DVD Release
Remember when nothing in the world mattered but rock & roll, women, snorting coke in bathroom stalls and Reaganomics? There were nukes hanging over our heads on a daily basis and it was okay to hate as long as the people you hated were “Commies”. Destroying people in pursuit of material wealth was the “in” thing to do and Bill Murray was still funny.
THE EIGHTIES ROCKED! Horror was a cultural phenomenon and rock musicians were mega superstars! It was only natural that horror and rock would come together like chocolate and peanut butter…unfortunately many horror metal/rock films were about as worthless and empty as Al Capone’s vault.
Roll ‘n’ Roll Nightmare is a fun, campy little low budget horror film that treats you to hand puppets, hooters and blazing hot metal! If that weren’t enough director John Fasano (Black Roses) and wirter/actor Jon-Mikl Thor even throw down on a “twist” ending that would make M. Night Shyamalan curl up in the fetal position.
The Tritons, a super popular metal band, have rented out a little farm house in order to get away from the hustle and bustle of the star studded city and get some new material written for their upcoming album. Seems their record label has given them an advance and they have very little written.
Nobody has any idea what kind of trouble they’ve gotten themselves into though. The house has a history of evil as well as a missing Family. One by one band members are disappearing as hideous creatures begin offing them with demonic glee. There’s some powerful evil at work in this home but not everything is as it seems.
The house is some kind of doorway from Hell and a powerful demon is attempting to cross the threshold into our domain. John Triton, the hulking leader of the band, is more than meets the eye. He’s come to the farmhouse with a purpose. The door needs to be closed and the main man demon must be defeated or the world will fall to its knees!
Who really is John Triton? What is his true nature and why must we see him in nothing more than a shiny cod piece?
Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare is fun from beginning to end though it does drag like a pair of jeans on a white suburban teen. For eighties horror fans, Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare is going to be an absolute must-have though! It’s got everything a cheesy little low budget horror films requires. The hot babes are hot, the creatures are slimey and ferocious and the good guy looks like a superhero.
The acting in Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare wasn’t all that bad but I should note that Jim Cirile, who played the character of Stig, had the worst Australian accent I have ever heard in my life. My eight year old son could have done better. What’re you gonna do though, right? For the most part this whole film hinges on Jon-Mikl Thor’s performance and the guy had a very laid back, natural acting style that was surprisingly entertaining.
The FX in this film wasn’t the best but it was low budget so one can’t expect perfection. Personally, I found the FX to be refreshing. I grew up on REAL slime, REAL latex puppets and creatures and REAL spraying blood. Watching a film in which all the FX are hands on really puts a smile on my face.
Synapse Films have done a wonderful job of heaping on the extras onto this disc as well. There’s more than enough here to keep fans busy once the film ends. Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare is well worth the watch, well worth the money and deserves every star it gets. The only thing missing from this jam-packed DVD was a little brown vial of yayo, a high priced call girl named Frankie and a hot pink bandana to tie around your leg!
After seeing this film, interested fans might like to take note that there is a sequel to this film entitled, Intercessor: Another Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare. The film is carried by Sub Rosa Studios which means most horror fans probably don’t even know it exists. Sub Rosa isn’t exactly know for their aggressive promotions so I’d be shocked if it’s even in stores. If you’re interested in checking it out you can purchase a copy [HERE].
As a quick side note, the director of Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare, John Fasano, is currently attached to direct Marvel’s Werewolf by Night. While I’m certainly excited to see Werewolf by Night finally getting its proper due with a film…Fasano also wrote and produced Darkness Falls. ‘nuff said.
*shiver*
