5 Horror Musicals That Hit the Right Notes
Musical Scares
Horror and musicals have little in common, so it’s not a shock that there aren’t many films that combine the two genres. Their status as a relatively rare phenomenon hasn’t stopped horror musicals from making a major impact from time to time.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors, for example, have developed substantial cult followings.
I’m not normally a fan of musicals. In fact, they’re the genre I watch the least. Even westerns rank higher in my personal rankings. Horror musicals are a combination of my most favorite and least favorite genres. If you hate musicals and love horror, there are still some genre combos that are worth watching.
I’d be interested to know if the reverse is also true. Would people who love musicals and hate horror enjoy these movies? My guess is they’d probably like Little Shop of Horrors, and perhaps Rocky Horror, but not the others.
Here are five horror musicals that hit the right notes. These movies are so different from each other that it felt wrong to rank them, so they’re listed in alphabetical order.
I’ve avoided including a couple of holiday-themed horror musicals that have already been featured many times on this site. Will all due respect to these films, I’ve already covered Nightmare Before Christmas and Anna and the Apocalypse enough times. No need to rehash them here.
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Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Little Shop of Horrors is based on the 1982 play of the same name, which itself was inspired by the original 1960 film. The ’86 movie retains the early ’60s setting and features a wonderful performance by Rick Moranis as Seymour, an inept nerd who works at a New York City flower shop.
His life changes forever after encountering Audrey II, also known as “Twoey” – a talking, sharp-toothed, highly intelligent extraterrestrial plant. Audrey loves to sing about its desire for fresh human blood.
This plant is a botanical vampire! On the plus side, it has a tremendous singing voice. Feed it, Seymour!
Little Shop of Horrors is a true musical in the classical sense. It’s teeming with numerous song and dance numbers. This type of music is honestly not what I normally prefer to listen to, but I enjoy these songs. My favorites are “Feed Me” and “Mean Green Mother From Outer Space.”
Where to watch:
The Lure (2015)
Two beautiful man-eating mermaid sisters find work at a night club in Poland, where they dance, sing, and strip. One of them falls in love with a human guy, leading to inevitable tragedy and destruction.
The Lure is stereotypically European in the sense that it’s absolutely loaded with nudity. American horror movies usually have more gore than nudity, but that ratio leans allll the way to the other end of the spectrum here. These mermaids just can’t keep their clothes on, either on stage or off. That’s not a criticism or a complaint, just an observation.
This movie teaches us all an important life lesson: never fall in love with a mermaid (and vice versa)! The music is rather forgettable, but the unique storyline and lead performances make this movie worth watching. Plus, I have to give credit to any horror film that features mermaids, who I featured in my underused horror movie villains list.
Note: The dialogue is mostly in Polish, with a little bit of English mixed in. Subtitles will be required for most viewers.
Where to watch:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
I’m sure you were shivering in antici….pation for Rocky Horror to show up on this list. The immortal cult classic, which is based on the theatrical play, has been shown in theaters for over fifty years and its popularity shows no sign of slowing.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a bizarre and unforgettable odyssey spearheaded by an iconic performance by Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N Furter. He may not be much of a man, but he’s one hell of a lover! When a straightlaced young couple’s car break down, they encounter the doctor and his minions, who offer to find them a satanic mechanic.
The musical highlights are “Sweet Tranvestite” and “Time Warp”. These songs never get old.
Some elements, such as the use of outdated terms like “transsexual” and “transvestite”, haven’t aged well. But Rocky Horror embraces its sheer weirdness with unbridled joy. It’s a lightning in the bottle experience that will never be replicated.
Where to watch:
Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)
A group of girls in a rock band, one of whom is the younger sister of the final girl in the original Slumber Party Massacre, are pursued by a singing maniac with a guitar drill.
Slumber Party Massacre II is one of the strangest ’80s slasher movies. It’s a cocaine fever dream of exploding zits, handburgers (don’t ask), and a killer who performs impromptu rock and roll songs while he’s drilling people with his guitar.
If you have a burning desire to watch a bizarre musical version of a vintage Nightmare on Elm Street movie, you’re in luck! This isn’t a horror musical in the traditional sense, but there is plenty of entertaining cheesy ’80s rock.
The rockin’ drillin’ singin’ killer is played by Atanas Ilitch, who is the son of the late Detroit-based entrepreneur Mike Ilitch, the founder of the Little Caesar’s Pizza franchise. Atanas never quite hit it big in the acting or singing industries, but he’s lots of fun here.
Where to watch:
Stage Fright (2014)
A decade ago, her opera singer mother was killed backstage by a masked maniac in a ghostly costume. Now, teenage Camilla (Allie McDonald) and her twin brother are working as cooks at a theater camp.
Camilla still has dreams of becoming a singer like her mom. She decides to audition for the lead role in an upcoming play. Her choice leads to the return of the Opera Ghost, who is determined to finish what he started ten years earlier.
Stage Fright, not to be confused with the 1987 giallo of the same name, is a Canadian slasher spoof that satirizes the artistic pretensions and backstage rivalries of theater culture. This is one of those horror comedies with lots of references to famous horror flicks, including Carrie, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Hellraiser.
Most of the music is bland pop fare, but the Opera Ghost switches things up from time to time with some fun hard rock. This dude is an underrated horror villain and I wish he had been in multiple movies.
Stage Fright, which is the goriest movie in this list, is an underrated horror musical that deserves more recognition. Its commercial prospects may have been hindered by its generic title. Along with the ’87 giallo, there are at least several other movies named Stage Fright.
Where to watch:
