Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings.   Today’s post is another movie recommendation post based on how you want to feel.   For today’s list, I am focusing on films that make you feel like you are Alice Through the Looking Glass, and that means surrealist fantasies abound here!   This list is broken into two categories: actual adaptations of the Carroll stories and films with surrealist vibes that remind me of Alice energy.   Without further ado, let’s get onto the list!

LEWIS CARROLL ADAPATIONS:

ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND BALLET (2011)

~To begin this list, I just had to include this amazing Ballet, which adapted the original story into dance. It is a beautifully choreographed production that truly transports the audience to Wonderland!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1933)

~The 1933 version is largely known as the version of this tale that disturbs people due to the uncanny valley energy of the costuming with large masks that sometimes reveal the human actors inside the giant whimsical heads!   It is well worth the watch for how interesting the adaptation is if the uncanny valley energy does not bother you.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951)

~This is the film that most of us think of when we hear the title Alice in Wonderland.   It is the classic Disney animation that cemented much of the iconic status of this story in cinema!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1966)

~I really adore this often-overlooked film from the BBC.   This is a very short film, making for a quick watch.   It takes the unique view of not having the actors dressed as literal animals (no masks or fake heads here), instead having them be dressed in suits and having the surrealistic energy be more in the language and the vibes than in literal makeup and costuming!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1999)

~I have always adored this Hallmark adaptation of the story, which boasts an all-star cast and is very colorful and fun!   It came out when I was a child, so I did grow up watching this one, as well as already having been a huge fan of the Disney classic animation.   So this made the list based on it being my most-watched non-animated version of the story!

WONDERLAND SURREALISM VIBES

LABYRINTH (1986)

~I am such a huge fan of this Faery-filled story of Sarah confronting the Goblin King Jareth to get her baby brother Toby back.   There are several actual dream sequences in the film, adding to the surrealistic quality, plus much of the story is quite inspired by Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, making this an obvious choice for this list!    

PEARL (2022)

~Now, this is the first film on this list that is also for the horror film lovers!   Out of the X-Trilogy by Ti West, this is most definitely my favorite.   It takes a very boldly colored palette (inspired by Old Hollywood films) to tell the origin story of Pearl.   I love all of the references to The Wizard of Oz, which are direct references to the 1939 film.   However, I also think that the Dreamy energy and the madness of this film give major Alice in Wonderland vibes, but with literal blood and murder, which is why it just had to make the list! 

POOR THINGS (2023)

~This film has been very controversial for many people since its release.   I actually only first saw this film a couple of months ago, even though I had wanted to see it since its release.   That being said, I truly love this film!   It is definitely not for everyone, but if you are up for a wild ride with tons of surrealistic imagery and even a surrealistic plotline, then it is a great watch!   If you are worried about whether or not this film is for you, I would recommend looking up plot points before watching, but I will not go over anything specific that was viewed as controversial, as I do not want to spoil the film.  The film takes a lot of inspiration from Frankenstein, as it is a tale of a mad scientist and a creation of sorts, but it is told largely from the point of view of the creation, adding to the surrealistic energy!       

THE SUBSTANCE (2024)

~I could not make this list without including this absolutely amazing body horror film from last year!   It is another wild ride of a film, with a lot to say about how we view aging as a society, but possibly even more importantly, how we view aging in ourselves.   There is a ton of surrealism not only in the outright body horror but also in the surrealistic world of this fictional Hollywood being portrayed in the film!   I honestly cannot recommend this one highly enough, as since I saw it, I know that this is my second favorite film released in 2024 (second only to Nosferatu)!

~I hope you have enjoyed this list of themed film recommendations.   What other movies would you add to this list as having a similar energy?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a lovely Alice in Wonderland artwork.   I found the art on https://rriioiiuiop.top/products.aspx?cname=alice+in+wonderland+oil+painting&cid=269.

LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries