Poll: What's the Best Horror Musical?
Want to know what the big trend is these days in movies and theater? Try horror musicals!
On the big screen there's Sweeney Todd, of course, and Repo! The Genetic Opera opens in the spring. Broadway's biggest hit right now is Mel Brooks' affectionate spoof Young Frankenstein, while the new Young Frankenstein: The Musical is playing Off-Broadway (though probably not for long, based on these reviews) and rumors abound about a musical stage version of Phantom of the Paradise, which sounds like a real good idea to me; I absolutely love that soundtrack!
Tuneful horror on Broadway is nothing new, and horror movies have long been their inspiration. Little Shop of Horrors was an Off-Broadway hit in the 80s, while Evil Dead: The Musical played Off-Broadway to good reviews late last year. And there's the immortal Carrie, one of the most notorious Broadway flops ever. Hey, they can't all be hits.
So what's the best combination of music and horror? Take our poll!
I voted for A Nightmare Before Christmas, although I've never really thought of it as a horror movie before. What a awesome film though. The music and animation are both just fantastic.
How about the other way around? Why don't they start taking musicals and making them into horror movies? Like Moulin Rougue or Chicago? Throw a slasher in them and presto... big hit.
I would hardly call the 2004 Phantom a horror film. I do like it, but it's not a horror film. Sure, the Phantom kills a couple of people, but it (and the stage play) are so focused on the romance and the spectacle that all the horror has been siphoned out of it. Also, Gerard Butler is so far from Gaston Leroux's description as to be laughable.
Why is Sweeney todd not on this list??!!!!!!
the movie wasn't a musical but EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL was pretty awesome
Let's see what I have to say about them...
Well, POTP is loosely based on the original story. And a lot of it is very WTF? territory. He doesn't sing and he's dressed like an evil member of Gatchaman...oookaay... Though the film remake should be out in '10 and I'm hoping they'll enlist the services of one Noel Fielding as a Visual Kei Phantom-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/AnnaValerious/POTP2.jpg
If you don't think he could do it, watch "The Mighty Boosh" or "The IT Crowd". He can go from sweet to crazed maniac so well.
And you might kill me, but I've put up a bigass plot summary of how I'd do that remake. Keep in mind I changed Swan from being like Phil Spector to Simon Cowell due to that trial...life imitating art?-
http://ladracul.livejournal.com/537514.html
Rocky Horror...never got into it.
Little Shop...I'm going to try to audition for that one next year. And I have seen both endings...I think the original dragged with the plant attack...
NBX...who doesn't love it? I had made a Sally mask my freshman year of High School and it was displayed in the cafeteria at the time. :) I have now made going to the 3D version a yearly thing.
POTO...I like Gerard way better than Michael Crawford. Then again, that's probably the general consensus.
What about "Dance of the Vampires"? Sure, it was wrecked for the US stage, but a rumored British production that's just translated from the German might come to be as a British actor played Von Kvorlock recently in the Berlin version. And Polanski said he was thinking of making it...I wish he would. Josh Groban would make an excellent Alfred. (And if you don't think he can do comedy, see the "American Dad" episode where he plays Whiny Parishoner. "THAT doesn't look very possessed!")
I assume Sweeny Todd is not on the list because it hasn't been released yet.
Well what I've always wondered is why, with the exception of Sweeney Todd, most horror musicals prefer to focus on somthing besides the horror? You have the campy humor of Evil Dead or the romance of Phantom of the Opera. I voted for Phantom of the Paradise because not only do I think it's the strongest movie of the bunch but I also felt that the director was trying to creep me out.
Oh and I'd be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to pimp my own horror musical based on Jack Hill's Spider Baby. You can read more here.
www.myspace.com/spiderbabythemusical
Oh and even though I did say some bad things about campy humor I have to admit I love Cannibal the Musical. Own it, watch it at least once a month and have been trying to stage it for awhile now.
OH I nearly forgot the most terrifying movie musical of the new century. I speak of course about HAIRSPRAY. There are still nights I wake up in a cold sweat screaming "How did they get funding?!"