Heavy Metal Parking Lot – If You Know You Know

The year is 1986, and aspiring filmmakers John Heyn and Jeff Krulik have an idea.

With no list of questions and minimal gear, they have a simple goal of documenting a time

and place. More specifically, the scene at a nearby Judas Priest concert, with a heavy metal

fandom whose culture was so pervasive at the time. In just 16 minutes of footage, they

immortalised a subculture, solidifying the film’s place as a cult classic.
The year is 1986, and aspiring filmmakers John Heyn and Jeff Krulik have an idea.

With no list of questions and minimal gear, they have a simple goal of documenting a time

and place. More specifically, the scene at a nearby Judas Priest concert, with a heavy metal

fandom whose culture was so pervasive at the time. In just 16 minutes of footage, they

immortalised a subculture, solidifying the film’s place as a cult classic.

In one of my favourite moments, a big-hair zebra-clad woman proudly lets us know she’d jump lead singer Rob Halford’s bones.

There’s a brilliance in how little the film tries to explain; it simply observes. That comedic choice echoes through the modern street-interview format popular on YouTube

today. From Billy Eichner’s chaotic Billy on the Street to Andrew Callahan’sChannel 5 News,

a series that deep dives into American subcultures in a similar style. Long before social media, Heavy Metal Parking Lot pioneered in capturing that

spontaneity, and its influence was spread the old-fashioned way. With no distributor or

marketing plan, word-of-mouth led to VHS tapes being copied and passed hand to hand. Its

exclusivity furthered its cult fascination. It was the kind of thing you only discovered because

someone cool showed it to you, so of course Sofia Coppola and Nirvana had a copy.

When my parents got their tape in the 90s, it was beat up from being passed around. When I

watched it for the first time, I airplayed it to the TV from my iPhone.

Despite the changing formats, the authenticity of Heavy Metal Parking Lot remains timeless.

In this day and age, it’s easy to romanticize the past. But to my fellow Gen Z-ers, if you ever

want to put the phone down, I recommend picking up Heavy Metal Parking Lot, to remind

yourself that people have always been stupid, drunk and blissfully alive.