10 Bizarre Experimental Films You Won't Believe Actually Exist

5. Empire

Andy Warhol was a visionary in many ways, but the cult that developed around him meant that he could set up a camera outside a building and people would call it art. Which is exactly what happened with his film Empire, depicting eight hours of action (or inaction, as is probably more accurate) outside the Empire State Building in New York City. Thrilling stuff, as you can imagine. Only Warhol diehards and masochists have watched the whole thing -- the rest of us just don't have the emotional fortitude to make it past the forty five minute mark. Interestingly enough, Warhol considered the inherent difficulty in watching Empire essential, and never allowed the film's length to be cut down (although there is an Italian cut of the film that is only a few hours long). Warhol succeeds in making a film that requires us to sit and focus for the length of an average worker's shift. His intention, we learn, is to make us hyper aware of the sensation of passing time, as minor details in the film take on major significance in the absence of any discernible action.