The term horror is not generally associated with music; the adjective is more readily applied to cinema, conjuring up images of chainsaw-wielding psychopaths; of hockey masks and possessed dolls, and heads spinning a full 180 degrees; of screaming girls and cheap B-rate blood and gore. The writing may not be spectacular in many horror flicks, and some of the images displayed may be solely for shock value or to move the film along, rather than well-thought-out plot points or clever story arcs. Yet for horror movie fanatics, the experience is always the same breed of edge-of-your seat fun.
In the late 1970s, New Jersey-based punk rock outfit the Misfits defined a new subgenre of rock n' roll: horror punk. The Misfits - named for the final film of Marilyn Monroe - blended in their sound the loud, fast musical influence of punk rock and lyrical themes and imagery from B horror films. The band's first full-length release, Walk Among Us, features cover art inspired by 1950s sci-fi and horror films. The majority of the songs on the album do not reach even two minutes in length, making Walk Among Us the perfect album for both lovers of terror and those with short attention spans. Walk Among Us, like subsequent efforts by the Misfits, received critical praise.
Like its cinematic counterpart, horror punk embraces the macabre. Though no other horror punk act has garnered quite the same level of attention as the Misfits (and with quality band names like Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 to entice potential audience members, it's anyone's guess as to why), all of the bands that fall under the horror punk umbrella harbor the same love for the creepy and grotesque. Other projects by Misfits' founder Glenn Danzig, such as the bands Samhain and Danzig, have also done well in the horror-punk circle.
While other punk acts in the 1970s became outspoken in regards to their political ideology - a trait often characteristic of the punk genre as a whole - the Misfits chose to eschew this practice, indulging instead in the tacky and the absurd, the cheesy and grotesque. This ethic can be found in everything from the band's personal appearance to its lyrics and song titles to the band's iconic skull logo. Though horror punk may not exactly carry the same ability to terrify and disgust as horror flicks do, more than anything, the two respective genres hold one thing in common: They're both mindlessly fun.
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