When a cult cinema guide begins with a dedication to Danny Peary, you know its heart is in the right place. Peary\u2019s venerated Cult Movies books were many b-movie fans\u2019 entryway into the realm of weird cinema, Heavy Metal Movies writer Mike McPadden (and this reviewer) included. Before the era of DVD\u2014and later, streaming\u2014a cult cinephile\u2019s viewing options were limited to the horror, sci-fi, and action sections at the local video shop. Peary\u2019s volumes offered a glimpse at many offbeat, oddball, and invariably strange films we could only read about during those years. In his introduction, McPadden lays out a similar origin story and sets himself up as a schlock enthusiast with whom many of us will empathize.<\/p>\n
What, exactly, constitutes a \u201cheavy metal movie\u201d? (If you have to ask, then the book probably isn\u2019t for you.) McPadden\u2019s definition is loose and broad, but primarily relates to films heavy on the genre\u2019s favorite tropes\u2014everything from sword-and-sandal sorcery and Norse mythology to demonic possession and the apocalypse\u2014or those with heavy metal soundtracks. All of the big, obvious choices are covered here (classics such as Heavy Metal and Wayne\u2019s World are well-documented) but where the book really wins is in its reviews of relative obscurities. McPadden includes a wealth of under-seen exploitation and concert flicks, stretching from forgotten, foreign sci-fi films of the VHS era to recent low-budget indies that flew under the radar. McPadden writes about these films not only with a sense of humor but with authority, almost ensuring that you\u2019ll come away from reading his entries on cannibal features and lesbian vampire flicks having learned something.<\/p>\n
The first thing I did with Heavy Metal Movies was flip straight to the middle to make sure Lamberto Bava\u2019s Demons\u2014in my opinion, one of the most metal movies of all time\u2014was included. It was, as were so many more movies that I\u2019d never seen. (Appropriately, McPadden highlights \u201cover 666 true headbanger classics\u201d in his book.) It\u2019s sent me scouring the various streaming services for these new-to-me cinematic oddities. In that regard, Heavy Metal Movies has succeeded at a cult film compendium\u2019s most important task.<\/p>\n