THEATERLE

Musical lists

Spooky musicals for Halloween

Musical theatre has a dark side, and it is perfect for Halloween. Sweeney Todd serves up a murderous barber and his pie shop, The Phantom of the Opera has a masked figure haunting an opera house, and Little Shop of Horrors grows a man-eating plant. For lighter chills, The Addams Family and Beetlejuice turn ghosts and ghouls into comedy.

Each show below links to a guide with the plot, songs, and characters, which helps if you are planning a themed watch party, a Halloween playlist, or a costume. Some of these shows are gory or intense, so check the guide before bringing younger viewers.

14 musicals on this list.

  • Sweeney Todd1979 · Stephen Sondheim · Sung-throughA vengeful barber slits his customers' throats while his landlady bakes them into meat pies, making it the classic choice for a macabre night out.
  • Into the Woods1987 · Stephen Sondheim · ComedyA witch's curse, a hungry wolf, and a vengeful giant turn familiar fairy tales dark, especially in a second act full of danger.
  • Carrie: The Musical1988 · Michael Gore · DramaBased on Stephen King's horror novel, it follows a bullied teen with telekinetic powers whose prom night turns into a nightmare.
  • The Phantom of the Opera1988 · Andrew Lloyd Webber · Sung-throughA masked, disfigured genius haunts the hidden passages beneath the Paris Opera House, complete with a candlelit underground lair and a falling chandelier.
  • Kiss of the Spider Woman1993 · John Kander · DramaA seductive Spider Woman whose kiss brings death haunts the fantasies of an Argentine prisoner, giving this dark drama a supernatural chill.
  • Jekyll & Hyde1997 · Frank Wildhorn · Sung-throughBased on Robert Louis Stevenson's gothic tale, a doctor's experiment unleashes his violent other self, Edward Hyde, on the streets of London.
  • Bat Boy: The Musical2001 · Laurence O'Keefe · ComedyA half-boy, half-bat creature found in a West Virginia cave sets off a campy horror comedy that grows steadily bloodier.
  • Little Shop of Horrors2003 · Alan Menken · ComedyA talking, bloodthirsty plant grows bigger with every person it eats in this sci-fi horror comedy with a doo-wop score.
  • Wicked2003 · Stephen Schwartz · Rock/PopWitches, flying monkeys, and a green-skinned heroine branded wicked make this backstory of Oz a natural pick for Halloween costumes.
  • The Addams Family2010 · Andrew Lippa · ComedyGomez, Morticia, Wednesday, and a chorus of ghostly Addams ancestors bring the famously creepy family to a very strange dinner party.
  • A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder2013 · Steven Lutvak · ComedyA cheerful heir bumps off the relatives standing between him and an earldom, all played by one actor, in a comedy built on murder.
  • Heathers: The Musical2014 · O'Keefe & Murphy · ComedyA dark high school comedy where a mysterious new boy's revenge on the popular crowd turns deadly. Best for older teens and adults.
  • Beetlejuice2019 · Eddie Perfect · ComedyA chaotic demon, a newly dead couple haunting their own house, and a teenager who can see ghosts make this the most Halloween-ready comedy here.
  • Death Becomes Her2024 · Mattison & Carey · ComedyTwo rivals drink a potion for eternal youth and keep going even as their bodies break, a gleefully gruesome comedy about refusing to die.

More lists of musicals

All Broadway musicals A to ZMusicals by composer