Jump Scares and Jazz Squares: Why horror films are perfect fodder for musical adaptations

Being a person who splits her affections between both horror and musicals makes me either the best or worst person to talk to at a dinner party. I can rattle off cast lists, album lyrics, quippy one-liners and useless fun facts that make you wish you’d skipped the whole event. In a word, I am insufferable.

But, one of my favorite things to think about is how these two genres could so easily code switch between one another with only a few minor tweaks. The cross-section between horror and musicals may not be as evident for the non-nerdy eye, but one or two clicks on the zoom button can reveal a whole lot about how much these two genres have in common.

First and foremost, musicals and horror movies have always been genres known to have a knack for reflecting the times in which they inhabit and forcing the audience to reckon with their thoughts and feelings on those thornier topics that reside in the real world.

A lot can be inferred about a point in time based on the movies that scared us most and the musicals that kept us humming. It is not unusual for critics to use lines when describing either horror movies or the newest musicals about how these pieces of art “push the boundaries of the art form” and “challenge the audience.”

Horror movies and musicals are often the first pioneers when addressing the ever changing landscape of what “reality” truly looks like. They have been the platforms where conversations like sexuality, mental health, and the ugly parts of our humanity such as racism, sexism and violence are no longer reserved for hushed tones and averted eyes, but are talked about loud and clear regardless of what “polite society” thinks or feels about the matter.

In the same ways that horror movies like The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby have been scolded for their juxtaposition of the abuse of women at the hands of religious “beliefs” , so too have musicals like RENT come under fire for so plainly and openly talking about gender and sexual identity, the AIDS crisis and the unchecked privilege of the upper classes. 

And in the telling of these stories dripping with glitz, gore and cultural relevance, they rely on big, loud, over-the-top performances to get their points across.

The camp. The emotions. The DRAMA of it all. They are what make the best horror movies and musicals shine. There is nothing subtle about an eleven o’clock number or the final girl’s stand-off with the big bad. They both require the performers to go to the absolute brink of what’s deemed reasonable and push a good three feet further. 

Those belted choruses and guttural screams need to rattle in the ears of those bearing witness in these moments of absolute emotional explosion. They’ve gotta reach ‘em in the cheap seats.

There are a few brave souls in the world of musicals who have melded the two together in ways so incredible that they beg the question: “Why aren’t there more horror musicals?”

1. Evil Dead: The Musical - YES there is, in fact, a musical based on the 1981 Sam Raimi hit, “Evil Dead.” It features such exhilarating songs as “What the Fuck Was That?” “Do the Necronomicon” and “Blew That Bitch Away”. And higher paying guests can really be a part of the action by paying extra to sit in the “splatter zone” where they have the privilege of being splashed with fake blood and guts during the show.

2. Phantom of the Opera - This musical that is based on a horror icon but tries its hardest to separate itself from such a “groundling” form of cinema. It is at its core about a disfigured dude who kidnaps a pretty woman and charms her deep enough into Stockholm Syndrome that she almost resigns herself to a life of underground singing. Honestly the fact that this plain jane musical ran for so long on Broadway is the true horror story here. (Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this section are Chel’s and Chel’s alone and do not reflect the opinions of Hack or Slash as a whole.)

3. We Are The Tigers - This is a lesser known musical, one that had a run Off-Broadway but has not yet received the star power treatment. It revolves around a single night, where members of the beloved high school cheerleading squad start being murdered one by one, and through the mystery reveal dark secrets about themselves, each other and really hit home the fact that hell is, in fact, a teenage girl.

4. Repo! The Genetic Opera - This is a particular favorite of Hack or Slash host, Binx, and it perfectly encapsulates all of the reasons why horror and musicals are a match made in hellish heaven. This movie has everything: Catchy songs, overacted caricatures that lampoon archetypes of the uber rich, and a commentary on how capitalism will ultimately be the demise of us all. If only we could bottle up its essence in a little glass vial (a little glass vial) and ship it out to Broadway producers.

5. Rocky Horror Picture Show - As a personal favorite of mine, I couldn’t NOT include it on this list of musical horror. Maybe it’s the Time Warp, maybe it’s the plot that both pokes fun at and sends kisses to the slate of B-movie horror and science fiction that came before it, maybe it’s Tim Curry in lingerie that made you question if you were actually “completely straight.” (Disclaim– wait, actually we’re good with this one, carry on.) No matter the reason, this movie hits home the undeniable fact that horror and musicals both use camp and over the top tactics to challenge, change and to just overall put on a damn good show. 

While I could write a longer list that includes every musical with a hint of horror that has ever crossed stage and screen, I could write an even LONGER list of all the horror movies out there just begging for the Broadway treatment.

Be brave, Broadway producers! Keep the ghost light burning and write us the next greatest horror musical.