Movies and Rock n Roll have shared a history together for over 60 years now. As metal quickly became one of the most popular genres in music, many famous front men such as Jonathon Davis and Marilyn Manson lent their hands to Hollywood, to create some of the heaviest and gutsiest soundtracks of all time. Both are featured in this list that is made up of ten movies with killer metal soundtracks.
10. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres
In any search for a film with a solid metal soundtrack, you cant go past Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres. The film opens with a parody of the traditional short played as an opening to films in the 50s. The smiling singing treats are cut short by some very menacing looking, animated snacks played by Mastodon. They sing the title track Cut You Up With A Linoleum Knife which violently explains the etiquettes of a Movie Theatre. A must see for anyone who cannot stand people talking, laughing and crunching the entire way through a movie.
09. Last Action Hero
Great movies and great music can go hand in hand but sometimes they can go the other way, this is often the verdict of John McTiernans 1993 Action/Comedy Last Action Hero starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arguably this is not the actor turned governors best film, but the high packed action scenes are backed against the siren vocals of Layne Staleyfrom Alice in Chains, along with the music of metal heroes such as Def Leppard, and Megadeth. Sure the film has its flaws, but who can pass up a thrashing metal soundtrack and a few memorable one-liners courtesy of Arnie?
08. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Based loosely on the events that inspired the 1974 original, the remake of he Texas Chainsaw Massacre surrounds a group of friends whose innocent road trip quickly becomes a descent into madness. The plot is supported by the musical styling of bands such as Pantera, Hatebreed and Messhugah. The frightening sounds of a revving chainsaw and terrified screams, paired with the violent riffs and rumbling growls of these artists, shun any criticism of a dodgy horror film remake.
07. Judgement Night
The main ground for Stephen Hopkins Judgement Night making it into the top 10, is the interesting musical collaborations between heavy/metal artists and hip-hop artists. The most notable of these has to be the combinations of Mud Honey and Sir Mix A Lot, Helmet and House of Pain, and Slayer and Ice T. The films soundtrack topped at #17 on the Billboard 200 chart and received great reception from critics such as Rolling Stone and Q Magazine for its bold musical choices.
06. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Ronnie Yus take of Freddy vs. Jason needs no formal introduction; another classic horror remake makes for another classic movie soundtrack. Released by Roadrunner Records, this album boasts tracks by Lamb of God, Killswitch and Ill Nino to name a few. The soundtrack includes twenty songs in total with fourteen of them being previously unreleased by the bands.
05. Resident Evil
Resident Evil is a video based film series that expands over five instalments, with a sixth planned for 2015. Milla Jovovich plays Alice, a bad-ass zombie hunter who travels around flashing a giant fire-arm to a soundtrack of Slipknot, Rammstein, Cradle of Filth, Devil Driver and Marilyn Manson to name a few. The original soundtrack was released via Roadrunner Records and shoots the movie right into the middle of the list.
04. Gummo
Gummo premiered in 1997 and was the directorial debut for Harmony Kormine (Spring Breakers) at just 24 years of age. It stars Nick Sutton and Jacob Sewell as residents of a tornado-stricken town in Ohio who roam the deserted landscape in an attempt to fulfil their meaningless lives. The soundtrack is what makes this movie featuring a full scale of genres, with artists such as Bethlehem and Sleep holding up the metal front.
03. Queen of the Damned
Queen of the Damned is a 2002 Horror/Fantasy film directed by Michael Rymer. Starring Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah, the plot follows vampire Lestat de Lioncourt who becomes a rock star creating music that awakens the Queen of all the vampires. The soundtrack of the film was written and produced by artists such as Jonathon Davis and Richard Gibbs from Korn and includes tracks from the likes of Papa Roach and Disturbed.
02. Rivers Edge
Tim Hunters 1986 Thriller Rivers Edge, follows the story of a group of young high school friends that discover one of them has committed murder. Starring Keanu Reeves and a very menacing Crispin Glover, the film featured early works from Slayer and Fates Warning, as well as Hallows Eve and Agent Orange. The use of Thrash/Death Metal tracks was unconventional for this era and added darkness to the film, making it a testament to its time. The soundtrack is arguably as thrilling as the plot, and any movie that features four Slayer songs definitely makes the list.
01. Metal: A Headbangers Journey
As you could probably expect, the movie with possibly the greatest metal soundtrack of all time is about the genre itself, appropriately titled Metal: A Headbangers Journey. Sam Dunns anthropological look at metal culture follows the journey of metal from its origins in Deep Purple and Black Sabbath to the wave of sub-genres created by pioneers such as Rush and Motrhead. With the film featuring interviews with the likes of Bruce Dickinson, Alice Cooper and Tony Iommi and a soundtrack including over 25 different artists from metals past and present, Metal: A Headbangers Journey rounds out number 1 in the top ten films with killer metal soundtracks.
- Gemma Palmer
