The Black Roses (1988, dir. John Fasano)
From the director of ROCK ’N’ ROLL NIGHTMARE comes a different kind of heavy metal madness! All hell breaks loose when the metal band Black Roses kicks off their tour by making a deal with the Devil himself. As the headbanging teens in the crowd begin turning into bloodthirsty demons and the body count starts rising, it’s up to their teacher to restore order to their small town. A prime piece of 80s Satanic Panic canon, BLACK ROSES features an all-metal soundtrack with original music by Lizzie Borden and, as the original video box boasted, “BLOODSHED, RIOTS, and horrible MASS MURDERS!”
Cannibal: The Musical
CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL tells the true story of the only person convicted of cannibalism in America - Alfred Packer. The sole survivor of an ill-fated trip to the Colorado Territory, he recounts his side of the harrowing tale to news reporter Polly Prye as he awaits his execution. The story goes like this: While searching for gold and love in the Rocky Mountains, he and his companions lost their way and resorted to unspeakable horrors, including rousing musical numbers! Packer and his five wacky buddies sing and dance their way into your heart… and then take a bite out of it! CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL is like OKLAHOMA meets BLOODSUCKING FREAKS.
Messiah of Evil (USA 1973, dir. Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz)
After receiving a string of unsettling letters from her father, Arletty arrives in a sleepy California coastal town called Point Dune. Dad is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Arletty finds a town full of drugged-out burnouts, barren shopping centers, and... something else. Echoing everything from Herk Harvey's CARNIVAL OF SOULS to Mario Bava's KILL, BABY... KILL!, MESSIAH OF EVIL is a swirling vortex of Lovecraftian terror, analog synth attacks, and grisly bloodshed from the team who'd later go on to make HOWARD THE DUCK. Marianna Hill (HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER), Michael Greer (FORTUNE AND MEN'S EYES), and Elisha Cook Jr. (THE MALTESE FALCON) star in this unjustly overlooked major work of independent American horror that's primed for (re)discovery.
