Ever walk into a theater and see a guy who looks like a quintessential Broadway leading man—think clean-cut, impeccable suit, voice like smooth velvet—and then realize he’s the same dude who played a demon-summoning heavy metal frontman in a movie where a speaker eats a guy’s head?
That’s basically the career of Sal Viviano.
Specifically, we're talking about Black Roses, the 1988 supernatural horror flick that has become a permanent fixture in the "so bad it's actually incredible" hall of fame. If you haven’t seen it, you’ve probably seen the posters. They usually feature a leather-clad band looking ready to melt faces, which, in this movie, is a literal possibility.
Who is Sal Viviano in Black Roses?
Most people today know Sal Viviano from the Broadway stage. He’s been in City of Angels, The Full Monty, and Falsettos. He's a legitimate powerhouse in the theater world. But in 1988, he took a hard left turn into the world of low-budget horror directed by John Fasano.
Viviano plays Damian, the lead singer of the eponymous band, Black Roses.
The plot is peak 80s moral panic. The band rolls into the sleepy town of Mill Basin. The parents are terrified of the "devil's music," but the band plays a trick on them. For the first song, they perform a soft, radio-friendly ballad to trick the adults into thinking they’re harmless. Once the parents leave, though? All hell breaks loose. Literally.
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Damian isn't just a singer; he’s a demonic entity using hair metal to transform the local teenagers into bloodthirsty monsters. It sounds ridiculous because it is. But Viviano plays it with this weird, magnetic intensity that actually works. He’s got that "evil rock star" swagger down to a science, which is hilarious when you compare it to his later career singing Gershwin at Carnegie Hall.
The Music and the Madness
One of the big reasons why Sal Viviano Black Roses continues to trend in cult film circles is the soundtrack. Unlike many B-movies that used generic stock music, Black Roses went all out.
The soundtrack featured actual metal heavyweights like:
- Lizzy Borden (who did the iconic theme "Me Against the World")
- King Kobra
- Hallow's Eve
- Bang Tango
Interestingly, while Sal Viviano played the frontman on screen, he didn't actually provide the singing vocals for the heavy metal tracks. The "voice" of Damian was actually Mark Free (now Marcie Free), the legendary vocalist from King Kobra and Signal.
This creates a strange, uncanny valley effect where you see Viviano’s Broadway-trained face performing these high-octane metal screams. It’s a mismatch that somehow fits the dreamlike, bizarre vibe of the whole film.
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Practical Effects That Will Ruin Your Sleep
We have to talk about the effects. No CGI here. We’re talking 1980s latex, slime, and puppetry.
There’s a scene where a girl’s parents are murdered in ways that are... creative, to say the least. But the pièce de résistance is the "speaker demon." A character played by Vincent Pastore (yes, "Big Pussy" from The Sopranos) gets too close to a stereo, and a giant rubber monster pops out of the speaker and devours him.
It’s tactile. It’s gross. It’s everything modern horror is missing.
Why We Still Care About Black Roses
You might wonder why a random 1988 movie about demonic rockers is still a talking point. Honestly, it's about the era.
Black Roses was released right at the height of the "Satanic Panic." There was a real-world fear that listening to Iron Maiden or Judas Priest would turn kids into cultists. The movie takes that fear and makes it literal. It’s a time capsule of a specific cultural anxiety, wrapped in spandex and hairspray.
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Also, it's just fun. There’s a sincerity to Sal Viviano’s performance. He isn’t winking at the camera. He’s playing Damian as a true threat. That commitment to the bit is what separates a cult classic from a forgettable flop.
The Viviano Paradox
What’s truly fascinating is Viviano's own relationship with the film. He doesn't shy away from it. In fact, he’s appeared at horror conventions and participated in retrospectives about the movie.
It’s a bizarre footnote in a career defined by high-brow musical theater. You’ve got a guy who has sung for Presidents and at the U.S. Open, yet a significant portion of his fanbase loves him for a movie where he turns into a giant snake-demon at the end.
That’s the beauty of the industry, I guess.
How to Experience Black Roses Today
If you’re looking to dive into the madness of Sal Viviano Black Roses, you have a few options, though it’s not always the easiest find on mainstream streamers.
- Physical Media is King: Look for the Synapse Films Blu-ray release. They did a massive restoration that makes those 80s colors pop. It also includes some great interviews with the cast.
- Streaming: It occasionally pops up on horror-specific services like Shudder or Night Flight. Check those first.
- The Soundtrack: If you’re a metalhead, the soundtrack is genuinely good. It’s available on most music streaming platforms and stands alone as a solid representation of 80s glam and power metal.
Actionable Takeaways for Horror Fans
- Watch for the Contrast: If you’re a fan of Broadway, watch a clip of Viviano in City of Angels and then immediately watch his "concert" in Black Roses. The range is genuinely impressive.
- Check the Credits: Keep an eye out for the supporting cast. You’ll see some surprisingly familiar faces who went on to much "bigger" things.
- Don't Take it Seriously: This is a movie meant to be watched with friends and a pizza. It’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s unapologetically 80s.
Whether you're there for the heavy metal nostalgia or the unintentional comedy of a Broadway star playing a demon, Black Roses delivers. It’s a weird, wild piece of cinema history that proves sometimes the best career moves are the ones that make absolutely no sense at the time.
To truly appreciate the legacy, track down the remastered version and pay attention to Viviano's stage presence during the final "battle." It's a masterclass in 80s villainy. Once you've finished the film, look up the soundtrack's history—the story of how those bands were selected is almost as chaotic as the movie itself.