too many mushrooms, then collaborated with Monty Python? You’d get *Brazil*, Terry Gilliam’s dystopian masterpiece. Jonathan Pryce stars as a government clerk lost in a labyrinthine bureaucracy, haunted by dreams of flying, and hunted by a system that’s both absurd and terrifying. Robert De Niro pops in as a rogue air-conditioning repairman (yes, really), while a deeply surreal narrative unfolds like a Kafkaesque fever dream. Equal parts hilarious, bleak, and visually stunning, *Brazil* is the kind of movie that makes you question everything – including your toaster. | © 20th Century Fox / Universal Pictures

Cropped Suspiria — Suspiria (1977)

Dario Argento’s *Suspiria* is less a film and more a technicolor nightmare set to a prog-rock soundtrack. Jessica Harper plays an American ballerina who joins a prestigious dance academy in Germany, only to discover it’s run by witches. Naturally. The colors are otherworldly, the violence is operatic, and the score by Goblin will make your hair stand on end. This isn’t just horror – it’s dream logic in motion, like a Grimm’s fairy tale filtered through a lava lamp. Don’t expect coherence, expect vibes – blood-drenched, dazzling, and totally unforgettable vibes. | © International Classics / Produzioni Atlas Consorziate

Eraserhead (1977)

David Lynch’s debut feature is a black-and-white descent into industrial purgatory. *Eraserhead* is the story of Henry Spencer, played by Jack Nance, whose existence is dominated by bleak apartments, ambient dread, and a mutant baby that squeals like a broken teapot. Lynch gives us zero context, maximum discomfort, and one of the most unnerving sound designs in film history. It’s weird, grotesque, and hypnotic – like if your worst nightmare decided to get into avant-garde filmmaking. It’s not for everyone, but it is for people who like their movies served with a side of “what the hell did I just watch?” | © Libra Films / American Film Institute

Cropped house — House (1977)

Calling *House* (or *Hausu*, if you want to impress your film-snob friends) a horror film is like calling a rollercoaster a mode of transportation. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, this Japanese cult classic is what happens when a haunted house movie gets filtered through the brain of a sugar-addled child. Seven schoolgirls visit a country mansion, only to be devoured (sometimes literally) by a piano, a mirror, a cat, and possibly reality itself. It’s horror, comedy, surrealism, and sheer chaos all mashed into a neon-lit blender. You won’t forget it – and you probably won’t understand it either. | © Toho

Cropped the holy mountain 1973 — The Holy Mountain (1973)

If you ever wondered what spiritual enlightenment, political satire, and psychedelic chaos would look like in one movie, *The Holy Mountain* is the answer – and the question. Directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky (who also stars, because why not?), this film is a fever dream of mysticism, surrealism, and unabashed symbolism. There's a man who represents Jesus, alchemical rituals, planets ruled by fascist fashionistas, and yes, a literal mountain that may or may not hold the key to enlightenment. It’s visually stunning, narratively unhinged, and absolutely not first-date material – unless your date’s into lizards reenacting the Spanish conquest. | © ABKCO Films

Cropped the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie — The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

Luis Buñuel’s *The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie* is a surrealist satire disguised as a dinner party that never quite happens. The guests show up. The food’s ready. But reality? It just keeps glitching. One moment they’re eating, the next they’re dreaming, or acting, or... are dead? With an ensemble cast featuring Fernando Rey and Stéphane Audran, Buñuel pokes hilarious, deadpan fun at the absurd routines of upper-class society. It’s all very civilized – until it’s not. You won’t know what’s real, but you will laugh, ponder, and maybe rethink your next brunch invite. | © 20th Century Fox / Greenwich Film Productions

Cropped daisies — Daisies (1966)

*Daisies* is like a punk-rock collage of color, chaos, and rebellion – before punk was even a thing. This Czechoslovak New Wave gem, directed by Věra Chytilová, follows two young women named Marie as they wreak havoc on societal norms through food fights, pranks, and joyous anarchy. With no clear plot and editing that feels like it was done on a sugar high, *Daisies* is a feminist fever dream wrapped in subversive satire. The film was banned upon release for being “too nihilistic,” which basically makes it required viewing for anyone who loves their art served with a wink and a middle finger. | © Ceskoslovenský Státní Film

Cropped persona — Persona (1966)

Ingmar Bergman’s *Persona* is like peering into a psychological hall of mirrors – beautiful, haunting, and just a little bit cracked. The story (well, sort of) follows an actress, played by Liv Ullmann, who mysteriously stops speaking, and the nurse caring for her, played by Bibi Andersson. As the two women grow closer, their identities start to blur, merge, and unravel in ways that would make even Freud throw his hands up and walk out. With stark black-and-white cinematography and fourth-wall-breaking flourishes, Bergman crafts an intimate fever dream about identity, performance, and the masks we wear – literally and metaphorically. It’s cerebral, seductive, and totally unforgettable. | © Svensk Filmindustri

Un chien andalou msn — Un Chien Andalou (1929)

The granddaddy of surrealist cinema, *Un Chien Andalou* is 21 minutes of pure, unfiltered dream logic, co-created by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí. There’s no plot – just a string of jarring, unforgettable images: ants crawling out of a hand, a woman poked in the eye with a stick, and, of course, the infamous eyeball-slicing scene that will haunt your brain forever. It’s weird, it’s influential, and it’s the kind of film that makes you go, “Wait, *this* is cinema?” Yes. Yes, it is. And you can thank two Spanish surrealists who wanted to break every rule before anyone even made them. | © Les Grands Films Classiques

1-20

If you're drawn to films that blur the line between reality and imagination, this list is for you. Surreal movies are known for their dreamlike visuals, unconventional narratives, and haunting atmospheres that linger long after the credits roll. Whether you're a fan of psychological thrillers, experimental cinema, or just looking for something completely out of the ordinary, these 20 surreal films will take you on a mind-bending journey through the bizarre and the beautiful. Dive into our curated selection of the top surreal movies that feel like a dream – where logic takes a back seat and emotion drives the experience.

Facebook X Reddit WhatsApp Copy URL

If you're drawn to films that blur the line between reality and imagination, this list is for you. Surreal movies are known for their dreamlike visuals, unconventional narratives, and haunting atmospheres that linger long after the credits roll. Whether you're a fan of psychological thrillers, experimental cinema, or just looking for something completely out of the ordinary, these 20 surreal films will take you on a mind-bending journey through the bizarre and the beautiful. Dive into our curated selection of the top surreal movies that feel like a dream – where logic takes a back seat and emotion drives the experience.