Heavy metal and horror movies have always been a match made in hell. From the moment Black Sabbath christened themselves after a Mario Bava film, to the graphic iconography of GWAR and Cannibal Corpse in the 90s, up through whatever the hell Glenn Danzig is directing these days, the two genres have historically operated with a similar penchant for the violent, the primal, and the macabre.
It was inevitable then, that the two would repeatedly cross paths throughout the 80s and 90s with the exploding popularity of both slasher fare and radio-friendly hair and glam metal. You could line up any 80s slasher next to a document of the era’s metal scenes like HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT or DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION 2, and what you’re bound to find are overlapping imagery and themes dealing with teen angst, anti-conformity, music as an antidote to suburban ennui, and of course, the occult.
This Rockuary, Spectacle presents this series celebrating the unholy union of metal and the macabre, featuring four low budget headbanging horror gems that give whole new meaning to the term “grindhouse”.
DEATH METAL ZOMBIES
dir. Todd Jason Cook, 1995
United States. 82 min.
In English.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2 – 10 PM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 – 7:30 PM
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 – MIDNIGHT
“They like their music loud and their victims fresh!”
Sometimes a movie is generous enough to tell you everything you need to know about it with just its title. Skater-slash-SOV horror maestro, Todd Jason Cook (aka Todd Falcon), does just that with DEATH METAL ZOMBIES: A movie featuring lots of death metal, and also lots of zombies.
The film follows a young metalhead named Brad who comes into owning a one-of-a-kind tape by legendary metal band, Living Corpse (foreshadowing!). Unbeknownst to him, the tape contains a special track titled “Zombiefied” (more foreshadowing!) which turns its listeners, including Brad and his headbanger friends, into flesh-eating zombies. As the zombies begin to multiply and attack, it’s up to Brad’s girlfriend, Angel, to find the tape and stop them before it’s too late.
ROCKTOBER BLOOD
dir. Beverly Sebastian, 1984
United States. 100 min.
In English.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 – 10 PM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 – 7:30 PM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23 – MIDNIGHT
“He’s back from the dead with a message from hell!”
Heavy metal frontman, Billy “Eye”, is put to death after going berserk during a recording session, killing two studio engineers and attempting to murder his girlfriend, Lynn. Years later, Lynn, now the frontwoman for Billy’s former band, is about to embark on her debut tour, but finds herself stalked and terrorized by a masked man claiming to be Billy, come back from the dead for revenge.
An SOV trash-terpiece made at the height of the 80s slasher and heavy metal booms, ROCKTOBER BLOOD strikes the perfect balance between the two, serving up ludicrous kills (including an all-timer of a finale) alongside some solid headbangers courtesy of hair metal band, Sorcery.
AFTER PARTY MASSACRE
dir. Kristoff Bates & Kyle Severn, 2011
United States. 74 min.
In English.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 – MIDNIGHT
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23 – 5 PM
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25 – 7:30 PM
After being attacked at a death metal show, Scarlett snaps and goes on a bloodthirsty killing spree indiscriminately targeting the Cleveland metal scene. Pretty soon everyone in her way— friends, fans, bands, and foes alike— finds out what happens when you push an already damaged mind too far.
Released in the 2010s but oozing with 80s regional SOV charm, AFTER PARTY MASSACRE is by far the most capital-M Metal of the films featured in this series. Set in and around the late, legendary Cleveland underground venue, Peabody’s, the film places the music front-and-center, featuring a sprawling soundtrack with over 25 death/grind/industrial/noise bands and live performances by Soulless and co-director/writer Kyle Severn’s own Incantation.
But make no mistake that the film more than delivers on the gore goods, featuring plenty of gnarly kills and inspired practical effects work that are sure to make even the most seasoned Blood Brunch-ers squirm.
LONE WOLF
dir. John Callas, 1988
United States. 97 min.
In English.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2 – MIDNIGHT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 – 7:30 PM
The quiet town of Fairview, Colorado is rocked by a rash of gruesome killings that the locals blame on packs of wild dogs. Meanwhile, recent Chicago transplant and heavy metal frontman, Eddie and his fellow students learn that they must take matters into their own hands to end the madness, when the token nerd among them discovers an eerie moon-related coincidence between the killings.
Written by the late experimental horror maven, Michael Krueger (NIGHT VISION, MINDKILLER), LONE WOLF is an underseen and underrated gem among the 80s bumper crop of werewolf movies. A grisly DTV creature feature featuring some of the oldest looking “teenagers” ever put to film, and enough hair— human and lycanthrope— to flesh out at least a dozen other werewolf features.
Come for the kills but stay for the killer original soundtrack featuring all your favorite subtly-titled hair metal classics, including “Let It Rock”, “Rock You All Night”, and “Raised on Rock n’ Roll”.