Jay Rohr
This is GWAR hits Shudder exclusively this July 21st. The documentary follows the 30-plus years that the notorious band has been around. The official trailer recently arrived, and it does an excellent job illuminating who GWAR is as well as why they deserve a documentary.
Featuring a combination of live footage, interviews, and television clips, This is GWAR reveals the cult phenomenon of this midnight movie come to life. For those unfamiliar with the band—shame, but in kind deference to such odious ignorance—GWAR is a heavy metal comic book come to life. They brought theatricality to hard music not seen since KISS and Alice Cooper. What’s more, their juicy shows literally left audiences soaked in fake blood, goo, and gore.
Such scenes pepper the trailer, promising reminders for the initiated in addition to eye-popping astonishment for virgin gazers just now encountering the band thanks to This is GWAR. What’s more, the documentary promises never-before-seen footage. According to the press release, this includes material with the late David Brockie, who used to front the band as Oderus Urungus.
Still, it’s not just a celebration of the band but everything and everyone who makes the show come to life. GWAR may be most recognizable through onstage performers, but the trailer for This is GWAR assures us that the road crew is just as important as the musicians. It’s nice to see that recognition, and it’ll be interesting to watch how it’s portrayed in the documentary.
GWAR is comedy, horror, and rock all rolled into one. They spent a great deal of the ’90s as the target of outraged parents who couldn’t see beyond shock rock theatrics. However, they also influenced several people, as evidenced by the multiple interviews promised by the trailer. These include Weird Al Yankovic, who needs no introduction, comedian Thomas Lennon of Reno 9-1-1 fame, and Alex Winter, most recognizable from the 1993 film Freaked (as well as some trilogy about two loveable dimwits in a band called Wyld Stallyns). It’ll be interesting to see how these celebrities relate to the bombastic glory featured in This is GWAR.
According to the trailer, the documentary won the Audience Award for Best Feature Nightstream 2021 when it premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. That alone seems to guarantee a crowd pleaser. However, it looks like This is GWAR will be a treat for more than just fans of the band.
Check out the trailer below!
