Kurt Cobain once said that “punk rock should mean freedom.” The music is rooted in rejecting labels and embracing non-conformity. Its sound is fast and aggressive. Its attitudes are anti-authoritarian. It gives a voice to the alienated. And it’s still going strong decades after bursting onto the cultural stage during the late 1970s. Film culture was also changing dramatically around the same time that bands like Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, X, and The Germs were playing in dingy clubs to sweaty, slam-dancing fans. While blockbusters like Rocky and Star Wars solidified Hollywood’s position at the apex of American culture, other subcultures of filmmaking emerged that mirrored punk’s attitudes, politics, and economics—fueled by the rise of VHS culture. This class looks at the punk rock films that emerged from these alternative film industries.

We will look at the proto-punk films that inspired the look and feel of punk cinema: A Clockwork Orange, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Phantom of the Paradise. We will explore films produced by and for the punk community such as Suburbia and Repo Man. Lastly, we will look at the films inspired by punk cinema, such Fight Club, Green Room, Her Smell, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.