Reviews: 6 Various Horror Musicals, Part 2
Text © Richard
Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet
Growing up, I was as much a fan of musicals as I was of horror films. To some extent, I still am. First a guideline on the reviews here. These are films where the music is narrative, not just a band playing or music playing over the soundtrack. What we have here is horror films where characters break into songs that further the story, or reflect on it in an unnatural way. It should come as no surprise that most horror musicals are also comedies.
Some of these films
I have reviewed previously in a more extensive form, and I have hyperlinked to the
full review in these instances.
These films below
are not ranked, but are listed alphabetically, all from TubiTV, unless indicated.
Note that my snark is truly meant to be fun and rib-poking with a touch of stream
of consciousness for the shorter reviews. I had just the right low-budget expectation
for these films, so I was not blindsided by anticipating a theatrical extravaganza
experience. After all, when it comes to the cheese level, there are times when ya
want melted brie on toast, and at others, Cheez-Whiz on animal crackers. I enjoyed
these films for precisely what they are. Links to the coming attractions for all
of them are at the bottom of each review.
My Fair Zombie
Directed by Brett Kelly
85 minutes, 2013
Yes, this film is based on the musical movie My Fair Lady (1964),
which was based on the Broadway play My Fair Lady (1956), which was based
on the George Bernard Shaw play, Pygmalion (1913), a hundred years before
this film. It took a century to zombify the story. And yet, this predates Pride
and Prejudice and Zombies (2016). The story is extremely similar to the core
material, especially the 1964 classic, right down to the costuming, but adds the
supernatural element quite well. But note that all the songs here are original (by
Stephen John Tippet). There is quite a bit of a twist right at the beginning that
made me smile. After that, it became kind of silly, but that is not meant as an
insult. An example is Prof. Higgins saying, “The rain in Spain stay mainly in the…”
to which Eliza replies, “Brains” (that is also used as the film’s tagline). The
fact that Liza goes from mindless zombie to erudite zombie so quickly is a bit ridiculous,
but it did remind me of the Bub character from Day of the Dead (1985). Some
of the songs are catchy, and many are placed where they were in the original spots
in the play/film. It is a bit inane, but still it was enjoyable. A simple comedy
with a nice and sometimes biting (no pun intended) sense of humor. The director
may be known for making films about supernatural sharks (sometimes under another
nom d’cinema), but he did well here.
Trailer is HERE
Phantom of the
Paradise
Directed by Brian DePalma
91 minutes, 1974
This is one of my favorite soundtracks to a musical horror film. The songs
were written by Paul Williams, who plays musical power mogul Swan (an agent of
El Diablo) that is out to find a perfect theatrical piece to showcase at his
playhouse, the Paradise (not to be confused with the club in Boston). Williams
has an unusual voice that I have heard many times as he has written numerous Top-10
hits for others (such as The Carpenters, Helen Reddy, Three Dog Night), but it works
here, especially with “For the Hell of It” and “Faust”). Swan tricks and entraps
a composer, Winslow, by using singer Phoenix (the underrated Jessica Harper) as
his bait. Basically, this is the story of Goethe’s Faust (1808) – not to
be confused by Tim Vigil’s excellent comic series by the same name – updating
it to a more-modern music scene. The tunes range from doo-wop to surf, from
rock to glam, with a bit of prescience to Goth. Entertaining from beginning to
end, and supported by the music, it is so much fun to watch. I saw it at a
revival theater in the late 1970s and fell in love with it. Watch it on Movieland.Tv,
Prime Video, Redbox, Apple TV or Vudu on your Roku device
Trailer is HERE
Repo! The Genetic
Opera
Directed by Darren
Lynn Bousman
96 minutes, 2008
This Canadian production was directed by the same person who did the two
Devil’s Carnival films, but predates them. This has nothing to do with
cars, hardcore music, nor flying saucers (Repo Man, 1984). For this twisted
musical, people are replacing their organs on installment plans, and if they
cannot pay it back, the repo is those same organs. They are also producing a
drug to ease the pain of the operation that is highly addictive called Zydrate,
making money from two spearheads. Unsurprisingly in a free market, one huge
conglomerate rises to the top of the organ and drug biz, run by evil Rotti
Largo (aka, largely rotting, played by Paul Sorvino). He has stage 4 cancer,
and has three adult children (a bully son, an idiot son, and a conniving daughter…gee,
why does this sound so familiar…). His chief enforcer/repo man is Nathan
(Anthony Head, who played Rupert Gilles on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), but
there is also competition for the drug by Graverobber (Terrance Zdunich, who co-wrote
the story and the music, and also played Satan in the two The Devil’s
Carnival releases), who gets it from the bodies of the dead. The main
character of the film is Shilo (Spy Kids’ Alexa PenaVega), the daughter
of Nathan, who has a potentially fatal blood disease. However, can dying Rotti
save her. The film is surprisingly gruesome in its visuals with lots of gore
and body horror. If you look closely, you can see the poster for this film on
walls occasionally. There is an extremely large cast and also a lot of well
knowns playing roles, such as Sarah Brightman, Bill Moseley, Ogre (from the industrial
band Skinny Puppy), Joan Jett, and, for some reason, Paris Hilton as Ivank…I
mean Amber. Using animation and comic book forms for back-stories is a nice
idea and works well within the story. And like most operas, this is a bit of a tragedy,
even with some humorous moments. As for the music, some of it is nicely catchy,
and I was impressed by the way the beginning of the third act begins with a
Stephen Sondheim-esque overlapping multi-scene song. And as with The Devil’s
Carnival, which is kind of hinted at with scenes involving Graverobber, the
lighting, cinematography, and pure feel of the film is a style unto its
own.
Trailer is HERE
Sacrificial Youth
Directed by Joe Losurdo
85 minutes, 2013
From the director of the documentary You Weren’t There: A History of
Chicago Punk 1977 to 1984 (2007). So who else to direct a film about a punk
band. The lead singer is high school student TJ (Robert P. Bakker, an okay
singer but not a great actor). His hardcore band, the titular Sacrificial Youth,
is set to play at a rock club, and he’s not happy about it, opening for a poseur
group named Hellbound Boy (possibly a play on the name Fallout Boy?). TJ is
feeling like no one understands him, and his room is full of cool posters and
flyers, such as JFA, but I enjoyed the inside joke of him smashing a mirror
with his fist next to a poster for Black Flag. I hope his hand wasn’t – er – damaged,
and he can rise above. I had to keep pausing to read tee-shirts and flyers
taped to the walls. Some good bands are listed from national acts, from the Minutemen
to fIREHOSE, to Jerry’s Kids. This film has a high level of religiosity. Sure,
TJ and his family are Jewish, but he’s developing stigmata on his bands over
the strait-edge “X” he drew with an orange marker. Also, the name of Jesus is
plastered across the screen often. In fact, there is a lot of New Testament imagery
here, with TJ as the savior, overturning merch tables, turned wine into water
(yeah, I know, but remember, he’s strait-edge), and being tempted by evil (the corporate
head, known as The Leader, of an energy drink called Blüüd). Then there is the “Herod”
character, a product promoting who says, “It’s punk for profit”; he calls TJ
the “King of the Scene” and, amusingly, “Superstar” (subtle as a flying mallet).
My favorite, though, is TJ singing “I am not a sacrifice” while wearing a tee
with the image of a lamb. What I also find interesting is that this follows so
many local scenes: it starts off with a small group, then some of the bands
start to “make it” and it becomes popular. Then the scene starts to stagnate
due to larger crowds and popularity, which strangles and then kills it. For example,
after seeing the Ramones for years starting in June 1975, I remember the first
time I saw Johnny and DeeDee coordinate moving to and fro on the stage, and I
thought, oh, no, they’re getting “professional” now and they are going to
change. And they did, although I liked them till the end, but they were never
the same. The acting, generally, is not great, though Kate Lane (aka performance
artist/musician Keight Leighn) as love interest Maggie comes off pretty well. Anyway,
the story is written okay, if a bit heavy-handed in religiosity, and the
libretto songs are not bad. The best tunes are those sung on stage by the title
band.
Trailer is HERE
Sweeney Todd: The
Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Directed by Tim Burton
116 minutes, 2007
I saw the original Broadway version, front row center of the balcony to
take everything in. I was a fan of the show even before I saw it, as a friend gave
me a copy of the soundtrack. I’ve loved Sondheim’s work since West Side
Story (1963). Then came this filmed version of it. Well… First, I should
acknowledge that it has a large fan base. Honestly, as much as I generally like
Tim Burton’s work (e.g., loved 2022’s “Wednesday,” and hated 2012’s Dark Shadows),
I was generally disappointed by this interpretation. Yes, he tightened up the
last act, but there is so much material he took out of the first half of the play
that was amazing (e.g., the opening theme). But for me, the biggest problem was
the two main leads, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter Burton. Not only are
they much too young for the parts (their roles should be in their 50s, not 30s),
but they can’t sing. Johnny did okay with “Please Mr. Jailor” in Cry-Baby (1990),
but here is just grumbles through his lines. Even in the show’s centerpiece, “Epiphany,”
he seethes rather than rants. Alan Richman (d. 2016) was great as the judge,
though again, too young for the role (should be about 70). The tale of an
unjustly sentenced man who escaped prison and seeks revenge by slicing up throats
and helping his landlord/lover Mrs. Lovett make them into delicious meat pies,
you never really get to feel for any of the characters, not even the two
intended lovers, Joanna and Anthony come across as a bit vacant. The film is, however,
very stylized and there are some nice cinemagraphic touches that work, such as
during the song “A Little Priest.” I am hoping someone else picks up the mantle
and remakes this with some energy behind it. It occasionally shows up on
Netflix.
Trailer is HERE
Most of the play HERE
Vampire Burt’s Serenade (aka Bloody Indulgent)
Directed by Ken Roht
90 minutes, 2014
This film has been released under a few titles, with this one being the latest as
of this writing. Todd (Brandon Heitcamp), the “hero” of the story, has just been
turned into a vampire against his will by his supposed friend (aka douchebag) Burt
(Kevin Richardson, the tall goateed soprano guy from the Backstreet Boys). Does
he dump the vamp? No, they both go to their favorite low-end strip club where Todd’s
girlfriend, Connie (Diva Muffin Zappa…yep, Frank’s baby girl) is a very bad stripper
(and singer). This comedy musical is enjoyable, but completely insane. It has that
“some people will find this a camp classic” written all over it. The music by Paul
Goldowitz ranges from really good angry rock songs, to very, very lame Broadway
incidental songs. The singing also ranges from decent, such as Richardson’s upper
register high-pitched rock notes to, well, you might want to hold your ears when
Diva is – er – singing. For the full review, go HERE.
Trailer is HERE
