Horror pairs well with just about any other subject or subgenre, but that’s especially the case for hard rock, heavy metal, and horror. It’s a match made in hell, with rock music injecting an infectious energy into the horror. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to hard rock horror movies that embrace music in a massive way, whether featuring musicians plunged into nightmarish scenarios or exploring the cutthroat nature of the music world. All feature earworm soundtracks that won’t dislodge from your skull anytime soon.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Black Roses – AMC+, Peacock, Shudder, Tubi
This irreverent ’80s creature feature sees its metal band, Black Roses, arriving at a small town and turning its teens into rebellious metalheads. But the band is really a bunch of demons in disguise, and the kids aren’t just becoming uncontrollable but actual monsters. It works because Black Roses is directed by metalhead John Fasano (Rock’ n’ Roll Nightmare), who brings together rubber-suited monsters and a catchy-as-hell soundtrack with bands like Lizzy Borden, Hallow’s Eve, King Kobra, and more.
Rocktober Blood – AMC+, Shudder
Billy “Eye” Harper leaves the recording studio after working on his latest track and getting into a fight with girlfriend/backup singer Lynn Starling, only to return later and slaughter the rest of the band. Two years later, Lynn is now the band’s frontwoman after her testimony sent Billy to the electric chair. They’re preparing for an extensive tour when Billy seems to have risen from the grave with vengeance in mind. The low-budget hard rock slasher brings the heart and cheese in equal measure, and it’s guaranteed to get the song “Rainbow Eyes” stuck in your head.
Hard Rock Zombies – AMC+, SCREAMBOX, Shudder
Sometimes, a horror movie defies easy categorization or description and veers so far into bizarre territory that it must be seen to be believed. Hard Rock Zombies is a kitchen sink of “wtf” horror. It follows a hard rock band attempting to impress a record company scout by putting on a concert in a conservative town that’s outlawed rock music. What the band members don’t realize until far too late is that their hosts are murderous mutants whose patriarch is none other than Hitler. Undead zombie rockers, mutants, underage relationships, slaughter, and Nazis ensue in this ‘80s horror oddity. There’s no way to guess where it goes next; but at least you can count on the band’s eternal love for rock to continue from beyond the grave.
Slumber Party Massacre II – Arrow Player, Crackle, freevee, Pluto TV, Plex, SCREAMBOX, Shout TV, Tubi
Courtney Bates, the younger sister who survived the first film, is now a well-adjusted teen in a rock band with her fellow gal pals. Well, mostly well-adjusted. She suffers intense nightmares about the Driller Killer and worries she’s following in the footsteps of her mentally troubled older sister. This time, though, the Driller Killer has gone full-blown psychobilly, singing and dancing his way into her disturbing dreams. A weekend getaway with Courtney’s friends and their lovers means nightmares made flesh as the Driller Killer crashes the party to slay them all. Slumber Party Massacre II delivers on schlocky ‘80s fun. From an over-the-top villain to exploding monstrous zits, this sequel takes a significant tonal departure from its predecessor.
Green Room – Kanopy, Max
This pick is for those who prefer their hard rock horror to be taken more seriously. Punk band Ain’t Rights aren’t having the best of luck on their tour, so when an unexpected cancellation leaves them in a financial bind, a fan hooks them up with a replacement gig at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar deep in the woods. When one of the bandmates witnesses a murder, they discover the club’s ruthless owner, Darcy (Patrick Stewart), will continue to kill to keep their secrets. Jeremy Saulnier’s siege movie is the epitome of intense. Brutal violence and gore are matched by an insane level of suspense that leaves you on the edge of your seat. The entire cast, including leads Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots, brings the ferocity.
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