John’s Horror Corner: Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare (1987, aka The Edge of Hell), B-movie Rock and Roll horror to scratch your bad movie itch.

MY CALL: This is a classic, very low budget, “so bad it’s good” kind of movie to watch with friends. MORE MOVIES LIKE Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare: For more evil rock and roll or heavy metal-related movies (in theme, story or plot-device), try Deathgasm (2015), The Devil’s Candy (2015), Jennifer’s Body (2009; podcast), Queen of the Damned (2002), Slumber Party Massacre II (1987), Black Roses (1988), The Gate (1987), Trick or Treat (1986), Hard Rock Zombies (1985) and Rocktober Blood (1984).

This movie leaps into action with cheesy gory macabre effects in scene one with a bloody skeletal Muppet dying in an oven. If only it could keep up with this opening scene—but it makes the best effort it can with a small budget.

Seeking a quiet place with no distractions, the rather mild-mannered hair metal band Triton plans to stay in a farmhouse in Canada to rehearse and record songs.  While they’re practicing in the barn, we observe what I can only describe as a one-eyed penis monster drooling thick white fluid into a cup. Really… I’m not having fun with this description at all.

That’s sort of a trend in this movie… little penis-headed muppets. Apparently, the farmhouse is infested with these weird little phallic rubber monster minions, and they serve a gangly-limbed Prince of Darkness FX’d as a man-sized marionette (that is clunky and looks terrible).

Following no real theme whatsoever, there’s also a green slimy zombie, and a sexy piranha-mouthed succubus bites a ground beef chunk from a dude’s neck. Perhaps compensating for the weak creature effects, the “romantic” scenes are frequent and long, with a healthy dose of gratuitous nudity.

The story and script are understandably pretty weak, but nevertheless the writing and cast are doing their darnedest as director John Fasano (Zombie Nightmare, The Jitters, Black Roses) calls for the penis-minions to wear wigs and smoke cigarettes to kill screen time.

The lead singer of the band John Triton (Jon Mikl Thor; who also wrote this movie) is an 80s weightlifter. So naturally, there’s a laughably stupid, vanity-driven, muscle-flexing, devil-fighting scene. The fight is terrible.

It’s awful, but we smile and laugh and shake our heads as we watch this nonsense. All in all, this was a rather enjoyable “so bad it’s good” kind of watch. Best viewed with friends (and abysmal expectations) to share in the silliness, for sure.