Halloween House Party: Horror Musicals

For this Halloween, I put together a list of some of my favorite horror musicals. Not all of them are “fall-themed”, but all can be enjoyed all year round.

I split the categories into musicals that have a stage adaptation and those that are only currently found in the films

Stage Musicals

Phantom of the Opera

Beloved by angsty teen girls and musical theater devotees alike, Phantom is a gothic romance that set Broadway on fire. One of the true mega-musicals of the 1980s, Andrew Lloyd Webber delivered a bombastic show and some of the most famous songs to emerge from the genre. While there is a film adaptation of this fabulous show, only Minnie Driver as Carlotta or Patrick Wilson as Raoul seem to have any fun with their roles. If you are a die-hard musical fan, you must see it on stage at least once!

Sweeney Todd

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd! This musical by Stephen Sondheim is probably one of my favorite shows of all time. Sondheim weaves a tale of revenge with intricate melodies, dark comedy and human meat pies. Sondheim’s shows are a “love or hate” for some but horror fans will likely appreciate the storyline, even if the music is not for them. There are many fantastic stagings of the show but again, avoid the movie. While the cast does okay, the cutting of the opening song makes the film feel hollow & there are better pro-shots or even cast recordings that tell the story through the music.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

I have never been able to see the musical, but this is an example where the movie adaptation has likely overshadowed the original stage show. Once, Rocky Horror was a bit edgier, but it is pop culture icon at this point, covered by mainstream shows like Glee and pop star Sabrina Carpenter paid homage to the film in a recent music video co-starring Colman Domingo. Folks are very familiar with the songs and you can find the Time Warp being played at a random karaoke night in many cities. The show still stands up and is just as camp as ever.

Little Shop of Horrors

Little Shop is one of those shows that is well known and has been performed by high schools, community theaters, and professional companies for decades. An incredibly popular show by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, it combines alien plants, the desire for a better life, abuse survivors, unbridled greed, and horror comedy deftly. Although somewhat lighter in tone than the original 1960’s film it was based on, Menken’s and Ashman’s rock infused songs are incredibly catchy and fun to sing along with. Although I’ve always preferred the grimmer ending of the musical (or the Director’s cut of the film), I still enjoy the 1986 film adaptation. Plus, the 80s film introduced the phenomenal “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space” that is sometimes included as an encore number in stage productions.

Honourable Mentions

Carrie, Evil Dead, & Lestat

All three of these entries are musicals based on films and are either flops or campy cult classics. Carrie was one of the biggest flops in Broadway history, but the newest revival may finally have given the show new life. Blood-drenched and delightful, Evil Dead has established itself with a devoted fan-base. Lestat attempts to distill the Vampire Lestat into a disjointed but fun musical. I was lucky enough to see it before it closed but sadly missed out on purchasing any “Crimson Kiss” merch.

Movie Musicals

The Wicker Man

While it is a folk horror musical, The Wicker Man is a classic horror film highly rated by many. The film takes place on the aptly named Summerisle as Detective Howie searches for a missing girl. One of my favorite things about The Wicker Film is that most of the music is diegetic and a part of the May Day celebrations. The music itself is not particularly horrifying but to the overly devout Christian Detective Howie, they are signs of pagans and danger on Summerisle. The songs by Paul Giovanni are amazing in my opinion & are fun to sing around a bonfire, no matter the time of year.

Anna & The Apocalypse

Perfect for the starting off winter holiday season, Anna & the Apocalypse is a zany zombie musical filled with fun performances, goofy songs, and memorable dance numbers. Set in a high school, this movie musical follows the students right before their Christmas pageant as a zombie outbreak occurs. The lead actress delivers a fantastic performance & the film is a solid entry into the horror comedy subgenre.

Sinners

Director Michael Coogler does not consider Sinners to be a musical but I’m counting it. Sinners combines the real-life horror of how 1932 African Americans are mistreated in the Deep South (and it ain’t much better in the North) and how co-opting a culture that isn’t yours is similar to vampirism. This film uses the power of music to conjure powerful magic that resonates through past and the future. Musical magic is a trope I absolutely adore and the “I Lied to You” sequence is particularly breath taking, but all the blues music is amazing.

Honourable Mention

All That Jazz

This entry may not be seen as horror to some which is why I put it in this category. However, Bob Fosse’s surreal film about his own life fits the bill for me. In the film, Fosse alludes to his childhood SA by middle aged sex workers, flirts with Angel of Death (played by Jessica Lange) by reckless use of drugs/ alcohol/ and being a workaholic, creeps on women, and cruelly mines real, painful events that hurt the women in his life, Gwen Verdon, Nicole Fosse, and Ann Reinking, to tell the story with thinly veiled name changes. The film feels unsettling and has moments of medical horror as well as the psychological dread of watching a man throw his life away.

Which shows would you include? I considered adding The Nightmare before Christmas, Corpse Bride, or even K-Pop Demon Hunters but chose to keep the list to live-action films. Did I skip any of your favorites?

Review by Dee

Twitter @Sirenofscience