Some of the best movies on the planet aren’t just fun to watch high; they feel like they were made to watch high. If you like to get high and watch movies, we have put together a list below of the best movies to watch high!
Cult classics like The Big Lebowski and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas are universally well loved, but if someone says those are some of their favourite movies, chances are great that person tokes up on a regular basis. Everything from the visuals to the gags to the meandering dialogue feels made for minds on weed.
We already know that smoking weed can enhance music and movement, but it can also make you enjoy visuals and storytelling all the more.
But what are the best movies to watch high? The movies to watch when high that offer you mind-bending new experiences or a healthy dose of comfort?
If you’re at a loss for what to watch when high, then pack up your next bowl, search around your favourite streaming service, and start playing one of these 12 best movies to watch high:
Hardcore Henry
Hardcore Henry isn’t a great movie, but it’s one hell of a ride!
From the moment the opening credits end, you’re stuck in a continual first-person view of the ass-kicking protagonist. Everything happens from your perspective, including baddies trying their best to fill you full of bullets. You might even find yourself dodging and ducking while watching.
Things also constantly escalate to insane levels, which is the perfect quality to have in an entertaining movie to watch while stoned.
Note that the movie isn’t for the squeamish or those that get motion sickness, but if you’ve ever wanted to experience an action movie from the perspective of the hero, Hardcore Henry is absolute wish fulfillment.
Shutter Island
Scorcese’s best work may have been done in the 90s (possibly culminating in the extremely underrated Casino), but movies like Wolf of Wall Street show that he’s far from past his prime. In fact, he’s bolder and more visually inventive behind the camera than ever. Shutter Island is perfect proof of that.
Now, Shutter Island didn’t make waves when it was released for a few good reasons. The film’s kinda hard to follow, and the eventual plot resolution is more frustrating than satisfying.
But MAN is this film gorgeous! Trippy visual sequences mix with low-key scenes shot beautifully in a restrained, colour-graded palette. The movie also does a great job of playing around with time and sequencing, leaving you second-guessing everything until the (admittedly underwhelming) twist.
Edge of Tomorrow
Like Hardcore Henry, Edge of Tomorrow is corny as hell but creative enough that you don’t care. Tom Cruise stars as Major William Cage, an inexperienced combatant facing off against indestructible alien monsters that have all but decimated Earth’s defenses. Cage dies a grisly death in combat but—surprise!—he wakes up again that same morning to repeat his day.
The remainder of the movie plays out like a twisted Groundhog Day, except replace newscaster Andie MacDowell with super-genius combat expert Emily Blunt. Throughout the movie, you’ll see Cruise get demolished over and over as he learns how to defeat the aliens, which makes for some pretty fun and intense sequences.
Lost Highway
David Lynch is a hard sell for many stoners, but if you’re into the idea of some genuinely trippy movies that turn cinema cliches on their heads, then he’s the guy for you. Most people would recommend the engaging Mulholland Drive as a Lynch must-see, but its meandering vignette style can cause stoned attention spans to dwindle if you smoke weed that makes it hard to focus.
Instead, we highly recommend Lost Highway as one of the better David Lynch movies to watch when high. The film plays with your expectations, making you think a narrative strand is going to pay off, until it dumps you unexpectedly into a new one. There’s even a jarring mid-movie casting change that we won’t ruin for you.
So if you’re in the mood for something weird, subversive, and featuring Robert Loggia in his absolute best performance as a villain, seek out Lost Highway.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Quirky, yet visually captivating, Wes Anderson is another go-to director for some of the best movies to watch high. Rushmore remains his least-dated entry in terms of comedy, but if you want to go all-in on silly humor and amazing kitschy aesthetics, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is never a bad choice.
The cast alone makes the movie outstanding—Anjelica Huston, Jeff Goldblum, a restrained Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray giving one of the most casually brilliant performances of his career.
There’s also some great old-school looking effects worth pausing and wondering at while absolutely baked, especially that incredible cutaway sequence of the Belafonte ship, which they made using a full-scale replica on a soundstage!
History of the World, Part I
Mel Brooks is an absolute treasure this world doesn’t deserve. He’s given us some of the best comedic films of all time, including Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and The Producers.
Really, any Mel Brooks movie is worth watching while you’ve got a case of the giggles from weed that helps relieve stress. So we’re going to recommend one that’s seen less commonly on stoners’ DVD shelves: History of the World, Part I.
History of the World is really five mini-movies set in various periods of history that classic Hollywood loved to depict. You’ll see a quick rundown of man’s inventions during the Stone Age, watch Moses deliver the 15—er, 10—commandments of the Lord, tap your toes to a song and dance number about the Spanish inquisition, and learn how the Roman Empress carefully selected subjects to attend her orgy.
It’s all silly, irreverent Mel Brooks humor at its best, and you’re guaranteed to be quoting it for months afterwards.
Kung Fu Hustle
Stephen Chow captures everything great about the Hong Kong cinema martial arts movies from the ‘70s and repackages it in an incredibly fresh, creative, and visually astounding package. He caught his big break in 2001 with Shaolin Soccer, and decided to follow up his success with a film more true to the classic era of chop socky films.
Kung Fu Hustle starts small in scope but escalates constantly. You’re never really sure who the true bad guys or heroes are as the movie unfolds. The martial arts also get exponentially wackier as the movie goes on, and the cartoony visual effects just add to the fun.
If you enjoy this film, you can also try “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons,” which is a bit more straightforward but even more ambitious in terms of visuals and fight choreography.
Princess Mononoke
If you already like anime and haven’t seen all of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, go watch Spirited Away or Kiki’s Delivery Service instead of this.
Princess Mononoke, on the other hand, is the perfect movie to introduce non-believers to the wonder and majesty of Japanese animation. The movie is a sprawling epic with strong environmental themes and a dynamite cast of characters. You’ll end up sympathizing with most of them, which makes the gargantuan final battle all the more tense to watch.
Princess Mononoke is admittedly long, clocking in at over two hours, but you’ll be engrossed from start to finish. Pair with a cerebrally stimulating sativa to really pick up on the themes of conflict, peace, community, and how deeply humans fear the unknown.
Raising Arizon
The Big Lebowski is a masterpiece of filmmaking, but the Coen brothers have much more up their sleeves than the world’s finest stoner sleuth comedy.
Case in point: Raising Arizona, a movie that’s small in scope but filled with ambitious ideas and some of the dreamiest sequences this side of David Lynch. It stars Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter, with outstanding support from the likes of John Goodman.
So pop up some popcorn, smoke a comforting indica, put a panty on your head, and get ready to laugh and be amazed by this hidden gem.
Big Trouble in Little China
There are lots of downright ridiculous ‘80s-’90s era action movies that are 100 percent perfect as the best movies to watch high. Rambo 2, Robocop, Highlander 2: The Quickening, Over the Top, Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome, The Running Man, and Commando all spring to mind.
But if you’re really wanting something that’s full-fledged bonkers—packed to the max with cheesy one-liners, moustache-twirling villains, sprayed-down muscles, and stunts that look like they really hurt—check out John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China.
This movie’s got it all: gunfights, Kurt Russell chewing scenery, martial artists flying around on wires, exploding ninjas, a beholder from Dungeons and Dragons, and a 10-foot-tall ancient sorcerer roadblock WITH LIGHT COMIN’ OUT OF HIS MOUTH!
It’s extremely hard to take the film seriously, but with lines like, “Don’t panic, it’s only me, Gracie Law,” it’s definitely not meant to be. Also, if you dig this film, check out Carpenter’s 1982 The Thing for a great atmospheric horror movie also starring Kurt Russel, when looking for what to watch when high.
Some More of the Best Movies to Watch High
There are so many awesome movies out there and so many different types of weed to enjoy while watching them, that you’ll never run out of great movies to watch when high.
Here are just some of the ones worth mentioning that we didn’t have a chance to mention or review in full:
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Annie Hall
- Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
- Troll 2
- Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke
- Hot Fuzz
- Fight Club
- Snatch
- Moon
- Donnie Darko
- Memento
- Disney’s Robin Hood
- Wreck-It Ralph
- The Triplets of Belleville
- Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- Half Baked
- Pulp Fiction
- Step Brothers
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
- Superbad
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
- The Fifth Element
These are just some of our recommended best movies to watch high. What are yours? Let us know the ones we missed on our Facebook page!
