Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (1987)

At a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, a hopeful hair-metal band seeking inspiration to record their upcoming new LP will soon find themselves in a furious confrontation against the Prince of Darkness himself.

Director:

John Fasano

Writer:

Jon Mikl Thor

Stars:

Jon Mikl Thor, Jillian Peri, Frank Dietz

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Mikl Thor	...	John Triton
Jillian Peri	...	Lou Anne
Frank Dietz	...	Roger Eburt
David Lane	...	Max
Teresa Simpson	...	Randy
Adam Fried	...	Phil - The Tritons' Manager
Denise Dicandia	...	Dee Dee
Jesse D'Angelo	...	Little Boy
Rusty Hamilton	...	Seductress
Cindy Cirile	...	Mother (as Clara Pater)
Chris Finkel	...	Father
Liane Abel Dietz	...	Mary Eburt (as Liane Abel)
Jim Cirile	...	Stig
Gene Kroth	...	Karl
Carrie Schiffler	...	Cindy Connelly

Storyline

At an old farmhouse, a family mysteriously dissapears at the hands of evil. Years later, hair metal band The Tritons comes to the farmhouse, whose barn now features a 24-track recording studio. Lead singer John Triton gets the band to perform their first night in the farmhouse after dinner, and weird little beasties suddenly appear, and strange things start to happen. Band members (and their tag along girlfriends) begin to act strangely and vanish one by one. Soon, only John Triton remains, and he holds a secret. Finally, the evil shows itself and a battle between heaven and hell ensues....

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Plot Keywords:

farmhouse | band | lead singer | barn | long hair | 

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Taglines:

When you raise Hell ... the Devil must be paid - in full! [video cover]

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Genres:

Horror | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Awful Movies Wiki

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1988 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Arch Angel

Filming Locations:

Markham, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$53,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thunder (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rusty Hamilton, who plays the seductress, is Jon Mikl-Thor's wife.

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Goofs

When John searches downstairs, he's wearing stage make-up and his silver jacket. When he goes upstairs, he's clean-faced and wearing a sweater. Then when he goes back downstairs, he's wearing the make-up and jacket again.

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Quotes

John Triton: You've overstepped your line again, Bub. There's a creator's highest law that keeps you in your dark place and yet you and your brethren still insist on coming into this world and trying to steal a place in the world of the living. When will you ever learn?

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Connections

References Act of Vengeance (1974)

User Reviews

The best bad movie ever made!!!

You all may say what you will about this movie, but I was there making it, and I'll always love it... I'm Jesse D'Angelo, the actor who played the young boy in this magnum opus. I acted in several low budget horror films in the 80's, and this is my favorite. But it's not for everyone. So many people on here just trash it, writing really nasty reviews, saying everyone involved was an amateur, nobody ever went on to do anything again... Well let me correct this misinterpretation.

First of all, this movie was shot in seven days with a budget of only 50 thousand dollars. Okay? You make a better movie with that much time and money. Second, everybody was an amateur back then. For the money we had, we couldn't afford anyone who knew what they were doing, decent props, monsters, etc. This was basically a glorified student film or home movie. And that is part of its appeal. The fact that it was made for no money by a bunch of amateurs, all working their asses off.

Also, many people from that movie have gone on to prosperous careers, despite the claims of one reviewer. John Fasano has continued to work as a writer, producer and director. You may recognize some of his credits: "Another 48 Hours," "Alien 3," "Tombstone" and many more. Frank Dietz did more work as an actor, independent filmmaker and as an artist for Disney. Felicia Fasano is now a top casting agent in Los Angeles. Cindy Sorrell (really Cindy Cirile) is an accomplished writer and historian. And then there's me. I storyboarded "Sky Captain and the world of Tomorrow," "Darkness Falls," "Mini's First Time," and many TV shows, commercials and music videos. I'm also an aspiring writer/director... So when I hear people say that we were just a bunch of amateurs who didn't do anything afterword, I take offense.

We were amateurs, but what sets this film apart from many bad movies is that we were amateurs with talent and skill. We hadn't developed it yet, but it was there inside of us. Watching the movie, you can tell it's made by people who love this kind of movie, that it took real ingenuity, hard work, and most important that it was fun to make. This vibe of family and fun I think seeps into the final film, giving it its charm... So appreciate it for what it is. Sit back with some friends, put on "Rock n' Roll Nightmare" and enjoy a night of fun and laughter.