Black Roses (1988)

Appearing in a small-town for a concert, a rock group is initially prohibited from playing only to be granted the opportunity to perform once nobody realizes their a threat, but when the truth is revealed and their Satanic purpose is explained a teacher tries to stop their deadly plans.This was an enjoyable and intriguing genre effort. One of the more interesting elements present in this one is the rather strong sociological storyline featured here. The ability to make a connection between the desire for freedom and the oppressive nature of the townspeople through their constrictive laws and rules creates a nice contrast here and sets this up on a far more noteworthy setup than expected. That plays into how the students begin to change and react to the appearance of the band which slowly begin to worm it's way into the small town as it begins with them being lethargic and uninterested in their studies before turning into far more violent and vicious behaviors. As well, this also has the rather exciting and enjoyable action scenes being featured throughout, from the concerts they play that features the band turning the audience into the demonic creatures through their music to the different inserts of the townspeople being beaten up or brutalized. The different scenes of the creatures having an influence on the townspeople is nicely broken up by the scenes of their other influences including the creature appearing from the speaker system to attack others or the series of kids going wild killing others in town by running them over, bashing them with ceremonial artifacts or other such antics. When it raises the stakes with their rampage across town using their possessed forms, this one offers a lot of cheesy fun with the creatures running wild in several rather fun brawls leading into the wild and frantic finale that has plenty of likable elements. Moreover, the influx of practical effects here gives this a lot to like and there's plenty of fun creatures and transformations to be had showcasing all these rather impressive scenes. Coupled with the cheesy tunes, there's a lot to like to hold it up over the few minor flaws. The main flaw with the film is the fact that there's just not a whole lot of motivation given here for what the point of the group is supposed to actually be doing. Initially, it seems to be a simple case of youthful corruption but then it turns out that the students are turning into murderers followed by them becoming monstrous killers with no real sense of coherence available for telling this story. There's nothing even given in the lyrics of their songs since there are so many different songs passed off as original works of this band so it doesn't really offer a message at all. Had this one been able to really settle on what the point of the bands' appearance in the town would've been, it had a chance to really approve since the lack of any reasoning with them being here holds this one back considerably. Likewise, there's also the film really having some cheesy good times here that makes for somewhat challenging times to get through with the puppets and latex prosthetics coming off goofy more than terrifying. However, it's not nearly as problematic as the other problems.Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Nudity.

The worst thing about this movie is it seems no one has ever HEARD of it!! I had seen it dozens of times as a younger person. often at Halloween parties and had a copy taped off TV, (c'mon we've all done that). I was very lucky though, that when i had some extra floating around i was able to purchase a DVD copy from Turner Classic movies, (still trying to get my grubby paws on a copy of "Popcorn") I still, to this day love this movie, it's freaky without being too scary, and fun! I decided to do a swap with my horror-loving niece and she totally loves this movie. We had a Halloween-en party last year where we had 29 other people see it for the first time and everyone enjoyed it. it is truly worth watching, and if you liked it, I suggest "Trick or Treat" with Tony Fields or "976-EVIL" with Stephan Geoffreys.

It's hardly surprising that Black Roses is an obscure eighties horror film, as despite a relatively good story and some cheesy special effects; the film doesn't have a great deal going for it. However, Black Roses is fun enough and overall, I'd say it's just about worth seeing. The plot takes its influence from the idea of heavy metal bands with satanic lyrics corrupting their young fans, and by keeping the focus on this idea, the film actually has a bit more substance than the majority of similar movies released around the same time. The style is very much eighties, as the schlock horror blends well with the cheap special effects; and the effects team seems to have taken influence from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II where the demons are concerned. The plot focuses on a heavy metal band named Black Roses. They decide to put on a concert in a small town, much to the delight of the local kids. Naturally, their parents are left rather unimpressed by the band and their music, and so decide to try and stop the concert from taking place...and they'd be right to, as the band are actually demons in disguise! The film attempts to be both a tongue-in-cheek horror movie and a film about heavy metal, as both the band and the horror are given decent proportions of the screenplay. It has to be said the film succeeds at being neither of the things it attempts to be, as the horror is too silly to be scary and the fact that the band are demons often overtakes the fact that they're a heavy metal band; but most people that see this film won't be too bothered about that. The horror is fairly inventive, and parts of the film that see things such as a monster emerging from a record player are most definitely highlights. The main problem with the movie is the amount of talking, as a lot of the time the parents' attempt to stop the concert becomes the centre focus and it's not all that interesting. The way that the film presents ideas such as the fact that a lot of the Black Roses' fans consider the song writer to be a modern poet are well done, and the band themselves are pretty good too, if you're into eighties metal. Overall, Black Roses isn't worth tracking down and spending a lot of money on; but if you get the chance to see it and you like eighties music and horror, it should suffice.

I think this is a terrible movie. The acting and the storyline are both bad. The special effects leave a lot to be desired. But I enjoyed it anyway. If you like to watch late night b-movies on the weekend,than watch this one when it comes on at 2:30 A.M. sometime. The music is great(Lizzy Borden, King Kobra, etc.) and it has all the awful special effects and plot that you expect. Not a good movie(I wouldn't buy or rent it) but enjoyable.