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Documenting
the Legacy of HMPL

 

In their commentary and discussions, music and popular culture journalists have also contributed to the classic cult status of Heavy Metal Parking Lot. Articles in publications ranging from The New Yorker to Skateboard delve into its enduring popularity, and its status as an important documentary of heavy metal culture.

 

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About

Jeff Krulik and John Heyn’s critically-acclaimed documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot captures the wild exuberance of Judas Priest fans tailgating before a concert in the Capital Centre parking lot in Landover, Maryland on May 31, 1986. In just sixteen minutes of footage, the film immortalizes the hairstyles, vibrant prints, air guitar, beer and cars—not to mention the unbridled enthusiasm for Priest—that characterized U.S. pop metal fandom in its 1980s heyday. Lauded by music fans, journalists, pop culture historians and scholars, Heavy Metal Parking Lot offers both an entertaining and fascinating glimpse of a truly unique subculture.

This exhibit, “Heavy Metal Parking Lot: The 30-year Journey of a Cult Film Sensation,” commemorates the latest milestone anniversary of the film, detailing the circumstances of its creation and describing its unexpected trajectory from tape trading to film festival favorite and ultimately to global phenomenon.

Curators: Laura Schnitker, Jeff Krulik
Project Archivists for the Exhibit: Alice Rogers, Alex Pirela
Graphic Design: Kelly Andrews

With help from: Laura Cleary, Cindy Zhao, Avery Boddie

Contact Us

Visit the exhibit at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center located at 3800 The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-1625. The Jeff Krulik collection is housed in Broadcasting collections within Special Collections and University Archives at the Hornbake Library.

For general information about the library and our collections, contact us.
For questions about the exhibit and the Jeff Krulik collection, please email Laura Schnitker or call 301-405-9255.

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