There are many "heavy metal horror" movies to choose from, it's quite a fun sub-genre, so I've no idea why anyone would end up with Rocktober Blood near the top of their viewing list. Having said that, there's some fun to be had with this bizarre and sloppy tale of a rock singer (played by Tray Loren) who goes on a killing spree, is apparently killed himself, and then returns years later to cause terror all over again. That's all you need to know about the plot though, it's a cross between a standard slasher flick and a psychological horror (with the character, Lynn, played by Donna Scoggins being the only one to see the truth for so long that people assume she is having some kind of breakdown).
Directed by Beverly Sebastian, who co-wrote the script with husband Ferd Sebastian, what you have here is something VERY '80s, and something that manages to become charming when watched nowadays. It makes no sense, it's visually ugly, and the lighting is poor throughout (although sometimes these issues are caused by transferring materials that haven't been shown any love for many years). It also doesn't have any memorable gore gags to make up for other failings.
You do get a fun villain though, a performance from Loren that just about makes up for everyone else in the cast, helped by the motivation of his character, and Scoggins is nice enough. There's also, as you might expect, a finale that involves a full song performance (the oh-that-is-quite-good-actually "I'm Back", by Sorcery). The ending may not be as entertaining and hilarious as it needs to be to make up for the plodding first half, but it certainly helps you to keep smiling as things move towards a very sudden ending.
Having also given viewers the likes of The Hitchhikers, The Single Girls, and (arguably the best-known of their films) 'Gator Bait, the Sebastians try to deliver something that sits comfortably alongside other slasher movies, but with some extra nastiness and grit. Which is why we get lines ranging from the wild "I want your hot steaming pussy blood all over my face" to the more straightforward "I’m going to show you what rock and roll gore is all about!”
As much as I'd like to recommend this to people, there are many other films you should check out first. Trick Or Treat (1986) is one. Black Roses (1988) is another. Even films such as Paganini Horror and Blood Tracks feel superior to this (although the latter is a film I admit I view with more nostalgic affection than it deserves). Once you've seen those films though, yes, put aside a bit of time for this one. It clocks in at about 90 minutes, it seems to be aware of how inherently silly it is, and you can learn the lyrics to sing along to "I'm Back".
5/10
If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
No comments:
Post a Comment