From tattoos and mohawks, to denim vests, and most importantly, rebellion, the spirit of the punk culture has infiltrated the horror genre for more than four decades. Whether through music, aesthetic, or well… just the unruly punks themselves, the lifestyle of disobedience and disdain for authority has seeped into some of the most fun horror films of all time. Even punk legends like Iggy Pop (Hardware, The Dead Don’t Die) and Glenn Danzig (Verotika) have put their stamp on the genre.
Add another Anti-Flag button to your vest, crank up the Social Distortion, and check out these eight punk horror movies that are sure to rock your socks off.
The Wraith (1986)
This late-‘80s gem follows Jake (Charlie Sheen), a mysterious stranger that shows up in town a year after a gang of motor-punks murder teenage Jamie, leaving Billy (Matthew Barry) without his brother, and Keri (Sherilyn Flynn) without her boyfriend. What the punks don’t know, is that Jake is a reincarnated version of Jamie, complete with a futuristic shotgun and a Dodge M4S Turbo Interceptor to help him dispatch the head punk, Packard (Nick Cassavetes) and his lackeys. The Wraith is full of vigilantism, car explosions, total disregard for the local police (Randy Quaid), and has a rockin’ soundtrack sporting the likes of Billy Idol and Mötley Crüe.
Related: 35 Years Later: ‘The Wraith’ Remains Among the Best in ’80s Cheese
Night of the Demons (1988)
In this underrated 1988 horror flick, 10 teenagers decide to have a secret party at an abandoned mortuary. After some thorough partying, underage drinking, and dancing to some killer tunes, the group has a séance and awakens a malevolent force within the funeral parlor. The film stars Angela Kinkade, Linnea Quigley, and Hal Havins as the pig-faced, Anarchy symbol-sporting punk, Stooge. Night of the Demons is a fun, cheesy, gorefest that can’t help by get “Stigmata Martyr” by Bauhaus stuck in your head.
VFW (2019)
Directed by Joe Begos (Christmas Bloody Christmas), VFW is a 2019 siege horror movie that follows a group of old veterans that must protect their local VFW and a young woman on the run from a group of drug-dealing punks. The film stars Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe), William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist), Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid), and George Wendt (Cheers).Though the soundtrack is mostly synth-heavy, the bright pink and purple lighting, the all-around old man badassery, and the waves of drugged-out, spiked denim vest-wearing thugs makes this film feel right at home in the punk horror genre.
Class of 1984 (1982)
Mark Lester’s (Firestarter) Class of 1984 may be more of a crime-action film than a horror movie, but there are still plenty of horrific moments that help it cross into the genre. The movie is a classic case of high school teachers vs. punks, with plenty of stabbings, murders, and fast-driven punk music from Fear and Teenage Head to go around. The film has a surprising cast, too, which includes Roddy McDowell (Planet of the Apes), Perry King, and Michael J. Fox.
Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)
Deborah Brock directs this black comedy-musical horror sequel, which ramps up the somewhat realistic events in Slumber Party Massacre to a whole new level. In Slumber Party Massacre II, the driller killer has returned in a reincarnated rockabilly guitarist form, and uses a guitar-drill combo weapon to kill off the survivors of the first film. The supernatural, Jerry Only-inspired villain weaves his kills between songs in the silly, but entertaining follow-up.
The Lost Boys (1987)
The Lost Boys is the quintessential 1980s cheesy horror film. The movie follows two brothers (Corey Haim and Jason Patric) who move to the California coast and immediately become involved in a small gang of vampire punks, led by the vicious David (Kiefer Southerland). The vampire tribe has no love for authority, causing trouble for locals and even treating themselves to a tasty security guard. The soundtrack has much more of a hard rock than punk feel, but the aesthetic of the film, and especially the vampire gang, are as ‘80s punk as it gets.
Related: ‘The Lost Boys’ Retro: 35 Years of Monsters and Mullets
Green Room (2015)
In Green Room, a four-piece touring punk band travels to a remote neo-Nazi bar to perform. After the band witnesses a murder in the green room, the Nazi group who runs the bar decides to kill them, and the band must fight for survival in an all-out siege. Green Room is a fantastic film, filled with intensity, gore, and phenomenal performances from the late Anton Yelchin (Star Trek), Imogen Poots (28 Days Later), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), and a rare villain role from Sir Patrick Stewart. The soundtrack sports a ton of excellent punk music, which includes Corpus Rottus, Poison Idea, and Dead Kennedys.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
No other horror movie embodies the punk culture better than The Return of the Living Dead. The film was directed by Dan O’Bannon, who wrote classics like Alien (1979), Lifeforce (1985), and Aliens (1986), and it was written by John A. Russo, who co-created George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. The Return of the Living Dead follows two mortuary workers who accidentally release a chemical into the air, causing the dead to rise from their graves in search of delicious brains. The duo is joined by a group of local punks, and they all must work together to survive the night.
The film’s punks and their aesthetic are some of the most memorable in all of horror, with an iconic performance from Linnea Quigley as Trash. The film contains an incredible punk soundtrack, sporting songs from The Flesh Eaters, The Cramps, The Damned, and Tall Boys. The Return of the Living Dead isn’t just the best punk horror movie of all time; it’s also one of the best zombie movies ever made.
Clearly hasn’t seen The Lost Boys. Nothing cheesy about it. Great cast. Beautifully shot. Excellent music. And now a bonafide classic