Great Film overall

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The first must-see film of the year.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Another entry into that 80s genre trend of "heavy metal horror", "Black Roses" is positively goofy entertainment about the title band, which is about to embark on its first tour. They decide to start in a relatively small burg named Mill Basin, and the kids are happy because this is the most exciting thing to ever happen to their town. But all is not "rosy". The band are Satanists, can transform into demons, and listening to their music causes the impressionable youths to become demonically possessed as well. Mayhem ensues.This may be due to the budget not being particularly impressive, but overall "Black Roses" is fairly mild stuff that never really cuts loose. Only in the last dozen minutes or so does it become pretty cheese-tastic, with some absolutely hilarious-looking low-rent creature FX.At its best, this is somewhat interesting for portraying the generation gap, and the typical reaction of adults and authority figures to the spectacle of heavy metal. The mayor (top character actor Ken Swofford, 'Fame') urges reason, putting forth the fact that he and his peers had parents that disapproved of the musical acts with which they themselves grew up. The hero is actually one of the adults, an English teacher played by John Martin ('Sunset Beach'), who tries hard to inspire and relate to his students.The cast is mostly nondescript, but there are familiar faces that raise the curiosity level: Julie Adams, the leading lady of "Creature from the Black Lagoon", as the uptight Mrs. Miller, real life rock musician Carmine Appice as a Black Roses band member, Paul Kelman, the hero of the original "My Bloody Valentine", and, in a highly amusing film debut, Vincent "Big Pussy" Pastore of later 'The Sopranos' fame. Pastore plays a parent who is attacked by a bug monster that emerges from a speaker.As a parting word, the music is generally pretty good (Me Against the World is by Lizzie Borden) for any metal-head like this viewer. But the movies' few assets can't quite compensate for a completely underwhelming ending.Six out of 10.

Heavy metal band Black Roses puts on a series of shows in a small American town, much to the consternation of the adults, but to the delight of their young fans, who are unaware that their idols are in fact demons whose Satanic music causes listeners to commit acts of extreme violence.If you're too young to remember, or weren't even born, it might be hard to believe just how popular heavy rock was back in the '80s. Men proudly grew their locks, sported leather and denim, and head-banged till their necks seized up. Girls put peroxide in their hair, glammed themselves up with plenty of makeup and strutted around in spandex leggings (actually, so did some of the blokes). The same decade also saw the cheesy horror film enjoying much success, with many movies forgetting all about logic in favour of crazy special effects laden chaos. Black Roses takes both metal and monster madness and combines them in a technically shoddy and often laughable movie that appears to enforce the outmoded notion that rock music is a corrupting influence on the young.A great soundtrack (if hair metal is your thing), some cheap and cheerful monster effects and a spot of gratuitous female nudity go some way to making up for the lousy script, crap acting and seemingly denigrating anti-metal message, but in the end, it's just another disappointing rock/horror hybrid (see also Trick or Treat, Zombie Nightmare, Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare, Hard Rock Zombies and Shock 'Em Dead for more of the same).

~Spoiler~Black Roses is a film that defines the 80's. And you know I love those. Big hair, wailing vocals, and a fine layer of cheese. Black Roses is about the titular glam band whose music possesses the minds and bodies of youths and propels them to do evil deeds. From the opening chords of Lizzie Borden's Me Against the World, I knew I was going to have fun with this one. I had that song on a Metal Blade compilation when I was younger. So nostalgia is already setting in before the movie really gets started. The movie itself has nothing on the soundtrack, but it is quite entertaining and loaded with humor (some intentional and some not). For example: If you've ever wanted to see Vincent Pastore get eaten by a speaker, this is your movie. Yes, it's as ridiculous as it sounds. Black Roses really needs to be seen back to back with John Fasano's other "classic", Rock and Roll Nightmare.

What a fun movie!This is one of those few horror movies out there that was based on Hard Rock music...the others being Hard Rock Zombies, Trick Or Treat and Rockin Roll Nightmare!This one has a bunch of demonic hard rockers coming to a town called Mill Basin to perform a concert.The adults of the town fear that the music might be bad for the children... and boy were they right!This film like so many other eighties horror films, has some really cool rock music...one of the best being "Road To Paradise" which the band plays on their first concert in the town.There's is also some pretty neat special effects...although their only really good in a fun way... i mean...they don't look realistic or anything but they're still enjoyable! This movie also has Sal Viviano as the lead rock singer of the band who has a really eighties "fine" haired mullet...some of the eighties fashions in this movie will give you a few chuckles but it just adds to the fun fell of the film! Some people might remember Sal Viviano as having starred in The Jitters...which was an insane but equally enjoyable Japanese based horror film!Watch out for the part where Mattthew the high school teacher is attacked by a cool looking demon at the end...it will give you a couple of laughs!!!Rent it for sure!!!