Emma Wilson
Mushrooms have been a central theme in many films and television series, spanning various genres such as science fiction, horror-comedy, and drama. The 2007 horror film Shrooms is a notable example, along with other movies like Fantastic Fungi, Mushroom Hunters, and The Magic of Mushrooms. Television shows have also incorporated mushrooms into their storylines, including Common Side Effects, an animated series about a healing mushroom, as well as episodes of The X-Files, Hamilton, and Love. Mushrooms offer an otherworldly aesthetic that captivates audiences and inspires storytelling, whether in documentary-style or fictional narratives.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Movie name | Shrooms |
| Year of release | 2007 |
| Genre | Horror |
| Plot | A group of American college students travel to Ireland to try magic mushrooms and become entangled in a supernatural nightmare |
| Rating | 25% critics score and 42% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes |
| TV series | The Last of Us, Star Trek: Discovery, and Hannibal |
| Documentary | The Magic of Mushrooms, Fantastic Fungi |
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What You'll Learn
'Mushrooms' as a central theme or plot device
Mushrooms have long been a source of fascination for humans, and this has translated into their use as a central theme or plot device in movies and television shows. From their use as food to their psychedelic properties, mushrooms have inspired filmmakers and producers across various genres, including science fiction, horror-comedy, and drama. Here are some examples of how mushrooms have been incorporated into films and television series:
Fantastic Fungi
"Fantastic Fungi" is a well-known documentary that explores the beauty and importance of mushrooms. It provides educational insights into the world of fungi, portraying their value to the planet and their mysterious life cycle. This documentary is suitable for viewers of all ages and does not delve into mature themes.
Shrooms
"Shrooms" is a 2007 horror-comedy film that leverages the psychedelic nature of mushrooms as a central plot device. The movie follows a group of friends whose lives take a terrifying turn while on a trip in the Irish woods.
Mushroom Hunters
"Mushroom Hunters" is a documentary that delves into the underground culture of mushroom foragers in the Pacific Northwest. It showcases the obsessive world of mushroom enthusiasts, chefs, and experts, offering a glimpse into the challenges and quirks of this unique industry.
The Last of Us
"The Last of Us" is a popular television series that incorporates mushrooms into its core theme. While not solely focused on mushrooms, the show explores the impact of cordyceps, a type of fungus, on the characters and their world.
Star Trek: Discovery
This science fiction series uses fungi-based ideas for space travel, demonstrating how mushrooms can inspire innovative concepts in storytelling. One of the characters, Paul Stamets, is believed to have a significant role related to fungi, especially in the second season.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
This Ghibli film is set in a dystopian future where spores and fungi have become an integral part of the new ecosystem. It offers a unique take on the potential role of mushrooms in a post-apocalyptic world.
In conclusion, mushrooms have provided ample inspiration for filmmakers and producers, leading to their incorporation as a central theme or plot device in various movies and television series. These examples showcase the diverse ways in which mushrooms have been utilized to captivate audiences and explore different themes and genres.
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Documentaries about mushrooms
There are several documentaries about mushrooms that explore their complex biology, their indispensable role in ecosystems, and their multifaceted ways of interacting with human cultures, history, and cuisine. Here are some notable examples:
Fantastic Fungi
Available on Netflix, this documentary features the work of Paul Stamets and the mushroom time-lapses of legendary cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg. It tells the story of how fungi created the soils of the Earth and lay the foundations for plants, animals, and human beings. It also explores the sacramental use of mushroom species in ancient civilizations like Egypt, India, and China.
Magic Medicine
This documentary follows the first-ever medical trial of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, being used to treat volunteers with clinical depression. It also chronicles the treatment of end-of-life anxiety in terminally ill cancer patients using psilocybin to facilitate deeply spiritual experiences.
National Geographic Documentary
This short documentary follows Chilean mycologist Giuliana Furci, English mycologist Merlin Sheldrake, and Dutch mycologist Toby Kiers on their search for new mushrooms in far southern Chile, on the main island of Tierra del Fuego. They argue for the inclusion of flora, fauna, and funga in environmental policy, recognizing the crucial yet often overlooked role of fungi in conservation.
BBC Documentary
Hosted by Professor Richard Fortey, this documentary explores the secretive and surprising world of fungi, including their essential role in the earth's ecosystem and their impact on human health. It also delves into the counterculture and history of mushroom foraging and the annual Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado.
How to Change Your Mind
Based on the best-selling book by Michael Pollan, this Netflix documentary explores the science, history, and cultural impact of psychedelic substances, including psilocybin mushrooms. It received praise for its streamlined storytelling, effective interviews, and holistic approach to healing.
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Mushrooms in popular culture
Mushrooms have been a fixture in popular culture for centuries, appearing in everything from classic literature to modern-day TV shows, films, and video games. Lewis Carroll's classic novel, Alice in Wonderland, is perhaps the most famous use of mushrooms in pop culture. In the story, Alice eats a mushroom that causes her to grow and shrink at will, leading to bizarre and fantastical adventures. The mushroom's ability to alter reality and perception has made it a symbol of magic and transformation in popular culture.
The Smurfs, a popular cartoon and comic book series, features small blue creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses. Similarly, in the Mario franchise, Super Mushrooms and 1-Up Mushrooms help the titular character, while Goombas are mushroom baddies in King Bowser's army. Naughty Dog's 2013 video game, The Last of Us, also features enemies that are the result of a mutant fungus.
Mushrooms have also been represented in horror fiction, such as the 2007 film Shrooms, and the Netflix show, Love, which has an episode where characters do mushrooms. In the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), the race of Fungus Men called Myconids live underground and communicate with telepathic spores. D&D has other mushroom-based monsters like the violet fungus and the shrieker, a human-sized mushroom that screeches when anyone approaches.
In addition to fiction, mushrooms with psychoactive properties have long played a role in various native medicine traditions and rituals aimed at mental and physical healing and facilitating visionary states. Psilocybin mushrooms, also referred to as psychedelic or magic mushrooms, have been reported to facilitate profound and life-changing insights often described as mystical experiences.
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Animated series about mushrooms
There is an upcoming animated series called "Common Side Effects" that revolves around mushrooms. The series is created by Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely, and it is set to premiere on 2 February 2025 on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. The show follows two high school friends, Marshall and Frances, who reconnect and discover a new kind of drug ("a rare mushroom") that can allegedly cure all illnesses. In the process, they also uncover a conspiracy involving big pharma and the government suppressing all knowledge of this drug. The show's unique art design, with slightly exaggerated character heads, is the work of co-creator Joe Bennett and lead art director Wesley McClain.
Another animated series that briefly involves mushrooms is "Scavengers Reign", which is available on Netflix. This show is created by one of the co-creators of "Common Side Effects".
There is also a documentary movie about mushrooms called "The Magic of Mushrooms" (2014), in which Richard Fortey explores the fungi's evolution, life cycle, and value to the planet.
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Horror movies involving mushrooms
The horror genre has long been fascinated with mushrooms and fungi, with their potential to induce hallucinations and altered perceptions of reality. Here are some horror movies that feature mushrooms in their storylines:
Shrooms (2007)
An Irish horror film written by Pearse Elliot and directed by Paddy Breathnach, "Shrooms" follows a group of American students and their English guide who venture into the Irish woods in search of psilocybin mushrooms. As they consume the mushrooms, they become stalked and murdered by a serial killer, blurring the lines between reality and their imaginations. The movie has been described as a slasher flick with jump scares and haunting visuals, though some critics found the pacing to be slow.
Gaia (2021)
A South African eco-horror film, "Gaia" follows members of the South African forestry service who enter the jungle in search of a lost drone. As night falls, they are terrorized by a mysterious creature and a rapidly growing fungus. The film has been praised for its visuals and special effects, and its ability to blend eco-horror with fairytale elements.
In the Earth
An eco-folk-sci-fi horror film, "In the Earth" takes place during a global pandemic. It follows a scientist who ventures into a highly fertile woodland and encounters a research camp studying the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi. However, the fungal spores cause terrifying sensory alterations and nightmarish dangers.
The Hallow
Directed by Corin Hardy, "The Hallow" is a woodland-set horror film. It follows a conservationist who moves his family to a forest in rural Ireland to study an unusual fungal ecosystem. He discovers that the fungus can infect animals, vehicles, and even humans, and that it is connected to local folklore involving faeries, banshees, and changelings.
Matango (Attack of the Mushroom People)
A Japanese horror film from the early 1960s, "Matango" (known internationally as "Attack of the Mushroom People") was directed by Ishiro Honda, famous for "Godzilla". The film follows passengers and crew on a yacht that capsizes during a storm. It was one of the first horror films from Japan to feature a darker tone and design, though it may seem outdated to modern audiences.
Other Mushroom-Themed Horror Movies
- An unnamed film mentioned by Far West Fungi about a group of college friends who venture into the Irish countryside to forage for psychedelic mushrooms and are stalked by a serial killer.
- An unnamed film about a global apocalypse triggered by ancient fungal spores released from under an icecap.
- An unnamed Japanese film directed by Ishiro Honda, in which castaways on an island are altered by a mutagenic fungus.
- An unnamed Russian film set in 1984, based on the Kola Superdeep Borehole, featuring an infectious mold that needs a warm host to survive.
- An unnamed film about a young couple on a road trip who must fight off reanimated corpses controlled by a parasitic fungus.
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Frequently asked questions
Some popular TV series that feature mushrooms in their core theme include \"The Last of Us\", \"Star Trek: Discovery\", and \"Hannibal\". Mushrooms are a recurring topic in popular media, from nature and psychedelia to food and survival.
Yes, there are several movies about mushrooms, including the horror film "Shrooms" (2007) and the documentary "Fantastic Fungi".
"Fantastic Fungi" is a documentary that delves into the magical world of fungi, from mushrooms that clear oil spills to underground fungal networks that help trees communicate. It is available to watch on Netflix.
