As far as horror subgenres go, there are probably more Heavy Metal horror films than you might think. It doesn't just begin and end with
Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare. I can think of at least four others off the top of my head. Of them, probably one of the better made films was Black Roses, which has held a special place in my memory since discovering it about eight years ago on a bootlegged VHS tape.
If you're virgin to the Black Roses experience, here's the gist: A hugely popular heavy metal rock band named Black Roses rolls into Mill Basin to do a series of concerts. Of course, due to the violent and Satanic lyrics, the School Directors are split on whether or not they should let the band perform in their town. Ultimately, the community succumbs to the kid's desires, and it will prove to be the city's biggest mistake. What neither the children nor the adults are aware of is that Black Roses really is made up of demons from Hell (lead singer is actually named Damian and everything) and their music and concerts gradually possess their listeners and turn them into their murderous minions.
Over the course of four nights, Mr. Moorhouse, (John Martin) a public school teacher, notices his students begin to change, and even his better students are acting out violently, and sexually. While he initially is a defender of letting Black Roses perform, he soon comes to realize the band's true nature and sets out to stop them.
 I hadn't watched the film since I first did eight years ago, but looking back on it I remembered scenes more than I did the film in general. For example, I recalled a fantastic sequence where a stereo gets possessed by the Black Roses album and a demon jumps out of a speaker to attack a startled parent. He puts up a valiant fight, but ultimately gets sucked back in to the pulsating old-style speaker. What I didn't notice at the time was that it was Big Pussy himself, Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos). I also didn't realize that the Mayor's daughter Priscilla (and Mr. Moorhouse's poorly established love interest) is played by Lou Ferrigno's wife Carla and that the head of the committee trying to get Black Roses thrown out of Mill Basin is none other than Julie Adams, the eye candy that made the
Creature from the Black Lagoon give us the fever for interspecies romance. Cameos like these made the film a lot of fun to revisit in ways that the creators surely never intended. Then there's the great framing of the topless scenes, during which we are never shown the women from the neck up, clearly hiding the fact that it's not the actual actors that are doing these scenes.
 Another surprising touch that helps Black Roses rise towards the top of its subgenre is that the film is genuinely well made. The make-up effects for when the band are in their demon forms is pretty awesome for low-budget standards. The direction of the film shows a great deal of growth in ability (if not thematically) from Fasano's last feature, the previously mentioned Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare. Also, the music while dated fits the film perfectly and is also of high quality. The band members are real metal band members which gave the music a real legitimacy that it otherwise would not have had. In fact, it's really the music that sets the film ahead of similar fare as it by far has the best soundtrack which includes not just the Black Roses band, but also Lizzy Borden, and King Cobra. Too bad it's long out of print.
 Sadly, while the film excels in certain areas, it fails horribly in several others. The main plot is silly, but otherwise fine. Well, if you can get past the lack of direction to the narrative. I mean, the film itself I could see as ammo for the religious right continuing to censor music (hey kids, demonic music really is demonic and they really can incite school shootings and other atrocities). The subplots really are what make the film fall apart. I mentioned earlier how Mr. Moorhouse's love interest was lost. He is supposedly dating the Mayor's daughter, who seemingly still lives at home and apparently there is some internal conflict between her and Julie (Karen Planden), one of his students. However, Priscilla doesn't even come into the picture until halfway in the script (and she's barely mentioned) so her appearance isn't just blindsiding, but actually bothersome and befuddling. It seems like there was more written that was not included in the final product that might have made for a more enlightening experience, but it doesn't appear that we will ever see a true "director's cut" for
Black Roses.
My biggest problem the film, and others may see this as the best thing, is that the film is entirely too mean-spirited for what is otherwise vintage 80's beer-and-pizza cheese. For all the amusing creatures like the speaker monster, there are other murders where a possessed teen will just openly shoot an unsuspecting parent in their head. It definitely adds a jolt of cruelty but it also grinds the humor one expects from a demonic heavy metal horror film to a halt. Still, there's plenty of entertainment to be had here overall, and genre fans are sure to appreciate it.
 The DVD Presentation
This is Black Roses' debut release on DVD. I don't know if it was ever released on laser, so all I know it from is the nth-generation VHS boot. As expected, Synapse has restored this obscure film to an amazing degree. The outside scenes are really black and there isn't any film compression. Of course, this isn't the best looking DVD. A film like Black Roses only looked so good to begin with, but considering the film's budget and rarity, I would have been happy for any watchable OAR print, and this one is far better. The audio, while only a 2.0 Stereo is a perfect fit for the film. 5.1 would have been nice, but I'm not complaining. It's completely clear, the music sounds great and the dialog is clear, which somewhat makes up for the unsurprising lack of subtitles. Still, at least we know the deaf teens watching this film can't possibly succumb to Damian's lyrics of doom.
And the Extras Are?
Audio Commentary with director John Fasano, writer Cindy Sorrell, actress Carla Ferrigno and others.
It's with some surprise that I must say this is one of the most unenjoyable commentaries that I ever had the displeasure to listen to. Carla Ferrigno has nothing to add worthwhile. Cindy's voice is nails-on-the-chalkboard chill inducing, and someone brought along their fucking daughter (and I'm not relistening to find out who) that makes annoying comments throughout the whole thing. (Eww! Gross! I don't want to see this!) What a huge disappointment after really informative and fun Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare commentary. This was a monumental chore to sit through. Beware.
Original Theatrical Promotional Trailer – (4:27)
The trailer is more than a bit overlong, and in fact, I question if it is a theatrical trailer (although it is narrated by Hal Douglas) since it looks more like a video promo you might see before a different film from the same VHS distributor. It is interesting in that it has a couple glimpses of alternate or deleted scenes sadly not included on this DVD.
Rare Original Cannes Film Festival Promo – (5:18)
Its true kids! Not every film that takes a trip to Cannes comes back with laurel leaves on the cover. There is some sort of narrative over the film clip, but it's almost completely buried by the shoddy recording equipment used. Presented with no context, I really don't know how this was used.
 Audition Videotape Excerpts – (3:21)
Probably the most interesting feature on this DVD, this is a compilation of a bunch of different actors trying out for the coveted role of Damian including Sal Viviano, the actor who won the part. It should be noted that the script being read is a part of a scene that stayed in the film, but the dialog changed dramatically by the final release. I would have liked to see a credit list of the other wannabe actors to see if maybe they ever did anything else. Some of them weren't half bad.
Although the commentary is shit, and the Cannes promo is… odd, I couldn't really ask for more extras on a film as obscure as Black Roses. What disappoints me is the lack of an informative insert that Synapse usually puts in their DVDs. All that's included is a picture of Damian in demon form on a reversible ad for Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare and Wild Zero.
The Bottom Line
I really expected to revisit Black Roses and have it thrill me as much as it did the first time I seen it. But now I'm pretty sure that I was probably just obscenely drunk the first time around. I did have a good time with the film, and people looking into this subgenre aren't going to want to miss this DVD. The presentation is the best the film has ever looked so for fans this is a must own. But it definitely isn't the required viewing that the director's previous effort, Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare is.
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