For Those About to Rock
Article by Bindi Lavelle

In the 70s, a young Ozzy Osborne thought about taking the techniques of horror films and putting them into rock music. What came of this idea was not only the hugely influential Black Sabbath and the world of hard and scary rock.

The 70s saw popular music play with aesthetics, music videos and marketing. There was Glam, Disco and the genesis of Punk and Metal all vying for public attention, and a sure fire way to attract a bigger audience is to shock the one you already have.

Rock music and notoriety go hand in hand, the moniker of 'the devil's music' is a stigma, proudly never shaken. The humble horror movie as definitely had an influence on popular music, what will be looking at in the coming weeks are musicians who had incorporated into their act all that makes horror films great.

There is the most obvious choice of Alice Cooper, one part cabaret, one part tales from the crypt who took glam to a more sinister place and continues to have one of rock's most visually stunning stage shows.

Which brings us to Kiss, the multimedia mega franchise. The band branded themselves through the characters they created to act out their own rock opera on everything from lunch boxes to comic books to underwear; they also produced killer tracks while they were at it.

Then came the love child of these too acts : Marilyn Manson. Repackaging the theatrics of horror glam with 90s sensibilities, and winding up wholesome folks who grew up listening to Kiss.

And finally we will look at the Insane Clown Posse, a couple of indy rappers who have produced an epic six concept albums telling tales of darkness in the humorous way you would expect from a pair of clowns.

What these musicians have taken from horror films, they have given back in spades, in turn influencing the form with their unique brand of music. So sit tight and prepare to rock.