Injected Too Many Marijuanas Lizard Woman Mirror Dress
Goofy 80s Demonic Rocker flick
Famous glam rock band The Black Roses is booked to play their first (?) live shows at its hometown local high school. While all the teens are stoked that their favorite band chose their sleepy small town for their first ever live concert, the parents are less than enthused with The Black Roses and their seemingly demonic lead singer Damien. The teachers and mayor stick by "Free speech" while the parents protest. When the band shows up for the show, the PTA and other authoritative adults attend only to find a Michael Bolton type in a Don Johnson suit singing power ballads. They shrug their shoulders at this harmless lite-rocker and bolt for the exit. That's when Damien strips down to a kinkier outfit (think Cher in "If I Could Turn Back Time) and The Black Roses crank out the hard rock. The kids in the crowd go wild. When the band stays in town to do more three more shows, the kids' become increasingly zombie-like and violent. Their English teacher starts to think that maybe the PTA was right and the kids are becoming possessed by Leotarded Damien and his rocknroll.
John Fasano's follow up to his bizarrely awful "Rock & Roll Nightmare" doesn't fare that much better story-wise, but it's still sort of charming. It lacks the interesting visuals and characters of its predecessor, but makes up for that by adding more puppet-monster action. Nothing happens in the first half hour of the film, which has a really strange feeling, like it's a musical from the 50s instead of an 80s rocker movie. There's even a sequence where the bored lead teenager is trying to woo a girl by dancing around the street, from lamppost to lamppost, saying things like "Let's paint the town red!" The score is equally out-of-place for a movie about a demonic glam rock band. It sounds like something out of an 80s children's adventure movie. The special effects and puppetry are charming and one of the only things that kept my attention. Especially worth noting is a scene where future Soprano's star Vincent Pastore gets gobbled up by his stereo speakers. So while "Black Roses" isn't completely unwatchable, it isn't really a good movie and recommended for only those who really dig this type of thing.
14 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Criminally UNDERRATED Heavy Metal Horror!
This film is campy, scary, and totally weird at the same time. I swear every horror fan must at least look at this film first, before making comments about it. The acting is average, the writing is average (i.e. one girl looks into a mirror and rubs her breasts for ten minutes (?)) But this film has a chilling reality to it that was probably appreciated more back when it was released in 1988. Teens killing their parents because they're possessed by the demons playing the rock music? Now that's got to be good!
Of note: Vincent Pastore ("The Sopranos" Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero) in his first film saying one of the funniest damn quotes: "You wearing earings, kid? Only two kinda guys wear earings: pirates and homos. And I don't see a ship in the driveway!"
***out of****truly a memorably 80's horror film that went far beyond 80's slasher films that were everywhere at the time.
12 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
You gotta love it
Warning: Spoilers
Black Roses is one of those rentals you go get and prepare to have a good time. Bring some friends over to watch it. It is just so damn funny you'll be laughing in no time. The funniest part of the movie is a quote from one of the kids dad:
joke spoiler 'What's this?' -dad 'An earring pop.' -son 'An earring? Only 2 types of men where earrings son. Pirates and faggots. And I don't see a ship parked in our driveway.' -dad end spoiler
Summary: This movie is a howl.
11 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Like no way dude!
Watch out kids! The heavy metal is gonna getcha! Popular metal band Black Roses have chosen the small town of Mill Basin to begin their world tour. But Black Roses has plans outside of just rocking. Led by the charismatic Damien, the band are actually demons who hypnotize teens with their music and then turn them anti-social. It is Tipper Gore's worst nightmare! It is all up to English teacher Mr. Moorhouse (John Martin) to save the town. From the director of ROCK N' ROLL NIGHTMARE, BLACK ROSES is a great 80s time capsule. You have the big hair with sweaters to match, the leather outfits and lots of high pitch screeching. There are some cheap but fun effects and what might be the world's most gratuitous nude scene. Pre-SOPRANOS Vincent Pastore made his film debut (talk about auspicious!) as a metal kid's dad who gets sucked into a mutant speaker by a big spider. Sorry, it reads much better than it plays.
8 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
More rock weirdness
i swear I say this flick for rent in a 7-11 when I was still a pre-teen.
I've had a vague recollection of the box art and the general plot ever since. Being the dedicated bargin bin hound that I am, I finally managed to find a copy of this movie. I'm a giant fan of B-movies in general, but this film just didn't seem to make effective use of the wacky plot. It could have been a lot more over the top; it ended up being pretty slow going during some sections. The F/X are actually halfway between funny/cheesey and somewhat half decent. Although I enjoyed this movie for all of its b-graded goodness (i.e. bad music, bad acting, some T&A from the leading female), i reccomend it to serious fans of the b-horror genre. If you ever get a chance to pick it up used for a few bucks, it's good for a laugh. However, Rock N' Roll Nightmare, by the same director, is an absolute MUST HAVE.
11 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Never have there been so many mullets flaunted in one film
Black Roses. Where to begin? First off, this movie is not for you if you cannot appreciate the comic genius that is a combination of bad metal music and massive mullets. Personally, I love bad movies and those two things have made [and broken] a great many movies for me. Black Roses is a beautiful melding of horrible acting, special effects that wouldn't have been impressive twenty years ago, and tons of terrible metal. Our Demonic band and their flamboyant frontman Damien [who is complete with a disappearing/reappearing mullet] use their music as a portal for evil! There are a great many unanswered questions come the end of the film, but if you are watching this film in the first place, chances are you're not in the market for a high-quality production. This is a great bad horror film, and a must-see for anyone who knows how funny mullets are.
7/10
[A few words on my rating system]
I review bad movies almost exclusively, that does not however mean that my rating system is inverted. A score of 1 denotes a film that is unbearable to watch, whereas a score of 10 epitomizes the best in the world of bad movies. A 5 is average, 6 connotes that there is something worthwhile, a 7 is a definate must-see for people who match the criteria that I will have listed in the review.
10 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Heavy Metal Madness Hits Film
HDude 20 February 2000
This is one of two MUST HAVE metal horror movies from the 80's the other being "Trick Or Treat". An Awesome Soundtrack In This Movie. The Story Is About A Demonic Metal Band (With Carmine Appice On Drums) Who Come To A Small Town To Start Their Concert Tour And This Town Is The Test Town Before They Head Out On The Road. All kinds of metal madness takes place. No it isn't scary but was it ever intended to be? Its also a great movie to look at to see how "dressed up" people into heavy metal used to be back in the 80's before the current fashion of looking like a greasey haired bum with hand me down clothes and piercings on every appendage. If you can rent or get a copy of this dont miss it
9 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Hold on to your mullets, the Black Roses are coming to town!
This probably won't mean anything to people from America, but the opening sequences in "Black Roses", which were the best part of the entire film by far, seriously reminded me of the winning act in the Eurovision contest in 2006. They were a Finnish band named Lordi and dressed up like OTT demonic monsters on stage. It was quite a shock they won the conventional and borderline puritan musical concert, but it was a funny sight. Same goes for the intro of "Black Roses", in fact, because the demonic make-up effects are delightful, but the music sounds more like glamor-rock instead of heavy metal.
During the 1980s, several directors had the bad idea to mix horror movies with metal music. Both were popular separately, so together they must be even more successful, right? Wrong. I love horror and I love heavy metal, but the string of combo-flicks that came out in the 80s is overall disastrous. Although I haven't seen "Trick or Treat" yet, "Black Roses" must be the indisputably masterpiece of the sub-genre! At least it's vastly superior over titles like "Terror on Tour", "Rocktober Blood" "Hard Rock Zombies" and "Rock & Roll Nightmare". Metal band The Black Roses, with their popular front man Damian, announces that they'll kick off their American tour with a series of shows in the sleepy town of Mill Basin. It's delightful news for the local youth, but the parents and elderly townsfolk are heavily against the Roses' type of "satanic" music and life-style. They don't realize how right they are, actually, since Damian and his band are evil minions of Satan that gradually gain control over their fans' minds and bodies during the concerts. Several aspects make "Black Roses" a lot more enjoyable than the aforementioned titles, for instance a better soundtrack ("Soldiers of the Night", "Paradise" and "Dance on Fire" are good songs) and a handful of awesome murder sequences. There's a nasty scene in which a guy is beaten to death with an ashtray and a very sexy high-school sweetheart even strip-pokers her friend's dad to death! The film also remains a pure 80s cheese-galore, with lovely images of spectators turning into skeletons during the concerts and Vincent Pastore (in an early role) getting sucked into a speaker. That'll teach him to make fun of boys wearing earrings!
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Do you want to see someone get sucked through a speaker? It's here
The town of Mill Basin gets their opportunity to host the hard rock band Black Roses. However, I don't think the band tours anywhere else. Anyways, once they arrive in town, it's hell on earth. The kids soon get demoniacally possessed after listening to too much of this hard rock music. The band's vocalist, Damian, is the main culprit for all of the chaos. Damian's got a cool look. He's dressed in all black and has a cool hair style. This story kind of gets its premise from the problem with hard rock and all of the suicide incidents from real life situations attached to such bands as: Slayer, Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne. Black Roses was released in 88', which was right around when these law suits unfolded. This sort of music was really popular then and parents and teachers really were against this entire movement. The story basically takes the premise that if you listen to Heavy Metal, you too, will become a maniac. It sure makes one laugh. The kids in this picture begin shooting their parents and beating up their fellow classmates. The script isn't that great, but the 80's music makes up for it. Time after time, you'll hear LIZZY BORDEN's "Me Against The World." This song is featured at least three or four times. There is also a cool song by the title of "Soldiers in the Night." This song, too, really cranks! The special effects are cheesy, but they seem to work for satisfactory basis. I like the part when a guy gets sucked through a mounted wall speaker, case in point to my summary title. Stay away if you can't handle a juvenile script and head banging music from the 80's. 5/10
7 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A hilarious and campy heavy metal film
I have to say this is one of my favorite "so bad its good" films. If you were a fan of heavy metal back in the '80's, you will probably enjoy this film. Now Black Roses does not have a particularly talented cast, the acting isn't so great but its pure entertainment. Its a strange film that is so full of bizarre moments. A girl standing in front of a photograph of the leader singer of the band rubbing her breasts for at least five minutes, the hilarious pirate comment that the father makes to the son who is wearing an earring. Zombie kids chanting in an auditorium. Not to mention a lot of murders. I really liked it.
Hilarious if you like cheesy horror films.
4 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
"The Black Roses will rise."
Warning: Spoilers
~Spoiler~
Black Roses is a film that defines the 80's. And you know I love those. Big hair, wailing vocals, and a fine layer of cheese. Black Roses is about the titular glam band whose music possesses the minds and bodies of youths and propels them to do evil deeds. From the opening chords of Lizzie Borden's Me Against the World, I knew I was going to have fun with this one. I had that song on a Metal Blade compilation when I was younger. So nostalgia is already setting in before the movie really gets started. The movie itself has nothing on the soundtrack, but it is quite entertaining and loaded with humor (some intentional and some not). For example: If you've ever wanted to see Vincent Pastore get eaten by a speaker, this is your movie. Yes, it's as ridiculous as it sounds. Black Roses really needs to be seen back to back with John Fasano's other "classic", Rock and Roll Nightmare.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Crazy but worth a look
The worst thing about this movie is it seems no one has ever HEARD of it!! I had seen it dozens of times as a younger person. often at Halloween parties and had a copy taped off TV, (c'mon we've all done that). I was very lucky though, that when i had some extra floating around i was able to purchase a DVD copy from Turner Classic movies, (still trying to get my grubby paws on a copy of "Popcorn") I still, to this day love this movie, it's freaky without being too scary, and fun! I decided to do a swap with my horror-loving niece and she totally loves this movie. We had a Halloween-en party last year where we had 29 other people see it for the first time and everyone enjoyed it. it is truly worth watching, and if you liked it, I suggest "Trick or Treat" with Tony Fields or "976-EVIL" with Stephan Geoffreys.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
It's ME AGAINST THE WORLD when my satanic heavy metal music starts killing people
So there is a renegade high schooler named Johnny. He is 30 years old, with a mullet and a jean jacket. He hates his teachers and loves metal music. His favorite metal band has a lead singer who turns into a monster while performing cursed songs. There's some great-yet-bad metal music, especially the tune at the beginning. The score is very forgettable 80s synth noodling, unfortunately. It's an alright movie to look at, the acting is passable if you grade on a curve, and the monster effects are pretty decent all considered. This movie kinda has it all if you're into bad 80's monster movies: boobs, a messy script, rockin' tunes, cheesy dialog, and an awful main character you love to make fun of. Big Pussy from the Sopranos makes his acting debut, and it's freakin' hilarious. Lots of mentions of the "satanic panic" of the 80s where the media cast overprotective mothers and pitted them against heavy metal and rap music that had explicit lyrics. The theme of the movie seems to stem from that whole incident
This one was lots of fun to watch, with a great soundtrack and story-line, plus the right amount of cheese, it makes 90min fly by. 3.5 / 5
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The corruption of youth, via heavy metal!
It's hardly surprising that Black Roses is an obscure eighties horror film, as despite a relatively good story and some cheesy special effects; the film doesn't have a great deal going for it. However, Black Roses is fun enough and overall, I'd say it's just about worth seeing. The plot takes its influence from the idea of heavy metal bands with satanic lyrics corrupting their young fans, and by keeping the focus on this idea, the film actually has a bit more substance than the majority of similar movies released around the same time. The style is very much eighties, as the schlock horror blends well with the cheap special effects; and the effects team seems to have taken influence from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II where the demons are concerned. The plot focuses on a heavy metal band named Black Roses. They decide to put on a concert in a small town, much to the delight of the local kids. Naturally, their parents are left rather unimpressed by the band and their music, and so decide to try and stop the concert from taking place...and they'd be right to, as the band are actually demons in disguise!
The film attempts to be both a tongue-in-cheek horror movie and a film about heavy metal, as both the band and the horror are given decent proportions of the screenplay. It has to be said the film succeeds at being neither of the things it attempts to be, as the horror is too silly to be scary and the fact that the band are demons often overtakes the fact that they're a heavy metal band; but most people that see this film won't be too bothered about that. The horror is fairly inventive, and parts of the film that see things such as a monster emerging from a record player are most definitely highlights. The main problem with the movie is the amount of talking, as a lot of the time the parents' attempt to stop the concert becomes the centre focus and it's not all that interesting. The way that the film presents ideas such as the fact that a lot of the Black Roses' fans consider the song writer to be a modern poet are well done, and the band themselves are pretty good too, if you're into eighties metal. Overall, Black Roses isn't worth tracking down and spending a lot of money on; but if you get the chance to see it and you like eighties music and horror, it should suffice.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
This is a fairly average movie that's worth a viewing
Black Roses (1988) is a movie I recently watched on Amazon Prime after it was recommended on Into the Darkness. The storyline tells the tale of a traveling rock band whose music turns their listeners into followers of the bands demonic plans. Can the parents and local police force stop the band before their children and friends kill everyone in town? This movie is directed by John Fasano (The Jitters) and stars John Martin (Days of our Lives), Ken Swofford (Annie), Julie Adams (Catchfire) and Sal Viviano (Out of the Box). This movie has some great masks, special effects and transformation scenes. I loved the way the band is depicted, even the gag where they start as soft rock until they need to transform into a hard rock band. Well done by the team. The dialogue, character interactions and storyline were a bit clunky and uneven. The hair in this was hysterical and well done and there's a nice injection of nudity in this as you'd expect from this era. Overall this is a fairly average movie worth a viewing. I'd score this a 5/10 and recommend seeing it once.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
One HELL of a good concert!
Warning: Spoilers
I remember seeing this one as a kid on Joe Bob Briggs "Up all Night" movie marathon, and I finally picked this B movie gem up for 5 bucks at a local video store! Great movie if you enjoy these type of films.
What could be better than sitting back, relaxing, and watching a flick about a group of goody two shoes teens get possessed by demons from Hell who are disguising themselves as a Heavy Metal band! Classic!
I especially won't forget the scenes when Big Pussy from the Sopranos Vincent Pastore makes his acting debut, and gets mauled by a demon that attacks him from his sons speaker, or when a brainwashed teeny bopper turns into a long necked lizard creature and attacks her teacher
GREAT STUFF!! I recommend this movie to all 80's metalheads who
probably once tried playing their Twisted Sister backwards, hoping to get a message from the Great Beezelbub himself. Or if your like me and actually enjoy watching this garbage.
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Satanic panic on video
The small town of Mill Basin is about to become the first place that the band Black Roses will ever play a show. Up until now, they've only been a studio band. And parents are concerned because these guys have taken over the hearts and souls of the town's kids. But do you blame the kids? Mill Basin reminds me of where I grew up — there's nothing to do but have sex and do recreational drugs. And if you have bad self-esteem issues, you're gonna just stay in your room reading comic books, playing guitar, drawing pictures of Leatherface and staring at your Traci Lords poster while listening to Among the Living on repeat. Oh wait — I was wallowing in the past.
The kids come back at their parents with knives, just like Charley claimed they would, like Tony running over his dad (Vincent Pastore of The Sopranos) with a car, another kid shoots his dad in the face and one gets her best friend to hump her father to death (one of these deaths is not like the other). Even virginal Julie goes astray, killing her lecherous stepfather and Moorhouse's ex-girlfriend before transforming into a creature that I can only describe as a fetal pig that makes cat noises.
Read more at bit.ly/2yA7j8z
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
One Hell Of A Concert!!!
Warning: Spoilers
What a fun movie!This is one of those few horror movies out there that was based on Hard Rock music...the others being Hard Rock Zombies, Trick Or Treat and Rockin Roll Nightmare!This one has a bunch of demonic hard rockers coming to a town called Mill Basin to perform a concert.The adults of the town fear that the music might be bad for the children... and boy were they right!This film like so many other eighties horror films, has some really cool rock music...one of the best being "Road To Paradise" which the band plays on their first concert in the town.There's is also some pretty neat special effects...although their only really good in a fun way... i mean...they don't look realistic or anything but they're still enjoyable! This movie also has Sal Viviano as the lead rock singer of the band who has a really eighties "fine" haired mullet...some of the eighties fashions in this movie will give you a few chuckles but it just adds to the fun fell of the film! Some people might remember Sal Viviano as having starred in The Jitters...which was an insane but equally enjoyable Japanese based horror film!Watch out for the part where Mattthew the high school teacher is attacked by a cool looking demon at the end...it will give you a couple of laughs!!!Rent it for sure!!!
3 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Beware of the Devil's music.
Heavy metal band Black Roses puts on a series of shows in a small American town, much to the consternation of the adults, but to the delight of their young fans, who are unaware that their idols are in fact demons whose Satanic music causes listeners to commit acts of extreme violence.
If you're too young to remember, or weren't even born, it might be hard to believe just how popular heavy rock was back in the '80s. Men proudly grew their locks, sported leather and denim, and head-banged till their necks seized up. Girls put peroxide in their hair, glammed themselves up with plenty of makeup and strutted around in spandex leggings (actually, so did some of the blokes). The same decade also saw the cheesy horror film enjoying much success, with many movies forgetting all about logic in favour of crazy special effects laden chaos. Black Roses takes both metal and monster madness and combines them in a technically shoddy and often laughable movie that appears to enforce the outmoded notion that rock music is a corrupting influence on the young.
A great soundtrack (if hair metal is your thing), some cheap and cheerful monster effects and a spot of gratuitous female nudity go some way to making up for the lousy script, crap acting and seemingly denigrating anti-metal message, but in the end, it's just another disappointing rock/horror hybrid (see also Trick or Treat, Zombie Nightmare, Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare, Hard Rock Zombies and Shock 'Em Dead for more of the same).
1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
'80s metalsploitation cult classic
♫ it's me against the world, that's what it feels like in Mill Basin until Black Roses come to town and rocks my f-ing face in they're here for one night only, that's all they'll ever need to steal away our souls and make our eardrums bleed ♬ ~ 'Metal Movie Marijuana Massacre Meltdown' - Acid Witch
a cult (glam) metalspoitation movie directed by John Fasano of Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare. i didn't really care for this the first time i watched it. the script and acting are horrendously bad. i don't know if it was intended to be taken seriously as a horror movie, but i interpret it as a satire of the beliefs and fears of the Christian right during the 'satanic panic' of the '80s
the settings, costumes and monster designs are quintessential '80s, very reminiscent of Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street. the soundtrack features Lizzie Borden and Californian Celtic rock band Tempest, with King Cobra, and their transgender vocalist Marcie Free, performing most of the music for the titular band
i watched this with my girlfriend last night. we both got baked and laughed our asses off through the whole thing. one of those movies that's so bad it's good, i recommend watching it with a friend
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
* out of 4.
A rock n' roll band from hell turns a small town inside out when the music possesses the kids of the town folk and turns them into lethal killers. The tape box praises the special effects, but whoever wrote that description must have been watching another film, because the special effects are no better then the amatuer level production values and acting.
3 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Heavy Metal is the Devil's Music!
Black Roses tells the relatable story of a heavy metal band that comes to a small town, plays a concert in spite of the protests of some Tipper Gore-esque prudes, and ends up possessing all of the town's children into killing the adults and, sometimes, turning into slimy demon creatures.
At a scant 85 minutes, Black Roses gets in and gets out before you can ask too many questions and that's for the best. The pace is fast and furious and there's never a moment to scratch your head or overthink anything too much. It's the kind of movie made for late night TV where your brain is half-awake and you just want to be entertained. The effects are surprisingly excellent, there's some ok gore, and the story itself is entertaining. Still, I wish I could figure out whose side the film is on. After all, the adult prudes turn out to be right and this band really does bring evil and destruction with them.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Skip this show
It seems to me that Z-grade features like Black Roses would be a lot of fun to make. Signing up for this project (as a cast member) you would get to do one of the following: wear scary make-up and play monster, rock out or show off body parts. And because the script is everything but demanding, and there are no studio heads making deadlines for the project, There is never much pressure involved. As enjoyable as the filmaking experience may have been, It is a bore to watch.
It is hard to get away with being deliberately cheesy. A tiny handful of films with names that include Killer Klowns from Outer Space, work exceptionally well as a satirical throwback the days of Ed Wood. Black Roses could just as easily be looked at as a high campy throwback of a movie, but unlike Killer Klowns, this one is likely to draw your attention away from the screen and towards the exit sign.
Only a moron could ask for professionalism in something like this. Even if you set your expectations low, Black roses is still disappointing. Is it too much to ask for a little humour in what is supposed to be part comedy I think. Black Roses is a case of a movie that sells a funny idea. It reads well, but the end product is highly insufficient. I may have laughed in two or three places (but that's it).
the majority of laughter in Black Roses is more likely to be unintentional, like the shakiness of the picture in all the wide shots. There must have been a loose bolt on the camera crane. I've seen video productions that draw less attention to themselves. Seriously who was operating the camera?
There is a reason why Z-Grade movies have earned such a name. I've seen a few which are entertaining, but Black Roses is not among them.
2 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A mediocre movie that wants to let you know that heavy metal is bad for you...
Granted this movie was from 1988, and it definitely carries that late 1980s cheesy and campy feel. But this movie was not even really close to being as interesting as I initially had thought it had potential to be, from reading the movie synopsis.
Sure, this was a campy movie, by all means, but the overall outcome of the movie was a bit too mundane, nay, bland actually, and the movie suffered from that. Just as it also suffered from some very mediocre acting performances.
And the topic of heavy metal being bad for you and bringing about with it destruction, demonic entities, hell and eternal damnation does wear pretty thin pretty quickly in the movie. At least that is what the message of the movie felt like being; that heavy metal music is bad for the society and a bad influence on the youth.
The music in the movie was pretty tame and not all that heavy, when thinking about the storyline and the topic of the movie. It was hard rock at best and really didn't feel right for the setting of the movie. Nor were the "musicians" really all that interesting to look at and lacked on stage personalities and charisma. This made for an even more bland movie experience, because it felt like they hadn't even bothered going all the way in.
As for the special effects, well... Keep in mind that the movie was made in 1988 after all, and they weren't exactly on a massive budget in comparison to other movies back then.
All in all, a less than mediocre movie. I hadn't heard about "Black Roses" before 2019, when I stumbled upon the DVD by sheer random luck. I gave it a view, and I wasn't impressed.
0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
These kids today.
Warning: Spoilers
Another entry into that 80s genre trend of "heavy metal horror", "Black Roses" is positively goofy entertainment about the title band, which is about to embark on its first tour. They decide to start in a relatively small burg named Mill Basin, and the kids are happy because this is the most exciting thing to ever happen to their town. But all is not "rosy". The band are Satanists, can transform into demons, and listening to their music causes the impressionable youths to become demonically possessed as well. Mayhem ensues.
This may be due to the budget not being particularly impressive, but overall "Black Roses" is fairly mild stuff that never really cuts loose. Only in the last dozen minutes or so does it become pretty cheese-tastic, with some absolutely hilarious-looking low-rent creature FX.
At its best, this is somewhat interesting for portraying the generation gap, and the typical reaction of adults and authority figures to the spectacle of heavy metal. The mayor (top character actor Ken Swofford, 'Fame') urges reason, putting forth the fact that he and his peers had parents that disapproved of the musical acts with which they themselves grew up. The hero is actually one of the adults, an English teacher played by John Martin ('Sunset Beach'), who tries hard to inspire and relate to his students.
The cast is mostly nondescript, but there are familiar faces that raise the curiosity level: Julie Adams, the leading lady of "Creature from the Black Lagoon", as the uptight Mrs. Miller, real life rock musician Carmine Appice as a Black Roses band member, Paul Kelman, the hero of the original "My Bloody Valentine", and, in a highly amusing film debut, Vincent "Big Pussy" Pastore of later 'The Sopranos' fame. Pastore plays a parent who is attacked by a bug monster that emerges from a speaker.
As a parting word, the music is generally pretty good (Me Against the World is by Lizzie Borden) for any metal-head like this viewer. But the movies' few assets can't quite compensate for a completely underwhelming ending.
Six out of 10.
0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094752/reviews
0 Response to "Injected Too Many Marijuanas Lizard Woman Mirror Dress"
Post a Comment