Today marks the 20th anniversary of Gregg Araki’s post-apocalyptic coming-of-age The Doom Generation, a genre melting pot of a film that gained cult status upon its release in 1995.
The film stars James Duval and Rose McGowan as two troubled teens who pick up an adolescent drifter (Johnathon Schaech). Together, the threesome embark on a sex and violence-filled journey through an America of psychos and Quickie Marts.
The Doom Generation, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival that year, is the second film in the “Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy,” the first being Totally Fucked Up and the following Nowhere.
Via Wiki:
The Doom Generation received mixed reviews, with critics often comparing the film both favorably and unfavorably to Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers. Film website Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of critics, gives the film a score of 47% based on 34 reviews. Roger Ebert famously gave the film “zero stars”. Ricky da Conceição of Sound on Sight named the film the best of Araki’s “Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy” and said it “represented a major artistic leap forward” for Araki, who “creates a twisted pastiche of science fiction, nihilistic road movie and teen angst filtered with dead pan comedy and his own unique commentary on the depravity of modern America.” He praised the set design, lighting, score and actress Rose McGowan, who “steals the show as the foul mouthed, morally aimless femme fatale on crystal meth and Diet Coke.”
The Doom Generation was one of our go-to VHS rentals in high school, alongside films like Real Killers, Stoned Age, and of course, Clerks.
I had always thought it was sharp, witty, and most of all hilarious. I revisited it upon its 20th anniversary and discovered that Ebert may have been right. With adult eyes, Doom Generation reeks of desperation, clearly doing everything in its power to shock the audience. As a critic, it’s hard to not cringe of embarrassment for Araki… and yet, when I was a teenager, it was my everything. Maybe that’s all that matters?
Outside of its cult status, Doom Generation is important for another reason: the cast. It marks the starring debut of Rose McGowan, who went on to topline Scream, and also James Duval, best known for his role in Donnie Darko. Johnathon Schaech would also go on to star in major motion pictures, as well as a few genre fares such as Quarantine, Dark Circles, Laid to Rest, 7500 and Prom Night.
I’m willing to bet that the majority of Bloody Disgusting’s readers have not seen The Doom Generation. If you’re looking for something truly bizarre to throw on this Halloween weekend, it’s definitely something that’s both captivating and will stir up conversation while you snack on your Snickers and Skittles.
Check it out and then hit us back to let us know what you thought!