Be it waking up the dead, fighting zombies, devil worshipping or ghosts, heavy metal horror delivers major entertainment unlike any other.

The heavy metal horror subgenre can be perceived as the most overlooked subgenres ever. It includes basic storylines that involve a rock and roll band, facing some type of intrusion in life. Be it accidentally waking up the dead, fighting zombies, devil worshipping, or ghosts, heavy metal horror delivers major entertainment unlike any other horror genre.

Some of the most well-known heavy metal horror movies include the best metal music scores to ever be played. A relationship can be drawn between horror and heavy metal, as both genres compliment one another. One of the best examples is the presence of The Misfits, Alice Cooper, and KISS being present on the soundtrack of Rob Zombie’s film Halloween (2007).

Seeing such a connection between horror movies and heavy metal music, here are some of the best heavy metal horror movies that will make fans choose between fear and headbanging.

Director by Henrik Myrdhen, Terror in Rock ‘n’ Roll Önsjön is a Swedish heavy metal horror masterpiece. Starring Martina Eliasson and Jesper Jemtehad, this production offers a brilliant mash-up of soldiers vs. zombies. In the '40s, to become the strongest armed force in the world, the Nazis try to create super soldiers. This experiment fails and they end up creating flesh-eating zombies. While deciding to hide the dangerous chemicals in a Swedish lake, a firefight breaks out, and the last surviving Nazi drowns in the lake exposed to chemicals. Later, in the '70s, a group of teens accidentally wake up this zombie through heavy rock music, and mayhem follows.

This heavy metal horror movie is accompanied by romance and comedy. Although the script is not the best, and the low budget is evident, the abundant gallery of characters is well played by many newcomer actors. Paying tribute to the original Nazi-zombie flick Shock Waves, Terror in Rock ‘n’ Roll Önsjön has a charm of its own and immediately draws viewers towards it.

Known for directing movies like Scarface (1983) and Carrie (1976), Brian De Palma is responsible for making one of the most visually appealing heavy metal horror movies. A rich and powerful producer Swan (Paul Williams), steals the music of a naive composer, Winslow Leach (William Finley), and, in an accident, deforms Leach’s face. Leach then goes on a mission to become the masked Phantom to stop Swan, by sabotaging The Paradise, Swan’s monster auditorium.

Phantom of the Paradise is just the right balance of horror and humor, being both a visually and musically impressive rock opera movie. Paul Williams also composed the soundtrack for the movie, which is regarded as impressive. One of the best performances in the movie is given by Jessica Harper, with her big eyes and deep voice, making her stand out. This film has its own cult following, even 30 years after its release. Loosely based on Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera,and referencing Dorian Gray from time to time, Phantom of the Paradise is one of the best heavy metal horror movies to watch.

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Adapted from the 1998 book of the same name, Lords of Chaos is a disturbing movie that was inspired by real events. Directed by Jonas Akerlund and starring Rory Culkin, this movie exceptionally blurs the lines between reality and foresting an image of a cult.

The movie shows the controversial figure of Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth, after establishing his band Mayhem, determined to make true black metal music. In doing so, they start promoting acts of violence, advocating anti-Christian violence, arson, and human sacrifices. Although the movie did not appeal to a lot of people for being regarded as a wasted opportunity, it kept some on the edge of their seats. The gruesome scenes depict the horror that surrounds a black metal way of life. The dark humor, nihilism, and gory details are worth checking out.

Black Roses may seem like a 1hr 30mins display of fascinating mullets directed by John Fasano, and starring John Martin and Sal Viviano, but it brings a lot more to the table. Following the plot of a demonic band hypnotizing the public by posing as a rock and roll band, this movie is considered as a hidden gem in the genre. Hypnotized teens go on streaks of violence, and killing their own parents could give anybody the chills.

Black Roseshas great songs, like "Paradise and Dance of Fire", which make other aspects of the script enjoyable. Described as campy, scary, weird, and having the best murder scenes accompanied by leather outfits, complete with a teen being sucked through a speaker and total metal chaos, Black Roses is a must-watch.

Another underrated movie from the Director of Blue Ruin, Jeremy Saulnier, Green Room is the heavy metal horror movie that brings out a visceral reaction from the viewers, in a clever way. Starring the late Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots, Green Room is very humanistic in terms of the characters who make it feel intimate. A punk rock band must run for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi bar.

The most amazing aspect of the movie is that the characters feel real, and the barbaric actions are believable. The bloodshed and violence are compared to the likes of Saw, and Jeremy Saulnier is regarded as a director to look out for, because of the intense details shown. On top of that, the musical score consists of some of the best punk metal songs ever made, like "Suffer the Children"and "Paralyzed with Fear". Green Room is an exhilarating, violent, and gory film from the beginning to the end.

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Directed by Jason Howden and starring Milo Cawthorne and James Joshua Blake, Deathgasm is a horror comedy punk rock movie about teenage boys accidentally using black magic and summoning evil. For many, the juvenile humor is a let-down, but that adds to the charm of the movie. The exaggeration of the gory details and inventive ways of slashing body parts is just hilarious.

This little gem from New Zealand has great production value despite the low budget, which is a feat for the director. This horror comedy is accompanied by tasteful humor and a metal score, which is weak compared to other movies of the genre. However, even the bad metal score adds a weird charm, and people keep going back and re-watching this inventively exaggerated horror flick.

Struggling painter and metal music enthusiast Jesse Hellman (Ethan Embry) gets possessed by evil forces, as he and his young family move into their new home. Directed by Sean Byrne, this haunted house horror movie does not require people to enjoy metal music to watch it.

The fast-paced movie keeps the action going for the viewers, thus excluding any forms of filler scenes. It is well-crafted with cinematic horror, good acting, and extremely suspenseful scenes that can make viewers jump out of their seats. With a decent music score consisting of exclusive Metallica songs, The Devil’s Candy is not your average haunted house thriller.

Fatima is an author, seamstress and English major who is enthusiastic about films, comics and cosplay. She also has an avid love for writing and writes about the latest entertainment news and trends on Movieweb.