Hairmetal Shotgun Zombie Massacre: The Movie

Director - Josh Vargas (Sway)
Starring - Bobby Haworth (Jack's Apocalypse), Traver's LaVille, and Garret West (Broken Seconds)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Indie horror and metal go hand in hand.  I have seen countless indie horror flicks over the years that features an all metal soundtrack.  Who doesn't want blistering solos and mind-numbing double bass while you watch a big-boobed lady get decapitated?  Almost every horror fan I have ever met has also been a rabid metal head.  We may not always agree on the sub-genre but metal is our preferred taste in music. I often wondered why we never get more films where metal was part of the story.  Sure, we have Deathgasm, Hard Rock Zombies, Rock N' Roll Nightmare, and a few others but not as many as one would think considering the two share the same fans.   A few years back I added Parrish Randall on Facebook after I watched Billy Pon's Circus of the Dead.  He started sharing images and news about another film he was in titled Hairmetal Shotgun Zombie Massacre.  The film was right up my alley.  I love all sub-genre's of metal but I have a soft spot for hair metal and power ballads.  I was hooked and waited for news on the film's release.  Sadly, I never saw anything for sometime and eventually it skipped my mind.  That was until recently when someone shared a review of the film.  I immediately rushed to the Facebook page and messaged them.  They were kind enough to send me a link to check the film out.  Thanks guys!
     The film follows a modern day hair metal band (yes, you read that right).  The band is looking to get signed and lied to a record exec at Iron Blade Records.  They told them that one of the band member's is Bret Micheal's twin brother.  They head out into the woods to a little cabin nestled in the middle of a cemetery to record their album and meet with the exec.  While recording they hear a strange sound coming from the basement.  They all enter the cellar and find an alter with a strange book in the center.  The record producer recognizes the book as the Book of the Worm and plan on using it to incorporate it into their album.  However, things go south when the books opens up the gates of hell and demons possess the dead in the cemetery.  They are now trapped in their cabin studio while the undead demons try to get in.  They are soon forced to fight for their lives when they discover hidden guns in the cellar.
     I was excited for this one.  I can't deny that.  As soon as I was able to check it out I immediately started blasting social media with status updates, tweets, and images from the film.  No matter how excited I was for the film nothing could prepare me for how amazing the movie actually was.  Now, before I was able to see the film I was warned by the director that the film's audio has not been properly mixed so there was times in the film when the background music was louder than the dialogue.  This could easily be fixed before an official release so I won't hold it against the film...that much.  The acting in this one is fantastic.  The band was amazing together and really brought out the comradery and animosity that most bands face.   You really feel they love each other but would kill each other in the blink of an eye just like a real family.  They also brought about some humor when the film was feeling a little dry and then kicked it into ass kicking gear when the film turned bloody.  The movie also has one of the greatest cameos I have ever seen in a film.  Metal legend Tom Araya of Slayer makes one hell of an appearance in the film.  I literally dropped my laptop off my lap and stood up whooping at the television when he first emerged on screen.  His appearance brought out the fan boy in me and really left me wanting more.  The story for this one is, sadly, not that original.  I have seen several metal based horror films centered around an evil ancient book.  Two that comes to mind right away is the series Todd and the Book of Pure Evil and Deathgasm which follows ancient sheet music that when played awakens demons.  This is very typical among metal songs so it's only fitting it would be the basis for the film.  Though the film may not be that original it still offers up some entertainment.  It reminded me a lot of Todd & the Book of Pure Evil meets Demon Wind.  It has some great horror atmosphere and mixes the humor well with the story.  It has some laughs and brings the demons into the real world in the same style as Demons and Demon Wind.  I really enjoyed that and often wondered why the demon plague was never approached like the zombie epidemic in more films.  It makes it really fun while taking us away from the traditional zombie movie.  Finally, the first few kills we see on screen are nothing that special.  In fact, they are pretty lame in comparison to other zombie flicks from the past.  The film kinda skips on this for the most part until the very end with the appearance of Tom Araya and then we get the kills we deserve.  The practical effects for these are pretty fun.  Simple but fun.  Overall, Hairmetal Shotgun Zombie Massacre: The Movie is one hell of a horror comedy.  It has laughs, some gore, more laughs, and plenty of hair!  This is a film that cannot be missed so check it out!