Given their shared interest in delving into the darker side of life (and death), one might expect goths and horror movies to go together like corpses and coffins.
Indeed, goths—a loosely-defined subculture that delights in all things sinister and spooky—have had a serious toehold in the genre at least since Vampira started hosting horror movies with her signature glamour ghoul looks and deadpan delivery on TV in the 1950s.
The following decade would see another resurgence of goths on the small screen when The Munsters and The Addams Family—two sitcoms that married broad humor with decidedly funereal aesthetics—both made their network debuts in 1964.
But it wasn’t until the late ‘70s that goth emerged as a true cultural force.
By 1976 Anne Rice’s romantic, brooding novel Interview with the Vampire and the advent of punk bands like The Damned and Siouxsie and the Banshees helped lay the groundwork for goth, but the genre didn’t really take root until three years later.
In 1979, Bauhaus recorded their signature song, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”—a dour, spooky, and improbably sexy 9 and-1/2-minute tribute to the actor who played the notorious Count in 1931 and, in the most goth move imaginable, was eventually buried in his Dracula cape—and the world would never be the same…at least for those of us who will only stop wearing black when they invent a darker color.
If all of this sounds right up your fog-choked, gaslamp-lit cobblestone alley, then fire up a clove cigarette and stake out a shady nook in your local cemetery—here are some of the most memorable horror movies featuring goths:
The Hunger (1983)
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- Photo Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
In the first five minutes of this cult favorite film, David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve, as two of the most impossibly attractive and stylish vampires ever to grace the silver screen, hunt for prey at a nightclub.
As their sexual encounters devolve into bloody violence, the scene is intercut with shots of Bauhaus playing the de facto goth anthem “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” in a shadowy blue room; singer Peter Murphy writhes and grimaces behind a metal grate as Bowie and Deneuve slice into flesh with the elegant ankh-shaped knives they wear around their necks in lieu of fangs.
When it comes to goths on film, it really doesn’t get any classier than this.
Beetlejuice (1988)
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- Photo Credit: Warner Bros.
Tim Burton’s horror-comedy may take its title from Michael Keaton’s “bio-exorcist,” but everyone knows the real stars are Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara as intergenerational goth queens Lydia and Delia Deetz.
Ryder’s Lydia, who mopes around the house with her spiked black bangs and enormous veiled hats, charmingly deadpans teen goth mantras like, “My whole life is a dark room” and, “I myself am strange and unusual."
But don’t overlook stepmom Delia: The morbid matriarch is as chic as her stepdaughter in leather opera gloves and statement earrings, and remains iconic whether she’s lip-syncing calypso tunes into a bowl of sentient shrimp or shrieking, “I will go insane and I will take you with me!” into her husband’s face.
Night of the Demons (1988)
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- Photo Credit: Skouras Pictures
On Halloween night, a group of teens break into an abandoned mortuary at the behest of goth outcast Angela.
Despite their better judgment, they let her talk them into a seance, which leads to mass possession and inevitable carnage.
Bummer! But at least viewers of this ‘80s classic are treated to the sight of a possessed Angela, resplendent in her black satin and lace dress, tiara, and veil, doing an elaborate impromptu dance to “Stigmata Martyr” (another Bauhaus classic) before she morphs into a tongue-devouring, demon-faced ghoul.
The Craft (1996)
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- Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures
For a truly defiant goth icon, look no further than Fairuza Balk’s Nancy Downs, the vengeful witch at the heart of this classic’s teen coven.
Nancy’s fashion, from her PVC trench coat to her rosaries-and-dog-collar neckwear, is enviable—but it’s her attitude that really makes an impression. Her most indelible moment?
When a condescendingly patriarchal bus driver tosses off a friendly warning to our witches to “watch out for those weirdos,” Nancy slides her sunglasses halfway down her nose, mutters, “We are the weirdos, mister,” and grins.
A young woman who won’t back down? Now that’s witchcraft.
Bride of Chucky (1998)
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- Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
If you prefer your goth a little campy, this fourth installment of the Child’s Play slasher-comedy franchise is the first to introduce Jennifer Tilly as fan favorite Tiffany, a violence-crazed babe who tries to resurrect Chucky and winds up trapped in a doll herself.
And sure, Tiff is great, but don’t sleep on the late Alexis Arquette as horny, hapless Damien; Arquette’s not onscreen for long, but she ups the goth quotient considerably.
Ginger Snaps (2000)
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- Photo Credit: Lionsgate
Most goth-centric horror movies revolve around vampires or witches; this Canadian import takes a different tack and centers on the underutilized werewolf.
Sinister sisters Ginger and Brigitte share a fascination with death and a hatred of their boring hometown. But when Ginger gets her first period, she begins to change in more ways than one; soon, not even Brigitte can save her from her animal instincts.
The werewolf/menstruation metaphor is unique, and Katharine Isabelle deftly portrays Ginger’s transformation from sullen to sexy to sadistic.
Goth (2003)
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- Photo Credit: Brain Damage Films
Did I mention camp? Because this ultra-ultra low-budget flick takes campiness to a whole new level.
When a goth couple meet a mysterious goth girl at a goth club, she takes them on a drug-fueled romp around the city to find out if they’re goth enough to out-goth the queen of all goths.
What’s the name of this self-proclaimed goth authority? Goth, of course!
If you forget, it’s tattooed in huge letters across her chest! It may not be the most authentic onscreen representation of the subculture, but if you’re looking for some over-the-top fun, you’ll have the goth equivalent of a hoot with it.
