Top 20 Most WTF Movie Ideas

Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 20 WTF Movie Ideas. For this list, we’ll be looking at films with premises that are so strange we almost couldn’t believe it. That doesn’t mean these movies are necessarily bad but they’re most definitely bizarre. Which of these movies made you go ‘is this for real?’ Let us know in the comments!

#20: “Iron Sky” (2012)

In this very implausible future, Nazis fled to the moon after the war in 1945, and waited there in secret before returning to Earth in 2018. We figure if there can be movies about Nazi vampires and Nazi raptors, there can be a movie about Nazis in space, right? Though the movie looks interesting enough, the lofty premise fails to hold it up. Despite receiving mixed critical reviews, an even wackier sequel titled “Iron Sky: The Coming Race” was crowdfunded and came out in 2019, offering up another space battle with Hitler, but now with shape shifting reptilian creatures added into the mix!

#19: “Teeth” (2007)

“Teeth” is a black comedy about a woman who has teeth embedded in her genitals and embarks on a quest to take vengeance on all the men who wronged her after she was assaulted. The idea of teeth in this area is actually present in several folktales around the world. For instance, in Shintoism, there is a demon that waits inside lady parts in order to emasculate young men on their wedding night. Overall, it’s the visuals in this film that really take it to a whole new level of creepy.

#18: “Killer Condom” (1996)

If it wasn’t such a crazy idea for a film, “Killer Condom” might be taken as a cautionary tale against safe sex. This German film is based on the comic books translated as “Down to the Bones” in English. The movie premiered at Cannes Film Festival with a giant fanged condom. It follows Detective Mackeroni as he embarks on a quest of revenge against a condom that bit off, well, you can guess what, while also investigating multiple cases of this gruesome crime. Insane setup aside, the shocking scenes in this film are certain to leave a lasting impression.

#17: “John Dies at the End” (2012)

If you are into bizarre psychedelic sci-fi horror films, you’ll like this one. The plot revolves around a drug called “Soy Sauce,” which causes its users to hallucinate and slip in and out of time. Maybe the strangest part of the movie is a scene where various pieces of meat come together to form a big monster. Yeah, kinda like Voltron. The movie also features alternate dystopian realities, time travel, aliens, and general oddities. Seriously, this movie has it all… if you’re into that kind of thing.

#16: “Soul Man” (1986)

Having protagonists that switch races is definitely a WTF concept. It’s been done to some success in the film “Sorry To Bother You”, where we meet Cash Green, a black man who gets a job as a telemarketer and uses his ‘white voice’ to make his sales calls. But this theme has also been done in less clever and certainly more offensive ways, like in the 80s comedy “Soul Man”. Mark Watson attempts to pass himself off as African-American to qualify for tuition subsidies at Harvard Law. Yup, that’s more than a bit racist. One good thing this film has going for it is the appearance of James Earl Jones, so there’s that. Aside from the cringy jokes, defenders of “Soul Man” claimed it had some serious and thought-provoking commentary on race relations in the United States… but its critical lashing seemed to say otherwise.

#15: “The Lobster” (2015)

The plot of this dystopian comedy thriller revolves around a hotel where people are forced to find romantic partners within 45 days or are transformed into animals. The film’s main character, named David, has decided to be transformed into a lobster if he doesn’t find a partner after being recently dumped. His dog is actually his brother. Because the residents must match up based on some sort of commonality, David goes through several ordeals trying to pair with different women. Nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards, this movie is well made and offers a seriously strange plot.

#14: “Trash Humpers” (2009)

Directed by Harmony Korine, this experimental horror dramedy follows a group of elderly and deranged people living in Nashville, Tennessee. Shot on VHS home video, the film offers a look into the group’s sexual obsession with garbage. These elderly people are shown living in squalor and being a general nuisance, much like what you’d expect from a group of young punk kids. With a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus seems to be that this film is either so bad it’s good or so bad it’s just bad.

#13: “The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” (1987)

This movie isn’t really for kids. In fact, we don’t really know who it’s for. A parody of the Cabbage Patch Kids, “The Garbage Pails Kids Movie” is based on a series of trading cards. The film revolves around Dodger, a young kid working in an antique shop, who is rescued from some ruffians by interplanetary creatures who arrived on earth via flying garbage can. It’s too bad such cool cards had to go to waste on what critics would end up calling one of the worst movies ever made. Filled with all kinds of weird and gross scenes, it’s no surprise it was a box office bomb as well.

#12: “Being John Malkovich” (1999)

You can already assume that a movie will be unconventional when you find out it’s about a puppeteer. Written by the legendary Charlie Kaufman, this is easily one of his strangest films. The plot revolves around Craig Schwartz, who unexpectedly stumbles upon a portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich. After a few minutes, he is dumped out of the portal and onto the New Jersey Turnpike. Things get weird - as if they weren’t already - when Craig learns to control John. If you’re in the mood for a wild ride, check this one out for sure.

#11: “Sausage Party” (2016)

It might look like a Pixar movie on the surface, but the title sounds more like a gross-out comedy, and the final product is a twisted animated feature that’s definitely not for the kiddies. “Sausage Party” imagines what it would be like if grocery store items were sentient beings. This all amounts to numerous bizarre scenarios, most notably a food orgy that’ll either have you laughing hysterically, squirming in disgust, or maybe a little bit of both. While the premise is totally insane, it actually makes leeway for some biting satire regarding religion, bigotry, and even steroid abuse. It’s a surprisingly clever story despite the WTF concept.

#10: “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” (1978)

“Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” is one of those movies where the title speaks for itself. As you’d expect, the story here revolves around mutated tomatoes that are bent on conquering humanity. Why? Because that’s just what killer tomatoes do. The setup is basically an excuse to poke fun at low-budget B movies, as well as classic thrillers like “The Birds.” It’s obvious that nobody involved with this production was trying to be taken seriously. “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” is unapologetically stupid, almost as if the filmmakers were making up the story as they went along. But just because the film is self-aware doesn’t mean there’s any less of the WTF factor to go around.

#9: “Pixels” (2015)

Let’s get this straight. Aliens discover video feeds of ‘80s arcade games and, for some inexplicable reason, assume this is a declaration of war. So these supposedly intelligent extraterrestrials travel all the way to earth where they challenge mankind to an old school video game competition. Since the American military doesn’t stand a chance against Pac-Man and Donkey Kong - for some reason - our only hope is in the hands of a bunch of middle-aged gamers. Oh, and Kevin James was elected president…? So how did such a nonsensical film get made? Well, you can thank Adam Sandler’s production company for that!

#8: “Sharknado” (2013)

Syfy original movies always have preposterous setups, but “Sharknado” goes out of its way to be as ridiculous as possible. It appears hurricanes aren’t deadly enough already; the filmmakers had to throw in a waterspout that carries sharks out of the ocean and spreads them throughout Los Angeles. As if that’s not crazy enough, this made-for-television movie also implies that you can stop a tornado with a bomb and survive after a shark swallows you whole. Believe it or not, star Tara Reid has actually gone on record stating, “There could be a sharknado.” Of course Reid isn’t exactly a scientific expert. In any case, we’ll probably see pigs fly before this movie’s premise becomes a reality.

#7: “Monster Trucks” (2016)

Remember that time when Mater literally transforms into a monster truck? Apparently somebody at Paramount found this joke so funny that they had to make a movie out of it. This family film tells the classic tale of a boy and his subterranean beast. Since this mysterious creature can also function as an engine, it seeks refuge in a monster truck. The result is a pun-tastic title… and a ludicrous premise. As weird as this idea sounds, maybe it makes sense from a marketing standpoint. After all, kids like monsters. Kids like trucks. So why not bundle them both into one neat package?

#7: “Theodore Rex” (1995)

It’s hard to believe that this direct-to-video flick really exists. The story takes place in an alternate reality where people and dinosaurs co-exist. Oscar-winner, and every Trekkie’s second favorite bartender, Whoopi Goldberg plays a detective who teams up with a Tyrannosaurus to take down a madman. Now there’s a $30 million idea! Yup, someone actually ponied up $30 million to make this thing. It doesn’t even sound like an actual movie premise. It sounds more like one of those fake trailers played at the beginning of “Tropic Thunder” than an actual movie, but, alas, “Theodore Rex” is all too real.

#5: “Rubber” (2010)

The idea of a sentient car is kind of silly. You know what’s even sillier, though? A sentient car tire with psychic powers! And if that’s not still silly enough for you, the tire has a name: Robert. From the second you see Robert spring to life in “Rubber,” it’s hard not to laugh in disbelief. The story follows this little tire as it stalks a young woman, blowing up various animals and people along the way. Needless to say, this concept is beyond bizarre. But honestly, what do you expect from a movie that tells the audience upfront that it exists for no reason?

#4: “Tusk” (2014)

From the wild mind of the director behind Jay and Silent Bob, “Tusk” is brought to us by none-other-than Kevin Smith. Famously based on one of his podcast episodes, “Tusk” is about Wallace Bryton, who goes missing in the boondocks of Manitoba while interviewing a strange and mysterious man. So far this sounds like pretty normal stuff, right? Well, this movie takes a hard right towards weird when Bryton is slowly turned into a walrus before our eyes. Between the visuals and premise, we’re not sure if this was intended to be hilarious or horrifying, but we’re leaning towards the latter.

#3: “Eraserhead” (1977)

How could we have a countdown like this without David Lynch? This director has given us some of the strangest movies of all time, but “Eraserhead” is his crowning achievement in the weird department. A body horror picture following a man with an outlandish hairdo who’s left to raise a reptilian-like creature that won’t stop crying, many believe that the film’s premise is actually an allegory for a father’s fear of parenthood. Much like a dream, though, there are countless different ways you can interpret this surreal descent into madness. No matter what you take away from the story, “Eraserhead” will leave everybody asking the same question: “what’d I just watch?”

#2: “Swiss Army Man” (2016)

After the “Harry Potter” movies wrapped up, the world wondered what Daniel Radcliffe would do next. However, it’s safe to say that nobody expected him to play a farting corpse. In this outrageous indie flick, Paul Dano’s Hank finds Radcliffe’s dead body on a desert island. Utilizing the body as a multi-tool, Hank sets out on a journey about life, love, and friendship. We kid you not, that’s the premise. Watching this story unfold, you’ll wonder if you’re watching a work of genius or a work of insanity. Either way, we can all agree that an idea like this could only come from somebody with a truly unique imagination.

#1: “The Human Centipede (First Sequence)” (2009)

Simply hearing the synopsis for “The Human Centipede” is enough to make anybody’s stomach turn. The plot centers on a German surgeon that kidnaps three victims and surgically connects them all together in a gruesome fashion. You’re likely wondering how a cringe-inducing idea like this got financed. To answer your question, director Tom Six didn’t pitch the whole premise to his potential investors. He told them that three characters would be joined together, but failed to mention the gritty details until the film was actually completed. It would seem their investment paid off, though, since curious audiences had to see if this movie was as screwed up as it sounds.