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Horror Musicals to Stream this Spooky Season to celebrate 50 years of ROCKY HORROR

 

By. Professor Horror 

                                                                                    

 

In October 1975, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW premiered in the United States to little fanfare. Critics dismissed it, audiences largely ignored it, and it looked destined to fade into obscurity. Then something extraordinary happened: midnight screenings began popping up, audiences started dressing in costumes, yelling back at the screen, and singing along with Tim Curry’s Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Half a century later, ROCKY HORROR is no longer just a movie…it’s a ritual, a community event, and one of the most iconic Halloween traditions around the globe. Its fiftieth anniversary this year is a reminder of the film’s enduring cultural power and how it showed that horror could be campy, queer, sexy, and celebratory all at once. ROCKY HORROR’s 50th anniversary is more than a milestone because it’s a testament to how horror musicals have created space for camp, queerness, and collective joy in cinema. Films like REPO!, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE, THE LURE, and PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE each continue this tradition in their own eccentric ways. So, for those of you who live in the center of the very niche Venn diagram where horror and musical fans meet, here are five horror musicals you can stream this spooky season. 

                                                                           

REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA (2008):

If ROCKY HORROR is a campy party, REPO! is its darker, bloodier cousin. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (best known for his work on the Saw sequels) REPO! is set in a dystopian future where a corporation repossesses organs from those who can’t pay. The plot is outrageous, the costumes are outrageous, and the songs are outrageous…and that’s the point. With a cast that includes Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy, Ted Lasso), opera singer Sarah Brightman, and Paris Hilton, the movie feels like a bizarre mash-up of comic book panels, goth cabaret, and splatter horror. It’s messy, it’s uneven, but it’s unforgettable. Much like ROCKY HORROR, its appeal lies in its willingness to embrace excess. For fans who love their horror with a side of industrial rock and gallons of fake blood, REPO! is a must-watch sing-along nightmare.

                                                                                       

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986):

One of the most beloved horror musicals of all time, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS began as an off-Broadway hit before becoming a cinematic classic under the direction of Frank Oz. The story of Seymour, a meek flower shop clerk who raises a bloodthirsty plant named Audrey II, is at once hilarious, tragic, and terrifying. With unforgettable songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, plus iconic performances by Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, and Levi Stubbs as the voice of Audrey II, the film delivers both laughs and anazing Jim Henson puppetry. What makes it so enduring is its ability to play on universal fears (ambition, desire, and the price of success) while packaging them in catchy tunes and outrageous set pieces. I regularly teach this film in my Horror Cinema class, and even with its 1980s production design and 1960s-style tunes, new generations still respond to its energy, humor, and unforgettable characters. 

                                                                               

ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE (2017):

This Scottish zombie musical proves the genre is alive and well in the 21st century. Set during Christmastime, the film follows Anna and her friends as a zombie outbreak overtakes their small town. On paper, it sounds absurd, but the execution balances heartfelt emotion with teenage-angst comedy. The songs are poppy and upbeat (often juxtaposed against grisly violence) creating a unique tension that feels both playful and sincere. More than a gimmick, though, the film explores themes of hope, loss, and resilience in the face of apocalypse (all subjects that horror has always thrived on). In its blending of joy and despair, ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE feels like a spiritual descendant of ROCKY, reminding audiences that sometimes the most unexpected genre mash-ups are also the most moving. 

                                                                                            

THE LURE (2015):

Few horror musicals are as visually stunning and thematically daring as THE LURE. This Polish film reimagines the mermaid myth as a story of two sisters who join a cabaret band, navigating love, fame, and their darker instincts to feed on human flesh. With dazzling musical numbers, surreal imagery, and an undercurrent of tragedy, THE LURE is both enchanting and unsettling. It pushes the boundaries of what a horror musical can be as it blends fairy tale magic with body horror and feminist critique. Like ROCKY, it celebrates queerness and fluid identity, though in a more melancholy register. However, it’s not for everyone (the tone shifts wildly between playful and horrifying) but that unpredictability is exactly what makes it compelling.

                                                                               

PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974):

This is the horror musical that got me into horror musicals. I first saw this at a very young age and quickly became obsessed. Released a year before ROCKY HORROR, Brian De Palma’s PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE is often considered its spiritual sibling. Part Faust, part Phantom of the Opera, and part glam rock fever dream, the film tells the story of a composer who sells his soul for fame, only to be betrayed and transformed into a masked avenger. With dazzling costumes, satirical lyrics, and a scathing critique of the music industry, it anticipated much of the camp and chaos that ROCKY HORROR would later perfect. While it was a box office flop, it has since become a cult classic in its own right. Watching it today alongside ROCKY reveals how the 1970s were fertile ground for experimental musicals that broke genre boundaries.