11 Haunting Horror Musicals That Rock Both Genres
Vote up the best horror musical.
- 1Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick
A staple in the midnight release catalog of indie movie theaters for nearly 50 years, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the horror musical to end all horror musicals. Showcasing elements of the horror genre and generating an overall spooky vibe with Tim Curry's Dr. Frank-N-Furter leading the charge, the film was a ridiculously good time that, while not actually being scary, still managed to keep the aura of fright with its wonderfully catchy tunes.
Most Popular Tracks:
Time Warp
Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul
Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me- Dig Deeper...Every Song in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Ranked by Singability
- #203 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #138 of 178 onThe 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
- 2Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson
The musical based on the beloved and adored classic Universal Monster and the Broadway play, The Phantom of the Opera is the most traditional musical on this list but still manages to keep the horror elements prominent throughout its source material to create a terrifyingly romantic film that will shock audiences to their very core. Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum steal the show with jaw-dropping performances, headlined by the title track in one of the most beautiful renditions ever heard.
Most Popular Tracks:
The Phantom of the Opera
Think of Me
All I Ask of You- #557 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #33 of 64 onThe Best Horror Movie Remakes Of All Time
- #12 of 204 onMusical Movies With The Best Songs
- 3Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin
Killer comedy, horrific horror, and magnificent music, Little Shop of Horrors is a wondrous journey into the life of a man down on his luck, and the alien invading plant who changed his life forever. With head-bopping Doo-Wop music and killer songs from Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, and an unforgettable performance from Levi Stubbs as Audrey II, the film is a wonderful entry to both the horror and musical genres.
Most Popular Tracks:
Mean Green Mother From Outerspace
Feed Me (Git It)
Dentist!- Dig Deeper...Every Song in Little Shop of Horrors, Ranked by Singability
- #363 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
- #34 of 204 onMusical Movies With The Best Songs
- 4Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara
While it may lack the stereotypical horror elements that make a scary movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas still manages to keep the eerie and spooky vibe of Halloween while creating a whimsical and fantastic family-friendly film that blends together Halloween, Christmas, and killer songs. A staple in any and every movie-loving fans' fall time playlist, the songs in The Nightmare Before Christmas are equal parts catchy, frightening, and magnificent.
Most Popular Tracks:
This Is Halloween
Oogie Boogie's Song
What's This? - 5Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman
A nightmarish journey into the underbelly of London is showcased brilliantly in the terrifying Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, accompanied by some of the most magnificent and gothic songs in the history of musicals. Based on the critically acclaimed play of the same name by Stephen Sondheim, the film version of Sweeney Todd showcases creepy gothic ideologies inside this killer cannibalistic tale of love, loss, and vengeance. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman all give some of the best performances of their career and showcase their beautiful singing voices in this masochistic venture into pain.
Most Popular Tracks:
My Friends
The Worst Pies in London
Pretty Women- #245 of 397 onThe Best Horror Movies Of All Time
- #75 of 204 onMusical Movies With The Best Songs
- #16 of 73 onThe 70 Best 18th Century Period Movies
- 6Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper
A phantasmagorical groovy fever dream of an experience, Phantom of the Paradise may not get all the acclaim of films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but this brilliant fantastical horror musical is one of the best this bizarre subgenre of horror has to offer. Slick, stylish, and suave, Phantom of the Paradise has everything musical horror fans could ever dream of. Music, murder, creepy characters, and one of the most pristine vibes imaginable. This forgotten masterpiece is a rock and roll sensation, in no small part thanks to the amazing music of Paul Williams.
Most Popular Tracks:
The Hell of It
Goodbye Eddie, Goodbye
Special to Me (Phoenix Audition Song) - 7Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Stan Brakhage
When Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park announced they were creating a horror musical titled Cannibal! The Musical and their respective fanbases lost their minds, and when the film was released, it was everything those fans could have ever dreamed of. An over-the-top hilarious low-budget horror comedy that showcases some of the most hilarious musical songs of all time, Cannibal! The Musical is an experience audiences need to see to believe, and even then, they still may not believe what they just saw.
Most Popular Tracks:
Shpadoinkle
Let's Build a Snowman
That's All I'm Asking For - 8Whitney Cummings, Leslie Grossman, Will Forte
A rather unique take on the horror musical subgenre, the Foo Fighters Studio 666 plays less like a traditional musical and more like a heavy metal symphony that plays background to some of the most over-the-top and disgusting imagery in horror, in the best ways possible, of course. A beautiful horror comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously but has fun with the genre and contains just about every horror trope imaginable, Studio 666 is a nightmarish metal experience fans won't ever want to leave.
Most Popular Tracks:
Cold
Narcg of the Insane
The Sweey AbyssMore Studio 666
- #173 of 175 onThe Best Movies About Music
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- #81 of 82 onThe Funniest Horror Movies Ever Made
- 9Anthony Head, Alexa PenaVega, Paul Sorvino
Gothic imagery, horrifying gore, masochistic pain, Rob Zombie-esque nu-metal, and Paris Hilton mixed together to create one of the most outlandish, ridiculous, and haunting musicals of all time in Repo! The Genetic Opera. A film that was a complete and utter failure when it was released but somehow managed to garner massive cult acclaim and admiration, Repo! is a fever-dream-like experience that delves deep into the psyche of the sickest and twisted individuals as they replace their organs. A film that is sure to upset both musical and horror fans, Repo! The Genetic Opera is a painful time, but a time audiences won't ever forget.
Most Popular Tracks:
Zydrate Anatomy
Legal Assassin
21st Century Cure- #60 of 81 onThe 75+ Best Sci-Fi Comedy Movies, Ranked
- #24 of 32 onThe 30+ Best Sci-Fi Parody Movies, Ranked
- #117 of 179 onThe Best Lions Gate Entertainment Movies List
- 10Naoto Takenaka, Tetsurō Tamba, Keiko Matsuzaka
Undoubtedly one of the most bizarre, outlandish, and nightmarish fever-dream-like experiences ever brought to film, The Happiness of the Katakuris is a film horror fans must watch. From the claymation to the dancing zombies and everything in between, the film goes off the trails almost immediately and offers up an experience many horror fans have never had and many will never have again. Throw on top of this the fact that it also has some remarkably killer music and suddenly one of the greatest horror musicals of all time is born.
Most Popular Tracks:
Let's Live Here
Towards Happiness
Wow - 11Meat Loaf, Minnie Driver, Douglas Smith
The horror genre always manages to find a way to sneak in meta references into its films, and Stage Fright is the epitome of meta-ness in horror. A horror musical about a killer who hates horror musicals and kills anyone who attempts to perform a song, the film is incredibly unique, and while it may not be the most high-brow film showcased on this list, there are plenty of brutal kills, enjoyable songs, and a killer performance from Meat Loaf that will have horror fans enraptured by what they are witnessing.
Most Popular Tracks:
The Audition
Where We Belong
Kylie's Big Finish
