‘You can’t keep a good band down’
Hard Rock Zombies is a 1985 American comedy horror film directed by Krishna Shah from a screenplay co-written with David Allen Ball.
The movie stars E.J. Curse, Geno Andrews, Sam Mann, Mick McMains, Lisa Toothman, Jennifer Coe, Ted Wells, and Jack Bliesener.
Plot:
In the small town of Grand Guignol, four members of a rock band are electrocuted to death by a bizarre woman and her strange family. Knowing that their fans are dying to see them, none of the band members is about to let a stupid thing like death stop them from putting on their concert, so they rise from the grave and give the greatest concert of their lives…
Reviews:
“ …never teetering over into the insulting self-consciousness of Troma Films, the terms stupid, ridiculous, and desperate will never be out of place in any Hard Rock Zombies review. Take that as an endorsement.” Mike “McBeardo” McFadden, Heavy Metal Movies
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
” …the film never takes itself very seriously, which is good, because there’s nothing about it that anyone could ever take seriously. But there’s no relevant theme to the film at all because Shah jumps all over the place; the town of Grand Guignol (very subtle) has werewolves and Nazis and Hitler and zombies and demons, all at once, and it’s so oddball and wacky that it’s tough to concentrate on the real plot of the story.” Horror News
“Though at times it fits within the hard rock horror cycle, to find an analogue for Hard Rock Zombies requires you to look one or more decades past its 1985 release, when its aesthetic pastiche and non-sequitur humor would fully come into vogue.” Not Coming to a Theater Near You
” …like an extended drum solo, there’s lots of unnecessary padding. But it’s not just filler with no killer. It’s an entertaining mess which culminates in all the zombified characters (pretty much everyone in the film) dancing and rocking out together. It’s also a nice remnant of an era when people took themselves just a little less seriously and amps went all the way up to 11.” Really Awful Movies
” …it is entirely possible that Hard Rock Zombies could be held up as a triumph in non-sequential art, except that most of it will just leave you wondering what the hell is going on. We’d never be so irresponsible as to suggest that this film is best enjoyed under the influence, but it might help. A historical curiosity only…” The Reel Bits
“The height of hilarity here are a town called Grand Guignol (Ho, ho), a cute Psycho shower scene gag, and a Satanic musical finale (is that the dreaded ‘Tri-tone’ being played?) that is kinda amusing but not as much as it should be […] with the Metal vs. Morality debate stuff being especially pointless here.” Shameless Self Expression
“The sort of film where someone asks a severed head “Omigawd! Are you all right?” the music (by Paul Sabu) might have redeemed it, but every time they break for a song it’s soft rock at best and miles from grit yer teeth metal. A complete mess, but bizarre enough to lodge itself in the unsuspecting mind.” The Spinning Image
” …one of those movies that’s so bad it’s good… or almost good in this particular case because it has a fatal flaw. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and the creators obviously knew they were making an incredibly goofy movie (with a werewolf grandma, midgets, zombies, and Hitler, how could they not?), and this sense of fun greatly helps the movie along.” Terror Titans
“Hard Rock Zombies is a blatantly stupid movie that is so cheesy that it’s hard to actually enjoy. At least with Troma movies, there’s a tongue in cheek campiness that makes them fun, but here the jokes are so desperate that they make Troma seem dignified.” The Video Vacuum
“The plot is slight and the thrills driven by adolescent concerns, but the variations on the usual zombie motifs are more innovative than in most of the camp zombie flicks to follow over the next decade. Strange moments abound, such as a zombie dwarf who, through the course of the movie, devours himself entirely go nothingness.” Peter Dendle, The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, McFarland
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca
“Sadly death doesn’t improve middle-of-the-road rocking.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
For YouTube reviews, the trailer and more movie info click the page 2 link below
MOVIES & MANIA provides previews, our own film reviews and ratings, plus links to other online reviews from a wide variety of trusted sources in one handy web location. This is a genuinely independent website and we rely solely on the minor income generated by internet ads to pay for web costs and cover yet more movies. Please support us by not blocking ads. Thank you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn a very tiny amount from any qualifying purchases.