People are drawn to this sort of thing because it evokes a certain sense of accidental surrealism. When you see an image like that in the middle of watching something else, your brain reacts to it. A good example might be the twins from The Shining, which Kubrick borrowed from Diane Arbus.

There's an artist by the name of Stan Brakhage who built an entire career out of exploring this effect. And once you watch one or two of his films you begin to see his influence everywhere.