'Horrorcore' music genre becomes subject of scrutiny in Farmville deaths

Richard Samuel Alden McCroskey III, accused in the deaths of four people found at a Longwood University professor’s home

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On horrorcore music message boards, fans identify themselves with handles such as "psycosick" and "freshdeath."

They discuss new artists such as Randum Shotz and stalwarts of the genre, Kid Crusher, Twiztid and the most mainstream of the lot, Insane Clown Posse and Slipknot.

They are passionate about this fusion of hip-hop and rock with lyrics that focus on death and murder.

But for most people, horrorcore was a completely unfamiliar musical style until last weekend, when a 20-year-old California man heavily involved in the horrorcore scene was identified by police as a suspect in the bludgeoning deaths of four people in Farmville.

Matt Molgaard, a California-based contributing writer for Fangoria magazine, the pre-eminent outlet for fans of horror movies, comics and music, described horrorcore as "an aggressive and gruesome sub-genre. A dead branch of the hip-hop tree, if you will. Like horror cinema, horrorcore is a grittier take on topics that just about every musical genre explores."

On his MySpace pages, Farmville slayings suspect Richard Samuel Alden McCroskey III describes his interest in horrorcore music. The aspiring horrorcore artist and promoter, who goes by the stage name Syko Sam, also records dark songs about violent murder.

"There are still club songs, but rather than liquor, it's blood spilling. There are still love songs, but resolution is often found in violent actions -- there's no talking about it," Molgaard said. "Horrorcore is really a ventilation system for those with a generally more sinister mindset."

On Friday, Farmville authorities discovered the bodies of Debra S. Kelley, 53, an associate professor of sociology and criminal-justice studies at Longwood University; her daughter, Emma Niederbrock, 16; Emma's visiting friend, Melanie Wells, 18, of Inwood, W.Va.; and Kelley's estranged husband, Mark Alan Niederbrock, 50, the six-year pastor of Walker's Presbyterian Church in Appomattox County.

The bodies were found inside Kelley's home. All died of blunt-force trauma, officials said.

McCroskey, who has been identified as the suspect in all four killings, has been charged only with Mark Niederbrock's death.

Shortly before the killings, McCroskey had traveled with the teenaged girls to a horrorcore concert in Michigan.

On the Web site http://www.horrorcore.com, one message-board thread focuses on the Farmville murders. Without exception, the posts express respect and sorrow for the loss of life. But they also express frustration that McCroskey being named as the suspect in the killings has turned a spotlight on their underground musical outlet.

Molgaard, who has interviewed and reviewed scores of horrorcore artists, said he thinks the appeal of the music is that it offers a release.

"People aren't supposed to run around the streets slashing people to death for having premarital sex or impaling kids for smoking a little weed," he said. "Any semi-stable individual understands that that is not acceptable behavior -- it's common sense."

One of the most popular horrorcore artists, Insane Clown Posse -- or, ICP as they're known among fans -- uses clown makeup and gimmicks such as naming their fans "the Juggalos" as entertainment tactics.

On one of McCroskey's MySpace pages, he refers to himself as "a juggalo," and a video posted on his YouTube page that was filmed inside his California bedroom shows at least one large Insane Clown Posse poster on the wall.

The Detroit-based ICP duo -- Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler) -- has enough of a mainstream following that its latest album, "Bang! Pow! Boom!" debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart two weeks ago (it's since slipped to No. 43). The group is on a 64-city tour that stops at The NorVa in Norfolk on Oct. 16 and The National in Richmond on Dec. 3.

A spokesperson for Plan 9 Music in Richmond said the new Insane Clown Posse album has been among its Top 20 sellers since its release but that the chain doesn't carry much horrorcore music outside of the handful of better-known groups.

Despite the commercial success and acceptance of groups such as Insane Clown Posse, Molgaard said it's easy to understand why horrorcore -- and horror, in general -- sometimes is misunderstood.

"Whether we're talking about film, music or any other aspects of life in which horror is present, we're ultimately talking about fear, rage, violence and terror," he said. "If the genre wasn't understood, I'd be even more frightened by the potential dangers of society."