To be honest, I was never a fan of musicals.
The whole genre simply skated over my head. Song and dance numbers confuse me and I have trouble understanding why anything is happening. But hey— give me a film about monsters and murder, and I can settle in for a marathon.
So naturally, I fell in love with a musical theater person. As a result, our Netflix queue looks a little... strange
Curious to see just how often these forms overlap, I’ve started a list of Horror Musicals. I knew that there were a few creators who favored this genre-blend (like Tim Burton and Darren Lynn Bouseman), but I was surprised by the number of film and stage musicals that drift into terrifying waters.
To be included, the work must be both true Horror and Musical.
This means that you won't find films which have great soundtracks (Suspiria) or scenes of bands performing (Green Room). The music must be integrated into the performances, and the Horror elements must be essential to the plot and pervasive. (So I’m not including things like the Heathers musical, even though it has dark subject matter and ghostly apparitions.)
Of course, there's still a great deal of wiggle room, so if you have a favorite I've left off or want to make a case for a work to be added or dropped, chime in with your thoughts.
The list is broken into five sections:
Original Films
Stage to Film Adaptations
Original TV Productions
Original Stage Productions
Film to Stage Adaptations
Check out the list, and if there's any that I'm missing, or if you have bits of trivia, etc., let me know.
(latest updates: 08/30/23)
Horror Musical Films
Mad Monster Party (1967) A non-stop, stop-motion monster extravaganza. Trailer.
The Wicker Man (1973) Not a full musical, but it certainly has musical numbers, and c’mon… it’s the Wicker Man! Of course I had to include it.
Phantom of the Paradise (1974) A classic.
Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire (1985) YouTube Clip
Stage Fright (1987) [note: I haven't seen the 1987 version of Stage Fright, and don't know whether it's a musical, or just about a musical.]
Cannibal the Musical! (1993) Before Southpark, Trey Parker and Matt Stone brought a horror musical into the world with the help of Troma. The commentary track on the DVD is especially amusing. Trailer
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Burton and Selick at their best, in my opinion.
Space Freaks from Planet Mutoid (1995)
Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) I love this movie. Trailer
Dead and Breakfast (2004) Fun film with a country& western musical theme.
The Corpse Bride (2005)
Poultrygeist (2006) IMDB page Horror-comedy-musical from Troma.
Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater (2006) A Korean film about a young girl who befriends an assortment of ghosts at her local movie theater. Trailer.
Suck (2009) [note: haven't seen this one, either. Not sure if it's a musical or a movie about a band]
The Devil's Carnival (2012)
Ghastly Love of Johnny X (2012) Trailer
The Dead Inside (2012)
My Fair Zombie (2013) The rain in Spain falls mainly on the…. BRAINS!! More entertaining that you’d expect, and with a very different ending from the musical (and more in line with George Bernard Shaw’s stated intent that Eliza reject Higgins). Sacha Gabriel (Eliza Doolittle) and Jennifer Vallance (Mrs. Pearce) have standout performances. IMDB page
Stage Fright (2014)
Patch Town (2014) Cabbage Patch Kids are creepy. This film takes them in an even creepier direction, with more singing. Terrific visuals, and Julian Richings is fascinating every second he’s on screen. Trailer
Alleluia! Devil's Carnival 2 (2015) Trailer
Spidarlings (2016) YouTube Review
The Lure (2017) Critically acclaimed Polish language tale of mermaid cabaret singers. Trailer
Anna and the Apocalypse (2018) YouTube Trailer
Pea Soup: The Making of the Exorcist Musical (2024) YouTube Trailer A mockumentary about two men trying to make a musical version of the Exorcist. The trailer has some great lines. I’m not sure if it technically hits the requirements for this list, but c’mon… it clearly belongs in our weird family. More details on their site.
Horror Musical Films Adapted from Stage Productions
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) I mean… if you’re reading this page, you don’t need me to tell you what this is, right?
Shock Treatment (1981) The ‘sequel-ish, prequel-ish, but is it equal-ish?’ follow-up to Rocky Horror. Its vision of reality television invading and superseding real life feels more prophetic every year. Trailer
Little Shop of Horrors (1986 -- adaptation of the 1982 stage musical) Much beloved and terrifically well-produced, this is the definitive version for most fans.
Phantom of the Opera (2004 was the adaptation of the 1986 stage musical)
Sweeney Todd (2007) Big budget Burton brings Bonham-Carter back with Depp.
Repo: The Genetic Opera (2008) Although I’d always thought it was an original work, it’s adapted from The Necromerchant’s Debt. (The wikipedia page for this one is particularly helpful to clarify the details.)
Horror Musicals on TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "Once More, With Feeling" (2001)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (2016) I didn’t think it captured the magic of the original film or liver performances, it’s still got the delightful b-movie vibes of the story.
Horror Musical Stage Productions
Presumption: or, the Fate of Frankenstein (1823) This is one of the border cases — is it a musical, or a play with musical numbers? I think you can make the case either way, but as the first stage adaption of Frankenstein, made with Mary Shelley’s blessing, it’s still an interesting part of horror-musical history.
Carmilla: A Vampire's Tale (1970)
Rocky Horror Show (1974) (In many ways, this is a love letter to all things genre. As I said, I'm not a musical person, but Science Fiction - Double Feature remains one of my favorite songs about horror and sci-fi.)
Phantom of the Opera (multiple versions: 1976 & 1986 each had unique music and book; both were adapted from the novel rather than from the earlier films)
Sweeney Todd (1979) StageAgent
Possessed: The Dracula Musical (1987)
Jekyll & Hyde (1990) StageAgent
Shockheaded Peter (1998) This was one of the first big live theater events I ever saw, and it blew my f’n mind. It’s phenomenal, creepy, funny, and delightfully wicked.
Frankenstein, the Musical (2002) Full performance Book & Lyrics by Gary P. Cohen & Jeff Jackson. I don’t know much about this one, beyond the limited info on the youtube video.
Bat Boy (2002)
The Necromerchant's Debt (2002) This stage musical would eventually be restructured and adapted to film as Repo: The Genetic Opera.
Dracula: The Musical (2004)
Lestat (Elton John adapts Anne Rice; 2005)
Lizzie: The Musical (Lizzie Borden) (2009) Website
Vampire Hospital Waiting Room (2015)
Biting Broadway: The First Successful Vampire Musical (2016) Staged reading, no full production that I know of.
Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium (2016) Trailer. Based on the book by R.L. Stine (who appeared in the production as Principal Stine).
Frankenstein (2017) Website Book & Lyrics by Eric B. Sirota.
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals (2018) From Team StarKid, this Kickstarter-funded musical is about a guy who doesn’t like musicals (I feel seen) and who must must “…run, run for his life, as something sinister spreads, and grows, and sings, and dances! The town of Hatchetfield is plunged into a musical hell in... 'The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals!'“ The full musical is available on YouTube.
Black Friday (2019) The follow-up from Team StarKid, Black Friday is set in an alternate version of Hatchetfield (the town from The Guy Who didn’t Like Musicals) but with a sharper focus on consumer-culture horror. Team StarKid continues to be awesome by sharing their entire production on YouTube.
An Axemass Story (2022) Website. “It’s Christmas time in Tree Town and all the Trees are dying to look their best.” (I think this might be related to an animated short film, but I need to do some research on that.)
Horror Musicals Adapted from Films
Little Shop of Horrors (1982 — adapted from the 1960 film) Probably much better known than its source material. This was the basis for the 1986 film.
Carrie: The Musical (Campy: 1988 Intense: 2012) StageAgent
Dance of the Vampires (1997) Adaptation of Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers YouTube Clip
Witches of Eastwick (2000) West End cast had Ian McShane as the Devil
Cannibal: The Musical! (2001) Adapted from the Trey Parker/Matt Stone film of the same name.
Evil Dead: The Musical (2004) If possible, get in the splatterzone for this one!. Website
Silence! The Musical! (2005) The Silence of the Lambs parody
Young Frankenstein (2007)
Manos: the Rock Opera of Fate (2007) Staged at least once in Chicago, in the National Pastime Theater. I think it was staged in one other location — trying to dig up details on that.
The Toxic Avenger (2008)
Re-Animator (2011) Website Directed by Stuart Gordon & featuring George Wendt, of Cheers and House fame.
Spider Baby: The Musical (2012) BackStage review of L.A. production.
Friday the 13th: The Musical (2013) Workshop production only; no staged version that I know of.
Dex! A Killer Musical, The unauthorized parody of DEXTER (2015) Review of performance at 2015 New York International Fringe Festival.
The Shining (2016) Website Part of the Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, this adaptation of Steven King’s novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell came out to solid reviews. The audio is available on Sound Cloud.
You’ve got Red on You: An Original Horror Musical Parody (2016) Looks like this is an unofficial adaptation of Shaun of the Dead. Staged at Bootless Stageworks, who get an extra shout-out for their dedication to horror musicals… check out their past productions!
Beetlejuice (2019) Playbill Critically-acclaimed and tremendously popular, this show’s Broadway run was cut short in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It re-opened in April of ‘22, running to Jan of 2023.
The Shining (2022) Opera Colorado staged a production of the show that debuted in Minnesota in 2016.
SAW The Musical: The Unauthorized Parody of Saw (2023) Fangoria reports that this love story take on the SAW franchise will have an off-Broadway run in Sept of ‘23. The cast & crew feature a number of horror musical veterans, including Cooper Jordan, Zoe Ann Jordan, Leigh Pomeranz, Bart Shatto, and Patrick Spencer & Anthony De Angelis.
Honorable Mention
Nightmare Before Christmas (The Beverly Hills Playhouse staged a single scene in 2008, but no official version was ever made. That one scene is incredible, though: Pumpkin King )
Other Resources: I’ve seen a bit more interest on this topic lately, which gives me great joy!
The Horror Movie Survival Guide did a multi-part series on Horror Musicals
Nightmare University has a fun overview of the sub-genre
Special Thanks! I had help building this list from several horror groups on Facebook. Check out the United Nations of Horror, TV Terror, and Horror, Etc. groups for lots of kind people willing to share their vast horrorific knowledge.