World Goth day celebrated in Finland with film night and focus on witchcraft

Enni Salmenpohja, who works at the Totentanz goth shop in Helsinki’s Kruununhaka district, says witchcraft and paganism are currently prominent within goth culture, according to Finnish public broadcaster Yle. Thursday marks International World Goth Day, and Salmenpohja is marking the occasion with a goth-themed film night at the Gilda cinema in Narinkkatori square.

Salmenpohja described her early attraction to darker aesthetics as a child in Pihtipudas, where she would collect dead animals from the roadside and play funerals. She later discovered the band The Sisters of Mercy through a record from her local library, which she said “blew my mind” and opened up a new world.

Goth culture originated in the early 1980s in the UK, following punk, with bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, and The Cure. The subculture quickly reached Finland, with the band Musta Paraati considered a pioneer of domestic goth rock, and the Bela Lugosi club began in Helsinki.

The early 2000s were a golden age for goth in Finland, Salmenpohja recalled. Tampere had the legendary Schatten club, and Helsinki and Turku also hosted events. “At that time, there was more nightlife related to goth culture because there was no shortage of active organisers,” she said. Later trends included cybergoth with colourful hair locks and UV clothing, as well as Japanese-influenced gothic lolita style.

In recent years, the health goth trend has emerged, combining sportswear with goth outfits and healthy lifestyles. Salmenpohja noted that while alternative religions and esoterica have always been part of goth culture, “currently paganism and, along with it, witchcraft have become more strongly visible.”

For the film night, she has chosen Alex Proyas’s 1994 cult film The Crow, starring Brandon Lee. “The Crow is definitely a familiar film to many goths. We enjoy the holiday, have good drinks, and watch the film,” she said.

Salmenpohja also revealed her fondness for chickens. “Goths generally love animals, and I have four wonderful fluffy ones,” she said.

Tags: goth culture, World Goth Day, Finland