Shock 'Em Dead

At first when I got this one I browsed through it briefly and put it back on my shelf. The super-low production values and crappy cast made me think it was going to be absolutely horrible.

When I finally viewed the movie it really put my expectations to shame. Yes, the production value is nothing to brag about, but the actors actually pull it off. Everyone is at least tolerable, and some can actually act a little bit. A lot of the acting works simply because the timing is alright.

This is true of the cutting and screenplay as well. The pacing is right there. No need to trim anything with the fast forward button. The story moves forward constantly with a great imaginative script full of well defined characters in good scenes. The scenery and cheesy rock'n'roll wardrobe and hairstyles are great as well. Most of the effects are crappy, but they are used well all the same. Some are up to the standards of a few years earlier, some to standards of many years back...

With a proper budget this would have been a big hit, for sure. The worst part of the movie is actually the misleading cover. Traci Lords is far from being the star of this one, there's at least three girls and a whole bunch of guys with more interesting roles, and the title has nothing to do with anything.

At the time of writing this movie has a rating of 3.8 on IMDb which is certainly lower than it deserves. I would have given it a 7 if the production and effects had been better. A job well done!

I have seen this "movie" about fifty times. I love it. It is a ridiculous story about a nerd who tries out for a Poison type band and fails miserably. He then meets a voodoo priestess and she gives him the wish to a great rock star... for a price though. He now has to kill to live. Part of his wish is the ability to play guitar amazingly(the amazing guitar shredding is done in close-ups for all us music freaks.) He also gets 3 hot broads to live with him and do anything he wants. Then he meets Traci Lords falls for her and eventually fights her boyfriend in a funny ending. What a great movie. There are some hilarious jokes, nudity, metal guitar playing and just nonsense in general. I loved this movie. I rent it every so often and show it to people for the first time. They always roll their eyes when I tell them the title of the movie but in the end they get a good laugh and actually appreciate it. You will too! Enjoy

Watched this last night on VHS. The tape's cover gives Traci Lords star billing with a picture of her wearing only her underwear. Well that's a bit misleading for starters! Yes, she is in it but I don't recall her stripping off (maybe I nodded off briefly). Martin is a loser, wannabe rock star working in a pizza joint. But when he meets a sorceress he makes a pact with the Devil and next his dreams have come true - but at a murderous price. I found this movie to be very cheesy (as expected to be fair!). It had it's moments of humour, not a total suckfest, but the horror aspect was lame and cheap looking. The accent of the actress who played the Voodoo priestess was as wobbly as some of the musical performances on offer. Probably the most shocking thing here was Martin's big hair!. This is one gig I won't be attending again, tape now up for sale!

Although one might think that this movie sucks, I can truly say it kicks ass. The only problem is that Traci Lords doesn't flash us her acting ability enough. However, the storyline makes up for it in so many ways.

I'm surprised this movie doesn't have a higher rating than it does. Horror movies about heavy metal bands are always stupid, but this one kept me entertained the whole way through. Unlike other movies like Black Roses or Hard Rock Zombies, this one was actually funny and pretty well made. Definately a good movie.