Necrophagia’s Killjoy Spews About His Favorite Horror Films
Since gore metallers Necrophagia often use samples from horror films in their blood-splattered, platelet-packed music, Noisecreep recently grilled vocalist Killjoy as to what makes a good kill flick stick in his memory, like a hatchet buried into a murder victim's jugular. "I seriously don't have a favorite film [in the genre]," Killjoy answered diplomatically. "It depends on what mood I'm in at the time!"
If you are a horror buff, pay special attention to these recommendations from a true fiend of the genre.
Killjoy cites 'Black Sunday' as "the best gothic horror film ever made because, in my opinion, it's flawless. Mario Bava was a genius, a brilliant director. I think that film will always hold a special place in my black heart. It starred Barbara Steele. She, along with Vampira, were the first women I became infatuated with as a youth and 'Black Sunday' just oozes with atmosphere. And the cinematography was so very unique, considering the year it was filmed."
While 'Black Sunday' featured one of Killjoy's first female obsessions, 'Night of the Living Dead' was the first film to enter his nightmares. "I was very young when I saw it on TV, and it was very different from the 'Universal Monster' films I had seen previously," he said. "It's absolutely the best low-budget film ever made and still the best zombie film."
'Carnival of Souls' was another film that haunted the vocalist's dreams. "It's very surreal and nightmarish the way it was filmed, and the menacing ghoul character that kept haunting the main starlet was disturbing for me to look at," Killjoy said. "He was very iconic and severely underrated, in my opinion."
Killjoy also thought that 'The Beyond' was the "goriest, most over-the-top film" he had ever seen when it was released. "Seeing acid melt faces completely and [seeing] a little girl get her head blown apart made me realize what true gore really was," Killjoy said. "I had seen 'Dawn of the Dead,' and 'The Beyond' just took those levels of gore and extremity to a whole new level. Fulci is the true godfather of gore." Coincidentally, Killjoy's nickname is also 'The Godfather of Gore,' at least in the music world.
While he also was frightened by 'The Exorcist' -- and really, who wasn't? -- 'Scars of Dracula,' starring Christopher Lee, truly frightened the singer as a kid. "Lee as Dracula was very traumatic," Killjoy said. "He had fangs, bloodshot eyes, and a menacing physical appearance. There was also bright red blood and gaping throat wounds when he finished biting a victim. I had never witnessed blood in a film until I saw that one. Prior to 'Scars of Dracula,' I had only seen Bela Lugosi portray Dracula and those two actors are worlds apart. I still think Christopher Lee will never be topped in the role of Dracula."
Some of the newer films that have tickled his horror fancy include 'The Strangers,' 'Inside,' 'Haute Tension,' 'Imprint,' 'House of the Devil,' and 'Embodiment of Evil.'
Watch the video for 'Embalmed Yet I Breathe' by Necrophagia
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