Hot Takes on Horror - The Hatchetfield Trilogy and Horror Musicals
by Elizabeth Ivy Trail
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Introduction
Horror musicals can be incredible, as shown by things like the Beetlejuice musical, Sweeney Todd, and Rocky Horror. Unfortunately horror musicals are rare, and when they come out are often forgettable (have you ever heard of The Lure). An example of excellence in horror musicals is The Hatchetfield Trilogy, which hopefully will inspire the future of the subgenre. These musicals are made by Starkid, a small American theatre company founded in 2009. Starkid has made three of the funniest musicals I've seen, and that allows them to include disturbing elements without scaring casual audiences.
The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals
Rating: 8/10 - Excellent
The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is about a plague of people who start to sing and dance due to an alien plague around a man who, shocker, doesn't like musicals. The story is portrayed through consistently incredible music, with highlights like “Show Me Your Hands” and “Show Stopping Number” being some of the best songs I've heard in a musical. The horror is great, not just when you think about the implications, but also with terrifying moments, like the songs “Join Us and Die”, “Not Your Seed", “Let It Out”, and “Inevitable” not just being impressive musically, but creating moments of dread and fear topping other musicals like Sweeney Todd. Overall this musical is one of the best I've seen, and is all-around excellent.
Black Friday
Rating: 7/10 - Great
Black Friday is about a toy that every kid is asking for, but there is something eldritch behind the craze that will eventually turn to riots and fanaticism. This play is more focused on drama than the other two, and I would consider it to be the least funny, but not by much. The musical delivers horror inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and has a premise that works excellently with that theme. The music is great, but doesn't reach the heights of The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals. Songs like “Feast or Famine” and “Do You Want To Play” skillfully drive home the horror of the situation. Overall, Black Friday is great, but not quite as good as The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals.
Nerdy Prudes Must Die
Rating: 9/10 - Outstanding
Nerdy Prudes Must Die is an excellent musical which twists classic slasher tropes into something incredible. The show is hilarious, with comedy intertwined skilfully with the horror to alleviate tension but keep a masterfully built up mood. The songs are good, with “The Summoning”, “Dirty Dudes Must Die”, “Bury The Bully”, “Go Go Nighthawks!”, “Hatchet Town”, and practically the entire soundtrack being worth listening to regularly. This is not to understate the horror, as it is just as scary as classics like Nightmare On Elm Street, but lacks the violence, making it palatable for a wider audience. My only issue with it is that the comedy can rely on callbacks to the previous two, and the series Nightmare Time, in the same setting, riffing on the Twilight Zone. Overall it is impossible not to recommend this to literally everyone, whether you love or hate musicals or horror, there is something to enjoy for you here.
Why The Hachetfield Trilogy Should be an Inspiration for Future Horror Musicals
Of all the horror musicals that exist, I believe that The Hachetfield Trilogy is the best choice, feeling like horror movies that use songs to tell their stories, instead of musicals with a spooky vibe. There are other horror musicals, some of which are incredible, like Rocky Horror, but often when someone tries to recapture the feeling they end up making something messy and jumbled like REPO! The Genetic Opera (not to say I hate REPO! but it's undeniably overstuffed and lacks an editorial hand). The reason I think The Hachetfield Trilogy is a series people should be inspired by is that they feel less like musicals with a spooky vibe, but more like horror films that use music to tell their stories. I don't think you should ignore other influences, but using songs in place of chases or action sequences works excellently.
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