Black Roses (1988) - Tennis racket vs demon

'Black Roses' is one of those 80s horror films that starts off a bit rough around the edges but gradually grows on you.  Technically, it’s far from amazing — the acting is uneven, the effects are cheap with the 'monsters' being little scarier than a slightly above average Halloween mask and the pacing wobbles — but, as the story unfolds, it somehow becomes more entertaining.

The film follows a demonic heavy metal band corrupting the youth of small town America, one by one.  While that premise may scream 'cult classic,' what really seals the deal is how seriously it’s all played. There’s no wink to the camera, or detour into parody — 'Black Roses' commits fully to its ridiculous premise without ever veering off into how cheesy it truly is.

And yet, despite all that seriousness, the movie is actually loaded with deadpan cheese.  It’s this straight-faced delivery that makes moments like the now-infamous scene where a school teacher fights a demon with a tennis racket utterly hysterical (Ash from 'Evil Dead' only had a chainsaw and boomstick to do this!) — possibly one of the most unintentionally funny sequences in 80s horror.

For fans of the genre, 'Black Roses' delivers just the right mix of cheap creature effects and rock-fueled absurdity to keep things fun once it gets going. It may not be technically good, but it’s never boring and sometimes, that’s all that matters.

6/10