Ozzy Osbourne is no stranger to the scarier things in life. Black Sabbath were, after all, named after the 1963 Boris Karloff horror flick, and who can forget The Prince Of Darkness' turn as a terrifying(...ish) werewolf for Bark At The Moon?
When it comes to his favourite horror film of all time, however - and indeed the film that scared him witless more than any other - Ozzy only has one answer. Interviewed by beloved comedy rock duo Tenacious D in the stacked latest issue of Metal Hammer magazine, the Double O is asked by Jack Black for his favourite scary movie, causing the metal icon to recall a deeply unsettling cinema experience he had with his Sabbath bandmates while on tour in 1974.
“Our manager came to us one day when we were on tour and says, ‘You have to go and see this film called The Exorcist,'" Ozzy explains. "We said, ‘The Exorcist? What the fuck does that mean?’ He said, ‘Just go and see it.’ We were in Philadelphia in this fucking movie theatre and we were shitting ourselves! That one was just so real. We were freaked out! Here we were, Black Sabbath and I’m the Prince Of Darkness and all this, and we had to go see another movie – [US caper film] The Sting – just to stop thinking about it. It was so amazing.”
Released in December 1973, The Exorcist quickly became one of the most notorious horror films in history, with home releases of William Friedkin’s supernatural classic pulled from shelves in the UK in 1988 and banned for 11 years. A new entry to the franchise is expected later this year.
For more from Ozzy and Tenacious D, pick up the latest issue of Metal Hammer, out now. Order your copy here.
