What are the best musical films to watch on Halloween? From scary plotlines and creepy characters to spooky musical scores, this list features all of your favorite haunting Broadway-esque movie adaptations. Tim Burton, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Danny Elfman almost singlehandedly created this genre, dominating the field with their quintessential classics, such as The Phantom of the Opera, Beetlejuice, Into the Woods, Cats, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and of course, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. That being said, these creative geniuses aren't the only Hollywood moguls who redefined Halloween movie musicals. Richard O'Brien and Jim Sharman's The Rocky Horror Picture Show reinvented Halloween's concept of self-expression while simultaneously introducing viewers to a new type of horror and breaking countless glass ceilings.
Grab a cup of hot cider, carve a pumpkin, and take it easy this Hallow's Eve in the comfort of your own home with the festive films below!
Enter the darkly fantasmic world of Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), a creepy, misgevious spirit who haunts a deceased couple's country home. Starring Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Jeffrey Jones, the Warner Bros. / Tim Burton collaborative project redefined haunted mansions and all things Halloween.
From the genius creative mind of Tim Burton with another beautiful score by Danny Elfman, spooky season's favorite leading couple, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, team up once again in the Corpse Bride, a stop-motion animated movie drawing elements from The Nightmare Before Christmas. The PG film fuses old school horror with kid-friendly visuals in a dark, yet sweet, manner.
Actors: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Paul Whitehouse
Director Joel Schumacher's The Phantom of the Opera is a stunning adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber seven-time Tony Award winning romantic tragedy. Filled with elegant set designs, dramatic music, and an exquisite "Masquerade" ballroom scene, re-watching this film might just transport you to pre-pandemic Halloween party nostalgia -- or better yet, motivate you to attend one this season!
Actors: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver
¿Estás listos para el día de los muertos? ¿No? Then watch this 2018 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature Film with a warm glass of horchata or champurrado. Containing a tear-jerking soundtrack written by the dynamic Lopez duo (Frozen), Disney Pixar's Coco vibrantly highlights the importance of connecting with one's ancestors.
Actors: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Jaime Camil
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was far ahead of its time, inevitably functioning as the catalyst for increased LGBTQ+ representation throughout Hollywood. With a fire soundtrack and stellar cast (Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Meat Loaf), the 20th Century Fox cultural phenomenon has an everygrowing cult following that continuously inspires numerous live theatrical performances nationwide.
Actors: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien, Jonathan Adams
Photo: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street / Paramount Pictures
Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter form the haunting dream team in this cinematic musical masterpiece. Serving as a modern adaptation of the beloved Stephen Sondheim Tony Award winning 1979 Broadway production about the notorious English barber serial killer, the film captures the classic Victorian melodrama in an exhilarating, comedic light.
Actors: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
