12 Psychedelic Horror Movies Guaranteed To Trip Audiences Out

Midsommar begins with a horrific murder-suicide, ends with a devastating pagan ritual, and in between showcases the films protagonists do so many drugs many will wonder how they are even able to stand, so it is only natural it has grown to become one of the most revered and beloved psychedelic horror films of the 21st century. The use of drugs is never for fun in this film, but instead, a way to showcase the slow poisoning of minds when put in the wrong hands, and the subtle but prominent visuals that warp the viewer's minds will have them wonder if this masochist cult managed to slip them something sinister as well.

By 1995, John Carpenter had already solidified himself as not only one of the greatest horror directors of all time, but plainly as one of the greatest cinematic minds the world had ever seen, and with his trippy and unrelenting film In the Mouth of Madness, Carpenter set out to deliver on the title of its film. From the jump, audiences will feel a polarizing effect as the film begins at the end, and then subsequently jumps all over the place with an unreliable narrator, scenes that never actually happen, and grotesque imagery that will make them feel as though they too are slowly losing their minds.

Lovecraftian horror and psychedelic horror oftentimes go hand in hand, as the glorious storytelling of the latter mixed with the trippy and offbeat visual style of the former combines to create a beautiful nightmare horror fans can adore, and Color Out of Space is a pristine example of how these two subgenres can come together to create something magnificent. A phantasmagorical masterpiece that showcases the beauty in the grotesque, Color Out of Space is a fantastic feat of cinematic achievement that will leave audiences floored by the time the final 30 minutes arrive.

Panos Cosmatos delivered to audiences one of the most wild, sadistic, vibrant, and abnormal films of all time with his 2018 masterpiece Mandy. A film that is purposely designed to feel like a bad trip, the stunning artwork and visual style mixed with some of the most grotesque and disgusting imagery every put to screen is all but guaranteed to freak audiences out, and Nicolas Cage giving one of his most unhinged performances of all time only amplifies the madness. Throw in demonic sex gimps, chainsaw fights, Nic Cage pounding an entire bottle of vodka, and the Cheddar Goblin, and one of the most profound and psychedelic horror experiences has been created.

With gorgeous cinematography, vibrant and masterful use of colors, and one of the strangest and most out-of-control stories of witchcraft of all time, Suspiria perfectly encapsulates psychedelic horror in its visual and tonal styles. Showcasing grotesque and horrifying images of dreadful acts of violence, the film is a 99-minute nightmare-fueled trip that will have audiences feel as though they just went on the worst acid trip of their lives but saw some of the prettiest moments of murder in any film. Shocking, jarring, gorgeous, and unforgettable, Suspiria is one trip audiences will never forget.

Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe work as two lighthouse keepers in Robert Egger's The Lighthouse, and that bit of information is about as normal as the film will get for its subsequent 109-minute runtime. Slowly delving further and further into the macabre mouth of madness, The Lighthouse is a film designed to break and tear apart audiences' minds piece by piece until they are simply a shell of the person they entered the movie as. A film that is unrelenting in its weirdness but beloved for its willingness to push the envelop, The Lighthouse is a one-of-a-kind experience that will stick with audiences for a lifetime.