10 Movies That Are Super Emo

Being “emo” basically means being a living version of an unsettling and depressing song (one of the genres of emo rock music). The lyrics to emo music are usually about putting your soul on display, and doing so without much restraint. In other words, being emo means being guided primarily by emotions, especially when those emotions make you feel like an outcast.

There are many films that are more or less the cinematic version of an emo song. They don’t all directly try to be that (although Tim Burton’s films are so natural), but still some narratives fit naturally into a depressed and incredibly pensive mood. Being emo doesn’t just mean being a sad sack, it means being consumed by thoughts Why Things are what they are, and this also applies to people. The following films deal with the same questions.

10 Crybaby (1990)

crybaby

Release date

April 5, 1990

director

John Waters

Pour

Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake

Evaluation

PG-13

Main genre

comedy

In John Waters’ crybabyJohnny Depp portrays a motorcycle-riding bad boy who isn’t actually that bad. When a well-mannered schoolgirl falls in love with him, her parents aren’t too happy.

What makes it so emo?

Part of being emo, a big part of it, is being on the fringes of society. Director John Waters has always been on the fringes of cinema, and more people know his name than have actually seen his films. crybaby is less dark and niche-oriented than the rest of his films, but certainly still speaks directly to a portion of the population.

Rent it on Amazon, Vudu, Apple TV and Google Play

9 Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Edward with the scissor hands

Release date

December 5, 1990

director

Tim Burton

Pour

Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Robert Oliveri

Evaluation

PG-13

Main genre

theatre

The gentle but dark tale of Edward with the scissor hands tells the story of a scientist’s creation whose “father” dies before he can finish it. So instead of fingers, Edward has scissors for his fingers, and when a woman from a neighboring town opens her family home to him, she and Edward learn that society is anything but ready to accept differences.

What makes it so emo?

Featuring one of the best film scores of the 90s and cinematography of comparable quality by Tim Burton Edward with the scissor hands could well be his magnum opus. How BeetlejuiceThe film’s visuals are clearly reminiscent of Burton, but never has a character felt more like a stand-in for the director than Edward.

Stream it on Max and DirecTV

8th The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The nightmare before Christmas

Release date

October 9, 1993

director

Henry Selick

Pour

Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens

Evaluation

PG

Main genre

animation

With a wonderful cast and an even better soundtrack, The nightmare before Christmas is an all-timer for not just one, but two holidays. The story follows Jack Skellington, the king of Halloweentown, who suddenly feels that there is more to life than scaring real people.

What makes it so emo?

The animation style in The nightmare before Christmas is spookily unique, at least until films like Coraline rolled around. Considering the entire film is about a creepy character trying to find himself, it might as well be the emo national anthem.

Stream it on Disney+

7 The Crow (1994)

The crow

Release date

May 11, 1994

director

Alex Proyas

Pour

Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Ling Bai, Sofia Shinas

Evaluation

R

Main genre

action

Alex Proyas is one of the most unique voices working in cinema (although he doesn’t do it very often), and The crow is positive proof. The story is about Eric Draven, a rocker who is killed along with his girlfriend by the men of a ruthless gangster. Now Draven is back, with the help of a police officer, a crow and a little girl.

What makes it so emo?

The pitch black images of The crow wraps the viewer in an emo world. But it’s Brandon Lee’s performance in the lead role that makes it The crow Not only one of the definitive emo films, but possibly number one.

Stream it on Hoopla

RELATED: Crow producer says reboot could usher in new, expanded universe

6 The Craft (1996)

The craft

director

Zoe Lister Jones

Pour

Michelle Monaghan, Cailee Spaeny, David Duchovny, Gideon Adlon, Nicholas Galitzine, Lovie Simone

Main genre

Horror

The most enchanting film of the 90s, The craft is an impeccably cast and extremely entertaining cult classic with a lot of style. The plot revolves around Sarah Bailey, a new student at a Catholic high school who meets with a trio of outcast girls. Why are they outcasts? Her behaviour. Why are they acting strange? They are witches.

What makes it so emo?

Almost every character that the audience spends a significant amount of time with in the film is emo. This is especially true for Fairuza Balk’s Nancy Downs, who may be the best representation of emo when it gets violent.

Stream it on Paramount+

5 Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko

Release date

October 26, 2001

director

Richard Kelly

Pour

Jake Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, Mary McDonnell, James Duval

Evaluation

R

Main genre

theatre

Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko seemed to signify the next big, unusual indie voice in the film world. Unfortunately it was more of an isolated incident. But what an isolated incident it was. The plot follows the title character, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, as he moves through a suddenly even more dreamy and complicated world. Worse, it’s home to a man in a creepy bunny costume, and he seems to have incredibly pithy things to say about the future.

What makes it so emo?

Donnie Darko holds up because it is such a complex but never complicated film. It’s a character study, simply an extraordinary one, and it’s also a film with well-known actors who know how to make their characters feel like they’re part of a small town.

Stream it on Peacock, The Criterion Channel, Tubi

4 Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine

Release date

July 26, 2006

director

Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

Pour

Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Steve Carell

Evaluation

R

Main genre

adventure

Charming, sweet and honestly a little depressing, Little Miss Sunshine isn’t just about the third word in the title, but it’s not like it’s just storm clouds either. The film (which features a standout performance from the late Alan Arkin) follows a family trip to a beauty pageant so that the confident but conventionally unattractive youngest can achieve her dreams.

What makes it so emo?

Any film that’s overly bright on the surface but delves deceptively deep into the narrative is at least a little emo. But the ace up the sleeve for Little Miss Sunshine is Paul Dano’s Dwayne Hoover, always trying to present himself in some way, but not knowing how, and ultimately choosing silence.

Stream it on Hulu and DirecTV

3 Twilight (2008)

dusk

Release date

November 20, 2008

director

Catherine Hardwicke

Pour

Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Cam Gigandet

Evaluation

PG-13

Main genre

theatre

Catherine Hardwickes dusk launched a cinematic movement that subsequently led to a number of similar vampire films that were at least partially focused on romance. As in the books, the narrative focuses on the budding romantic triangle between the human Bella Swan, the vampire Edward Cullen, and the werewolf Jacob Black.

What makes it so emo?

The original duskThe color tones alone are enough to give the film strong emo vibes. But then when you factor in the fact that Edward Cullen is probably the most brooding character in the history of cinema (Bella can brood too), and dusk is as emo as it can be.

RELATED: Josh Peck Auditioned for Edward in ‘Twilight’ and Was Close to Winning the Role

Stream it on Prime Video, Tubi and DirecTV

2 Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Jennifer’s body

Release date

September 18, 2009

director

Karyn Kusama

Pour

Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, Sal Cortez, Ryan Levine

Evaluation

R

Main genre

comedy

Supported by a screenplay by Diablo Cody, Jennifer’s body is a ridiculously underrated cult classic with confident lead performances from Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. The plot revolves around a beautiful, highly desirable high school student who ends up being kidnapped and thrown into a sort of séance. Now she has a demon inside her and she’s itching to show it.

What makes it so emo?

The character Jennifer is constantly belittled, excluded and ogled because of her appearance. This, over time, has pushed them into a certain corner that makes individuals believe they are just one thing. But once Jennifer gains true power, the film becomes a bit of wish fulfillment for the bullied in our society.

Stream it on Max, DirecTV, Cinemax

1 (500) Days of Summer (2009)

(500 days of summer

Release date

July 17, 2009

director

Marc Webb

Pour

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler, Clark Gregg

Evaluation

PG-13

Genres

Comedy, documentary, drama, romantic film

Before Marc Webb rebooted Spider-Man He conducted the far superior one with mixed effect (500 days of summer. This modern love story revolves around greeting card writer Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his girlfriend Summer (Zooey Deschanel), who dumps him somewhat unceremoniously. Now Tom must search through his memories of the past to find out exactly what went wrong.

What makes it so emo?

Any movie where the heartbreak is solely focused on at least a little bit of emo. (500 days of summer focuses heavily on heartbreak, and yet the film never goes so far as to become downright depressing. Instead, it more or less serves to let people know that their emotional pain isn’t just about them.

Stream it on Max and DirecTV