Traveling to a remote small-town, an emerging hard rock band scheduled to perform in the area finds the backlash against their music so severe the town eventually kills them, only to soon be resurrected as undead ghouls seeking revenge and turning the rest of the town into zombies as well.This here wasn't all that bad although it did have a few issues. One of the few bright spots to the film is the absolutely bonkers and bizarre storyline that really doesn't make a whole lot of sense here. The fact that this backwoods town, which includes everything from inbred hicks, sexual deviants, murderous dwarves and deformities as well as being the secret hiding place of Hitler and his mistress, gives this a truly deranged atmosphere that makes for a wholly enjoyable setup. It truly doesn't seem to conform to any singular type of offensive group to be after these sorts of people as it seems to be such a varied mix that none of it makes sense as to how the town functions at all with so many disparate elements of society represented here. That weirdness carries over into the rampage where the deranged bloodlust that sweeps through the town causes a series of enjoyable scenes with them killing off the group. From the surprise ambush in the bathroom while taking a shower with one of them to the chase through the outer parts of the village and into the countryside surrounding everything which is all quite delirious fun and exciting seeing the varying kills being committed in an over-the-top gleeful manner. That their eventual rampage on the citizens of the town responsible leas into the uproarious and silly final half with all manner of fun to be had from the connection between the zombies overrunning the town and the rock bands' performance. Coupled with the fine cheesy nature of the film from the songs and the overall make-up here, these here are enough to hold off its flaws. The films' biggest problem is maintaining any kind of semblance of logic or coherence. The fact that this throws so much goofiness into the story manages to make this one seem like such a bizarre and illogical series of themes throughout here the film can't help but just go into some outre ideas. Nothing really makes sense, from why the band is booked to perform in such a town that prohibits their kind of music to begin with, to why the town reacts to them being there and how they all came together in this location. More problematic is the fact that there's no point in their resurrection which just happens and is cut off by the lone individual who knows before he can finish so that rules out any kind of background information on how the group is turned into zombies or why they only target those that originally wronged them. Why people who never got bitten by the band get turned into murderous zombies either is never brought up and as a whole nothing about the film makes any kind of logical sense. As well, the cheapness might be a major deterrent here from the overall look of the production to the storyline and how the zombies look and act which isn't for everyone, but overall this one is mostly undone but not making any kind of sense.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and Nudity.

Back in the 80's, when heavy metal music was king, movies containing ready-made music videos were a-dime-a-dozen. MTV was cool beyond all reason. And every exploitation film wanted to play to its base. Thus, the heavy metal horror film was born.In fact, it was( and still is) a whole sub-genre of horror films. The concept is simple. Combine the storyline of a horror film and a music video, making the group or the rock star himself, the heroes. Cast actual musicians( such as Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Gene Simmons, or the low budget version, Jon-Mikel Thor) or hire actors with some musical talent( ala The Monkees) to play the leads and you have the makings of a version of this type of film. In fact movies from "Night Train to Terror" to "Blood Dolls" fall into this category. Which brings us to this film."Hard Rock Zombies" is a true incarnation of the eighties. From the "KISS"-like hard rock band( they even wear their style of makeup when they turn into zombies) to the teased hair to the muppet character, this has all the earmarks of an independent 80's film shot directly for video. The fake gore, the gratuitous nudity, the inept acting, you get it all in here. The plot, such as it is, is about a heavy metal band who agree to do a regional concert in the hopes of landing a major record deal. On the way there, they pick up a beautiful hitch-hiker, who convinces them to stay at her family's mansion while preparing for the concert. Needless to say, the family is a group of oddballs whose actions eventually lead us to the title in question.There are no real surprises in this plot. Nor is the characterization that deep. But , there is a certain amount of imagination at play here. For a movie that looks like it was made for all of $1.35 you get Nazis, she-wolves, muppets( I'm sorry, I love muppets), cannibalism, legendary Hollywood stars, and, of course, Phil Fondacaro, in a very early role. Unfortunately what you also get is lousy music, horrendous acting( with the exception of Mr. Fondacaro who seems to be having a great time) and some very amateurish work from behind the camera.( The technical gaffes are numerous.)Still the movie has more than a few genuine laughs and the director shows some surprising comic timing. This movie, in fact, has more intentional laughs than some of the comedies I have seen recently.( Note that I said "some".) And for all of the jokes that fail( and some do embarrassingly ), the ones that do work, work very well. The scenes involving the legendary Hollywood performers, in particular, should get a few guffaws from those who look with fondness upon classic movie and music stars, and the culture of the 80's in general. Also, there are some great one-liners interspersed throughout the movie. And the film has fun with it's monsters(even thought the make-up fx are noticeably cheap) and muppets.So, all in all, this movie isn't too bad. Sure, the acting, music, and make-up fx are lousy. But, the gore fx are better than what you might expect. The film has a fairly good sense of humor. And there is some genuine fun to be had here. Fans of cult cinema, or cinema of the absurd, should enjoy this, to a degree. As for the rest, well, you know what you're getting into. And if you don't like it, speak to the muppet.

Hey, even though I'm only a supporting player in this debacle, (I played the intellectual) I am utterly flattered by all the positive comments. You get it. Maybe I can go to horror film conventions and have a crappy table in the corner somewhere signing autographs for $5 when I'm in my seventies... For the rest of you: I hope you find some joy in your lives-SOMEWHERE!! We were out to have fun and we did. BTW-I watched close-up and first hand much of the second unit photography and the effects were AWESOME!! John Carl Buechler was the guy doing all that stuff and he was also the second unit director and steadicam operator. If you don't believe he was up to the task of making the effects better than they are in this film, check out his credits on IMDb. While I was on set, news arrived that the film lab had accidentally destroyed most of the second unit's film. Bittersweet-lost forever to the dozens who would witness the film, insurance payoff meant that the film had already turned a profit...

I get more enjoyment out of watching bad movies then good movies, and this film is my favorite of all. I read another review which said the best part was the naked hitchhiker in the shower...wrong! Her best scene came when she was, well, naked, but when she drowned guys in water, which made them bleed...that's gold! There are tons of scenes like that. Whether it be a James Doohan look alike turning into Hitler, or his wife, who I presume to be Eva Braun being a Werewolf this movie has it all! Add in 4 guys who look like a mustached Jerry Flynn pretending to be a robot who is pretending to have rigor mortis and you get a classic piece of American cinema!