Zombie, despite loving metal, seemed to have been all too aware of how metal is used in movies. It’s rare that a character will be listening to heavy metal in their car, exit, and introduce themselves friendly to a startled protagonist. At least there was Bill & Ted and Wayne & Garth to prove that metal fans are also, typically, pretty nice guys. Zombie wanted to convey different emotions in his films. Luckily, he had a deep well of pop music knowledge to draw from, and was able to find other artists from the classic rock era that would, to his ear, be creepier than any metal song. In the eatmybrains interview, Zombie refers specifically to his music selections in his film “The Devil’s Rejects,” saying:

“One thing I’ve always hated is when people use heavy metal music in horror movies. It’s just so obvious, so over the top. So something like the Terry Reid songs we used in the film — they’re beautiful but they’re also really creepy and sad. The whole movie to me has a sad overtone to it. You know that the Firefly family are sort of doomed; you know that the Sheriff is sort of doomed. So the whole thing is really sad and those songs were just so perfect for that mood.”

The Firefly family — a clan of filthy, nihilistic serial killers — are the main characters of “The Devil’s Rejects,” and they will not emerge unscathed. Well, until their deaths were retconned for “3 From Hell,” Zombie’s 2019 sequel. Terry Reid is the English rocker known for “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” and many others.