A look back at the INK songs inspired by films
Our Welcome to Horrorwood film series, in partnership with Bloody Disgusting, hits select AMC Theaters every Friday and Tuesday in October. Below, Spencer looks back at the Ice Nine Kills songs inspired by Hostel, Friday the 13th, American Psycho, Pet Sematary, and The Crow, as well as some of the associated Silver Scream Con guests, as we gear up for Silver Scream Con V!
“Wurst Vacation”
It’s hard to believe Hostel is 20 years old. My favorite scene is toward the end, but the whole film is packed with killer practical effects by the legendary Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero. “Wurst Vacation,” of course, is our homage to Hostel. It’s an extreme song, befitting the film’s brutal tone. We went for an Andrew Lloyd Webber, big-Broadway vibe in the chorus and worked some German phrases into the lyrics. As fans of the Hostel series, we’re in great company alongside Quentin Tarantino and Stephen King. QT famously put his name on the Hostel poster. We were stoked to have Hostel franchise creator Eli Roth at Silver Scream Con III.
“Thank God It’s Friday”
What if Halloween was set at a summer camp? Brilliant. Jason gets so much of the glory for this franchise, but the original Friday the 13th (1980) belongs to Pamela Voorhees, portrayed by the late Betsy Palmer. Our parody of Fountains of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom,” reworked as “Jason’s Mom,” is a big shoutout to that fact. We’ve had our friend Ari Lehman, who appeared as young Jason, F/X legend Tom Savini, and franchise creator Sean Cunningham at Silver Scream Con over the years, among many others associated with the original film and its many sequels.
“Hip to be Scared”
You can’t think of American Psycho without remembering Patrick Bateman’s Huey Lewis monologue. Even before I sat down to write “Hip to Be Scared,” I knew there’d have to be a nod to “Hip to Be Square.” I went to great lengths to interpolate that hook, so it wasn’t the exact same progression, but it’s still very close. Thankfully, Huey heard “Hip to Be Scared” and signed off on it, and we credited him as a co-writer. A couple of years ago, we teamed up with Reel Big Fish to cover “Walking on Sunshine,” one of the many ‘80s classics featured in the film.
“Funeral Derangements”
Pet Sematary has several ties to rock music, beginning with the classic theme by The Ramones. Before directing Pet Sematary, Mary Lambert directed several iconic music videos, including Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” Mötley Crüe’s “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room,” and Janet Jackson’s “Nasty.” We tapped the amazing Miko Hughes – Gage from the original Pet Sematary – to play the truck driver in “Funeral Derangements,” and he also joined us at Silver Scream Con.
“A Grave Mistake”
Eric Draven is the most badass antihero of all time. I’m so glad they finished The Crow and released it in honor of Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed in an on-set accident. One of the film’s incredible villains was played by the great Tony Todd, who passed away in 2024, the same year as The Crow’s 30th anniversary. We were honored to have Tony, who of course played Candyman as well, bring his insight, grace, and charm to Silver Scream Con the year before. In 2025, “A Grave Mistake” became our first gold single. It’s a testament to our fans' fierce devotion and the passion I have for the movie that inspired it. The Crow will forever be a classic.
