The Doom Generation

The Doom Generation
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGregg Araki
Written byGregg Araki
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJim Fealy
Edited by
  • Gregg Araki
  • Kate McGowan
Music byDan Gatto
Production
companies
  • UGC
  • The Teen Angst Movie Company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 26, 1995 (1995-01-26) (Sundance Film Festival)
  • October 27, 1995 (1995-10-27) (United States)
  • November 15, 1995 (1995-11-15) (France)
Running time
83 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$800,000
Box office$284,785[2]

The Doom Generation is a 1995 independent black comedy thriller film co-produced, co-edited, written and directed by Gregg Araki, and starring Rose McGowan, James Duval and Jonathan Schaech. The plot follows two troubled teenage lovers who pick up an adolescent drifter and embark on a journey full of sex, violence, and convenience stores.

Billed as "A Heterosexual Movie by Gregg Araki", The Doom Generation is the second installment in the director's trilogy known as the Teenage Apocalypse film trilogy, preceded by Totally Fucked Up (1993) and followed by Nowhere (1997). The characters of Amy Blue and Jordan White are based on the Mark Beyer comic strip Amy and Jordan.

Araki's major film debut, shooting primarily took place at night during January 1994 in Los Angeles on a budget of $800,000. The crew avoided well known landmarks and shot in undeveloped areas of urban sprawl to give an apocalyptic feel. The budget allowed Araki to hire professional crew, making it the first of his films not shot by himself.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 1995.[3] It received mixed reviews from critics. During the press screening, many critics left. However, at the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), it received critical acclaim, most proclaiming it as Araki's breakthrough. Distributed by Trimark Pictures, it was released in the United States on October 27, 1995. While not a financial success, earning only $284,785 at the box office, McGowan was nominated for Best Debut Performance at the 11th Independent Spirit Awards.

  1. ^ "The Doom Generation (18)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  2. ^ "The Doom Generation (1995)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference filmmaker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).