Kirk Hammett, Corey Taylor in film linking metal and horror

The History Of Metal And Horror
The History Of Metal And Horror

A documentary exploring the relationships between heavy metal and horror is being planned under the guidance of producer Mike Schiff.

The History Of Metal And Horror features interviews with artists including Alice Cooper, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Korn’s Jonathan Davis and Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine. Watch the trailer below.

Speaking exclusively to TeamRock about the project, Schiff says: “I spent many years attending metal shows and horror conventions. One convention/metal show I worked for was Kirk Hammett’s Fear FestEvil.

“I thought more about how the two genres always seem to go hand-in-hand. As it turned out that no one had ever made a documentary that explained why that is. I wanted to get into the history of both genres and allow the horror personalities and musicians to share their views on the topic and a lot of other fun stuff.”

Schiff says having the opportunity to sit down with some of the biggest names in rock and metal was “unreal” and adds: “I got to film Dave Mustaine in his home and he treated us so graciously. Alice Cooper was incredibly generous with his time and treated us like friends. Corey Taylor gave me some vocal tips and showed me his warmup techniques.

“George Fisher from Cannibal Corpse not only gave us an hour-long interview, but let us hang for another hour to talk about comic books, wrestling, and all kinds of stuff.”

An initial crowdfunding campaign last year failed to reach its target, but Schiff adds: “The funds we did raise helped greatly in getting a lot more interviews.”

He, along with Robert Lucas, and Metal Blade Records Brian Slagel, have now launched a second drive to make the project a reality. Find out more.

Hammett hires Slash and Taylor for Fear FestEvil

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.