Weirdest Movies on Netflix Right Now; When You Want Something Quirky

Last Updated March 3rd

There's a fine line to walk when it comes to the quality of weird movies. If they're bad enough, the negatives will outweigh the films' quirkiness, but if they're popular enough, they move out of the realm of "weird" and into the avant-garde and ground-breaking categories. (This is why neither Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant nor Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind made this list, since they're at opposite ends of the quality spectrum.) But if you're looking for something on the weird side of the streaming service, we have a few titles to suggest to you.

We did our best to bring you a good mix of sci-fi, horror-thrillers, dramas, actioners, and comedies, because when it comes down to it, any genre can get really, really weird. Take, for example, Creep, an obviously creepy thriller from Patrick Bice and Mark Duplass that anchors itself in the very idea of following the weirdest person possible. However, other movies on this list might need a little more explanation as to why they're among the weirdest currently streaming on Netflix. Take Cloud Atlas, a perfectly good sci-fi story about many (many) characters living their lives in multiple timelines. The weirdness kicks in when Tom Hanks' far-flung future self starts talking in pidgin' English about the true-true. If that brought a smile to your face, this is just the list for you!

Bright

Set in an alternate present-day, this action-thriller directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad, End of Watch, writer of Training Day) follows two cops from very different backgrounds (Ward, a human played by Will Smith, and Jakoby, an orc played by Joel Edgerton) who embark on a routine patrol night that will ultimately alter the future as their world knows it. Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which in the wrong hands could destroy everything.

Director: David Ayer

Writer: Max Landis

Cast: Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry, Edgar Ramirez, Ike Barinholtz, Enrique Murciano, Jay Hernandez, Andrea Navedo, Veronica Ngo, Alex Meraz, Margaret Cho, Brad William Henke, Dawn Oliveri, and Kenneth Choi

From Vinnie Mancuso's review:

At first glance, it seems admirable to tell a parable of sorts about modern day class structure using orcs as a stand-in for the downtrodden and discriminated against. You see exactly the points Landis is trying to make. But over the course of Bright’s runtime it becomes uncomfortably clear that by using orcs as a surrogate for oppressed minorities you end up erasing actual oppressed minorities from the story. It quickly transitions from “Oh, I see what you’re doing” to “Maybe you should not have done this.”

In the end, it’s probably a blessing for Bright that it ended up on Netflix, where it can sit in a queue for as long as the audience wants. It’s the opposite of must-see. It’s a collection of admittedly impressive action sequences (like, $90 million impressive) trying to be so much more. Barring a certain Centaur Cop spin-off, Bright mostly deserves to be dimmed.

Velvet Buzzsaw

Velvet Buzzsaw is a thriller set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.

Director: Dan Gilroy

Writer: Dan Gilroy

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer, Daveed Diggs, Billy Magnussen, and John Malkovich

From Matt Goldberg's 2019 Sundance review:

Velvet Buzzsaw is a slasher movie with something to say. Some who stumble across it on Netflix may find it too bizarre or wonder why Gilroy is spending so much time introducing us to the cast of characters rather than getting to the murders promised in the trailer. But if you simply let the film unfold and accept it as a wild ride with some valuable insights, then Velvet Buzzsaw is a blast from start to finish.

The Lobster

In this highly imaginative, delightfully absurdist comedy from visionary director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth), Colin Farrell stars as David, a man who has just been dumped by his wife. To make matters worse, David lives in a society where single people have 45 days to find true love, or else they are turned into the animal of their choice and released into the woods. David is kept at the mysterious HOTEL while he searches for a new partner, and after several romantic misadventures decides to make a daring escape to abandon this world. He ultimately joins up with a rebel faction known as The Loners, a group founded on a complete rejection of romance. But once there David meets an enigmatic stranger (Rachel Weisz) who stirs up unexpected and strong feelings within him…

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Writers: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou

Cast: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman

From Talia Soghomonian's Cannes 2015 review:

Farrell is actually The Lobster. Well, not really, but if his character David were to transform into an animal, he would pick the delectable crustacean for its long lifespan, lifelong fertility and because he likes the sea. That’s what he says during the check-in process at The Hotel, a sort of resort where single people who are arrested and transferred to. There they dispose of 45 days to find love. Think of it as speed-dating at a Club Med, only more sinister. If they fail to hook up within 45 days, they are transformed into the animal of their choice and released into the woods. Hence, the lobster...

It would have been more intriguing if David had stayed in that hotel, if the story was pushed to take us inside the Transformation Room. What if they hook up as animals, can they be transferred back to human form?

Narrated by Rachel Weisz, who plays Farrell’s love interest Short-Sighted Woman, The Lobster nevertheless is a typical Yorgos Lanthimos smart speculative piece bordering on art house filmmaking where society is decorticated to its core. Yet that core somehow eludes us, even when we’re that close.

Swiss Army Man

There are 7 billion people on the planet. You might be lucky enough to bump into the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Directors/Writers: Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan

Cast: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Swiss Army Man is undoubtedly one of the weirdest movies you’ll ever see, but there’s a charm to it that’s positively unmistakable. Paul Dano stars as a man marooned on an island who is just about to hang himself when he notices a body (Daniel Radcliffe) wash up on shore. When he approaches the body, it begins farting uncontrollably, the force of which propels it forward. Dano’s character then rides the body through the waves, using the farts as a motor to propel himself off this island once and for all. This is the opening scene of the movie. And yet an endearing relationship blossoms between Dano and Radcliffe as the body begins to awaken, and Dano’s character teaches it how to be human. Backed by a killer soundtrack and brought to life with impressive (and ambitious) visuals, Swiss Army Man is guaranteed to be a viewing experience you’ll never forget. – Adam Chitwood

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). A bass guitarist for garage band Sex Bob-omb, the 22-year-old has just met the girl of his dreams...literally. The only catch to winning Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)? Her seven evil exes are coming to kill him. Genre-smashing filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) tells the amazing story of one romantic slacker's quest to power up with love in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Scott Pilgrim has never had a problem getting a girlfriend. It's getting rid of them that proves difficult. From the girl who kicked his heart's ass—and now is back in town—to the teenage distraction he's trying to shake when Ramona rollerblades into his world, love hasn't been easy. He soon discovers, however, his new crush has the most unusual baggage of all: a nefarious league of exes controls her love life and will do whatever it takes to eliminate him as a suitor.

As Scott gets closer to Ramona, he must face an increasingly vicious rogues' gallery from her past—from infamous skateboarders to vegan rock stars and fearsome identical twins. And if he hopes to win his true love, he must vanquish them all before it really is game over.

Like Wes Anderson, all of Edgar Wright's projects have a delightful level of quirk to them. But Scott Pilgrim owes its origins to comics creator Bryan Lee O'Malley. This double dose of weirdness led to the cult classic film starring Michael Cera as the title character, opposite co-superstars like Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Aubrey Plaza, and Ellen Wong who give Scott all sorts of grief along the way, whether they're allies or antagonists. O'Malley's original story about a navel-gazing kid who gets his act together and battles for the heart of his beloved by fighting her seven evil exes gets a +1 to its Quirk stat thanks to Wright's signature style. There's always something new to discover in each and every rewatch of this movie, whether it's a fine example of comedic time, a joke or reference that went over your head the first time, or a visual gag, and it's always something delightfully weird.

He Never Died

Henry Rollins stars as an immortal, cannibalistic loner that has withdrawn from society in order to protect both himself and others. He Never Died is a 2015 Canadian/American comedic horror film that was written and directed by Jason Krawczyk.

I mean, that synopsis and trailer say it all, don't they? The former Black Flag lead gets a Biblical makeover in this insane tale about an immortally violent loner. Just let this one wash over you with its weirdness.

Circle

Held captive and faced with their imminent executions, fifty strangers are forced to choose the one person among them who deserves to live.

The weird factor here should be readily apparent: How many movies have you seen where 50 odd cast members all stand in a circle and make overt threats against each other while unseen forces take them out one bye one? Now we're not saying it's a great movie by any means, but it's definitely a weird one!

Creep

A young videographer answers an online ad for a one-day job in a remote town to record the last messages of a dying man. When he notices the man's odd behavior, he starts to question his intentions.

The premise of this movie is that Mark Duplass is super weird. That's really all you need. His uber-weird portrayal of Josef, who claims to be dying of a brain disease and wants his finals days to be recorded on video for posterity, is more than enough to lend this movie plenty of tension; you simply never know what he's going to do next.

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore

From the producers of Kelly Reichardt's "Certain Women" and Jeremy Saulnier's "Green Room" comes the story of Ruth (Melanie Lynskey), a nursing assistant suffering through a crisis of existential despair. But when her house is burglarized, Ruth discovers a renewed sense of purpose in tracking down the thieves. Accompanied by her obnoxious martial-arts-enthusiast neighbor Tony (Elijah Wood), they soon find themselves dangerously out of their depth against a pack of degenerate criminals. Now streaming on Netflix.

In what starts out as a "stand up or yourself" kind of drama, Melanie Lynskey plays a quirky, down-on-her-luck lead opposite the almost-always eccentric Elijah Wood. But this one takes a turn for the very weird when their characters get caught up in criminal activity that is as unpredictable as it is off the wall. It also features such creative behind-the-scenes talent as writer/director Macon Blair (Blue Ruin, Green Room) and cinematographer Larkin Seiple (Swiss Army Man, Cop Car), and if you've seen those films, you know what level of weirdness you're in for here.

Casa de mi Padre

La nueva película de Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna junto con el gringo más guapo del mundo: Will Ferrell.

En esta aventura, totalmente hablada en español, a colores y en 2D podremos también disfrutar de la belleza de Génesis Rodríguez y el talento del maestro Pedro Armendáriz Jr. De los que te "trajieron" Salvando al Soldado Pérez.

Sometimes Will Ferrell just wants to star in a feature-length Spanish-language telenovela, you just have to let him do it. With the exception of Ferrell, who learned Spanish in about a month, and Nick Offerman, the rest of the cast is Spanish-speaking and includes such notable names as Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, and Génesis Rodriguez, among others. The plot of the dramatic soap operatic telling centers on the Alvarez Brothers (Ferrell and Luna) as they fight against a Mexican drug lord to regain control of their family ranch. That's pretty standard storytelling. What's insane is watching Ferrell play his part in this flick and try to play it straight despite being very obviously out of his element. He sticks out like a sore white thumb, and that's just weird enough to make this one enjoyable.