Top 10 Movies That Don't Fit Into Any Genre
Top 10 Movies that Defy Genre
Top 10 Movies That Changed Genre Halfway In
Well, that was... different. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Movies that Defy Genre. For this list, we looked at movies that can’t seem to be categorized into any conceivable genre, mainly due to their absurd plots, random imagery and uncomfortable atmospheres and combinations of various thematic elements. They’re unconventional, but that’s what makes them so interesting.
#10: “Naked Lunch” (1991)
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The William S. Burroughs novel of the same name was described as having a non-linear plot that is very open to interpretation based on its ambiguous nature. Well, if that’s the case, then this is the most faithful ‘book-to-film’ adaptation ever as it’s anyone’s guess what the heck’s going on. Director David Cronenberg makes use of his usual knack for eerie looking scenery and grotesque prosthetic effects, and although the horrific sights to behold are indeed unnerving, they are employed subtly enough to keep the film from being a straight up horror flick. Couple this with the film’s juggling of complex themes and its investigation into the psyche of the film’s main character William Lee, and you’ve got a melting pot of all sorts of genres blended together.
#9: “Hausu” (1977)
This Japanese film’s title translates in English to: “House” and just wait until you find out why. When a schoolgirl invites six of her classmates to travel up to her aunt’s house in the mountains, the warm welcome they are expecting is replaced by a confrontation with deranged supernatural forces that attack the girls and pick them off one by one. While this may sound like the typical conventions of a slasher flick, what with the murder and rural house and all that jazz, there is one jarring difference: the killer is the actual house itself. This unconventional approach wants us to peg “haunted house” as a movie genre but even that doesn’t quite nail it down.
#8: “Swiss Army Man” (2016)
Upon being marooned onto an island in the middle of nowhere, Hank begins to lose hope for survival and attempts to take drastic measures. Everything changes when he notices a dead body float ashore, which for whatever reason, he feels drawn to and even develops something of a friendship with over the course of the film. It’s meant to be an inspirational movie about a man discovering the meaning of life…with the help of his best-dead buddy. Don’t see that every day. Fun fact: members of an audience actually walked out during a test screening, unable to handle the film’s overly bizarre nature. Yep, it’s a weird one.
#7: “Parasite” (2019)
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A rare case of a non-English language film taking home multiple awards at the Oscars, Parasite became an international phenomenon when it was released in 2019, thanks to it’s genre-bending premise. What starts as truly hilarious dark comedy, eventually leads to all sorts of jaw dropping twists and turns that send the film from thriller to horror to poignant drama territories. Director Bong-Joon Ho uses all of these genres in order to make some serious critiques on wealth disparity and the battle of rich vs. poor, but at the end of the day, this is a seriously clever satire that is a must see!
#6: “Holy Motors” (2012)
‘Holy Motors’ works like this; for the entire film, we’re just watching multiple, unrelated scenarios that continue to defy logic, expectation and explanation. With each passing scene being so radically different from the last, this movie switches gears so much that its almost as if it couldn’t pick a genre to settle on! One moment you’re watching this elaborate accordion sequence and the next you’re witnessing… we’re not sure exactly. If anything, this movie is attempting to simulate the action and style of movies themselves, both in the sense of how they are made and how they are viewed. It’s very hyper stylized, but if you can dig it, Holy Motors is a beautiful display of organized chaos.
#5: “Gummo” (1997)
This film follows the aftermath of a tornado completely devastating a small town in Ohio, but the events don’t quite play out as one might expect. Bucking the trend of most post-disaster style films, ‘Gummo’ takes a more artistic approach, and instead of glorifying the destruction left behind by the tornado, focuses the plot on a group of people who are just trying to find ways to get by. The look of the movie evokes a very bleak, dreary atmosphere yet ‘Gummo’ also carries a strange, almost dreamlike feeling on its shoulders. This strange melding of graphic scenery and stylistic flair makes ‘Gummo’ one of the most eerily calm disaster films ever made.
#4: “Rubber” (2010)
We’ll put this as straightforward as we can: how would you classify a movie about a rubber tire that goes on a killing spree? That’s right. ‘Rubber’ is all about a tire that inexplicably comes to life and just rolls around looking for victims to blow up with its psychic abilities; ‘Scanners’ style. Now, this absurd premise could potentially make it a dark comedy, but the overabundance of violence and number of casualties has it tip-toeing into the category of slasher flicks too. You could also say its uniqueness lends itself to qualities of experimental film, as, let’s get real here, there aren’t many movies about killer tires on the market. Let’s just ‘roll’ with it being genre-less.
#3: “A Clockwork Orange” (1971)
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This Stanley Kubrick classic is considered a very important piece of cinema, but good luck figuring out what it's truly about at its core. Set in a dystopian Britain, Clockwork Orange employs a relentless barrage of startling imagery and disturbing scenarios involving crime, ultra violent brutality and sexually offensive behavior. It seems like the film is purposely trying to upset us, yet it supposedly exaggerates its unsettling subject matter in order to bring attention to social and political topics such as juvenile delinquency. So…it’s a…social commentary? We’re sure you could have gotten the message across without filming such bizarre sequences. Who knew drinking milk could be so creepy. Stop. STOP. STOP IT! Ugh, so creepy!
#2: “Eraserhead” (1977)
This film was inspired by director David Lynch’s own insecurities about becoming a parent and this is clear because of its consistently claustrophobic, anxiety ridden tone. “Eraserhead” features some startling imagery such as that iconic creepy baby, I mean, seriously! Eww! Yet despite its horrific and disturbing visuals, it's not necessarily a horror movie as the film’s overall goal doesn’t seem to be that of scaring us. Considering its thematic elements about the aforementioned fear of parenthood, does that make it a drama? Or maybe it’s more of a psychological thriller due to the brain bending narrative? Someone help us out here, we’re stumped. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions… “Frank” (2014) “Mandy” (2018) “Sorry to Bother You” (2018) “Being John Malkovich” (1999) “Cloud Atlas” (2012) “Her” (2013)
#1: “The Lobster” (2015)
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If you find dating intimidating then just wait until you hear the premise for this film. In the “The Lobster”, both men and women are forced to find a romantic partner by the government. If they are unable to find love within a very specific set of days, then people are…. get this…. transformed into animals and sent into the wild to fend for themselves. Is it a romance, since the characters are looking for relationships? It's kind of a sci-fi horror too, considering the elements of a post apocalyptic, dystopian government. Oh, but it's kind of…fantasy based too, since people turn into animals and…. our brains hurt.
