Three of a Horrific Pair

Orginally published in the HMS column: Blood Is Not Enough

Growing up in the 80's was a time period I won't ever forget. I was already a horror junkie by the time I turned 16 and that's when I discovered heavy metal, so imagine how both of my interests collided into a fist-pumping-blood-gushing menagerie. All I have to say is that good times were had all around and those memories still carry me though to this very day. I mean if I didn't have these fond memories you wouldn't have this website that we created to discuss my love of horror and metal.

Anyhow, now that I brought this fact up I wanted to pinpoint a certain aspect of this menagerie that deserves some words. In fact some of my favorite bands have been gracious enough to lend their considerable talents to the soundtracks of some wicked horror films churned out in the 80's. I have three particular songs in mind that suit this column, so let's go over each one and relate it to the movie that it has ties to.

W.A.S.P. "Scream until You Like It"
Ghoulies 2 (1987) Empire Pictures

Ghoulies 2 was the continuation of the first film, only this time the titular creatures wreak havoc upon a carnival. Director Charles Band elected not to helm the sequel, so his father Albert took over the reins and created a cheesy filled creature feature spectacular. Unfortunately, the film is pedantic, but if you can stomach the lame story, the stop motion animation is good enough to captivate the hard-core fan. At least a cast of grizzled vets – including Royal Dano and Phil Fondacaro appear to give the film some punch, but otherwise this pales in comparison to the original. The one major detail that tickles my fancy is the inclusion of the song "Scream until You Like it" by W.A.S.P. for the soundtrack. The band even appear in the video with the creatures.

Bruce Dickinson/Iron Maiden "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter"
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 (1989) New Line Cinema

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickson was flirting with a solo career in the late 80's, so he recorded "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" for the soundtrack of Nightmare 5: The Dream Child. Steve Harris liked it so much that he wanted to re-record it and put it on the "No Prayer for the Dying album released in 1990. Luckily it was a smart move because it became a number one hit single in the UK and the only one to date for the band. The song is perfect fit for the film, since the film details the plight of Alice's unborn baby; a target for Freddy Krueger to be reborn again into the world. Although the ideas behind the plot are wild in parts, the film received a mixed reaction from the critics, despite grossing over 22 million at the box office.

Ramones "Pet Sematary"
Pet Sematary (1989) Paramount Pictures

Although this is not a metal song, I am including it in this pairing because the Ramones always had that same attitude as most metal bands during this time period. In fact, it appears on the album Brain Drain which was punk with a hard rock edge to it. I think it works fine into the film and I always loved the creepiness of the video which sees the band walking through a cemetery at night. This was also one of the better Stephen King adaptions that I rather enjoyed during this period; punctuated by superb direction from Mary Lambert.

Kenneth Gallant, HMS

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