The experimental film genre goes back as far as film history takes us. One of the first experimental films was done by Thomas Edison’s assistant, William Dickson, on the kinetoscope called “Monkeyshines No. 1” around 1889 or 1890. In fact, you could say all early silent cinema was experimental as the filmmakers were literally figuring out how to use the camera and editing to tell a story or use it to express or explore dreamlike visual art.

Out of experimental film came many new offshoots of the genre. One of the more prominent ones was avant-garde, which usually has no conventional point to them and focuses on exploring innovative and creative issues such as time, fantasy, dreams, or perception. The German silent film classic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one of the more famous early examples of dreams or perception.

Today, the genre has given birth to other offshoots, such as cinematic poetry and the cinematic diary, akin to the works of the late great Jonas Mekas. Even the experimental documentary has been around longer than viewers realize; the city symphony films are an early example or, more recently, Guy Maddin’s “My Winnipeg.”

Pulling from experimental film history and more recent works, here are ten experimental films you should watch.

Related: 10 Sci-Fi Short Films That Will Give You The Creeps

10 “Un Chien Andileu” (1929)

This is many film students’ introduction to experimental film. The French title translates to “An Andalusian Dog” and has nothing to do with the film itself. Crafted by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, this silent surrealist journey uses dream logic to construct a non-narrative that is very Freudian in its design and meant to be shocking.

The film’s concept is actually a mix of two dreams that both the creators had—Dali’s hand covered in ants and Bunuel cutting an eye with a blade. When watched, the film invokes unease in that you are trying to make sense of a dream and can’t. Our brains try to find something relatable in the film and sometimes can’t. When we do feel some sort of connection, it’s a completely different interpretation, which is what the filmmakers wanted. They wanted to leave you thinking and trying to make sense of it. They know you can’t exactly be just like a piece of surreal art; it’s always up for debate without any true solution.

This is what makes “Un Chien Andileu” a must see for anyone interested in experimental film. ^[1]

9 “The Life and Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra” (1928)

This film is a silent-film hidden gem. The film was made for $97 in 1928, and in American avant-garde cinema is considered one of the early pillars in the genre.

It centers on an actor who makes his way to Hollywood hoping to hit the big time, only to be dehumanized by studios, landing the role of a simple extra. They even write 9413 on his head, making him just a number in their system.

What makes the film so unique is how they leaned into their budget with a lack of resources and visually gave Hollywood this surreal emptiness, something that people from the outside had not seen before depicted. The use of German expressionist lighting, superimposition, twisting shapes, and disorienting angles really makes the film memorable as it visually shows the actor’s descent into madness and death caused by the demeaning dark side of Hollywood.^[2]

8 “Manhatta” (1921)

This film is considered to be the true first American avant-garde film by many. “Manhatta” was a collaboration between painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strand. The non-narrative documentary is a visual poem that is simply exploring two things. First, it provided an abstract view of the city through carefully set up visual compositions. The second one is actually how the camera is used. This is done by experimenting with photography, film, minimalistic camera movement, and incidental motion in each film frame by exploring their relationships with each other.

Being a silent-era film, it does use intertitles, but unlike most films, it uses a Walt Whitman poem instead of dialogue or scene explanations.^[3]

7 “From Afar” (2020)

An absolutely beautiful short film that will only take two minutes of your time. This is part of the cinematic poetry genre I mentioned earlier. Its simplicity and use of editing make it an experience that lingers.

Much like “The Life and Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra,” filmmaker and poet Andrei Purcarea uses what he has to his advantage to visually push the poem along. Many of the shots don’t have anything to do with what’s being said exactly when you watch, but at the same time, you get this feeling of understanding.

However, unlike “The Life and Death of 9413,” this film doesn’t have fast cuts or superimpositions. In fact, the editing and pacing are more akin to “Manhatta,” visually telling us a story to go along with the poem. Is this whole film really about a ship, or is it more about something in life that represents a ship we missed and can’t see anymore? What did the characters miss? Who did they miss? The use of the lone red chair and the mirror on this beach looking out at sea…very existential. Very experimental. Very moving.^[4]

6 “Catharsis” (2018)

This short film beautifully uses the experimental style to invoke emotion as we journey into the subject’s mind. It is a surreal reminder that we may not know what someone is going through, even if they seem calm on the outside. This film by Naleeka Dennis follows Marsha as she struggles to cope with the loss of her beloved by attempting to live in a fantasy world. But she must eventually deal with her grief.

The ending shot especially hammers this home as the world seems very eerie around her now. It was the same before we dove into her mind, but knowing what she is dealing with really changes your perspective.^[5]

5 “Until There Was Nothing” (2020)

This wonderful short was released last year and really takes on a fantastic premise—standing on Earth in its final moments as it enters a black hole. Created by Paul Trillo, the images at first seem beautiful but suddenly change as they stretch toward the sky. While it may seem like a bleak film at first, Trillo notes, “Someday this will pass and there will be nothing left… That’s not something to fear ‘because we come from nothing’ as Alan Watts puts it… and from nothing comes something new.”

The surreal visuals caused by intense gravitational forces with the use of philosopher Alan Watt’s talking about the meaning of nothingness really gives the film a much deeper feel.^[6]

4 “Stellar” (1993)

Stan Brakhage is the perfect mix of artist and filmmaker. With 380 films to his credit, it’s hard to choose which one to even pick. Brakhage’s work is unique and can be best described as live paintings. Meaning that he would paint or scratch or do something on each frame and then project it. The results were really mind-blowing. “Stellar” stands out to me as it feels like something that could’ve been used in early sci-fi films like 2001: A Space Odyssey or TV shows like the original Star Trek.

The last few frames are particularly surprising as a strange picture appears amongst the starry images. Like all art, “Stellar” is whatever you perceive it to be. For me, its a journey through space and the birth of the universes, with the first creature in the universe coming into being at the end. See how you interpret it.^[7]

3 “Night Mayor” (2009)

A fantastic gem of a film. Guy Maddin’s visuals harken back to early silent film while giving a touch of modernity by filming on newer formats that even include VHS. Yet it’s his use of lighting, old-school tricks, and editing that really helps give this film its surreal aspect. Like we are watching a dream.

“Night Mayor” is a visual journey into the mind of a Bosnian immigrant, Nihad Ademi, who thinks he has discovered a way to harness the power of the Aurora Borealis in order to broadcast imagery from coast to coast.^[8]

An absolute must-see short film!

2 “Light Is Calling” (2004)

Bill Morrison is an amazing filmmaker. He is unique in that he helps bring forgotten or close to decaying films back to life as experimental cinema. I highly suggest his film Decasia (2002) and Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016).

“Light Is Calling” is a short he did in 2004 in which he takes decaying nitrate film from 1926 titled “The Bells” and gives it new life.

After having the film optically reprinted, it is edited into a new format to go along with a 7-minute composition by Michael Gordon. IMDb describes the film best as a “meditation on the fleeting nature of life and love, as seen through the roiling emulsion of film.”^[9]

A magnificent decaying dream.

1 “Meshes of the Afternoon” (1943)

Maya Deren was a jack of all trades. She was a dancer, choreographer, film theorist, poet, photographer, avant-garde promoter, and experimental filmmaker.

Deren believed that film should be an experience. “Meshes of the Afternoon” is definitely that—and a very important experimental piece. The film is considered one of the most influential experimental films in the history of American cinema.

The film is essentially a dream. Using dreamlike logic to create a unique experience for the viewer, it follows a female character who falls asleep after returning home. Her vivid dreams draw us in as her darker inner desires play out before our eyes. It’s actually hard to distinguish reality from the dream, but that is the point. She involves you mentally.^[10]

A very influential piece on many filmmakers, including the works of David Lynch.

Given the sheer volume of material that television so often demands, it can be very easy for a show to get stale before its time. That’s why, aside from just keeping the quality of the material up to a high standard, writers will often try to keep things interesting by experimenting with the form, creating special episodes that are immediately able to stand out from the pack. And as we’ll see in this list, this can be achieved in a variety of ways—be it structure, form, subject material, or filming techniques, just to name a few.

So with that in mind, here are ten of what I feel are the best times your favorite TV shows got experimental. Oh, be warned, there are spoilers ahead!

Related: 10 Episodes That Were Banned From Television [Videos—Seizure Warning]

10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “The Body”

Joss Whedon’s magnus opus could almost fill up this entire list itself, what with him dipping into silent horror in the critically acclaimed “Hush” or the musical genre in the equally as beloved “Once More With Feeling.” That said, there’s perhaps no better example of the show experimenting with the form than how it explored the grief that comes with the death of a loved one in season five’s “The Body.”

During this spectacular hour of television, we would get to see each character deal with Joyce Summer’s passing, with reactions ranging from Willow’s deflection of the issue in favor of her choice of clothing to Anya’s inability to understand the full extent of human mortality. And when Buffy’s calls her mother the body for the first time, and it all finally hits home for her, it’s hard not to feel the heartbreak she’s going through at that moment, especially as the starkness of the entire episode is highlighted by the distinct lack of music or any real antagonist other than death itself.^[1]

9 Seinfeld – “The Betrayal”

Seinfeld really was a game-changer for sitcoms in the ‘90s. By this point, the genre had been very much rooted in maintaining the same status quo of middle-of-the-road comedy for decades. However, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld seemed intent on forging new paths, creating groundbreaking episodes of TV, like season two’s “The Chinese Restaurant” or season four’s “The Contest.” But it wouldn’t be until season nine’s “The Betrayal” that they dared to try something as bold as to do an episode in reverse.

Yes, here we would get to see things begin with the final scene of Jerry setting up George with an old flame named Nina, then watch things fall apart from there as we travel back in time toward the beginning. And despite the whole thing, which was inspired by a Harold Pinter play of the same name, ending up working out great, it was actually considered a little too out there by some fans at the time. Many of them even complained about its unconventional structure and went as far as creating forward version edits that would later be posted online.^[2]

8 BoJack Horseman – “Fish Out of Water”

BoJack Horseman started out as a relatively standard adult animated comedy show reminiscent of others of the era like Bobs Burgers or Archer. Toward the end of season one, though, it began to undergo a change that would see it become more of a mediation on depression, with each character going through their own struggles with this as the show progressed.

And of course, as the lead character, BoJack would be no stranger to this. It was something that came to the forefront during the excellent season three episode “Fish Out of Water,” where, as a result of him spending the proceedings attending an underwater movie festival to promote his Secretariat biopic, things would play out like a silent movie. He tries and fails to apologize to the former director of the movie who he had gotten fired, with the whole thing from there carrying on like a Chaplin movie and ending in a truly classic gag.^[3]

7 The Sopranos – “The Test Dream”

You could argue that David Chase’s The Sopranos is the most game-changing show in TV history, given that it’s largely been responsible for the birth of modern prestige television. And during its six-season run, it would be no stranger to pushing the boat out further than anyone else with its often shocking storylines and incredibly well-drawn characters.

In terms of experimenting with the form, though, nothing comes close to the season five episode “The Test Dream,” during which a full half of the episode plays out as an extended dream sequence. And while the show had done dream sequences before, it was never on this large of a scale. Over the course of twenty minutes, we got to take a Freudian deep dive into the psyche of the show’s flawed protagonist. This not only allowed a whole host of dead characters to briefly return but also let Tony come to terms with the fact that he was going to have to kill his own blood in the near future.^[4]

6 The Simpsons – “Behind the Laughter”

While generally regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, The Simpsons has often played out like a mostly traditional sitcom in terms of its structure, usually functioning with an A and B plot working alongside each other to bring the laughs. That said, they haven’t been afraid to break out of this mold from time to time. Perhaps no example of this was more noticeable than season twenty-two’s “Behind the Laughter.”

Here the whole thing would serve as an extended parody of the VH1 Behind the Music series as we got to see the cast of characters talk about the difficulties of working on the show and how it affected their relationships with each other. And so good did the whole thing end up being that when asked in a later interview about what he thought could serve as a fitting finale for the series, showrunner Al Jean singled out this episode specifically as one of the best candidates.^[5]

5 Community – “Remedial Chaos Theory”

Community is another show that played around with the form so much that it could almost fill up this list itself. And while there are many examples of this we could have chosen here, such as season one’s “Modern Warfare” or season two’s “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas,” we think season three’s “Remedial Chaos Theory” marks the best time that the Community gang got experimental.

Here, over a game of Yahtzee with the six friends, we would get to see each new dice roll cause a timeline of possibilities to branch off from it. The darkest among them would see Annie accidentally shoot Piece in the leg, causing Britta to drop her joint and set fire to the apartment. And so popular did this episode and this particular timeline end up being, in fact, it would return to invade the main one in the season four finale, “Advanced Introduction to Finality.”^[6]

4 The Haunting of Hill House – “Two Storms”

Netflix’s history of original shows has been a spotty one. Sure, they’ve had some major hits, but for every Stranger Things or Daredevil, there have been less successful shows such as Space Force or the Cowboy Bebop remake. Still, whenever they hit it out of the park, they do so fully. And few new entries to their canon in recent years have done this more successfully than their 2018 reimagining of the Shirley Jackson classic The Haunting of Hill House.

But while this mini-series made use of a more single extended story format than the episodic structure of many other entries on this list, there was one episode in particular that stood out for its use of single takes. Yes, in the sixth episode entitled “Two Storms,” we would get to see the show drift back and forth between its two timelines, maintaining one mostly long unbroken take as it did. And this decision, with its echoes towards Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, ending up not only highlighting the strength of the storytelling on display but also the acting and production in a way it wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.^[7]

3 Breaking Bad – “Fly”

Vince Gilligan’s masterpiece Breaking Bad has by this point developed a reputation for being arguably the greatest TV show of its era. Its story of the fall of a once-good man and the destruction he reaped on everyone around him grabbed the audience’s attention completely from the very first second. And while almost every episode of the show has been universally praised, there’s one which fans remain divided on to this day: the season three episode “Fly.”

And part of the reason for that is that it feels so different from the rest of the series. Instead of featuring the high octane moral dilemmas that most episodes are filled with, this one slows things down, focusing entirely on Walt and Jesse’s attempts to kill a pesky fly that’s been roaming around their underground meth lab. But while some felt this story was jarring at the time, others were able to appreciate it for what it was. It played out like a two-man play, where we would get to really dive into the depths of Walt’s internal struggles as he tries his best to atone for his part in the death of his partner’s girlfriend Jane, all while wanting to continue to keep the whole incident a dirty little secret.^[8]

2 ER – Ambush

There’s a lot of room for error during the filming of a TV episode. Takes can easily get messed up, and reshoots are often required. So it’s a risky move then to decide to film an episode live. And while ER certainly wasn’t the first show to attempt this, they were maybe the one who pulled it off best during their season four episode “Ambush.”

Yes, it was here that we would see a documentary crew follow the staff of the fictional Chicago hospital around. This served as an excuse for the whole thing to be filmed in a different style. But more important than this, the episode was actually aired live, making the whole thing come off more like a stage show as audiences watched and waited to see if they could successfully pull the whole thing off. Which, in the end, they did.^[9]

1 Twin Peaks: The Return – “Part Eight”

And finally, we reach the granddaddy of experimental television, something which, fittingly, was created by one of the greatest avant-garde filmmakers of all time, David Lynch.

Of course, Twin Peaks had always been known as a TV show willing to push the boundaries throughout its original run in the early ‘90s, with locations such as the Red Room and characters like Killer Bob wowing audiences at the time. That said, it would be the 2017 revival of the show Twin Peaks: The Return that would allow its creator to go full Lynch. During “Part Eight,” he gave audiences one of the most challenging and beautiful hours of television ever seen on a small screen.

There’s less of a narrative here and more of an extended dream logic. Through often abstract imagery and unclear temporal placement, we get to dive into the rich mythology of the show, possibly getting the origins of the main villain Judy and maybe even seeing the fabled White Lodge for the first time. As with all of Lynch’s more abstract work, however, this all remains open to interpretation. So, if for any reason you haven’t seen this one yet, go back and check it out now. I promise you won’t be disappointed.^[10]