Helluloid: VHS Nightmares, Thrash Riffs, and a Debut Built Like a Body Count. Great chat with these gorrific legends.

Helluloid didn't sneak into the Melbourne underground — they arrived with a concept fully formed, a tracklist that reads like a horror curriculum, and a debut LP, Slash Metal, that sounds like it was smuggled out of a VHS rental store in 1987. Zombies, slashers, cosmic dread, viral horror, Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy — every song is a tribute, every riff is a blood-soaked homage, and the whole thing is stitched together with a punk-and-black-metal-inflected thrash attack that's rare in this country right now. Formed in 2025 out of the ashes of Anarazel, with a debut LP out inside a year, Helluloid have moved fast and hit hard.

This Saturday afternoon they bring the carnage to Shotkickers alongside KNIFE and Slaughterfield — old-school violence on one side, industrial grind in the middle, and horror-thrash theatre rounding it out. Before the bill lands, we sat down with the band to talk Lovecraft, VHS nostalgia, and why Australia needs more thrash bands.

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Slash Metal reads less like a random horror grab-bag and more like a deliberate taxonomy — zombie, slasher, Lovecraftian, creature feature, meta closer. Was there a conscious structure to how the tracklist was built, or did the sequencing emerge naturally once the material was done?

The vision for Helluloid right from the beginning was actually quite calculated and thoroughly planned. Before the first chord was struck, we knew what we wanted to achieve and how we would go about it. The lyrics were written first and were specifically chosen to cover a broad range of horror subjects and to include both classics and lesser-known titles.

The production on this record has real warmth — an analogue body that a lot of underground metal doesn't bother chasing anymore. What was the approach in the studio, and how important was it that the record sound like it belongs to the same era as the films you're referencing?

We certainly wanted to create a sound that didn't sound overly modern, and it was difficult, especially at first, to pinpoint which elements to embrace and which to avoid.

Dan: I threw together the initial mix, very heavily inspired by '80s production techniques, but using modern recording equipment and techniques to create a sound from another era doesn't quite stick to the wall. We handed the tracks off to Sam Johnson, who immediately understood what we were looking for and didn't overproduce it or lose the raw sound of the band in the process. He honestly did an amazing job on the final product and we owe him a huge thanks.

"City Beyond the Cemetery" sits in Lovecraftian territory very explicitly — Dunwich, the seven gates. Where do you sit on the Lovecraft question? The mythology is endlessly useful for horror writing, but the man behind it is increasingly difficult to separate from the work. Do you think about that tension?

Every Helluloid song covers a specific horror film or film series. In the case of "City Beyond the Cemetery," although it may seem to be a nod to Lovecraft on the surface, the song is actually based on Lucio Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy. Fulci, like many other horror creators, was undeniably inspired by Lovecraft, but in this instance, the lyrics are completely inspired by Fulci's work.

"As the Credits Roll" as a closer is an astute move. Are you consciously thinking about the record as a film experience with a structured arc?

This was certainly part of the intent, to book-end the record as one would a horror film, though structurally each song is more of an individual tribute to a different blood-soaked video nasty than having a consistent plot throughout the record. We had toyed with the idea of a moody synth intro, followed by a higher-paced reprise to close the record out, and our guitarist Adam simply went home and… made them happen. The second we heard what he had come up with, we knew it was going on the record.

The title pun is perfect, but also a calculated risk. Did anyone in the room argue against it?

Dean: I love a good pun. For me, horror and humour go hand in hand, and I'm not afraid to come up with lyrics or titles that are a play on words, or tongue in cheek. Some of the greatest horror films ever made have a comical element that, even when it's unintentional, is entertaining and endearing, and this should be embraced! Slash Metal just seemed like the perfect way to introduce a style that's equal parts horror and metal.

You formed in 2025 and had a debut LP out within a year. How long had this material been in development before Helluloid was actually a thing?

Dean had written some lyrics a long time before a lineup had been assembled, and there had been discussions about the project a few years ago when three of the core members were playing together in Anarazel — however, in order for the project to successfully get off the ground, the timing had to be right, and having people involved who understood and embraced the theme was crucial.

Horror metal has a wide spectrum — from genuinely harrowing at one end to cartoon gore novelty at the other. Where do you want Slash Metal to sit, and what do you actually want the listener to feel?

Dean: Since day one, the concept behind Helluloid was to pay tribute to the films and bands who inspired me at the start of my journey into horror films and heavy metal. To invoke a sense of nostalgia and relive the excitement of these early discoveries. For those who were around in the age of VHS and audio cassettes, you'll know exactly where I'm coming from, and for those who weren't, hopefully this provides a fascinating insight into what was truly a pivotal era that helped shape the scene we have today.

There's a lot of subgenre specificity in the horror referencing — aquatic horror, viral/rabies horror, Lovecraftian cosmic horror — rather than a generic blood-and-guts approach. Are there particular films or directors that are structurally important to what Helluloid is doing, things the listener should seek out?

There are certainly a range of themes on Slash Metal, and that was a conscious decision so as not to pigeonhole ourselves as one thing or another. As stated earlier though, we're covering particular movies with each song. So for anyone curious about how many songs one could write on the horror theme — well, there's no shortage of horror movies out there, so there's enough material to keep me going till the day I die! In terms of films the listeners should seek out, why not start with the lesser-known movies featured on Slash Metal: Dawn of the Mummy, Shock Waves, I Drink Your Blood, Zombie Flesh Eaters, and Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy.

Melbourne's metal underground has a long and particular history. Does that lineage bear on what you're doing, and who locally has shaped how you think about making this kind of music?

Dean: Personally, I've always loved the blackened edge local underground bands brought to thrash metal. While Helluloid does have a strong thrash focus, I'd say our influences are too broad and the theme too far removed to be considered similar to those groups. I don't think the Melbourne underground has seen anything quite like us though, so it will be interesting to see how it resonates with the old schoolers.

Dan: Whilst there is quite some influence from punk and black metal on the record, at its core this is a thrash band, and honestly, Australia needs more thrash metal bands. Aside from one or two standouts, the genre has been pretty quiet for quite a few years, and '80s horror goes hand in hand with thrash.

What does Helluloid do from here — does the concept expand, and is there already a chapter two taking shape?

Certainly, and like all good horror films, there will be many sequels! We can't stop before we get to do Helluloid IV: Helluloids from Uranus!

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Slash Metal is out now. Catch Helluloid alongside KNIFE and Slaughterfield this Saturday afternoon at Shotkickers.

DOORS 230PM, 415...DON'T MISS THIS!!!!!

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