I'm starting an absurd video project and could use some input from those of you who are familiar with horror movies of the 70s and 80s. Not specifically limited to those years I guess, but that seems to be the era that featured the most unintentionally ridiculous bands and songs, and that's what I'm after.
This might sound torturous, but I'm putting together a compilation/montage of scenes of new wave/punk/goth bands that perform one (or more!) of their songs in a horror movie of that era. Don't ask me why, because I don't really have a reason.
The first movie that comes to mind is New Year's Evil which features several bands. I have a list of others (below), but nothing too notable. The band in Driller Killer is so awful that I might exclude them, although this compilation is gonna be nothing but awful music, so I might reconsider. Horror Hospital is pretty early (imdb says 1973, but it feels like mid/late 60s), but that band in the opening scene is so un-ironically Spinal Tap-y, that I'll fer sure include that one. Rocky Horror doesn't count. Sorry. Neither does Phantom of the Paradise. Neither does Aylmer singing his showtune in the sink in Brain Damage (shame, I know).
I'm not looking for videos of songs that were written for some horror movie (a la The Ramones' Pet Sematery or The Dickies' Killer Klowns from Outer Space); I'm not looking for horror movies that revolved around a band or a band member (a la Black Roses or Slaughterhouse Rock), unless the band is featured in the movie playing one of their songs. Well-known or nobodies, doesn't matter. Wasn't W.A.S.P. in one? Bonus if there's a dancefloor full of slamming/moshing punk rockers in the scene.
The band in Graduation Day ('81) is exactly what I'm looking for. The movie isn't about the band (Felony, who a couple years later had a giant radio hit with 'The Fanatic'), and none of the band members have any screen time outside of performing their song 'Gangster Rock' which they play at some high school dance/roller skating rink. It's a ridiculous hard rock song and the guys are done up in mascara and studded bracelets and act like they're playing to 15 thousand people. That song will be in there.
I don't think songs from non-horror movies will work. I'm going for what people thought at the time was angry, threatening, underground, scary music. The band in The House on Sorority Row gets some screen time (right at the 30 minute mark), but they play some really safe new wave radio rock at some preppy college dance. Still, they're only on screen for 30 seconds, and they're so dopey/goofy, I might go ahead and include them.
It doesn't matter if the song isn't devoid of dialog. If I can find some way to edit out the dialog and still keep the song intact, I will. But if not, I'll just leave it unedited. The dialog won't make much sense because it'll be totally out of context, but obviously that won't matter at all. I hope the full compilation will be at least 30 minutes. Would be great of it reaches 60 minutes. If I can track down the info (band name, track title, title of the movie), I'll even put in titles in the corner like MTV in the old days.
So far, I have these earmarked-
Deadline
Driller Killer
Graduation Day
Horror Hospital
The House on Sorority Row
New Year's Evil
Savage Streets
No doubt I'm missing some obvious ones, so please, throw 'em at me. If they're not available on dvd, hopefully I'll be able to find a high quality download to use.
