Rockill

ROCKTOBER BLOOD, one of the myriad of glam metal horror flicks from the mid-to-late-'80s (BLACK ROSES, ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE, HARD ROCK ZOMBIES, etc.), is possibly the worst out of all of them. It's a D-level slasher with only one saving grace: the rockin' soundtrack.

Basically, the set-up is the singer of a hair metal group goes nuts and kills some people (only two on-screen, but later on, they say 25??). He gets sent to the electric chair, and the singer's ex-girlfriend starts the band back up again. Only trouble is, the '80s-handsome singer is still out to get her... even though he's dead! The acting is painfully bad, especially the mumbling, uncharismatic killer character. 45 minutes in the middle consist only of a woman swearing Billy "Eye" is back from the dead and people telling her she's crazy. No other characters do anything the entire film, and the body count is surprisingly low. The first 70 minutes are honestly really hard to get through.

If you make it to the end, you're treated with a killer performance scene by Sorcery (better known for STUNT ROCK), some fun kills and some catchy hair metal tunes. But ten good minutes out of ninety is not enough, and I would recommend all but the biggest '80s metal/horror fans give this one a hard pass. Check out TRICK OR TREAT or ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE to see this sub-genre done right.

This film has one good thing about it, the rock band Sorcery did the sound track and appears at the end of the flick.

Man,oh man did we (a friend and I) strike gold with this piece of cinematic treasure! A plot analysis (lol): Billy the rockstar decides making bad metal songs aren't enough so he kills off most of his friends, save his girlfriend who manages to escape (something I am glad I did not try to do from this film). She gets poor Billy executed for the crime and starts over.. as the new front woman of his terrible band! Of course, Billy boy returns from beyond the grave to kill again and laugh a bunch of times in a very ridiculous manner. Is there more to this than meets the eye? I don't remember-I was laughing to hard. This is definitely a movie you need to take a few alcoholic beverages in with a few friends before hand to fully enjoy, but make no mistake about it, enjoy it you will!!!

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Rocktober Blood; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 0.50 Direction: 1.00 Pace: 1.00 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.50

TOTAL: 5.25 out of 10.00

As "Leave your brains at the door" movies go, Rocktober Blood is one of the better ones. And it comes down to a single simple reason - the Rock'N'Roll man! The Rock'N'Roll!

Regrettably, everything else is forgettable folderol. The tale the writing team of Ferd and Beverly Sebastian tell is that of Rock God, Billy "Eye" Harper. After the opening credits roll, we watch as Billy slaughters the help at the recording studio. The peculiar thing is he doesn't kill anyone of import. It would've been excellent if they could've added some backstory to this character. He appears to be your stereotypical Music Daeva. Then he's all stabby-stabby - why? Well, forget the reasons because the Sebastians don't proffer this information. But don't worry because he gets his just deserts for these dastardly deeds and is summerily tried, judged, and executed. But as with most films of this ilk, death is far from the end, and two years later, as Rocktober Blood prepare for their concert, Billy slashes his way back on stage. I liked this concept, but it needed more weight to its characterisations. Most individuals are a tad above two-dimensional, but you're not empathetic towards them. The story feels cobbled together to push the band and the record label - owned by The Sebastians (unless I misread the end credits).

It's Beverly who then takes the director's chair. And though her direction isn't terrible, it is on the average side. When you think the end segment of the movie is a rock concert, I would've considered handing over the reins to a Music Video director. Some of those guys and gals possessed a decent imagination and creativity, but most of all, they were adept at the quick cut to boost up the pace of the video. And that is the one noticeable downside to Rocktober Blood; the tempo is too slow. It needed to be fast and exciting, like the music the band blasted out - and slower for the stalking scenes. Otherwise, she makes good use of her sets, locations, and lighting. And the final shot is a pure money shot.

The cast is average. None are outstanding, and most rest on the verge of going wooden. But when Trey Loren as Billy "Eye" Harper opens his mouth and wails, angels' ears bleed. That's if it's Loren who's singing. Another plus is The Band. Because if Loren can sing, The Band can play.

On the whole, this Dark Thriller isn't too thrilling until The Band Plays On. As such, Rocktober Blood is a film for 80s Metal Heads - of which I can proudly say, I Am One. So it's no wonder this flick has found a place in my Rock'N'Roul soul. But I can understand it's not everybody's cup of cha.

Bill-y, Bill-y, Bill-y, Bill-y. I'm glad you're back, but before you carve your signature across my chest with that mike stand, take a look at my IMDb lists - Killer Thriller Chillers and Guilty Pleasures and see where I rated Rocktober Blood. Okay, Billy! Carve away!

Take Care & Stay Well.

A Los Angeles metal band loses its vocalist after he goes mad in the studio. Two years later the new group is successful with a female singer (Donna Scoggins), but the specter of the former vocalist haunts them... literally. Could it be that he's still alive and their lives are in danger?

"Rocktober Blood" (1984) mixes horror and heavy metal in the mold of the great "Trick or Treat" (1986), the entertaining "Shock 'Em Dead" (1991) and the decent "Black Roses" (1988). It's not quite as good as those, but it's the first of its kind and definitely superior to Jon Mikl Thor's "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare" (1987) (which has to be cut some slack since it only cost a paltry $53,000).

The opening 25 minutes and ending 25 minutes are quite entertaining for this type of flick, but the entire midsection - about 40 minutes - needed better writing/suspense to keep the viewer's interest. As it is, it's just boring stalking scenes in the woods or in a house with a phone ringing, not to mention the obligatory dig-up the grave sequence.

The singer of the band is actor Tray Loren, who looks like Mike Reno of Loverboy. He lip-syncs songs written by the real-life group Sorcery, the members of whom appear as drummer, bassist and two guitarists of the fictional band Headmistress. Sorcery can also be heard/seen in the 1978 flick "Stunt Rock," but I think their material for "Rocktober Blood" is superior to their older stuff, at least the songs "I'm Back" and "Killer on the Loose," which are top-of-the-line for this style of early 80's hard rock/metal.

The Pat Benatar-like Donna Scoggins is not only the protagonist, but also the focus of the camera in regards to feminine allure with the exception of her two aerobics work-out pals. She's a'right (and appears nude a couple of times), but IMHO she's easily the least appealing of the three.

While this isn't quite on the level of "Trick or Treat," "Shock 'Em Dead" or even "Black Roses," it's decent enough if you're in the mood for colorful early 80's slasher meshed with 80's metal. It's way superior to "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare" and must be given props for being the first of its kind. Just persevere with the tedious midsection.

The movie runs about 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Hollywood and Lake Tahoe.

GRADE: B-