‘Black Roses’ is the Ultimate Forgotten Heavy Metal Horror Film
Tyler Doupe'
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The occult-themed heavy metal horror film, Black Roses bowed at a time when satanic panic was at an all-time high. Parents were convinced that rock music contained subliminal messaging that was sure to corrupt the minds of their impressionable youngsters. Screenwriter Cindy Cirile and director John Fasano heard those concerns and opted to capitalize on them through a cinematic outing where a metal band is actually recruiting teenagers into the dark arts. The results are undeniably entertaining.
With that said, Black Roses may not be a great film in the conventional sense. It isn’t exceptionally well-made or even particularly scary. But it’s a hell of a lot of fun! And that is all the reason I need to sing its praises. So grab your axe and your favorite pentacle and prepare to get rocked.
Black Roses follows the teenage residents of a small town called Mill Basin. The local youth cannot believe their good fortune when the heavy metal band Black Roses opt to kick off a tour right in their backyard. In fact, the group scheduled multiple appearances in the sleepy hamlet, even going so far as to hand out free tickets to their most dedicated fans. But not everyone is enthusiastic about the hard rockers arriving on the scene. Parents and faculty at the local high school have concerns about the band’s messaging. That pushback causes the students to assume the adults of Mill Basin are trying to rain on their parade. But it eventually becomes clear Black Roses has a supernatural hold on those that attend their shows. Watch out Mill Basin, evil is surely afoot.
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This all-but-forgotten flick almost works in spite of itself. Nothing about Black Roses is done exceptionally well. And that’s certainly true of the characters, all of whom are rooted in stereotypes. You have the pretty, innocent young woman, the rebellious guy that doesn’t like to play by the rules, and the cool teacher (with a bitchin’ mustache) that connects with his students because he’s not like the other instructors. Naturally, there isn’t any depth to any of these characterizations. But if you’re like me, you’re not watching this flick looking for well-developed depictions of adolescent leads or realistic performances. No, you’re watching Black Roses because you want to see teenagers possessed by the forces of darkness. And in that regard, this picture delivers tenfold.
The band members are somewhat strategic in their attempts to possess the youth of Mill Basin. They book multiple shows in the small city over the course of several nights. They start their first performance with mellow music, decked out in contemporary (for the time) yet conservative attire. But after the parental observers in the audience finally leave because they are satisfied nothing too nefarious is afoot, the Black Roses transition into all-black attire and begin to play the hard stuff with the lights turned low.
From there, the band has their fans eating out of their hand. Each show that follows the inaugural installment gets more and more satanic, culminating in the audience beginning to transform into demons as they watch the group perform. From there, the adolescent rock fans belong to the Dark Lord and can be used to do his work. The Devil’s bidding includes, but is not limited to, persuading the teens to kill their parents in a variety of inventive and hilarious ways.
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Aside from their proficiency at recruiting impressionable teens, the band also serves up some sick lyrical stylings. One track is introduced with the lead singer telling the audience he wants to sing a song about his home. He then belts out lines that detail coming from a place deep down that’s full of fire. It’s so very on-the-nose. Not much nuance. But it’s hard not to laugh and have a good time with just how blatant the references are.
Equally unsubtle, the lead singer’s first name just so happens to be Damien. Now, where have I heard that name before…? It’s almost as if screenwriter Cindy Cirile was afraid that people wouldn’t realize the band serves the Dark Lord if there weren’t enough clues to drive that point home. Whatever the reasoning, the message is received loud and clear.
One could spend a lot of time analyzing this picture’s message. Is it a cautionary tale? Or maybe a sendup of how utterly ridiculous satanic panic really was? Truthfully, I don’t think the creators intended anyone to dig that deep. So, rather than go that route, I will close by saying that anyone with an appreciation for campy fun and a fondness for hair metal should make haste to check out this silly, under-seen effort.
If you’re keen to do just that, you can stream Black Roses on Shudder, Tubi, Plex, and Peacock as of the publication of this post. And if you’d like to chat more about heavy metal horror, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @FunWithHorror.
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