The 1980s was a vibrant decade for both heavy metal music and horror films: two cultural forces that captured the imagination of millions. Heavy metal, with its thunderous guitar riffs and rebellious spirit, soared in popularity. Bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Slayer emerged in this era. Their lyrics often featured dark themes, mythology, and horror, resonating with the fears and anxieties of the time, while horror movies dazzled audiences with iconic characters that were often as outlandish as the bands' image. It was inevitable that these two forces would intersect.
Throughout the decade, heavy metal music complemented slasher films, enhancing suspense and thrill. The heart-racing guitar solos and powerful lyrics often accompanied climactic moments, such as when characters faced off against terrifying foes.
The impact of heavy metal on 1980s horror films is profound and continues to resonate today. Recent horror films, such as The Retaliators and the reboot of Halloween, Resident Evil and Terrifier 3, feature heavy metal tracks that evoke the same feelings of fear and suspense. The cultural crossover is as strong as ever.
Moreover, the communities surrounding heavy metal and horror have flourished, with conventions and festivals celebrating both genres. Events like the Metal and Horror Festival attract thousands of fans each year, emphasizing the ongoing bond that began in the 1980s.
So whether you’re headbanging to your favourite metal band or immersing yourself in a classic horror flick, remember the thrilling relationship that unites them. Celebrate the excitement and nostalgia of heavy metal and horror, two elements that captured a generation and continue to inspire new art today.
Top metal tunes from horror movies:
This cover of an Alice Cooper classic was featured in Wes Craven's 1989 film Shocker. The film has serial killer Horace Pinker making a pack with the Devil so that when he's executed by the electric chair, he takes on the energy and continues his murderous rampage!
Dokken's Dream Warriors featured as the final track on their album 'Back for the Attack' (1987), but was also the title track from Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Set in a psychiatric Hospital where Freddy preys on the teenagers, it's one of the best films in the franchise. The video features clips from the film, the band and Freddy making a cameo.
Trick or Treat is the fourth album by the heavy metal band Fastway and the soundtrack to the heavy metal horror film Trick or Treat. It was released as a studio album in November 1986, a month after the release of the film.
Even cameos from Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne couldn't stop the film from being a commercial failure, but it put Fastway back on the map as being a AOR heavy metal band.
The film's music was co-composed by Christopher Young, who would also go on to write the scores for other horror films such as Hellraiser, Urban Legend and Drag Me to Hell.
Released in 1986 as the lead single from Alice Cooper's album, Constrictor, the track was used as the theme song for the motion picture Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. It's no surprise that Alice recorded a song for an 80s horror film, it's more surprising that it took him so long to record one.
The song features the famous "ki-ki-ki ma-ma-ma". The song has also celebrates the return of Jason Voorhees, after being killed off in the fourth film Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
Another track from a Nightmare on Elm Street movie. This time it's Iron Maiden frontman, Bruce Dickinson who penned the title track for Nightmare 5: Dream Child from 1989. The track would feature on Bruce's solo album Tattooed Millionaire and of course, the Mighty Maiden would re-record the song and have a number-one hit with it in the UK - the BBC also banned it.
In an interview at the time, Bruce Dickinson said "We're going to release this as a single on Christmas Eve to scare the living daylights out of Cliff Richard" (Sir Cliff always seemed to have a Christmas number one single in the 80s and 90s). It might not have been the top of the charts for Crimbo, but it ironically knocked 'Saviour's Day' off the top of the charts to be the first new number one of 1990.
Right up to date, metal is making a comeback in horror! The Terrifer series has become a cult favourite, even crossing over to the mainstream. While it's an acquired taste depending on your gore threshold, there's no doubt that Art the Clown is a horror icon.
Who better than Boston band INK to record a track for the soundtrack with their horror-inspired lyrics and love of a blood-splattered music video (have a look at their Walking on Sunshine video as an example)
We're not posting the official video here because it's pretty extreme (and there might be kids looking) - but if you want to check it, you know where to find it!
Happy Halloween!
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