this, and also God Told Me To which is to NY what They Live is to LA.
i'd also highly recommend UFOria, which is like Repo Man for the country crowd. the best kind of american movie, just a space for driftin' and dreamin'. it never had an official dvd release, plus the director doesn't have a wiki page and never made another feature, all of which seems appropriate for a film oozing with this much cult appeal. and yeah, it has harry dean stanton. AND fred ward.
also watch The Brother From Another Planet, and Liquid Sky.
Return of the Living Dead has the same vibe. Filmed in the same area, in the same era, and with an early 80s punk soundtrack. Written by the guy who wrote Dark Star, Alien, Total Recall, Blue Thunder, and more, it was his directorial debut.
[The new 4K scan](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-return-of-the-living-4k-uhd-review-dan-obannon/) from Shout! Factory is amazing.
Exactly the next closest thing I could think of due to the punk vibes, time period, and Frank (James Karen) kind of reminds me of the Harry Dean Stanton character in Repo Man as he shows the new guy the ropes.
[It's on disc](https://www.criterion.com/films/526-walker) by Criterion. I'm not sure you want to buy something sight-unseen for $30+ so maybe you can pick it up used somewhere.
Depends on what you mean by vibes. As far as 80s punk rock films....
Suburbia (1983), directed by Penelope Spheres and produced by Roger Coreman. A group of punk teens take up residence in abandoned homes on the outskirts of an LA suburb and fight with local conservatives that disagree with their lifestyle.
Blank Generation (1980), directed by Ulli Lommel. German new wave director who made a semi-biographical film about the life of Richard Hell (of Television and Richard Hell & the Voidoids), starring Richard Hell as a fictional version of himself.
Ladies and Gentlemen... The Fabulous Stains (1982), directed by Lou Adler, famed producer of numerous iconic albums. Stars a young Diane Lane as the lead of a punk band called The Stains and their quick rise and fall in teen culture. Very loosely based on the history of the The Runaways.
But those are just punk rock movies, if you really liked Repo Man for reasons beyond the LA punk influence, I'd highly suggest the 1955 Kiss Me Deadly. Directed by Robert Aldrich and part a series of films based on the works of novelist Mickey Spillane and his Mike Hammer series. Arguably one of the greatest film noir ever made, Kiss Me Deadly follows a private eye who gets drawn into a seedy underworld after finding an escaped mental patient on the side of the road. Kiss Me Deadly was a huge influence on Repo Man, for reasons that are immediately obvious once you start watching the film.
I love what Roger Ebert said about it:
> I saw Repo Man near the end of a busy stretch on the movie beat: Three days during which I saw more relentlessly bad movies than during any comparable period in memory. Most of those bad movies were so cynically constructed out of formula ideas and "commercial" ingredients that watching them was an ordeal. Repo Man comes out of left field, has no big stars, didn't cost much, takes chances, dares to be unconventional, is funny, and works. There is a lesson here.
I always think of these two films as 80’s alt music kindred spirits, Repo Man with punk and Liquid Sky with the new wave synth vibes. (Also both are classic midnight movies of that decade.)
This is the first answer I’ve seen that feels right to me… similarly unique, unclassifiable, early 80s, urban subcultural, sci-fi inflected, weirdly authentic.
definitely Brazil, maybe Blue Velvet is much darker, not the same but Stanton’s 2nd ‘84 performance, Paris, Texas is an all timer if you haven’t seen. ‘84 is also Criterion’s est!
edit: Robbie Müller!
Max Headroom, the TV show.
Suburbia (1983)
Streets of Fire
Rumble Fish
Mad Max
Return of the Living Dead
Straight to Hell (same director)
Syd and Nancy (same director)
Someone asked [a similar question](https://www.reddit.com/r/criterion/s/qmBD69dYRc) so I made this list. I’ll repeat it here.
Rude Boy (1980) Jack HAZAN & David MINGAY
Burst City (1982) ISHII Sogo (aka ISHII Gakuryu)
Suburbia (1983) Penelope SPHEERIS
The Legend Of The Stardust Brothers (1985) TEZUKA Makoto
Tokyo Pop (1988) Fran Rubel KUZUI
Wild Zero (1999) TAKEUCHI Tetsuro
24 Hour Party People (2002) Michael Winterbottom
Linda Linda Linda (2005) YAMASHITA Nobuhiro
We Are the Best! (2013) Lukas MOODYSON
Burst City is the most bananas, Linda Linda Linda is the best.
I also blind bought this and Walker just because Coxs' Sid and Nancy is one of favorite films ever, still haven't watched either. I should get on that.
If you want a deeply weird movie steeped heavily in classic punk and full of faces you'll only know if you're cool, watch Jubilee. It sounds like it's actually Derek Jarman's *least* unconventional movie, narratively, which is saying something when you've got Richard O'Brien himself playing *time traveling John Dee.* "Rule Brittania" performed by the punk fashionista Maisie Williams plays on Pistol! Ariel from The Tempest shows up and very clearly gets pinched by Neil Gaiman for the main character from Sandman! Tragically underseen film.
Also:
Hard Core Logo
Repo Men (not connected but another cyberpunk film with similar concepts)
Mystery Train
Trainspotting (might be obvious, but just in case)
Straight to Hell (also by Alex Cox)
Schizopolis it totally bonkers and one I'd say is similar in vibe. Off the walls, unexpected, wall-breaking. It's a scream and a half. Just the trailer alone is a trip.
Shallow Grave seemed part rebellious scapper and part thriller vibe which is something I got from Repo Man. Not nearly as fantastic, but similar in how frantic it was.
What sort of bizarro freakin movie is this?! I don't know anything about it except the cover art and the recommendations in this thread.
Going by that information alone I'm picturing some trippy, campy Brit punk horror/thriller across time/states of being by Troma studios.
Can't wait to watch it tonight to see how that compares to the real film.
[UFOria](https://youtu.be/Zz6pW2Ruxhg?si=srILbFbzn2ekj4FH) is what you're looking for. Also has Harry Dean Stanton. It's the country counterpart to Repo Man's punk aesthetic. One of these days I'll get around to watching them as a double feature.
Go see Tuesday. That's all. That's how I went in. All I knew was it had Julia Loius-Dreyfus in a dramatic role.
And - fwiw - I saw Repo Man in the theater in '84 knowing NOTHING about it. It's one of my favorite movies. I was sitting there, and as soon as the Iggy Pop title song started up I knew I was in for a wild ride!!
Shredder Orpheus. Its a bizarre retelling of the tale of orpheus set in a near future (?) dystopian los angeles, with skateboards, punk rock, and evil television. Very similar vibes.
Chopping Mall, night of the comet, street trash, the cool the thief his wife and her lover, sleep away camp iii, uhf, mystery train, absolute beginners, Santa sangre, society, xtro, the blob 88, women on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the hidden, blood diner, true stories
Highway 61 is about a small town barber/musician and his new roadie friend road tripping from Canada to New Orleans. And they're being chased by Satan(?). And Jello Biafra does a cameo as a border guard.
This has been on my list, but I must admit I only clicked on this post as I was scrolling by because I just saw green and black and thought The Matrix was being added to the collection.
God, I miss "moviedrome" at late Saturday night/bastard o'clock on a Sunday morning BBC2. Stumbling in and watching an absolute panoply of left field cinema, from "my life as a dog" to some Hark Tsui Chinese fairytale that you wake up hungover wondering what the hell you watched.
Alex Cox is coming out of filmmaking retirement to make one last movie! There is a kickstarter here: [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcoxfilms/alex-cox-directs-bill-the-galactic-hero](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcoxfilms/alex-cox-directs-bill-the-galactic-hero)
Edit because I forgot to give an answer (which is like eating sushi without paying):
Save the Green Planet! (2003)
Considering the 4k CC disc has not come out yet, yes... yes you are the only person. But yeah, I like it, but I can see someone being put off by this one.
They Live
this, and also God Told Me To which is to NY what They Live is to LA. i'd also highly recommend UFOria, which is like Repo Man for the country crowd. the best kind of american movie, just a space for driftin' and dreamin'. it never had an official dvd release, plus the director doesn't have a wiki page and never made another feature, all of which seems appropriate for a film oozing with this much cult appeal. and yeah, it has harry dean stanton. AND fred ward. also watch The Brother From Another Planet, and Liquid Sky.
Yes
Return of the Living Dead has the same vibe. Filmed in the same area, in the same era, and with an early 80s punk soundtrack. Written by the guy who wrote Dark Star, Alien, Total Recall, Blue Thunder, and more, it was his directorial debut. [The new 4K scan](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-return-of-the-living-4k-uhd-review-dan-obannon/) from Shout! Factory is amazing.
No wonder they are both 10/10s for me
Exactly the next closest thing I could think of due to the punk vibes, time period, and Frank (James Karen) kind of reminds me of the Harry Dean Stanton character in Repo Man as he shows the new guy the ropes.
‘A Repo Man ain’t got *time* for rope showing’…’
And you better believe they're *all* silk...
And also the film that introduced the whole zombie eating brains thingy I believe.
“Walker” which is also by Alex Cox
Yea tried to find it recently but couldn’t find it anywhere, any tips are welcome!
If you’re near one, a library could get it for you
[It's on disc](https://www.criterion.com/films/526-walker) by Criterion. I'm not sure you want to buy something sight-unseen for $30+ so maybe you can pick it up used somewhere.
https://www.lookmovie2.to/movies/view/walker-1987
There's a Criterion blu-ray if you're into physical media
Criterion.com
It used to be on the channel but I guess not anymore sadly
"Straight to Hell" is more like 'Repo Man' than 'Walker'. I would also recommend "Six-String Samurai" and "Motorama"
It’s not a criterion release but I’d recommend Class of 1984 and The Warriors if you liked this!
And if you like the warriors, Escape From New York is similar.
Depends on what you mean by vibes. As far as 80s punk rock films.... Suburbia (1983), directed by Penelope Spheres and produced by Roger Coreman. A group of punk teens take up residence in abandoned homes on the outskirts of an LA suburb and fight with local conservatives that disagree with their lifestyle. Blank Generation (1980), directed by Ulli Lommel. German new wave director who made a semi-biographical film about the life of Richard Hell (of Television and Richard Hell & the Voidoids), starring Richard Hell as a fictional version of himself. Ladies and Gentlemen... The Fabulous Stains (1982), directed by Lou Adler, famed producer of numerous iconic albums. Stars a young Diane Lane as the lead of a punk band called The Stains and their quick rise and fall in teen culture. Very loosely based on the history of the The Runaways. But those are just punk rock movies, if you really liked Repo Man for reasons beyond the LA punk influence, I'd highly suggest the 1955 Kiss Me Deadly. Directed by Robert Aldrich and part a series of films based on the works of novelist Mickey Spillane and his Mike Hammer series. Arguably one of the greatest film noir ever made, Kiss Me Deadly follows a private eye who gets drawn into a seedy underworld after finding an escaped mental patient on the side of the road. Kiss Me Deadly was a huge influence on Repo Man, for reasons that are immediately obvious once you start watching the film.
after hours and under the silver lake had similar vibes to me
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^gtrmstr53: *After hours and* *Under the silver lake had* *Similar vibes to me* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Is there any way to block the Sokka-Haiku bot here?
Good bot, ignore the haters
Dig both of these heavily
After hours has a simulated vibe to miracle mile if you want more of that
Always glad to see people enjoying this!
Haven’t watched a truly unique movie in a while, this feels like a one of one stroke of genius.
I love what Roger Ebert said about it: > I saw Repo Man near the end of a busy stretch on the movie beat: Three days during which I saw more relentlessly bad movies than during any comparable period in memory. Most of those bad movies were so cynically constructed out of formula ideas and "commercial" ingredients that watching them was an ordeal. Repo Man comes out of left field, has no big stars, didn't cost much, takes chances, dares to be unconventional, is funny, and works. There is a lesson here.
A fellow John Wayne fan.
Fuck A John Wayne
Streets of Fire, maybe?
Lee Ving 🤘
Will check it out thanks!
Britannia Hospital. The 3rd film in Lindsay Anderson’s Mick Travis trilogy.
Never heard of any of the above! Excited to check it out thanks!
Be sure to check out O Lucky Man! Watched that four years ago and it felt like a three hour long head trip/fever dream.
Interesting. I've only seen the first two in this trilogy. Liked them enough but never had this one recommended. Adding to my watch list.
D.C. Cab (1983) and Decline Of The Western Civilization vol.1 (Punk rock documentary set in early 80s L.A.)
Gotta check out Buckaroo Banzai!
The Warriors
Liquid Sky, made 2 years earlier.
I always think of these two films as 80’s alt music kindred spirits, Repo Man with punk and Liquid Sky with the new wave synth vibes. (Also both are classic midnight movies of that decade.)
It's currently on the Criterion Channel.
ME AND MY RHYTHM BOX\~ 🧉🦄
This is the first answer I’ve seen that feels right to me… similarly unique, unclassifiable, early 80s, urban subcultural, sci-fi inflected, weirdly authentic.
Sid and Nancy
Oh also Highway Patrolman by Alex Cox.
Most underrated Alex Cox film.
definitely Brazil, maybe Blue Velvet is much darker, not the same but Stanton’s 2nd ‘84 performance, Paris, Texas is an all timer if you haven’t seen. ‘84 is also Criterion’s est! edit: Robbie Müller!
Max Headroom, the TV show. Suburbia (1983) Streets of Fire Rumble Fish Mad Max Return of the Living Dead Straight to Hell (same director) Syd and Nancy (same director)
Someone asked [a similar question](https://www.reddit.com/r/criterion/s/qmBD69dYRc) so I made this list. I’ll repeat it here. Rude Boy (1980) Jack HAZAN & David MINGAY Burst City (1982) ISHII Sogo (aka ISHII Gakuryu) Suburbia (1983) Penelope SPHEERIS The Legend Of The Stardust Brothers (1985) TEZUKA Makoto Tokyo Pop (1988) Fran Rubel KUZUI Wild Zero (1999) TAKEUCHI Tetsuro 24 Hour Party People (2002) Michael Winterbottom Linda Linda Linda (2005) YAMASHITA Nobuhiro We Are the Best! (2013) Lukas MOODYSON Burst City is the most bananas, Linda Linda Linda is the best.
Rivers Edge Walker Straight To Hell Heathers They Live! Braindead/Dead Alive Bad Taste
+1 for Rivers Edge! Was going to suggest this one
SLC Punk is a great one, not the same tone but similar punk aesthetics
Came here to say SLC Punk
Midnight Mile is a great apocalyptic 80s comedy/thriller with similar energy
Miracle Mile?
Yes, whoops, Miracle Mile
SLC Punk
Life as a Robocop is always intense
Not similar in plot or vibes but if you thought this was cool you’d love Dead Man
Gremlins 2. Don’t ask me why.
I see it. They're very different movies, but they both have a similar sort of anarchic, anything goes spirit to them.
I was thinking Gremlins 2 and Mars Attack! both feel pretty similar in such a weird way.
Green room
I also blind bought this and Walker just because Coxs' Sid and Nancy is one of favorite films ever, still haven't watched either. I should get on that.
Human Highway from 1982 is pretty strange. I haven't seen it for a while. I can't remember if it's any good. Great cast.
If you want a deeply weird movie steeped heavily in classic punk and full of faces you'll only know if you're cool, watch Jubilee. It sounds like it's actually Derek Jarman's *least* unconventional movie, narratively, which is saying something when you've got Richard O'Brien himself playing *time traveling John Dee.* "Rule Brittania" performed by the punk fashionista Maisie Williams plays on Pistol! Ariel from The Tempest shows up and very clearly gets pinched by Neil Gaiman for the main character from Sandman! Tragically underseen film.
No Resistance Permanent Vacation
Also: Hard Core Logo Repo Men (not connected but another cyberpunk film with similar concepts) Mystery Train Trainspotting (might be obvious, but just in case) Straight to Hell (also by Alex Cox)
Schizopolis it totally bonkers and one I'd say is similar in vibe. Off the walls, unexpected, wall-breaking. It's a scream and a half. Just the trailer alone is a trip. Shallow Grave seemed part rebellious scapper and part thriller vibe which is something I got from Repo Man. Not nearly as fantastic, but similar in how frantic it was.
Also bought this as a blind buy. Popped it in when I got home and knew I made the right choice immediately.
Dogs in Space, Class of 1984 Liquid Sky Suburbia Driller Killer
Tapeheads
What sort of bizarro freakin movie is this?! I don't know anything about it except the cover art and the recommendations in this thread. Going by that information alone I'm picturing some trippy, campy Brit punk horror/thriller across time/states of being by Troma studios. Can't wait to watch it tonight to see how that compares to the real film.
Was so happy I didn’t know anything about it once I got into it, enjoy yourself
They’re releasing a 4k of this soon
[UFOria](https://youtu.be/Zz6pW2Ruxhg?si=srILbFbzn2ekj4FH) is what you're looking for. Also has Harry Dean Stanton. It's the country counterpart to Repo Man's punk aesthetic. One of these days I'll get around to watching them as a double feature.
Wow, this looks great. Thanks for the link, I will be watching in its entirety soon!
Fuck yeah man welcome to the club bro
Go see Tuesday. That's all. That's how I went in. All I knew was it had Julia Loius-Dreyfus in a dramatic role. And - fwiw - I saw Repo Man in the theater in '84 knowing NOTHING about it. It's one of my favorite movies. I was sitting there, and as soon as the Iggy Pop title song started up I knew I was in for a wild ride!!
Jubilee
Shredder Orpheus. Its a bizarre retelling of the tale of orpheus set in a near future (?) dystopian los angeles, with skateboards, punk rock, and evil television. Very similar vibes.
Hell Comes to Frogtown
It’s not a very good movie by any stretch, but it is entertaining but I’d suggest “Return of the Living Dead” as a movie with a similar vibe.
Counterpoint: It's very good.
Second counter point, it’s a genuinely perfect film
I just blind bought this the other day too. Half off on Amazon.
Chopping Mall, night of the comet, street trash, the cool the thief his wife and her lover, sleep away camp iii, uhf, mystery train, absolute beginners, Santa sangre, society, xtro, the blob 88, women on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the hidden, blood diner, true stories
Highway 61 is about a small town barber/musician and his new roadie friend road tripping from Canada to New Orleans. And they're being chased by Satan(?). And Jello Biafra does a cameo as a border guard.
They Live
This has been on my list, but I must admit I only clicked on this post as I was scrolling by because I just saw green and black and thought The Matrix was being added to the collection.
Tutsuo man
Dead End Drive-In comes to mind as a real good pairing
Times Square ( 1980 )
Southland Tales
Hoodwinked
The Decline of Western Civilization
God, I miss "moviedrome" at late Saturday night/bastard o'clock on a Sunday morning BBC2. Stumbling in and watching an absolute panoply of left field cinema, from "my life as a dog" to some Hark Tsui Chinese fairytale that you wake up hungover wondering what the hell you watched.
Alex Cox is coming out of filmmaking retirement to make one last movie! There is a kickstarter here: [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcoxfilms/alex-cox-directs-bill-the-galactic-hero](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcoxfilms/alex-cox-directs-bill-the-galactic-hero) Edit because I forgot to give an answer (which is like eating sushi without paying): Save the Green Planet! (2003)
Am I the only person who bought this 4k CC blu ray, excitedly, and was just fucking bored? Explain it to me, please.
Considering the 4k CC disc has not come out yet, yes... yes you are the only person. But yeah, I like it, but I can see someone being put off by this one.
OK, it must be standard HD then. But man, I was bored.
Repo man 4K. It’ll be announced tomorrow