Extreme Cinema: Avant-Garde, Underground, Surrealism, and Short Format
Long before commercial horror films were allowed to delve into truly shocking territory, avant-garde, surrealist, and underground films were disturbing and unsettling audiences with taboo subject matter, blood and gore, and a general flippancy towards societal norms.
Working independently in a short format allows filmmakers a level of freedom not afforded to those who work commercially, as they aren’t under pressure to deliver something profitable. These filmmakers are creating art for art’s sake. Art is not only beauty: Art is also made to confuse, disrupt, and upset.
WARNING: Some of these films contain highly disturbing content, including real footage of autopsies and commercial animal slaughter. It is strongly advised that any viewers with weaker stomachs or conditions that may be effected by this content look up further information on these films prior to viewing. I will try to mark these particular films with a ☠ after their listing. I may use more than one marking to denote films that should be approached with extra caution. Remember: You are responsible for your own viewing.
The few films not available in their entirety are either not linked, or are marked with “trailer”. Most of the films presented are either in English, or have English subtitles, but some may still be in their original languages. Please note: PERMANENT LINK AVAILABILITY IS NOT GUARANTEED:
La Folie du Docteur Tube (1916) - Abel Gance
Entr'acte (1924) - René Clair
The Last Moment (1927) - Paul Fejos (now considered a piece of lost media)
The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) - Jean Epstein, James Watson, and Melville Weber
L'Étoile de Mer (1928) - Man Ray
The Life and Death of 9413–A Hollywood Extra (1928) - Robert Florey
Johann the Coffin Maker (1928) - Robert Florey (now considered a piece of lost media)
The Seashell and the Clergyman (1928) - Germaine Dulac
Les Mystères du Château de Dé (1929) - Man Ray
Un Chien Andalou (1929) - Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali ☠ ☠
Blood of the Poet (1930) - Jean Cocteau
L’Age d’Or (1930) - Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali
Even as You and I (1937) - Roger Barlow, Harry Hay and LeRoy Robbins ☠
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) - Maya Deren
At Land (1944) - Maya Deren
Beauty and the Beast (1946) - Jean Cocteau
Fragment of Seeking (1946) - Curtis Harrington
The Cage (1947) - Sidney Peterson
Fireworks (1947) - Kenneth Anger ☠
The Divine Horsemen (1947-1951) - Maya Deren ☠
The Lead Shoes (1949) - Sidney Peterson
On the Edge (1949) - Curtis Harrington
Orpheus (1950) - Jean Cocteau
Eaux d’Artifice (1953) - Kenneth Anger ☠
The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954) - Kenneth Anger ☠
The Slasher (1958) - George and Mike Kuchar ☠
Sirius Remembered (1959) - Stan Brakhage
Testament of Orpheus (1959) (trailer) - Jean Cocteau
The Dead (1960) - Stan Brakhage
Born of the Wind (1961) - George and Mike Kuchar ☠
Nightscapes (1961) - Richard Preston (no image available)
Heaven and Earth Magic (1962) - Harry Smith
Shoot the Moon (1962) - Rudy Burckhardt and Red Grooms
Flaming Creatures (1963) - Jack Smith ☠
Sleep (1963) - Andy Warhol
Batman Dracula (1964) - Andy Warhol
The Devil is Dead (1964) - Carl Linder (no image available)
Empire (1964) (excerpt) - Andy Warhol
Lurk (1964) - Rudy Burckhardt and Red Grooms (no image available)
Normal Love (1964) (clip) - Jack Smith ☠
Sins of the Fleshapoids (1964) - Mike Kuchar ☠
Scorpio Rising (1964) - Kenneth Anger ☠
Gymnopedies (1965) - Lawrence Jordan
Hamfat Asar (1965) - Lawrence Jordan
Night Blossoms (1965) - Tom Chomont (no image available)
The Alphabet (1967) - David Lynch
The Cat Lady (1969) - Tom Chomont
Invocation of my Demon Brother (1969) - Kenneth Anger ☠
Stereo (1969) (clip) - David Cronenberg
Crimes of the Future (1970) - David Cronenberg
The Grandmother (1970) - David Lynch
Multiple Maniacs (1970) (trailer) - John Waters ☠
The Act of Seeing with One’s Own Eyes (1971) - Stan Brakhage ☠ ☠ ☠
Lucifer Rising (1972) - Kenneth Anger ☠
Thundercrack! (1975) - George Kuchar and Curt McDowell (not providing a link to watch) ☠ ☠ ☠
Black Box (1978) (clip) - Beth B. and Scott B. ☠
The Mongreloid (1978) - George Kuchar
They Eat Scum (1979) - Nick Zedd ☠
The Bogus Man (1980) - Nick Zedd ☠
Geek Maggot Bingo (1983) - Nick Zedd ☠
Possibly in Michigan (1983) (short film) - Cecilia Condit ☠
The Wild World of Lydia Lunch (1983) - Nick Zedd ☠
The Right Side of My Brain (1985) - Richard Kern ☠ ☠
Submit to Me Now (1987) - Richard Kern ☠ ☠
Where Evil Dwells (1985) - Tommy Turner
The Gun is Loaded (1988) - Lydia Lunch ☠
Not Farewell Sweet Flesh (1989) (trailer) - Lisa Hammer
Red and Rosy (1989) - Frank Grow
Ouch! (1990) - Chris Gore (no image available)
X is Y (1990) - Richard Kern ☠ ☠
Puss Bucket (1991) (trailer) - Lisa Hammer (Yes, the voice of Triana Orpheus from Venture Bros. made a short film in which Doc Hammer plays one of two rednecks collecting pus for an alien masquerading as the Virgin Mary) ☠
Electric Flesh (1996) - Eric Brummer ☠
Rabbits (2002) - David Lynch
More Disturbing, Horror-Oriented Short Films:
10/65: Selbstverstümmelung (1965) - Günter Brus ☠ ☠
2000 Anos pra Isso? (aka 2000 Years for This?) (1996) - Petter Baiestorf ☠
A Winner is You! (2007) - RKKS.TV
Adoration (1987) - Olivier Smolders ☠
Aftermath (1994) - Nacho Cerda ☠ ☠ ☠
Amicus Mortis (2007) - Mike Stoffels - VET-TV Productions ☠
Bad Karma (1991) (trailer) - Alex Chandon BONUS: Outtakes ☠
Bagman: Professional Murderer (2004) - Jonathan Prévost ☠
Bijo kenshi: Futari seppuku (1990) – Yuuri Sunohara (Not providing a link to watch) ☠
Biotherapy (1986) - Akihiro Kashima ☠
Blood of the Beasts (aka Le sand des bêtes) (1949) - George Franju ☠ ☠ ☠
Brutal Relax (2010) - Adrián Cardona, Rafa Dengrá, and David Muñoz
Burrp (1993) - Sergio Blasco ☠
Cadavericon (2002) - Marian Dora ☠
Carne (1991) (French, Spanish subtitles) - Gaspar Noé ☠
Caribbean Sunrise (2002) - Marian Dora ☠
Dead Human Collection (aka Coleção de Humanos Mortos)(2006) - Fernando Rick ☠
Divided Into Zero (1999) - Mitch Davis ☠
Dolorosa (2009) (trailer) - Christopher Debaca ☠
Drillbit (1992) - Alex Chandon ☠
Fingered (1988) - Richard Kern ☠ ☠ ☠
Forklift Driver Klaus: The First Day on the Job (2000) - Stefan Prehn and Jörg Wagner ☠
Gakidama (1985) (French subtitles) - Masayoshi Sukita ☠
Genesis (1998) - Nacho Cerda ☠
Guzoo: The Thing Forsaken by God (1986) - Kazuo “Gaira” Komizu ☠
Harry Doright’s Prelude to Hell (2008) - Erwin van den Eshof ☠
Inner Depravity (2005) - Rémy Couture BONUS: “Making of” footage ☠
Inner Depravity 2 (2005) - Rémy Couture ☠
It Took Guts (1979) - Eric Forsberg ☠
Jûshin densetsu (1987) - Takuro Fukuda ☠
Kettensägen Zombies Redux (2010) (No subtitles) - Andreas Pape and Oliver Kellisch ☠
Knochenwald (2000) - Utz Marius Thomsen ☠
Knochenwald 2: Fleischernte (2002) - Utz Marius Thomsen ☠
Knochenwald 3: Sudden Slaughter (2008) (feature-length film) - Utz Marius Thomsen ☠
Kurban Bayrami (2008) - Can Evrenol ☠
My Sweet Satan (1994) - Jim van Bebber ☠
Nekro (1998) (short film) - Mick Nards and Vince Roth ☠ ☠
NiN: Happiness in Slavery (1992) (music video) - Jon Reiss ☠
Onna harakiri: Sange (1990)- Yuuri Sunohara (Not providing a link to watch) ☠
The Pencil ‘mobile ident’ (2012) - Can Evrenol ☠
Pig (1998) - Nico B. and Rozz Williams ☠ ☠
Projection (2006) - Romain Basset (no image available) ☠
Provokation (2002) - Marian Dora (no image available) ☠
Roadkill: The Last Days of John Martin (1994) - Jim van Bebber
Rotten Romance (2012) - Erik Zijlstra ☠
Sandik (aka The Chest) (2007) - Can Evrenol
Shiro-shôzoku: harakiri (1990) - Yuuri Sunohara (not providing a link to watch) (no image available) ☠
Sodoma (1969) - Otto Muehl and Gunter Brus ☠ ☠ ☠
Sozinho (2003) - André ZP ☠
Stethoscope (2001) - Kenneth Thomas ☠ ☠ ☠
SXXX-80 (1980) - Monte Cazazza ☠
Teenage Babylon (1989) - Graeme Wood ☠
Total Fury (2007) - RKSS.TV ☠
Vibroboy (1994) - Jan Kounen ☠ ☠
Video Geisteskrank (2008) - Ronny Carlsson ☠
The White Lie (2007) - Ron DeCaro ☠
stormborns
yousharknotpass
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
kaledo-art
andulkaphoto
vaporwave
areudirty
