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Top 20 Hottest Goth Girls in Movies

Top 20 Hottest Goth Girls in Movies
VOICE OVER: Patrick Mealey WRITTEN BY: George Pacheco
A little of the dark side can be alluring! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the cinematic women who best embody a gothic aesthetic. Our countdown includes characters from movies “White Oleander”, “The Faculty”, “The Doom Generation” and more!

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the cinematic women who best embody a gothic aesthetic. This could be with regards to their fashion sense, appearances, or general, overall attitude. Do you feel that goth characters are underrepresented in modern cinema? Sound off in the comments!

#20: Janis Ian

“Mean Girls” (2004)
The name of this character may have been inspired by a 1970s folk singer, but this Janis Ian was a little bit goth while retaining the former’s musical connection with teenage angst. Ian’s personal style shifted during her school years, eschewing traditional ideals of feminine dress and instead getting darker and edgier. The character may not be full-blown goth, but the darker side of humor and intellect is definitely with Janis Ian, and she remains one of the most interesting in the large, ensemble cast featured in “Mean Girls.”

#19: Kate “Acid Burn” Libby

“Hackers” (1995)
There are few films out there more capital N nineties than “Hackers.” This isn’t really a bad thing since the film now serves as a great time capsule of that decade’s unique culture. Angelina Jolie was still beginning her acting career when she starred as Kate “Acid Burn” Libby, a capable hacker and main protagonist of the film. This was an era where Jolie’s public profile, for better or worse, largely focused on her sexuality. The performance, as a result, is more than a little smoldering, to the point where some brief nudity was included within this PG-13 product. The actress would obviously turn to more serious fare after “Hackers,’ but perhaps none of those films were as patently ridiculous as this one.

#18: Amy Blue

“The Doom Generation” (1995)
Films such as “The Doom Generation” seem to have the words “cult classic” written all over them, don’t they? Rose McGowan’s star was shining brightly back in the mid-90s, and this film remains a forward-thinking example of transgressive, alternative cinema. McGowan’s Amy Blue possesses a darkly alluring, powerful aura, and “The Doom Generation” practically boils over with sexual tension. The film was notable at the time of its mid-nineties release for featuring a three-way sexual relationship between a woman and two men. Sure, this situation isn’t as shocking today, but it doesn’t seem unfair to label McGowan’s Amy Blue as a goth/sex subculture pioneer.

#17: Carol / The Bowler

“Mystery Men” (1999)
There’s an over-the-top and morbid backstory to the skull ball wielded by Carol “The Bowler” in 1999’s “Mystery Men.” This sometimes-forgotten superhero parody featured Janeane Garofalo as a superhero whose bowling ball is inhabited by the sentient skull of her dead father. The Bowler (and Carmine the Ball) join the Mystery Men team, while Garofalo’s typically deadpan delivery is aided by severe black eyeliner and dark clothes. There’s historically been a shortage of goth-adjacent superheroines. So, it’s a good thing that The Bowler is out there, fighting off the bad guys.

#16: Angela Franklin

“Night of the Demons” franchise (1988-)
A word of advice: if goth queen Angela Franklin from the “Night of the Demons” franchise invites you to a party? Decline. Otherwise, you might just be in for the fight of your life, as this demon in leather and lace tries to take your very soul. The original “Night of the Demons” was one of the most fun horror flicks from the late ‘80s, earning itself multiple sequels and even the remake treatment. Angela remains a constant presence throughout the series, but the initial performance by Amelia Kinkade is by far the best. Her transformation sequence is supremely effective, as Angela’s goth veneer is replaced by a Satanic face only The Devil could love.

#15: Vampira

“Plan 9 from Outer Space” (1957)
She’s the original horror hostess with the mostess, a B-movie actress who captured the morbid imaginations of a generation with her character of Vampira. The woman born Maila Nurmi was the prototypical Mistress of the Dark, way before Elvira. A tall and striking beauty with a lithe figure, beautiful bone structure, and a screen presence that belied the camp of “Plan 9 from Outer Space.” Vampira was mesmerizing, and Ed Wood’s camera definitely loved her, as “Plan 9’s” earnestness eventually earned the film a cult following. Nurmi’s legacy will always be tethered to the film, but this isn’t a bad thing, since her character of Vampira would live on within the memories of monster kids around the world.

#14: Lily Munster

“Munster, Go Home!” (1966)
We’re really glad that they made a “Munsters” movie shortly after the original series ended its run back in 1966. That’s because “Munster, Go Home!” allows us to include Yvonne De Carlo’s iconic portrayal of the family’s matriarch, Lily. Sure, Sheri Moon Zombie was able to put her own stamp on the Lily Munster role in her husband Rob’s film, but who are we kidding? De Carlo is one of the OG spooky ladies who sent every dark heart fluttering back in the 1960s. Her glamour and charm were matched only by the grace and humor De Carlo brought to the role. The actress’ chemistry with co-star Fred Gwynne also helps, allowing Lily Munster’s creepy legacy to endure.

#13: Tiffany Valentine

“Bride of Chucky” (1998)
Jennifer Tilly is an actor with an immediately recognizable voice. She’s also never shied away from utilizing her off-the-charts sexuality to add a little spice to a role. The character of Tiffany Valentine could’ve easily been a one-note scorned lover of the Lakeshore Strangler. Instead, Tilly leans heavily into a late-nineties goth, accentuated by a bleeding-heart tattoo that displays her love for Chucky. Valentine’s character changes along with the franchise, becoming a mother and even occasionally showing remorse for her actions. This maturity assists Tiffany in being more than just eye candy in the first film, and more than a mere accomplice in future entries.

#12: Allison Reynolds

“The Breakfast Club” (1985)
The term “goth” wasn’t exactly being thrown around in all-American high school subcultures back in the 1980s. Ally Sheedy’s character of Allison Reynolds is instead referred to as a “basket case,” which is basically just another way to describe her shy, reserved, and awkward nature. It’s the “makeover” of Reynolds that tends to divide some modern viewings of “The Breakfast Club.” Allison winds up at a very different place at the end of the film. Sure, every character leaves their Saturday detention a changed person, but it’s only Reynolds that shifts her personality and appearance to the extreme? Was it for the better, however? You decide.

#11: Stokely “Stokes” Mitchell

“The Faculty” (1998)
Played by Clea DuVall, Stokely Mitchell’s life is turned upside down when she and her classmates suspect that their teachers may have been body-snatched and replaced by a race of aliens. Stokes is your run-of-the-mill high school goth gal – like, doesn’t she just bring up memories of that mysterious and talented artist who smoked by herself before class? In this film, Stokes has got the gear down: unkempt dyed hair? Check. A sneer that succeeds in being a little cute and mysterious? Check. Oh, and don’t forget her signature choker chain. Stokely understands that it takes a lot of effort to look like you don’t care, even though she makes it look totally effortless.

#10: Morticia Adams

“The Addams Family” (1991)
She’s a trendsetter with sinister style… the OG-Goth, if you will. Morticia Addams is one of the innovators of the goth look, with her slinky black dress and funeral parlour complexion, the classic character was brought to life by Anjelica Huston in the movies. Created by Charles Addams, the maternal head of the sallow and ghoulish Addams clan was reportedly inspired by his first wife. A lover of pruning the buds off her roses and taking care of her carnivorous plant, her hobbies seem to match her macabre appearance. As her hubby Gomez famously said: when he met her at a funeral, she was so pale and mysterious, no one even looked at the corpse.

#9: Jennifer “J” Wilson

“My First Mister” (2001)
Leelee Sobieski plays Jennifer, a gothic teen who only comes out of the stockroom to make fun of her stuffy boss Randall, but soon, they learn to trust each other and share their experiences of estrangement from their respective families. Leelee’s take on the goth-punk look is a bit sharper, with numerous piercings, half-purple hair and tattoos here and there. Despite her general “keep away” vibe, there’s a soulful nature in her eyes. Deep down, ‘J,’ as she prefers to be called, eventually drops the moody outfits and self-imposed distance from others and through her efforts, reunites her Randall with his estranged son.

#8: Tosh Guaneri

“Urban Legend” (1998)
Danielle Harris plays Tosh the goth, a late 90’s representative of the gothic subculture on a bit more of a Victorian trip. With her dark lipstick and alluring black corset, what freshman wouldn’t want to have a dorm room on her floor? That is, except for the whole bit about the serial killer prowling a university campus and slaying students according to famous urban legends. She missed a big warning sign in the movie, and being the main character’s roommate and all, poor, poor Goth-Tosh was pretty doomed from the start. Well, at least she looked good.

#7: Astrid Magnussen

“White Oleander” (2002)
An interesting anomaly on our list played by Alison Lohman, Astrid doesn’t seem to initially fit the prototypical gothic standard– blond hair and all. That is, until we see Astrid’s pain and hardship manifest itself in her outward appearance as she goes from blond and sunny, to black and complicated in her hair color and clothing choices. She faces a family crisis and bounces from one foster home to another until she visits her long-absent and murderous mother in jail, intent on finding out what really happened to her family. Watching her journey gives us a deeper representation of her character, making Astrid seem more attractive and real.

#6: Kim Diamond

“Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” (2000)
This sequel to the successful flick “The Blair Witch Project” gives us the cynical goth-psychic Kim. After she decides the location of the original film’s mysterious goings-on would be a perfect road-trip destination with her friends, she gets a bit more than she bargained for when her gang is beset with hallucinations. Kim’s more of the drama-school goth type: well-read and cynical, and with eyebrows made up in a permanent arch of irony. She’s not averse to wearing crushed-velvet dresses, or lying behind a tombstone to “feel the energy.” She may be terrifying, but she’s not afraid to tell it like it is, making her that much more attractive.

#5: Lydia Deetz

“Beetlejuice” franchise (1988-)
We’re really thankful that Winona Ryder has returned to public prominence in projects like “Stranger Things” and the 2024 sequel to “Beetlejuice.” Ryder’s character of Lydia Deetz helped normalize a gothic appearance for younger people back in the 1988 movie, while an adult Ryder doubled down on this aesthetic with “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” in 1992. Lydia as a character endured, too, both in animated form and on Broadway. Her obsession with “the strange and unusual” was dark, but not impenetrable. The character’s sardonic sense of humor was fantastic, too, enabling Lydia to develop alongside the “Beetlejuice” franchise.

#4: Ginger Fitzgerald

“Ginger Snaps” (2000)
Ginger Fitzgerald is a dark soul if there ever was one. Along with her sister, she has a fascination with death, and sports a look that falls somewhere between early 80’s Madonna and suburban rebel. Of course, that was all until she was bit by what she thought was a strange dog one moonlit night. Soon, after some bizarre behavior and unwanted body hair pop up, Ginger realizes it was no stray dog but rather a werewolf who infected her with its werewolf curse. Nothing like a real dance with the occult to build up your goth cred! Her subsequent possession gives her that real edge as she’s pushed along by her darker urges, making her all the more dangerous, and certainly hotter in the process.

#3: Elvira

“Elvira: Mistress of the Dark” (1988)
Born with the unassuming name of Cassandra Peterson, Elvira is an iconic late-night movie hostess who quickly caught our attention due to her enticingly macabre makeup and cleavage-y funeral garb. She’s been spun off into movies, comic books and even a pinball machine game. She’s eminently recognizable with her black beehive hairdo and beauty mark. She was doing the vampy goth look earlier than most on this list of ghoulish and good-looking gals, and nobody in the movies does it better.

#2: Lisbeth Salander

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011)
Lisbeth Salander leaped off the pages of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, and she’s more than just a woman in black. Portrayed by the beautiful Rooney Mara in the film, she’s a dangerous and well-trained woman on a mission who can hack a main frame one minute, and display her jiu-jitsu skills the next. She’s pierced, has a spiked necklace and of course, sports the film’s titular tattoo. The thing about Lisbeth is that she’s not just trying out different fashion choices; she’s communicating that she’s a person who has seen some serious stuff, and is not afraid to let her appearance convey her complications. Her tragic, rebellious spirit makes her all the more alluring.

#1: Nancy Downs

“The Craft” (1996)
Fairuza Balk has a face that was made to rep the goth look, with her dark-rimmed, arresting eyes. She plays Nancy, the alpha-female of a high school coven of witches who has a hunger for power and the dark arts. Her black makeup and pale skin set off by her pearly whites and maroon lipstick make Nancy a bit more rock and roll than your average high school goth chick. Plus she’s got a smile that manages to somehow be both gleeful and murderous. This rebellious teen has got that “will-ruin-your-life-as-you-love-every-minute-of-it” kind of vibe and is not afraid to get into trouble, making her a great example of a badass babe.

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