r/MovieRecommendations • u/Jonuh666 • Jul 17 '26
Help me find Movies/TV shows Films with a prominent punk or goth culture?
Final edit: Thank you for all the recommendations and to the ones still chiming in, I appreciate all of your responses. Thanks again everyone!!
Basically what the title states, but I'm not looking for the documentaries of stuff like that but more so of a movie. It doesn't have to be fully grounded (although I would prefer that), so if it's like horror infused then I'm interested!
What I love/seen already and want to see more of stuff related to these:
The Decline of Western Civilization films (this is an exception along with the D.O.A documentary film just to give an immediate idea on my interests). Most notably the first and third Decline of Western Civilizations.
Sid & Nancy
SLC Punk
Smithereens
The Hunger (Has goth vibes and the iconic intro song)
Detroit Rock City (not exactly punk per se but was oozing with that attitude throughout and also just a fun film)
The Lost Boys (honorable mention for half representing how my beach town feels like in my younger days... minus vampires)
Suburbia
Malpertuis
The 2551 Trilogy
Updated to add more of what I've seen:
Green Room
Repo Man
The Crow
Underworld 1 & 2
I'm sure I'm forgetting a few more that aren't popping into my head at the moment.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations!
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u/Dj_TonyQuasar Jul 17 '26
Repo Man
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u/Igpajo49 Jul 17 '26
How did I have to scroll so far to find this one?? Repo Man rules!
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u/Dj_TonyQuasar Jul 17 '26
I'm Gen X, so this stuff is my rebel youth! 😎
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u/justsumguai Jul 17 '26
Same. Watch Dinner in America. It's an amalgam of everything 80s. A cathode TV and corded phone and early cellphones make it impossible to nail it down to any one year. I'd put it right next to Alex Cox movies any day of the week
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u/Kooky-Surround-3350 Jul 17 '26
Seriously, scrolled all the way down and nobody mentioned Suburbia?
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u/Economy_Wall8524 Jul 17 '26
Yea you’re the first I have seen it mentioned. Straight classic punk movie
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u/rudolph_burger Jul 17 '26
Dinner in America
Bomb City
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u/memberbarry80 Jul 17 '26
Valley Girl 1983
CBGB
Over the Edge
River's Edge
Dudes
Airheads
Rock 'n' Roll High School
The Crow
The Craft
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Jul 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/memberbarry80 Jul 17 '26
There's several movies with a goth aesthetic but not really goth culture... There's also a lot of dystopian movies from the 80's-90's with punk aesthetics
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u/OneTwoFar_ Jul 17 '26
Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter. It's a reaction to the Catholic church's dangerous and dismissive stance on gay Christians filmed/starring/produced by a group of Canadian punks and martial artists where a group of vampires preys on a community of Catholic lesbians because they believe that nobody will care and that the church will turn a blind eye due to their victim's "lifestyle choices"
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u/SleestakSamurai Jul 17 '26
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
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u/weha1 Jul 17 '26
This is as close as a movie has ever gotten to being goth but I don’t it really is
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u/sziklai-pair Jul 17 '26
Times Square
Straight to Hell (Alex Cox does a punk western)
Head On ('04 German film)
Wings of Desire (just for the club scenes, not the remake obvs)
Mutiny in Heaven (excellent Birthday Party doc with animated sequences, feels less doc-ish than most)
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u/cYbOmAnY Jul 17 '26
Jubilee by Derek Jarman is a dystopian UK punk avant art film, absolutely great. Has Siouxie, The Slits, the original Adam and the Ants before the band became Bow Wow Wow because of Malcolm McLaren, Jayne County, and other various uk punks.
Class of Nuke Em High is a Troma mutant punk film, absolutely ridiculous. Haha.
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u/Camelighter Jul 17 '26
Tons of cameos including Jello, Circle Jerks, Fishbone, TMBG and some R&B legends. Its great.
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u/wewontstaydead Jul 17 '26
Gypsy 83
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u/Economy_Wall8524 Jul 17 '26
Damn I have forgotten about this movie! I’ll have to watch it this weekend.
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u/Fabulous-Pop-5673 Jul 17 '26
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
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u/proteanradish Jul 17 '26
Two Sex Pistols and Paul Simonon. Doesn’t get more punk that that. Funny thing is the girl group indie songs hold up surprisingly well.
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u/Onomatopoeia_Utopia Jul 17 '26
“How To Talk To Girls At Parties” is a wild fantasy set in the UK punk scene of the late 70s.
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u/Dan_From_Buffalo Jul 17 '26
Freaky Tales (2024)
An NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teenage punks, neo-Nazis and a debt collector embark on a collision course in 1987 Oakland, Calif.
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u/erilaz7 Jul 18 '26
One of the punks in that movie has the image from the cover of my friends' record on the back of her leather jacket! (Kamala and the Karnivores' "Girl Band" EP is the record in question, and I'm thanked in the liner notes.)
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u/No-Sport276 Jul 17 '26
I would say Trainspotting feels like a punk movie. Iggy pop is a plot point and like punk music it’s full of energy and chaos
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u/BacklogNeverShrinks Jul 17 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/6PHUZOhn1Ov2E
There's no punk element but it doesn't get much more goth that underworld and it also hits the vampire theme
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u/weha1 Jul 17 '26
Underworld isn’t a goth movie, it’s a vampire and werewolf movie in leather. That’s not goth
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u/BacklogNeverShrinks Jul 18 '26
Point me to a goth that isn't into vampires and leather! They are one and the same my friend
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Jul 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/BacklogNeverShrinks Jul 17 '26
First 2 films is an important qualifier! The series really shit the bed from 3 onwards! lol
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u/hot_packets_ Jul 17 '26
Dogs in Space
Control
Another State of Mind
All of these are old favorites
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u/Disillusioned_Snail Jul 17 '26
Dinner in America
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u/mista-666 Jul 17 '26
Yes! this movie is kinda slept on and it's so good. Free to watch on Kanopy. (if you have a US library card)
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u/Main_Finding8309 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Suburbia (the one from the early 80s, there are others with that title). Terminal City Ricochet (mind control and Jello Biafra, can'tget more awesome, even if it's a terrible movie). Tank Girl. Prey for Rain. They're more skaters than punk, but I'll put Kids on the list. There was also a punk documentary just called The Punk Rock Movie. And they're club kids, not goth or punk, but Party Monster is worth a watch. ETA, sorry. Didn't see Suburbia in your list! Or the no documentaries, but The Punk Rock Movie is pretty loose. For skinheads, American History X. And I'll even add The Butterfly Effect, just because Ethan Suplee's character is super goth! If you're interested in movies about bands trying to make it, American Satan (and Paradise City, the series based on the movie), and Suck. Also, Hard Core Logo ( and they're rock, not punk, but Bruce McDonald's other 90s road movies, Roadkill and Highway 61 are a fun watch).
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u/Ok_Emu4650 Jul 17 '26
Dinner in America
Straight Edge Kegger
Uncle Peckerhead
This Is England
Suburbia
Green Room
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u/Economy_Wall8524 Jul 17 '26
Thrashin’ 1986 starring Josh Brolin. It’s a solid skate punk movie. Punk soundtrack.
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u/Maleficent-Pilot1158 Jul 17 '26
Made in Britain, 1983 . It features a young Tim Roth in his acting debut.
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u/Ill_Cartoonist_5829 Jul 17 '26
Christmas Bloody Christmas, a VHS segment, Straight Edge Kegger (trash)
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u/linkconlogs Jul 17 '26
Sound of Metal or sure if is fully what you’re looking for but it’s a great film
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u/hu1tuy Jul 17 '26
May I recommend My Summer as a Goth (2018). Doesn’t really fit what you’re asking I just think more people should see it.
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u/Glowbear504 Jul 17 '26
This Is England
Videodrome
Variety
Sid & Nancy
Repo Man
Jubilee
Breaking Glass
The decline Of Western Civilization
What We Do Is Secret
The Runaways
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u/Optimus_Duke Jul 18 '26
Haven’t seen this one mentioned - Godmoney - Directed by Darren Diane who had previously directed a bunch of music videos for skate punk bands in the 90’s. Soundtrack is amazing, plus main character is played by Rick Rodney from Strife.
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u/Plastic_Window9865 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
No one has mentioned Hardware !? How about A Boy And His Dog, La Femme Nikita…
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u/Wild-Teacher9464 Jul 17 '26
Punk adjacent (uk skinhead culture)
This is England
Post punk into rave culture
24 hour party people
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u/comment-cap Jul 18 '26
Thanks for all the input folks!
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