Honestly, you're probably out of luck. Tons of that stuff never got saved or just rotted away on old film reels. If it wasn't super popular, chances are it's gone unless someone's hoarding it in a private collection somewhere.

The soundtrack you mentioned, droney and intense, makes me think of industrial music from that era. Bands like Throbbing Gristle or Coil were making some wild soundscapes. If the film is connected to that scene it could narrow down the search!

I get it! I get it! Grew up in the 80s and there was this one film—weird, bizarre, and no one ever knew what it was. Turned out to be something a local student made. Maybe check with your art teacher for a lead? Long shot, but maybe they remember.

lmao sounds like you just described my old tv when it couldn't get a signal... used to stare at it for hours thinking it was modern art. Good times.

Yo, any idea who made it? Like even if u remember just the first letter of their name it could help a lot. These avant-garde films sometimes get lost cuz not many peeps care to preserve em, but damn are they cool.

Maybe you're talking about 'Decasia' by Bill Morrison? Though it's from 2002, it totally has the 80s experimental vibe. Got that decay aesthetic with an intense score. Check it out, could jog your memory or lead you on the right path!

Could there be any chance you're thinking of Structural Film? It was a movement where the concept and feel were more important than the content. Batsh*t stuff sometimes but pretty iconic. You might be referring to something made by an artist like Paul Sharits or Tony Conrad. Their work had tons of flicker effects, disorienting patterns, and weird soundscapes.

Oh man, sounds trippy. Any chance it was part of the experimental film wave? Maybe something by Stan Brakhage or a lesser-known artist? These are often hard to track down but totally mesmerizing.