I Nu What You Listened To Last Summer
My Mixtape’s A Masterpiece is a weekly feature in which a guest compiles a 12-song playlist around some theme. This week, Greg Mucci, charts the progression of Metal and Nu-Metal songs on horror movie soundtracks from the '90s to the '00s. The Spotify and YouTube mixes are below, along with Greg’s liner notes.
Since its conception, metal has been linked to the theatrics of the horror genre. Whether it’s pioneers of heavy metal, Black Sabbath, embracing the popularity of the macabre by taking their name straight from Mario Bava’s 1963 anthology of terror, GWAR lurching forth from the wardrobe of a hellish Troma film, or Yonkers-based deathgrind band, Mortician, using enough horror movie samples in their music to fill a sarcophagus, it’s undeniable how influential the two have been on each other. As Jonathan Barkan noted in his past contribution, “these two genres are kindred spirits, no ifs, ands, or buts about it;” a devil horned declaration that can be scrawled in indiscernible black metal font dripping in blood across a bathroom mirror. Both respective genres embrace the unearthly platitudes of evil, often rattling from the primordial mire of our sub-consciousness like a silhouette atop a white steed. Hell, much of shock rock—an uncivil partnership of theatrical exhibitionism that started in the late 1950s—borrowed freely from horror, pairing rhythm and blues with ghoulish imagery such as coffins and fake blood to better symbolize the inherent themes in their music.
By the mid-80s, and in full Satanic Panic swing, metal had become more than just a one-note chord in the horror genre, often finding itself as a plot device and instrument of evil in such films as TERROR ON TOUR and TRICK OR TREAT, the latter a rebel yell to all teens under fire for tuning in to the apparent subliminal messaging coded in black vinyl.
As the spinning moral compass of religiously orthodox and often blue-collar parents began to stabilize and shift towards a growing consternation over terrorism by the early 1990s, metal developed towards a grungier more brooding template. Films such as THE CROW used the rock persona as a leather-clad weapon of revenge, while bands like Pantera took the ashen grimace of a bar-room floor and made whiskey out of it, proving that metal never dies, it just gets more distilled.
By the tail end of the ‘90s, with fears of a collapsing technological infrastructure looming with the moniker Y2K, a brash new sub-genre of metal known as nu-metal—comically and (slightly) unfairly labeled “the worst genre of all time” by NME—began infiltrating Discman players and horror films everywhere, turning white suburban rage into facetious anthems that contended for scariest film of the decade.
And yet, it was a time in which grinding guitar riffs and rap-rock rally-cries became a well of catharsis for my teenage brain. Yes, there’s an uncomfortable amount of misogyny and homophobia all over the lyrics of some of the genre’s biggest names, yet there’s also an emotional purging through the thick of its ugliness. Where my self-disdain could outpour in a safe space and bully-bruises could heal without any ridicule or judgement. Where suicidal thoughts felt stifled amidst fellowship, and where the pain of loneliness felt mitigated, even if for just a few minutes.
Here are 12 songs that not only show the progression of metal through the 1990s and into the early 2000s, but feature a chronological order as to map out the massive rise, and subsequent swift decline, of nu metal in the horror genre.
1. “Milktoast” by Helmet (THE CROW)
While not horror in tone or intent, Alex Proyas’ 1994 film—adapted from James O’Barr’s 1989 comic, written as a means of coping with the death of his fiancé at the hands of a drunk driver—managed to resonate with horror fans and the Goth subculture alike with its brooding atmospheric depiction of post-mortem vengeance. And while not nu in the slightest, NYC-based metal outfit Helmet’s inclusion on the soundtrack, alongside The Cure and NIN to further nurture Goth alignments, proved that metal’s burial may have been as premature as Eric Draven’s.
2. “My Misery (Demon Knight)” by Machine Head (TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS DEMON KNIGHT)
HBO’s first run at taking their EC comics-based anthology show Tales From The Crypt from couch to cinema bears a title fit for a hazy doom laden metal band in the vein of Acid Witch. So it’s fitting that the soundtrack to Ernest Dickerson’s wicked west hoedown, DEMON KNIGHT, would be stacked with metal outfits. Taking their sound from bands such as Pantera and Exodus, Oakland-based Machine Head—influential to the new wave of metal that swept the states in the early 1990s—would contribute a groove-tinged track perfect for Billy Zane’s insatiably rowdy The Collector barroom brawling. (Please Note: Not available on Spotify, but is in the YouTube playlist at the bottom)
3. “Proud” by Korn (I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER)
The same year rap-rock jester Limp Bizkit broke into the burgeoning scene with Three Dollar Bill, Y’all, established nu-rockers Korn were already contributing to the proliferating new slasher boom with I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. While never played in the film—catering more towards your typical alternative post-grunge college hits such as L7, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Soul Asylum—the inclusion of Korn’s single shows the pendulum swinging towards that nu-sound with fittingly Slasher-esque lyrics such as “must you keep looking at me” and “I don’t forget things.”
4. “Not Living” by Coal Chamber (DEE SNIDER’S STRANGELAND)
Dee Snider tweeted just last year that he still listens to Limp Bizkit, but in case you needed further confirmation that the Twisted Sister front man loves to break stuff, look no further than the soundtrack to his sole writing credit, 1998’s STRANGELAND (aka DEE SNIDER’S STRANGELAND).
Dealing with an online predator who dabbles in the gospel of the Modern Primitive movement, a subculture infatuated with pain through body modification, Snider’s take on the slasher is filled with choice cuts of nu-metal, ranging from spare rib (System of a Down) to spam (Kid Rock).
5. “Wait and Bleed” by Slipknot (SCREAM 3)
Say what you will about Scott Stapp, the lead singer and chronic arm opener of the immensely successful Christian Rock group Creed, but he knew how to pack the pews of a soundtrack with some of the genre’s dirtiest worshippers. As producer on the SCREAM 3 soundtrack, Stapp leaned hard into the new millennium, which saw the craze of the nu-metal boom begin to peak with bands such as Slipknot hitting double platinum while bringing a distinct aesthetic– as recently as employing FX wizard Tom Savini in 2019 to fashion a new mask for lead singer Corey Taylor - to a genre most noted for red backwards Yankee caps.
6. “Lie Down” by P.O.D. (BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2)
Speaking of Christian Rock, metal and Jesus devotees P.O.D. helped shed some light by contributing to the soundtrack of the critically and commercially panned BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2, the follow-up to 1999’s highly successful and influential found footage film, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Winner of the Golden Razzie for Worst Remake or Sequel in 2000, BOOK OF SHADOWS strayed from the minimalism of its predecessor (along with tone, themes, energy, and pretty much everything else) by bringing the darkness of nu-metal to the sleepy town of Burkittsville, Maryland with lesser known acts such as Project 86 and Slaves On Dope.
7. “One Step Closer” by Linkin Park (DRACULA 2000)
With the new century continuing to indulge in the bloated beast that is nu-metal, frequent Wes Craven editor Patrick Lussier (NEW NIGHTMARE, SCREAM) decided to give vampires a nu-look in DRACULA 2000, which sees the titular blood-sucker (newcomer Gerard Butler) search for the descendent of Van Helsing amidst the modern backdrop of New Orleans. And what better evokes the multilingual heritage of The Big Easy than a genre that crosses funk and rap with down-tuned guitar breaks and frequent turntable scratching? I’m mostly kidding, but say what you will about the cacophony of nu-metal, one thing it isn’t is singular.
8. “Opticon” by Orgy (VALENTINE)
As the 2000s lurched forward, both the nu-metal craze and the slasher boom began to find themselves on a downward spiral, with music audiences tapping into metalcore and mathcore while horrorhounds pivoted to the resurgence of ghost stories with films such as THE OTHERS, THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE, and SESSION 9. However, as most horror fans know, what looks and sounds lifeless isn’t really dead, and that couldn’t be truer for both VALENTINE—in which a cherub-masked killer hasn’t forgotten an ill-turned school dance— and its subsequent soundtrack. Luckily, Los Angeles-based nu-metal rockers Orgy provide a breath of fresh air to a stale genre, using their industrial sound to separate themselves from a surprisingly club-heavy compilation.
9. “Dead Cell” by Papa Roach (QUEEN OF THE DAMNED)
If you were a nu-teen growing up in the late ‘90s to early ‘00s, there’s a pretty strong chance that you were bombarded by the incessant radio-play of Papa Roach and the constant airing of their fish-eye lensed music video for “Last Resort” (directed by Marcos Siega, who recently helmed multiple episodes of Netflix’s trashy car wreck, You). And to add inundation to injury, the California band began appearing in soundtracks across multiple genres, from THE SKULLS and nu-metal king compilation THE ONE to QUEEN OF THE DAMNED’s vampire rock odyssey, sharing a neck with nu-metal contributors Deftones and Static-X.
10. “Army of Me” by Chimaira (FREDDY VS. JASON)
Cleveland-based Chimaira melds the declining sounds of nu-metal with the rising influence of metalcore, a fitting amalgamation of genres for a band named after a Greek mythological hybrid creature composed of multiple animals. Equally fitting is their inclusion in the soundtrack to a film that sees two very different beasts going head to head for reigning title of slasher king. It’s a bout that never quite takes itself too seriously, embracing the past and present of metal with the absurdity of its plot – Freddy Krueger must become puppeteer to Jason Voorhees in order to instill fear in Springwood teens so he can gain back his strength. With powerhouse bands such as Lamb of God, Slipknot, and Sepultura fueling the Monster Energy of its feuding juggernauts, FREDDY VS. JASON’s soundtrack proved that no matter how weak the metal genre gets, it’ll always have enough strength to slay.
11. “Stay in Shadow” by Finger Eleven (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2003))
By 2003, the nu-metal scene, a once unwavering landscape of sludgy sounds and irreverent tone, had become a quagmire of toxic rain, collapsing into itself with derivative substance and redundant sound. Likewise, the popularity of the slasher had fallen back into unimportance, while the production company Dark Castle Entertainment, originally focused on remakes of William Castle’s late ‘50s and early ‘60s chillers (THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THIRTEEN GHOSTS, GHOST SHIP), began producing original content. So it makes sense that a new variation of both would emerge from the mire, one that saw director Michael Bay join forces with producer Brad Fuller to create the horror-centric Platinum Dunes, leading to remakes of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and HOUSE OF WAX, while nu-metal streamlined its layers with a grungier, alternative sound that feels like its own remake.
12. “Minerva” by Deftones (HOUSE OF WAX (2005))
For many, remakes will always play second fiddle to their original counterparts, and rightfully so. Too often they play like doppelgängers when they should be admirers who know the impossibility of imitation while understanding the power of limitation. A perfect example is 2005’s remake of HOUSE OF WAX, which acknowledges and appreciates the intelligence of Andre DeToth’s 1953 film—itself a loose remake of the groundbreaking two-tone Technicolor, MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM—but discerns the difference between the two generations of horror fans. It’s a sentiment shared by the film’s soundtrack that doesn’t keep a rigid paradigm belaboring the past, instead offering tireless tracks that embody the raw power of punk (The Stooges), post-punk (Joy Division), electropunk (The Prodigy), alt-metal (Deftones) and newly instated metalcore (Bloodsimple). HOUSE OF WAX even feels like a fitting salute to the nu-metal heyday of horror, one that closes with My Chemical Romance’s emo-goth anthem “Helena”, keeping the door propped open for the eventual full-fledged pop-punk salute of JENNIFER’S BODY just four years later.
