There’s never been a time when rock and metal music wasn’t influenced by horror.
From early – and relatively tame – progenitors such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and KISS to newer and more extreme acts (White Zombie, King Diamond, Autopsy, Cannibal Corpse, Ice Nine Kills, Mortician, etc.), these styles are famously dominated by artists whose songs, artwork, music videos and live theatrics revel in the macabre.
What’s less often acknowledged is the inverse relationship: frightening films that – whether through their actors, soundtracks, plots or some other association – connect to our favorite ferocious genres. Sure, Alice Cooper and Dokken’s work on 1986’s Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI and 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, respectively, are legendary. Yet, there’s so much more to the intersection of scary movies and heavy metal that’s worth celebrating.
On that note (and in anticipation of the Foo Fighters’ absolutely bonkers upcoming entry into the field, Studio 666, which arrives on Feb. 25), here are 10 headbanging horror films you simply have to check out with friends.