I Want To Know If You'd Watch Musical Versions Of These Halloween Movies

I would like Bette Midler to put a spell on me live and onstage please.

I recently rewatched Hocus Pocus with some friends to gear up for the sequel, and we all came to the conclusion that it's truly wild that Disney has yet to turn this movie into a musical.

Disney / Via giphy.com

I mean, the costumes and set design totally lend themselves to a stage version.

Disney / Via giphy.com

Plus, it already has a big song-and-dance number, and there's plenty of material for more.

Disney / Via youtube.com

I personally would love to see an adult in a black cat costume singing a mournful ballad about being cursed with eternal life.

Disney / Via giphy.com

Not to mention the fact that Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and (of course) Bette Midler all have stage experience, so they could totally play their characters in a live musical version, too.

Disney

It got me thinking about what other Halloween movies would make good musicals, and I'm curious about whether you agree with my picks.

Okay, now on to the rest of the list:

Halloweentown

Disney / Via giphy.com

In my opinion, Halloweentown — another spooky Disney (albeit Disney channel) classic — works for pretty much all the same reasons Hocus Pocus does, minus the musical number. It's an extremely visual movie, and the costume, makeup, and set design are all super fun and elaborate. I can totally picture a huge song-and-dance number between Marnie and Aggie, with all the townspeople as backup. 

Sleepy Hollow

Paramount Pictures

Sleepy Hollow isn't technically a Halloween movie, but it might as well be — there are jack-o-lanterns! There are also existing musical versions of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow out there, but Tim Burton's take on the tale is particularly perfect for a stage version, and it wouldn't be the first time one of his movies was turned into a musical. (Hello, Beetlejuice?)

Casper

Universal Pictures / Via giphy.com

Casper's house is just begging to be the backdrop to a stage musical — imagine a set where it's split in half like a dollhouse, and you can see Casper, his uncles, Kat, and her dad all in different rooms, singing different parts of the same song?!

Also, I have no idea if Lewis Pullman — aka Bill Pullman's son — can sing and/or dance, but if he can, think how iconic he would be as Dr. Harvey! (Devon Sawa, who played human Casper in the movie, would be an equally amazing choice.)

Once Bitten

The Samuel Goldwyn Company

If you've seen this movie, you know that there are a lot of things about it that would need to be, well, revamped to make it appropriate for modern audiences. There's a lot of overt homophobia and sexism and less overt racism involved (the movie's from 1985, so it's hard to be all that surprised).

But the basic plot — a centuries-old vampire tries to turn a teenage virgin into one so she can remain young-looking and hot — is goofy and fun, and the movie even features a big dance number at the Halloween dance. All you need is Robin and the Countess singing "Hands Off" Brandy-and-Monica-style and you've got a showstopper.

Halloween

Compass International Pictures

Ever since @michaelmyersoftiktok_ showed up on my FYP, I've been loving seeing The Shape dance his heart out. A musical version of the John Carpenter classic would yes, be ridiculous as hell, but it'd also be entertaining and fun as hell if done right.

May

Lions Gate Films

May is such an underrated, visually interesting movie, and I think putting a musical spin on it could really breathe new life into the story. Taking an American Psycho: The Musical approach to it would make for a fantastic musical, and since May loves to sew, including a meta scene where she's sewing costumes for herself and other characters to wear would be very cool.

Ernest Scared Stupid

Touchstone Pictures / Via giphy.com

I loved this movie as a kid, and as hard as it is to imagine anyone but Jim Varney (RIP) playing anyone but Ernest, I think a musical version of this would be a lot of fun. The thought of Trantor the Troll singing and dancing is too good to pass up.

Ginger Snaps

Motion International

I'd be lying if I said this didn't mostly come down to two things: 1.) Ginger Snaps friggin' rules, and 2.) I want to see an onstage werewolf transformation. The rest is just gravy, though I'm also positive the snappy dialogue would translate well into song lyrics.

Are there any other Halloween movies you think would make a good musical?

Lionsgate

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