Musical Scares: 11 Films That Will Hit Those Fearsome High Notes (2024)

• Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

  

  Brian De Palma's Phantom Of The Paradise has to go first. It's a rock musical, a comedy, and a horror film all in one, set to the music of Paul Williams, who plays Swan in the movie. The most obvious influence on the film is The Phantom of The Opera, the book by Gaston Leroux that has been adapted repeatedly in the horror genre. It's become a cult favorite and is one of the best examples of the fusion of scary movies and movie musicals.

• Paganini Horror (1988)

  

  "Paganini Horror" is a scream. It is a fun Italian slasher starring Daria Nicolodi and Jasmine Maimone, directed by Luigi Cozzi. A rock group whose newest song is based on an unpublished score by Paganini is looking for a hit. For accuracy, they immediately decide to go to a remote villa to film the video for their new song. Not a great idea. The ghost of Paganini, who signed a deal with the Devil, shows up and starts slaughtering band members.

• Black Roses (1988)

  

  Directed by John Fasano, "Black Roses" is a scary film about a rock band coming to town, hypnotizing their young audience, and sending them out to commit murder. The band's leader Damien is a demon; at one point, a parent gets eaten by a record player. Rock musicians from the band King Kobra, Marcie Free, Mick Sweda, and Carmine Appice provide the vocals and music for the songs and stars John Martin, Ken Swofford, and Sal Viviano.

• The Lure (2015)

  

  "The Lure" is a Polish musical and a horror film about two mermaid sisters who become members of a cabaret. It is directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska and based on "The Little Mermaid and Stars. Marta Mazurek and Michalina Olszańska. The mermaids are carnivorous by nature, but Silver falls in love with one of the musicians and longs to be with him. Her sister Golden decides to eat one of the audience. It is an adaptation that hews a bit closer to the original story.

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1977)

  

  "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was created by Richard O'Brien, who also stars in Riff Raff with Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss, and Barry Bostwick as Brad. Jin Sharman directed it, and it was originally written as a theater musical. The musical part of the film is so vital that people think of it more as a musical, but there is horror and a chainsaw involved. Tim Curry is a great musical performer and chilling, evidenced by his role as Pennywise. The film was not a success when it was released but has since become a sensation as a midnight movie with audience participation, actors acting out the parts on the screen on stage, as an adoring audience cheers them on.

• Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

  

  Repo! The Genetic Opera was directed by Darren Bousman, who also directed "Saw," and is horror rock opera based on the stage musical of the same name. It stars a mix of musical theater actors, actors, and rock musicians, including Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino, Anthony Stewart Head, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton, Bill Moseley, and Nivek Ogre. The horror comes from the post-apocalyptic Earth, where nearly all of the human race died of organ failure and now has to rely on organ transplants to survive.

• Little Shop of Horrors (1996)

  

  "Little Shop Of Horrors" started as a horror film made by Roger Corman, then became an off-Broadway musical written by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, and then became a film again as a horror comedy musical adaptation of the successful stage play. Frank Oz directed it, and the musical version adds a trio of singers that act as a Greek chorus. It stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, and Steve Martin. Since Audrey II is a carnivorous plant that eats several people throughout the film, I can state that the horror is within the film and not just in the title.

• Slumber Party Massacre II (1987)

  

  The killer in this slasher sequel is armed with a red guitar with a drill bit attached to it that he uses to kill his victim. Atanas Ilitch plays this film's rockabilly driller killer, a rock and roller who carries a guitar everywhere he goes to kill people in the movie and breaks out into song. The film is a comedy horror film and stars Crystal Bernard as Courtney Bates and Kimberly McArthur as Amy and was directed by Deborah Brock. This is another film that has grown a cult audience that appreciates its comedic charms.

• Stage Fright (1987)

  

  "Stage Fright" is a beautiful slasher film set during the rehearsals for a musical directed by Michele Soavi. The musical is about a serial killer, and the real killer takes the owl's head from the actor playing the killer in the musical. Irving Wallace is a former actor who went insane and went on a killing spree, and the musical play's director renames the killer after the real-life killer. The film's centerpiece is when the killer assembles the bodies of the cast members he has killed onstage and gently strokes the theater's cat while feather fall from the rafters. Soavi is underrated, and this is one of his best films, along with "Dellamorte Dellamore." The film stars Barbara Cupisti as Alicia and David Brandon as Peter, with Soavi playing a cameo role.

• Opera (1987)

  

  This Dario Argento film has inventive gory kills, sensational imagery, and a flock of trained ravens who are part of the avant-garde opera of Macbeth. There are echoes of "The Phantom Of The Opera" since the killer is obsessed with the young ingenue and understudy, but the plot diverges from there. It stars Cristina Marsillach as Betty, Ian Charleson as Marco, Urbano Barberini as Inspector Alan Santini and Argento's ex-partner Daria Nicolodi as Mira. Argento reportedly based the film on his time directing an unsuccessful opera of Macbeth. While I am a big fan of the ravens, the film is probably best known for the killer's tendency to put needles underneath Betty's eyes so she can't close her eyes to the murders. Allegedly, this came from an idea that Argento had to keep audience members from looking away during the scenes of violence in his films.

• Cannibal! The Musical (1993)

  

  "Cannibal! The Musical" is written and directed by Matt Parker and Trey Stone, later of "South Park" fame, and it is precisely what you could expect from the two creators of "South Park. Originally titled Alfred Packer: The Musical, it was made while the two were still attending the University of Colorado in Boulder and was Parker's feature debut. The film features frontier people on the trail breaking out into song while making snowmen to cheer their party up and cannibalism since it is based on the story of infamous cannibal Alferd Packer. Yes, it's spelled differently.

Dolores Quintana