On The DL

Heavy Metal Parking Lot

by Mary Wilson

Thu., April 17, 7 p.m., $7, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, ihousephilly.org

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

The '80s were a great time for cult film classics. But when it comes to the sheer volume of hair, stone-washedness of jeans and bitchin'-ness of Cameros, nothing quite tops Jeff Krulik's low-budget masterpiece Heavy Metal Parking Lot. Filmed outside a Judas Priest concert in 1986, this short documentary captures metal fans in their finest moment: pre-concert inebriation. The film quickly achieved underground cult status, and bootleg VHS tapes were passed from hand to hand, including (rumor has it) to those on the Nirvana tour bus. It's been the subject of many pop culture references, and was even parodied in, of all places, a Backstreet Boys video. Bolstered by his unexpected fame, Krulik went on to make a reality TV series in 2004 based on the original film. Aptly named Parking Lot, it focused on fandom in all its recent forms, from "Motorhead Parking Lot" to "Cher Sidewalk."

Beyond the shirtlessness, mullets and open beers, Heavy Metal Parking Lot gets to the heart of everything weird and wonderful about fan culture. Thursday evening at International House, Krulik will host a screening and discussion of his classic along with a few other rarely seen films from his archives.