The 21 best trippy movies and TV shows on Netflix
Road trips are expensive, but trippy flicks on Netflix can be watched from your couch.
The 21 best trippy movies and TV shows on Netflix
Road trips are expensive, but trippy flicks on Netflix can be watched from your couch.
By Ilana Gordon
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Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
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and Chris Snellgrove
May 2, 2026 7:00 p.m. ET
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Bob Weir in 'The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir'; Annie Murphy as Joan Tait in season 6 of 'Black Mirror'; Clancy (voice: Duncan Trussell) and Deneen Fendig as herself in 'The Midnight Gospel'. Credit:
Netflix; Nick Wall/Netflix; Netflix
You donât need substances to alter your brain â not if you have a Netflix subscription. The 21 movies and shows on this list fall into two categories: content about drugs, and content that mimics the effects drugs have.
Whether youâre here to learn about psychedelics and the history of cannabis, or to look for an absurdist drama about a breakup (*Iâm Thinking of Ending Things*) or a sci-fi mystery about a cloning conspiracy (*They Cloned Tyrone*) or even a nostalgic childrenâs show (*The Magic School Bus*), Netflix is here to make your streams come true.
Puff puff if youâre so inclined, but donât pass on watching these 21 trippy movies on Netflix.**
Bad Trip (2021)
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Eric André as Chris Carey and Lil Rel Howery as Bud Malone in 'Bad Trip'.
Eric AndrĂ© has made a career out of making people extremely uncomfortable in the name of comedy, and heâs at his best in the movie *Bad Trip*.
A hidden camera comedy prank movie in the style of *Jackass*, *Bad Trip *is about Bud and Chris (AndrĂ© and Lil Rel Howery), two friends who take a road trip from Florida to New York City in search of a woman Chris likes (Michaela Conlin), while struggling to evade Budâs criminal sister (Tiffany Haddish), whose car they stole.
The movie's a trip to watch, and, according to AndrĂ©, was even more of one to film. (See: his interview with EW where he talks about how one particular prank in the movie almost got Howrey killed.) A nice addition to the prank-ertainment genre, *Bad Trip *is fun, funny, and, at times, even heartwarming. *âIlana Gordon*
**Director: **Kitao Sakurai
**Cast:** Eric André, Lil Rel Howery, Tiffany Haddish, Michaela Conlin
Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025)
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Jimmy Page in 'Becoming Led Zeppelin'.
Sony Pictures Classics/Courtesy Everett Collection
The summer of â69 wouldnât have been the same without the formation of Led Zeppelin. The rock band missed the British Invasion, but took America by storm at the end of the â60s, becoming the number one musical group by 1970 and one of the best-selling musical acts of all time.
*Becoming Led Zeppelin* is the bandâs first authorized documentary, following the groupâs creation and early years together. Featuring three of the four bandmates â John Bonham died in 1980 at 32 years old, and his story is presented through archival interviews â *Becoming Led Zeppelin *is music history told right. *âI.G.*
**Director: **Bernard MacMahon
**Cast: **Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant
Behind Her Eyes (2021)
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Eve Hewson as Adele on 'Behind Her Eyes'.
Mark Mainz/Netflix
Your mileage may vary, but we love trippy stories that veer in unexpected directions, and *Behind Her Eyes* is one such show. At first, the tale of a woman (Simona Brown) who starts sleeping with her boss (Tom Bateman) while navigating a strange relationship with his wife (Eve Hewson) might sound like a lurid Lifetime drama. However, the series soon becomes a mind-boggling supernatural thriller thatâs a delight to dissect. *âChris Snellgrove*
**Cast:** Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman, Simona Brown, Robert Aramayo
Black Mirror (2011âpresent)
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Annie Murphy as Joan Tait in season 6 of 'Black Mirror'. Nick Wall/Netflix
*Black Mirror* might be the optimal trippy show â so long as you donât mind the occasional bad vibes. The anthology examines how technology can exacerbate the worst parts of society and human nature, painting a bleak reflection of our present reality through razor-sharp sci-fi stories.
Episodes run the gamut from memory implants gone awry to astronauts committing familicide, though EWâs writer notes that some installments have a âdash of faithful techno-optimismâ that stoners may welcome as a change of pace. *âC.S.*
**EW grade:** Aâ
**Cast:** Bryce Dallas Howard, Hayley Atwell, Jon Hamm, Anthony Mackie, Daniel Kaluuya
Carol & the End of the World (2023)
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Eric (voice: Michael Chernus) and Carol (voice: Martha Kelly) on 'Carol & the End of the World'.
Itâs the end of the world, and I feel⊠nothing?
Thatâs the premise of this trippy series, following Carol (Martha Kelly) as she sinks into the mundane joys of life while everyone else is partying like, well, itâs the end of the world.
Another planet is about to collide with Earth, and most of humanity is living like itâs the first act of a frat comedy. Carol, on the other hand, craves routine, and finds it with the help of a coworker (Laurie Metcalf) and friend (Gillian Jacobs), leaving audiences to debate the meaning of their own lives. *âC.S.*
**Cast: **Martha Kelly, Beth Grant, Lawrence Pressman, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Laurie Metcalf
Dark (2017â2020)
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Louis Hofmann as Jonas Kahnwald and Lisa Vicari as Martha Nielsen on 'Dark'.
*Dark* is unlike anything else on television. The bleak German sci-fi series begins in the modern era with a concerned town searching for missing children, but a nearby wormhole brings in some time-travel elements that make everything more complex and captivating.
Though the premise is serious, the plot is a trippy treat, serving up a mystery that spans three generations and glimpses at the ever-changing future. *âC.S.*
**Cast: **Dietrich HollinderbÀumer, Maja Schöne, Angela Winkler, Florian Panzner
Entergalactic (2022)
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Meadow (voice: Jessica Williams) and Jabari (voice: Scott Mescudi) in 'Entergalactic'.
Serving up eye candy *and *ear candy, *Entergalactic* is an animated companion piece to Kid Cudiâs 2022 album of the same name, painting an electric, eclectic world in the style of the *Spider-Verse *movies.
The plot involves a young artist (Cudi, a.k.a. Scott Mescudi) who falls hard for the girl next door (Jessica Williams). Cudiâs music and the piece's vibrant visuals color their love in cosmic shades. *âC.S.*
**Director:** Fletcher Moules
**Cast: **Scott Mescudi, Jessica Williams, Ty Dolla Sign, Timothée Chalamet
Grass Is Greener (2019)
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Snoop Dogg in 'Grass Is Greener'.
During his 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan called weed âthe most dangerous drug in the United States.â But 45-plus years has done a lot to shift the publicâs perception of marijuana, and the 2019 documentary *Grass Is Greener* charts that rebrand.
The film examines the history of cannabis as it intersects with music, race, politics, and incarceration. Noted weed enthusiast Snoop Dogg is one of many musicians and artists featured in the doc, which guides viewers through pot's evolution from the jazz era until today. A film that questions whether America ever ended its War on Drugs, and if cannabis and capitalism can coexist, *Grass Is Greener *is an important document of America's cultural history. *âI.G.*
**Director: **Fab 5 Freddy
**Cast:** Snoop Dogg, Damian Marley, CeeLo Green, Chuck D, Asha Bandele
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics (2020)
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Ben Stiller in 'Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics'. Netflix
It may be a little on the nose, but what makes for a better trippy film than your favorite celebs talking about tripping?
Host Nick Offerman brings his impish warmth to this Netflix documentary, but the real draw is hearing famous people describe their own journeys (sometimes good, sometimes bad, always memorable) with psychedelic drugs. *âC.S.*
**Director:** Donick Cary
**Cast:** Nick Offerman, Carrie Fisher, A$AP Rocky, Nick Kroll, Natasha Lyonne
How to Change Your Mind (2022)
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Close-up of a man wearing a medical mask who also has electrodes attached to his head in âHow to Change Your Mind'.
While some trippy shows have a more playful bent, *How to Change Your Mind* takes the topic of psychedelics very seriously. Sure, it focuses on things like LSD and MDMA, but rather than extol their recreational benefits, this docuseries (based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Michael Pollan) sees the author explain the history of drug use in therapeutic settings. *âC.S.*
**Cast: **Michael Pollan
Iâm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
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Jesse Plemons as Jake, Jessie Buckley as Young Woman, Toni Collette as Mother, and David Thewlis as Father in 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things'.
Mary Cybulski/Netflix
If youâre looking for a linear story with a clear ending, then Charlie Kaufmanâs *Iâm Thinking of Ending Things* might not be the right film for you. Written and directed by Kaufman and adapted from Ian Reidâs novel of the same name, the film is a psychological thriller that traffics in the surreal, shifting fluidly between narrative and free association, all grounded in excellent performances by the filmâs actors.
Jessie Buckley stars as the Young Woman who contemplates ending her seven-week relationship during a Thanksgiving trip to meet her new boyfriend's (Jesse Plemons) parents (David Thewlis and Toni Collette) at their farmhouse. Character ages change, an older janitor weaves in and out of the story, and a maggot-infested pig makes a few appearances. *âI.G.*
**EW grade:** B
**Director:** Charlie Kaufman
**Cast: **Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, David Thewlis
Itâs Whatâs Inside (2024)
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(Left to right): Reina Hardesty as Brooke, Devon Terrell as Reuben, James Morosini as Cyrus, Brittany O'Grady as Shelby, Gavin Leatherwood as Dennis, Nina Bloomgarden as Maya, David Thompson as Forbes, and Alycia Debnam-Carey as Nikki in 'It's What's Inside'.
If underrated indie films are your drug of choice, take a hit of *Itâs Whatâs Inside*. Game night goes wild in this horror comedy about a group of college friends who reunite before a wedding, only to have their evening descend into chaos when a body-swapping device is introduced.
Stylistic and buzzing with tension, the film is a web of shifting romances, alliances, and resentments. The movieâs premise gives its characters the gift of anonymity, and this allows for some startling revelations. If keeping track of which character is inhabiting which body doesnât make you feel like youâre tripping, the twist at the end might do the trick. *âI.G.*
**Director: **Greg Jardin
**Cast: **Brittany O'Grady, James Morosini, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, Alycia Debnam-Carey
Life in Color (2021)
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A butterfly with colorful wings in 'Life in Color'.
If youâre a nature documentary lover, then you know that anything hosted by David Attenborough is the real deal.
*Life in Color* clocks in at only three episodes, making this miniseries more of a visual snack than an entire buffet. However, itâs a satisfying treat that explores how animals use color to navigate their daily lives and survive deadly encounters. In a world where wildlife docs are a dime a dozen, this niche focus stands out from the herd. *âC.S.*
**Cast:** David Attenborough
The 31 best sci-fi movies of all time
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The 30 best classic horror movies of all time
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Love, Death + Robots (2019âpresent)
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K-VRC (voice: Josh Brener) on 'Love, Death & Robots'.
This futuristic anthology series produced by David Fincher sees a revolving door of animators craft thought-provoking shorts. *Love, Death + Robots* was originally conceived of as a reboot of the â80s midnight movie *Heavy Metal*, and it succeeds as a successor by making dystopia look as stylish as it is sad.
Robots might be a major focus of the title, but like the best sci-fi works, this series also emphasizes the vulnerable human elements embedded in each story. And since each episode is between six and 22 minutes long, *Love, Death + Robots *makes for a speedy binge. *âC.S.*
**Cast: **Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Topher Grace, Troy Baker, Josh Brener
The Magic School Bus (1994â1997)
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(Front, from left): Dorothy Ann (voice: Tara Meyer), Wanda Li (voice: Lisa Yamanaka), Ralphie Tennelli (voice: Stuart Stone), and Arnold Pearlstein (voice: Danny Tamberelli); (Middle, from left): Carlos Ramon (voice: Daniel DeSanto), Tim Jamal (voice: Andre Ottley-Lorant), Keesha Franklin (voice: Erica Luttrell), and Phoebe Terese (voice: Maia Filar); (Back, right): Ms. Valerie Frizzle (voice: Lily Tomlin) on 'The Magic School Busâ.
Courtesy Everett Collection
The best field trips in the â90s took place aboard a flying yellow school bus. Lily Tomlin voices Ms. Frizzle, an eccentric science teacher who chauffeurs her students through time, space, and the human body via the titular mode of transportation.
*The Magic School Bus *ran for four seasons on PBS, where it became the highest-rated show on the network for school-aged kids. And the show's list of guest stars includes some of the most accomplished voice, stage, and comedic actors of the time. *âI.G.*
**Cast:** Lily Tomlin, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Lisa Yamanaka
The Midnight Gospel (2020)
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Clancy (voice: Duncan Trussell) on 'Midnight Gospel'. Netflix
The concept behind *The Midnight Gospel* is trippy in and of itself. This series takes audio from the *Duncan Trussell Family Hour* podcast and, through animated direction by *Adventure Time* creator Pendleton Ward, turns everything into a navel-gazing voyage from hell (or heaven, as the tone turns on a dime).
Itâs difficult to sum up this surreal show, but EWâs critic took a crack at it: âIt's an action-packed cartoon about humanity's spiritual reckoning with reality, and a meditative odyssey across hallucinogenic science-fictional fantasies. There are sequences bone-dripped with hard-R freakout imagery â but the vibe is whimsical, full of freewheeling conversation.â *âC.S.*
**EW grade: **A
**Cast: **Duncan Trussell, Phil Hendrie, Drew Pinsky, Damien Echols
The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir (2015)
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Bob Weir as himself in 'The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir'.
The â60s were a wild time, man, and if you werenât there â or if you *were* there and it's all pretty hazy â *The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir *is here to help you tap into that special period. The film centers around Bob Weir, guitarist, singer, and founding member of the Grateful Dead.
Deadheads, music history fans, and documentary lovers will all appreciate the film, which goes deep on Weirâs childhood, his work with the rock band RatDog, and his success with the Dead, the group known for pioneering the âjam bandâ style that would later be popularized by groups like Phish and Widespread Panic.
In another twist, the film is directed by Mike Fleiss, the creator and former producer of *The Bachelor*. *âI.G.*
**Director: **Mike Fleiss
**Cast:** Bob Weir
Our Universe (2022)
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The cosmos in 'Our Universe'.
Rather than focusing on plants or animals, this docuseries explores how Earth is connected to billions of years of cosmic history and development.
With the help of host Morgan Freeman, youâll discover the link between things like starlight and your own body. For veteran trippers with a cosmic bent, the Sagan-like wisdom that weâre all made of âstar stuffâ might be old news. But this series has more than a few surprises, and what trip could be complete without narration from the voice of God himself? *âC.S.*
**Cast: **Morgan Freeman
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
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John Boyega as Fontaine, Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo, and Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles in 'They Cloned Tyrone'.
Parrish Lewis/Netflix
Drugs and conspiracy theories go hand in hand, but what if surreal comedy was added to the mix? Thatâs the vibe in *They Cloned Tyrone*, a comedy that brings together powerhouse talents Jamie Foxx and John Boyega.
When Boyegaâs character is fatally shot and then shows up healthy (albeit slightly amnesiac), it kicks off an investigation into a government cloning project targeting Black people. The movie has some real things to say about race and government exploitation, but it never loses its comic appeal. *âC.S.*
**Director:** Juel Taylor
**Cast:** John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx, David Alan Grier, Kiefer Sutherland
A Trip to Infinity (2022)
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Exploring the concept of infinity in 'A Trip to Infinity'.
A hallmark of a good trip (be it physical or pharmaceutical) is obtaining a fresh perspective. Thatâs the goal of this documentary, in which Jonathan Halperin and Drew Takahashi explore the abstract concept of infinity.
Their approach utilizes equal parts physics and philosophy, and by the time the credits roll, you may have more questions than answers. Nonetheless, the endlessly entertaining movie is a trip worth taking. *âC.S.*
**Directors:** Jonathan Halperin, Drew Takahashi
**Cast: **Alan Lightman, Brian Greene, Stephon Alexander, Steven Strogatz
Wormwood (2017)
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Peter Sarsgaard as Frank Olson in 'Wormwood'. Netflix
True stories donât get much trippier than *Wormwood*, the 2017 docudrama about Frank Olson, a scientist who died under mysterious circumstances in 1953 while working for the CIA on a secret biological warfare program.
Told across six episodes, *Wormwood* follows Frankâs son, Eric Olson, as he pursues information that would clarify whether his father â an unknowing participant in the CIAâs experiments with LSD â died by suicide or was murdered by those who thought he knew too much.
Director Errol Morris stages the story using both talking head interviews and actors. But his real secret weapon lies in Eric's story: The young son who lost his father and devoted his life to exposing the truth of what happened to him. But in remembering his dad, Eric says he forgot himself, and itâs in telling this tale that audiences see the real bitterness of *Wormwood*. *âI.G.*
**Director:Â **Errol Morris
**Cast:** Peter Sarsgaard, Molly Parker, Christian Camargo, Scott Shepherd, Tim Blake Nelson
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