They are both some what cultural outcasts of their respective fields, but have an extensive following that sustains their life throughout each decade. Heavy metal and horror movies have always seemed to compliment each other brilliantly over the years, but we never seem to explore why. Its almost as if the two are destined for each other, kind of like shitty romantic comedies and pop music.

Imagery

They each invoke a similar amount of graphic imagery featuring death, destruction, despair, and disdain towards humanity. Another often forgotten observation is how horror movies have been around long before heavy metal even existed. In a sense you can look at horror as some what of a father to heavy metal, playing a key role in its rise and inspiration. Over time, several metal bands would feature elements from horror movies in their music videos, and even reflect their stories within the songs lyrics.

In the early days, acts like Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper would serve as the genesis for horrific imagery and haunted lyrics in heavy music. As the years progressed, so did the use of horror-inspired themes. During the eighties bands like Cannibal Corpse would embrace horror movies on a more dramatic level by featuring heavy amounts of blood and gore. Today we have groups like Cradle of Filth who continue to close the gap between horror movies and heavy metal by filming full length movies that focus on both subjects hand in hand.

Fan Base

Bother horror and metal are strong outlets for anger and carnage, which might explain why they both harness a similar fan base. You will always spot someone in the crowd of a metal show dawning a horror movie t-shirt of some sort, just as you can witness a sea of metal shirts flooding a theater during a horror movie premiere. Its an obvious display of respect and devotion the fans hold true for each genre.

Fans of both metal and horror seem to be more passionate than any other fan base out there. They don’t just listen and watch for casual purposes, they completely envelop their lives with it. You would be hard pressed to find a fan who doesn’t hold an extensive knowledge behind the history of each theme. Fans spend years building their collection of DVDs and albums which in most cases they hold closer than any other possession.

Its abundantly clear that these sub cultures fit together like no other in the history of creative media. They are both generally snubbed by society, and rarely receive accolades from either the Oscars or Grammys. Despite their shortcomings, fans would never have it any other way. They prefer both categories to stay below the radar where pop culture can never sink its filthy little claws into.

Heavy metal and horror movies will always go hand in hand, and will always serve as societies ugly addiction. No matter what direction the music or movie industry is headed in, you can rest assure that somewhere you will always find death and distortion supporting each other long into their bloody and brutal future.

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