Ken Russell’s controversial 1971 film incorporates sexually explicit hallucinatory sequences into this story based on the supposed demonic possessions in that took place in 17th Century Loudon, France.
An order of Ursuline nuns begin to exhibit wild, uncontrolled behavior thought to be led by Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed), a proud priest, who has recently gained political control of Loudon. Sister Jeanne des Anges (Vanessa Redgrave), the sexually repressed hunchback Mother Superior of the convent becomes infatuated with Grandier, and her striking sexual fantasies haunt her guilty conscious.
Once word of Grandier’s secret marriage to another woman reaches Jeanne, she collapses into fits of hysteria and claims to have been possessed by the Devil through Grandier. Other nuns in the convent also claim to be possessed and the convent explodes into a frenzy of sexual outbursts and bizarre public exorcisms.
Russell boldly depicts the effects of sexual oppression mixed with religious mania. The censored scenes of the “demonic possessions” include a psychedelic orgy of naked nuns “raping” a statue of Christ and Sister Jeanne masturbating with a human bone. The uncut version of The Devils is a mind blowing, audacious exploration of ecstasy (both religious and sexual).
I remember watching “Beavis and Butthead Do America” at a Viacom watching party. At the time, I was working at Nickelodeon and Chris Pyrnoski was kind of in-house famous for getting his own show, Downtown, on MTV. The trip scene was by far my favorite part of the movie. After hearing that Mr.Pyrnoski had directed it, I was an instant fan. He has since gone on to great things like starting his own studio, Titmouse, and directing on the oh so awesome show Metalocalypse. He uploaded an early animatic from the movie:
“Psychedelic Zion” follows the ups and downs of three rave organizers who operate under the banner “Peace and Love Production.” Filmed over the course of two years, director Isri Halpern follows the trio from their first ecstatic parties on the hillsides of the Galilee, into the living rooms of their religious, working-class families, and deep into the fray of their eventual and sometimes violent clashes with the police. In the midst of a public furor, they take their case to the government and the Supreme Court, fighting for the right to live out their psychedelic dreams.
Story about the adventure to another world. Directed by Konstantin Plotnikov.
This film tells a story of a soul traveling in a different unknown world. Every sensitive spirit has to contact with a reality that is beyond the perception of most people, down to earth, practical people. In THO-OG perceptive people will see the world where their souls dwell. The main character of the film is one of them.
Back when acid was mostly known as an experimental drug examined for its exotic effects on consciousness and its potential therapeutic value, Ken Kesey was among the first who came up with the idea of using it to party and explore reality intuitively. After publishing his masterpiece “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, which he wrote on acid, inspired by the acid experiences he had in CIA LSD experiments, Kesey assembled a group of intrepid freakstes around him. Otherwise known as the merry pranksters, this merry group of psychonauts initiated the famous 1960’s acid tests, which were basically the first acid parties. All the while, they shot an experimental psychedelic film, while on acid. But the group couldn’t get its mind around how to edit the film, which was to be edited from hundreds of hours of fragmentary materials. Only in 2011 was it finally released as part of a film called “Magic Trip” about Kesey and his group, and if you have anything more than a fleeting interesting psychedelics I suggest you check it out soon to get better acquainted with Kesey and his group. Above the trailer to the magic trip video. Below, an animation accompanying a conversation with Jerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead, reminiscing about the acid tests. And finally, the acid test graduation film.
One of my very favorite animations, Tusalava, was created by New Zealand artist and animation pioneer Len Lye. Originally silent, this version has been re-scored by Allessandro di Paola. Works well silent or with music, but stay with it. The ten minute slow-moving meditation on abstract almost cellular forms is quite moving.
And here we are again at year’s end. With more than 400 videos published on the DPV during 2014, we had more than a handful of psychedelic video material to watch in order to prepare this list. Luckily, this turned out to be a lot of fun. Psychedelic video just keeps getting better and better from year to year, and the psychedelic produce of 2014 was especially stunning. We’ve collected some 20 amazing psychedelic videos which were produced in 2014, as well as a number of extraordinary psychedelic oldies which first appeared on the DPV in 2014. Enjoy!
Psychedelic Music Clips
Dye ft. Egyptian Lover – She’s Bad
DYE’s “She’s bad” is one of the most alluring and terrifying portrayals of the femme fatale that we saw in a long time. The mixing of the sex, blood, and the animal world of attacker and prey is made even more potent by the creative use of multi-layered visuals. (Original post).
Tune Yards – Water Fountain
“Water Fountain”, by the Tune Yards, a musical project led by New England musician Merril Garbus, is a refreshing burst of psychedelic energy. Without too much fancy effects, the Tune Yards create a playful and wacky universe which makes you want to jump into the screen and join the party. (Original post).
Chance via Circuito ft. Miriam Garcia – Coplita
The music clip for “Coplita” by Argentinean musican Chanca via Circuito, featuring Miriam Gracia, is an hypnotic montage with powerful shamanistic imagery with some Mexican influence. Beautiful animation by Paula Duró. (Original post).
Dmitry Zakharov – Inside me
Based on a 3D scan of the artist’s body, as well as his internal organs, Dmitry Zakharov’s “Inside me” takes us through a beautiful and contemplative journey through the curves and bends of the human body. (Original post).
Murat Sayginer – Volans
A powerful and effective journey in the galaxy of consciousness, with plenty of psychedelic delicatessen along the way, courtesy of Murat Sayginer. (Original post).
Rollin’ Wang – Chick Chick
“Chick Chick” by Chinese singer Rollin’ Wang is probably the most shockingly preposterous video clip to come from the far east since Gangnam Style hit the web. The chicken song lashes the viewer relentlessly with bright scintillating colors and animal sounds. We loved it! (Original post).
Sebodah – State of Mine
Directed by Geoff Hoskinson, this superb video to the song “State of mine” by American indie-rock band Sebodah frets on middle-class anxieties of family, children and white-collar slavery, utilizing 1950s style imagery. (Original post).
Gnucci – Work
In 2013 Britney Spears taught us that in order to get anything in this world “you gotta’ to work bitch” in what seemed at times like a hymn written in honor of the work ethics of late capitalism. A year later, Gnucci’s “Work” takes a distinctly different approach, sticking sharp needles in the modern institution of work, with some hallucinatory nightmarish renditions of the contemporary world of work. (Original post).
Irma – Save Me
Irma’s “Save me” is an impressive example of how video projections can be used smartly to combine live performance with pre-coded visual effects, reinvening the whole genre of music videos. The song might be a bit tacky, but the result is altogether remarkable. (Original post).
Liquid Stranger – The Gargon
This video to Liquid Stranger’s “The Jargon” was created by Australian artist Andy Thomas, whose fascination with the fusion of nature and technology is spectacularly evident here. Thomas has spent the last years “taking photos of plants, insects and machines and compositing them with artificially created form (…) corrupting nature with technology, by sampling sounds of the forest and running them through various computer programs.” A breathtaking video. And for those of you who want some more, here is another spectacular Andy Thomas video which was published on the DPV this year. (Original post).
Micah Buzan – Mixed Up
Micah Buzan is an extraordinarily gifted musician and animator who hand-draws his material with an “acid pencil” as my DPV colleague Holographic Elf aptly called it. There is something intensely hallucinatory about both the spacey music created by Buzan, as well as the by weirdly transforming figures he brings to life. Buzan’s work has been amply featured on the DPV the past year. You can check out some more of his work here. (Original post).
Wild Child – Rillo Talk
This 360 degrees video by American Indie pop group Wild Child offers an impeccably chilly and laid back experience from the landscapes of Austin, Texas. A great video to trip out and chill off with. (Original post).
Psychedelic nature films –Daniel Stoupin – Slow Life
Marine life forms such as coral and sponges live on a different time scale than we humans. To us they seem static and unmoving, yet these animals build coral reefs and are incredibly dynamic if viewed in the right time scale. This groundbreaking video by Daniel Stoupin uses pioneering and experimental methods to allow us to enter the slow time scale of these marine animals and watch them in action. Prepare to be awed. (Original post).
Psychedelic Cinema – Darren Aaronofsky – Noah Creation Scene
Darren Aaronofsky’s Noah has been one of the most controversial films of 2014. Regarded by some to be a work of genius, and by others as a massive flop. Noah nevertheless supplied some of the most psychedelic cinematic scenes of 2014, even without taking into consideration the scene in which Noah (Russell Crowe) imbibes a cup of Ayahuasca in order to get a vision of the coming flood. One of these mesmerizing scenes, which is presented below, recapitulates the whole biblical story of creation and immortal sin in under 4 minutes of stunning cinematic spectacle at the center of which stand god, man and creation. (Original post).
Psychedelic Web Shows – Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared 2
Don’t Hug me I’m Scared is probably our favorite psychedelic puppet show ever! For those who don’t know it, Don’t hug me I’m scared is a kind of sesame street parody which mixes in some psychedelic concepts and disturbing imagery. The show is created by the two British artists Becky Sloan and Joseph Pellingan. So far three episodes of the show have been released since 2011, but lately the couple has raised some money on Headstart so we can expect more videos in the future. The video above takes us on an incredible journey in the weird land of time and all its mind staggering landscapes. (Original post).
Psychedelic Art – Liferaft on a death trip – Android Jones and Tipper
Digital artist Android Jones is a usually better known for his art work than for his video output. Nevertheless, this time lapse video breaks the boundary between the static image and the moving image as it takes us on a unique journey through the artist’s creative process while he was creating the piece “Liferaft on a death trip” inspired by the forward escape album by tipper. (Original post).
Psychedelic short films
A Unified Approach to Grown Structures
One of the recurring motives of psychedelic visuals is the way mathematical patterns reveal themselves to us as beauty: be it the golden ration, the Fibonacci numbers or a certain kind of fractal. A Unified Approach to Grown Structures, created in cooperation with the MIT Media Lab, shows the natural forms that emerge and develop through computational growth processes that once again brings the point home: nature is data, and it’s beautiful. (Original post).
PES – Submarine Sandwich
Adam Pepsane, better know as PES, is an American film director and a master of the stop motion genre who was already nominated for an academy award for his “Fresh Guacamole” video. In his newest video, “Submarine Sandwich” PES continues to challenge our perceptions and concepts in a way that reminds me of how Timothy Leary used to paint the milk or the eggs in strange colors in order to challenge the perception of the visitors of his Millbrook commune. (Original post).
Guy Trefler – Not Mine
Comprised entirely of recycled imagery from our culture’s collective mind, Guy Trefler’s “Not Mine” is the ultimate mix of the symbols and logos that make up civilization’s subconscious. A colorful and post-modern pastiche of signifiers without a signification which demonstrates the replicated character of present day simulacra culture. (Original post).
Cyriak – Malfunction
Bizarre video effects master Cyriak comes back with another perturbing piece which mixes the idyllic utopia of the 1950s American housewife together with the unsettling and sinister presence of an “unheimlich” creature who penetrates the fabric of reality and disturbs the order of things. Brilliant. (Original post).
2013 Leftovers
While we try our best, we can’t help but miss some of the fresh psychedelic videos on the web. It is thus that some of the best psychedelic videos of 2013 were published on the DPV only this year. Here are some of those.
Mikhail Sadovnikov – Dance on the Circle
If we didn’t know this is real we wouldn’t have believed it. A spectacularly psychedelic technique of creating beautiful, captivating shapes with a clay wheel and water. Awesome! (Original post).
Urumadelvi – Psychedelic Afternoon
Who wouldn’t want a psychedelic grandfather like this. This is the ultimate psychedelic lullaby for all kids suffering from bad dreams. (Original post).
Klaus Obermaier & ARS Electronica Futurelab ft. Rob Tannion – Apparition Grand Finale
This fantastic final part of the interactive real-time generated dance performance APPARITION shows the amazing, indeed almost incredible, potential of using video projections on the stage. (Original post).
Senaka & Gal – Car Wash
Senaka and Gal take us on a trip to the car wash and show us how even a mundane chore like washing your car can be a pretty psychedelic experience. A brilliant video. (Original post).
Lady Gaga – Fame Commercial
This one is actually originally from 2012 but seems to belong here. A hyper-hallucinatory perfume commercial by Lady Gaga. (Original post).
Sanctuaryasia – She’s alive, beautiful, finite, hurting, worth dying for
This one is actually originally from 2011, but we also felt this needs to be part of this list. A powerful and poignant message to save our planet now before it’s too late. It was never as easy to see Gaia, planet earth, as one collective living being, of which we are part of. (Original post).
Historical psychedelic gems
Finally, here are some older gems we’ve uncovered on the DPV on 2014
It is almost hard to believe that this video and its stunning visuals was created in 1979, in an era when computer generated animation was still making its first steps. Spiral PTL was one of the first pieces included in the video art collection of the Modern Art Museum in New York, and a part of its inauguration. An impressive historical exemplar from the then nascent field of computer graphics. (Original post).
An American Hippie in Israel – Amos Sefer
American hippie in Israel, also known as ha-trempist (the hitchhiker) is one of those cult films you’ll never forget. Shot in Israel in 1972, the film was considered so bad that it was shelved for a period of almost 40 year, until it received it’s first public screening in 2010, immediately becoming a cult film. The trailer can give you some idea of what makes this an hilarious cult film. (Original post).
The Bugaloos – Senses of Our World
This video clip from the early 1970s brothers Krofft psychedelic children show “The Bugaloos” is charmingly sweet and innocent, with a positive and beautiful hippie vibe. Too bad they don’t make children shows like this anymore. (Original post).
1950s Italian Motorbike Display
Back in the 1950s, the motorcycle squad of the Rome police force performed a riding demonstration that probably remains the most impressively psychedelic biking display till this very day. (Original post).
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That’s it for now folks. Hope to see you around on the DPV where the good psychedelic stuff is always coming. We’ll be back again in exactly one year with the best psychedelic videos of 2015! 🙂
A group of friends visit Peru to learn about the sacred plant medicine Huachuma, also known as San Pedro cactus. The ceremonial use of Huachuma for healing, magical, and divining purposes has been a continuous tradition in Perú for well over 3,000 years and still continues today at Spirit Quest in the Amazon basin. Step into the world of H U A C H U M A.
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