Even if you’ve never been a metal fan, this 1986 documentary short is recommended viewing. If you have, however, ever been a denim-clad devotee of the heavy stuff – especially of the 80s metal generation – it is essential.
The premise was simple: John Heyn and Jeff Krulik – not metal fans themselves – went to the parking lot of the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland and mingled with the crowd that had gathered there for a Judas Priest/Dokken concert. Though it is a perfect time capsule of its era, the appeal – both then and now – is slightly mysterious. The “stars” aren’t very articulate: mostly drunk, very enthusiastic young metal fans with bad hair and worse facial hair shouting and whooping without saying anything of real substance. Yet it remains a charming, funny and somehow meaningful little film about youth and music.
This edition could hardly be surpassed. The film looks better than ever (though one bonus feature is a version in all its original, blurry, 10th generation VHS glory) and a plethora of extras (including sequels, of which Neil Diamond Parking Lot is the best), interviews and related documentary footage makes this a nostalgic must-see.
