Looking for the best movies to watch shrooming? We got you. Watching movies on shrooms can make for an interesting trip. Many films have the power to captivate, dazzle, and inspire. Yet, they can also have a strong influence on the overall mood of the journey. Some movies might be a little over the top for tripping—like the Shrooms movie horror film, for example. Others may provide just the right combination of visual and audio stimulation for a meaningful experience. A word of advice? Make selections based on the set and setting you feel that you’d most enjoy.
Best Documentaries to Watch On Shrooms
Voyage of Time (2016)
Voyage of Time, directed by Terrence Malick, is a visual and auditory poem about the grand narrative of the cosmos. It relies on an unconventional narrative structure of stunning visuals and a carefully curated soundscape to transport viewers through the vastness of time.
Visually, the film takes us on a breathtaking adventure across the cosmos. The birth and death of stars in mesmerizing slow-motion sequences. The formation of continents through the warping and folding of the Earth’s crust. Malick employs time-lapse photography and CGI to create a visual spectacle that depicts the transformation of our planet over eons.
Accompanying these visuals is a powerful soundscape. The film might use natural sounds like crashing waves or howling winds to immerse viewers in the raw power of nature. There might also be sections with electronic or orchestral music that evoke a sense of awe and wonder at the vastness of time. Spoken word passages, possibly philosophical or poetic in nature, could be layered on top of this soundscape, adding another dimension to the experience.
Overall, Voyage of Time uses its visuals and sounds to create a meditative and contemplative experience, prompting viewers to reflect on the profound mysteries of existence and the passage of time.
READ: The Very Best Songs to Listen to on Psychedelics
Samsara (2011)
In Sanskrit, samsara refers to the wheel of life. Basically, that little cycle of birth, death and rebirth we’re all trapped in, for better or worse.
The documentary Samsara, directed by Ron Fricke (Baraka), isn’t afraid to play with your perception. Witness humanity’s grand narrative in a series of jarring juxtapositions, slow-motion sequences that stretch time, and close-ups that reveal the hidden beauty (or disturbing reality) in the most mundane objects. (Some advance warning is helpful with this one, though. While the movie captures stunning images of human life, several scenes depict animal cruelty and sexual commodification, images that are difficult to view in sober life and that may be shocking while in the emotionally vulnerable state that shrooms can bring about. )
Overall, it’s a visual and auditory feast that will leave you feeling like you’ve just experienced a multidimensional trip, and maybe a little closer to understanding the interconnectedness of, well, everything. Spoke by spoke.
Best Animated Movies to Watch on Mushrooms
Animated films are perhaps some of the best movies to watch on shrooms. Why? They’re visually pleasing and often entrancing. Animated movies like Fantasia are often trip favorites because of both the visuals and the music. Plotlines and movie concepts can become less important, and viewers can sit back and enjoy the ride.
Spirited Away (2001)
If you’re looking for stunning animated films to watch on shrooms, it’s hard to pass up the work of Hayao Miyazaki. The filmmaker has many choice selections to choose from: My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke. But Spirited Away is a classic. Follow 10-year-old Chihiro Ogino on her unsuspecting adventure into the spirit world, where she must pass a series of tests to be reunited with her family. Sorcery, magic, and fantastical creatures await.
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)
Long before the masked electronic duo Daft Punk retired in 2022, they left us with an animated space opera set to the tune of their second studio album, Discovery (the one that opens with “One More Time”). It’s not just any spacey animation either: Interstella was fashioned after the cel-based anime style popular in Japan during the ‘80s and ‘90s.
This zero-dialogue galaxy romp is basically a rehash of the rock star coming-to-fame story. Except it stars a blue-skinned alien band that’s swept up in an intergalactic music industry, rife with publicity drama, exploitative contracts and mind control. Expect starship battles, ritual sacrifice and dazzling stage lights that reach across the universe.
READ: 7 of the Trippiest Novels to Ever Grace the Page
Sturgill Simpson Presents SOUND & FURY (2019)
Rock-n-roll may be a dying art, but leave it to a country band to keep it kicking well into the age of EDM and hip-hop: Sturgill Simpson.
SOUND & FURY (which may have been inspired by a famous line in Shakespeare’s Macbeth) marks a sharp divergence from Sturgill Simpson’s twangy roots. The animated film for the album, produced by the studio Kamikaze Douga, follows a badass samurai wandering aimlessly through a cyberpunk dystopia. Old-timers may notice some parallels with the animated cult classic Heavy Metal and Mad Max.
Like Inter5tella, this one also lacks dialogue, but the album more than makes up for the lack of witty exchanges.
Fantasia (1940) and Fantasia 2000 (1999)
Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are among the most recommended movies to watch on shrooms. The graphics and classical music are mesmerizing, taking you on a “journey through the imagination” through eight animated segments. Celebrities like Steve Martin and Quincy Jones introduce segments in Fantasia 2000, which is the commemorative and anthological remake of the 1940 classic.
Yellow Submarine (1968)
Next to the “drop out” Timothy Leary, perhaps no one else pushed LSD into the mainstream consciousness more than The Beatles. And perhaps the most psychedelic of the Fab Five’s catalog is Yellow Submarine. (I hear you crying, Team Sgt. Pepper, and I feel you. But Sgt. Pepper didn’t get an animated film with an original score.)
Borrowing from the vibrant Pop Art movement (think Andy Warhol), Yellow Submarine’s animation uses sharp lines, flat planes and a range of colors only found in those extra-large Crayola boxes. In fact, Yellow Submarine didn’t just appeal to a bell-bottomed-out audience, it also changed animation forever. Artists from The Simpsons to South Park say Yellow Submarine’s quirky and lighthearted style inspired them, too.
Loving Vincent (2017)
The verbal content of Loving Vincent may get a little heavy for a mushroom trip; it confronts death, mental illness, and suicide. But here’s what’s beautiful about it: this film is made entirely with paintings. So, whether you decide to watch it with the audio or not, Loving Vincent is still amazing to look at silently. It’s easy enough to put on some soothing music and watch and observe the visual treats instead—an interesting choice if you don’t plan on sitting down or watching an entire movie. (Of course, it’s a stunning film, so it’s certainly worth watching to completion.)
Science Fiction Movies to Watch While on Mushrooms
Awe-inspiring graphics is a common theme amongst the best movies for tripping. If out-of-this-world graphics are your jam, what could be better than a space opera? Here are some picks worth considering.
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (2012)
A little live-action, a little rom-com, a little science-fiction—this film is a visual treat. An artist — played by Terence Nance, who also directed the film — creates a film about a woman after being stood up on a date. The movie flicks between live action and animation; the animations range from realistic models to simple line sketches. Witty and charming, the romance maintains an intimate home-movie feel while also showcasing a diverse range of artistic styles that make it hard to look away.
Avatar 2: The Way of Water (2022)
Released in 2022, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water follows the Sully family a decade after the fateful romance between Marine veteran Jake and Na’vi princess Neytiri. But, trouble looms: the couple must leave their home when the Resources Development Administration (RDA) has new plans to colonize Pandora. Warning: There are scenes of war in this movie, along with themes of colonization. Plus, both mushrooms and 3D movies can cause nausea. So, if you’re prone to motion sickness and have a sensitive stomach, it might be helpful to have a hot cup of tea handy.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey is ranked a fan-favorite movie to watch on shrooms — indeed, it’s regarded as one of the most influential films ever made. Follow the plight of Dr. Heywood Floyd, Chairman of the United States National Council of Astronautics, as he travels to investigate a four-million-year-old artifact that’s been buried near a lunar crater. (And enjoy the realistic depictions of space travel and philosophical musings on existence while you’re at it.) Although it’s important to keep in mind that while this piece is considered a masterpiece of its time, it may not live up to the diversity and inclusion standards that we collectively hold today.
Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar is another fan-favorite amongst movie-watching psychonauts. It portrays Earth devastated by the impacts of climate change and a team of astronauts’ efforts during their last effort to save the human race. Interstellar touches on themes of loneliness, love, and the meaning of existence alongside a high-budget portrayal of the wonders of space and physics.
Arrival (2016)
Arrival is a far more subtle film than 2001 and Interstellar. Amy Adams plays a linguistics professor who has accepted the job of a lifetime—decoding an alien language that’s unlike anything ever heard on Earth. While dark at times and potentially a little intimidating for a shroom trip, this film’s underlying philosophy is one of immeasurable empathy and peace.
Classic Movies to Watch on Shrooms
Get ready to get weird. Not everyone takes psilocybin mushrooms to embark on a spirit quest or find personal meaning. For many, psychedelic mushrooms are recreational — they’re exciting and fun. That’s what these classic movies, with their campy visuals and overall weirdness, are all about.
Alice in Wonderland & Alice Through the Looking Glass (2010, 2016)
It probably comes as no surprise that film adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland make the list of best movies to watch on shrooms — the story itself is seemingly an homage to the psychedelic experience. Follow Alice down the rabbit hole, where she meets a perplexing barrage of jesting animals and eats lots of very strange things.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (as well as its remakes) are weird and trippy in their own right; no psychedelics needed. The film is an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Follow young Charlie on a whimsical and oft uncomfortable tour of a surrealist chocolate factory — and bask in all of the weirdness that happens along the way.
Labyrinth (1986)
Labyrinth with David Bowie is also trippy in its own right. Follow sixteen-year-old Sarah, played by Jennifer Connelly, on a journey into a labyrinth to save her baby brother, who is in Bowie’s clutches. Puppets come to the rescue. Enjoy Bowie’s tight pants, swampy scenes, and strange happenings in the magical kingdom.
READ: Set and Setting: Why Preparation Matters
The Worst Movie to Watch on Shrooms: Shrooms
If there’s one movie to never watch on shrooms, it’s Paddy Breathnach’s 2007 horror movie, Shrooms. Despite the title, it’s not a strong statement to say that this film is, in fact, the antithesis of a genuine shroom experience: it’s bloody, it’s gory, and does little to portray an accurate picture of tripping.
Breathnach is quick to admit that his movie is not really about magic mushrooms at all. “What I was interested in was not so much the shrooms per se or depicting the psychedelic experience of shrooms,” Breathnach told Independent.ie prior to the movie’s official release in Ireland. “It was the idea of taking something that makes you vulnerable. That makes you uncertain as to whether your experiences are real or not. And then finding yourself in a situation that’s very threatening — I felt that was an interesting thing.”
Amazon describes this movie as a “tripped-out tale of sex, drugs, and slashers,” a write-up that couldn’t be more apt. Shrooms can be described as Blair Witch Project-esque, although perhaps with more gore and teen drama. The movie stars Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston, and Max Kasch. Rotten Tomatoes rates this film 22 percent. IMDB rates this movie a 4.2 out of 10. Despite these low ratings, the film still was nominated for a few awards in its time, including taking 5th place for Best Irish Film in the Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards. It was also nominated for Best Film by the Irish Film and Television Awards.
Shrooms Movie Plot (with Spoilers)
A group of American friends travels to Ireland to eat magic mushrooms on an overnight camping trip, an idea suggested by their Irish friend, Jake. But, as you might expect from a horror film, the fun night in the woods quickly goes awry. The woods are haunted by the Black Knights’ grotesque legacy, sadistic keepers of an abandoned school for outcast children. But ghost stories are not the only thing amiss in this spooky Irish forest. Death’s head mushrooms are in bloom, a rare and fictional species difficult to distinguish from the not-so-fictional liberty cap.
The movie begins to ramp up when the main character, Tara, eats a death’s head mushroom, despite warnings from Jake. Tara immediately falls into a seizure. The near-death experience triggers a gothic dream-like state that makes her believe that she can predict future events of the camping trip, including her friends’ deaths. She becomes unable to separate her dream experience from reality and believes that she and her friends are being haunted—and murdered—by the Black Knights of the children’s school.
Shrooms Movie Ending (Definitely Spoilers)
Breathnach’s Shrooms movie ends with a twist: the Black Nights are not the villains of this horror film. Instead, the title belongs to Tara. By the end of the film, Tara is the sole survivor. Fortunately for her, she’s rescued by paramedics. But the rescue doesn’t go as planned. Tara’s bombarded with realizations while lying in the back of an ambulance; there were no Black Knights after all.
Instead, she transformed into a homicidal maniac and brutally murdered all of her friends in her delusional state. (Yes, in this shrooms movie, a girl eats shrooms and kills everyone.) But it certainly doesn’t seem like she feels much remorse. Upon realizing that she, herself, is the killer, her sights turn toward an innocent paramedic. In the final and suggestive ending shot of the film, we see Tara with a pair of bloody scissors and a deranged smile.
