Oh, the Horror!

[Alex Dakoulas in his studio / Courtesy photo]

Emblazoned with dark quips like “Live Fast & Die Young” and “Blood, Sweat + Beers,” and images of diamond-encrusted vampire fangs and Freddy Krueger as Michael Jackson, Dance Party Massacre’s bold and bloody shirts aren’t for the faint of heart. They bring a new meaning to the phrase “graphic tees.”

Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and other cult slasher flicks are DPM founder Alex Dakoulas’s unlikely muses.

“I always liked horror movies, mostly the fun ones,” Dakoulas says. “To me, I related the struggle of where I was going and what I wanted to do in life with characters in horror movies because they’re all about struggle. They’re forced to fight for their life.”

Read on to see Freddy Krueger do the moonwalk…

[“The Other Gloved One” cotton shirt, $21.95]

Dakoulas started DPM while studying graphic design at MassArt almost five years ago (the brand’s birthday is Halloween). But it wasn’t until this April, however, that he left his job designing for Converse to pursue the line full time. He’s been bringing his motto “Live While You Can” to life ever since.

With such a direct (and somewhat abrasive) message behind his brand, Dakoulas understands that it’s not for everyone. Then again, he’s not in business for “moms with four kids in the Midwest,” but for the urban teens and twentysomethings who like horror, electronic dance music, and tongue-in-cheek wit, he says.

[“Blood, Sweat + Beers” koozies, $3.95 each]

“I love the horror genre because it has that tight knit fan base of misfits and outcasts,” Dakoulas says. “If other people don’t get it, that sucks, but I’d rather one group of people love it and follow the brand and pick up a t-shirt every once in awhile.”

[“Live Fast & Die Young” polyester, cotton, and rayon shirt, $21.95]