By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Horror is not a genre you normally associate with music, though there are some killer musicals out there, including old classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and newer features like Anna and the Apocalypse. The only problem with horror musicals, though, is that they tend to focus more on biting Broadway’s style than bringing the bloodshed. If you’re like me and have been looking for the perfect combination of tunes and terror, you’re in luck: Repo! The Genetic Opera is now streaming for free on Tubi.
The Plot Of Repo! The Genetic Opera
Based on the musical of the same name, Repo! The Genetic Opera is set in a bleak future where most of humanity has been wiped out due to widespread organ failure. The ruthless company GeneCo will transplant organs into those who have the cash, which has managed to save lives while also creating a culture of hedonistic body modifications. But when someone misses a payment, these organs can be repossessed, and when GeneCo’s founder gets a fatal diagnosis, it puts him on a collision course with his Repo Man that will change everything.
The cast of Repo! The Genetic Opera is small but full of familiar faces, including surprise appearances by Paris Hilton and even a cameo by Joan Jett. Our chief female protagonist is played by Spy Kids veteran Alexa Vegas, and horror icon Bill Moseley memorably plays one of the GeneCo found’s failsons. Meanwhile, the titular Repo is played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer legend Anthony Stewart Head, and the dying CEO is played by Paul Sorvino, who hasn’t been so scene-stealingly perfect since Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet.
A Cult Failure
Despite this stacked cast, Repo! The Genetic Opera was a box office bomb thanks largely to its very limited theatrical release. Against a budget of $8.5 million, the movie earned only $188,126 (no, that is not a typo). Fortunately, the movie found new life on DVD and Blu-Ray, and it has since picked up an intense cult following that many have likened to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, another bizarre horror musical that has only grown more popular over time.
Critics certainly didn’t know what to make of Repo! The Genetic Opera: on Rotten Tomatoes, the film only has a 37 percent critical score. In general, critics begrudgingly praised the movie for its style but derided it for being gross and insubstantial in terms of its narrative. Notably, though, the movie has a 73 percent audience rating via the Popcornmeter, signifying just how much more it resonated with general audiences than with critics (who are, historically, very hard on horror movies).
Now, time to answer the question you’ve probably been screaming at your screen: why the heck am I recommending that you watch Repo! The Genetic Opera, a movie that couldn’t even earn $200,000 at the box office and is generally reviled by the critics? For one thing, the music is surprisingly catchy. That may not sound like much, but considering how much the lyrics to “Things You See In A Graveyard” live in my head rent-free, I can’t help but recommend this movie to other horror fiends eager for a fresh bag of ear candy.
Additionally, while Repo! The Genetic Opera has some terrible performances (Paris Hilton rightfully earned a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress), it also has some unforgettably wonderful ones. Paul Sorvino manages to give great line readings and croon some killer tunes while chewing every bit of scenery he can find, and I have genuinely never found this talented actor more captivating. As for Anthony Stewart Head, it’s incredibly rewarding as a Buffy fan to see him ditch his staid librarian persona to play against type as a kind of hitman with a heart of gold.
Finally, as a horror fan, I have to recommend Repo! The Genetic Opera for trying something different. This is a genre filled with tired tropes and shopworn ideas…like, how many times am I supposed to care about teenagers getting hunted in the woods or killer sharks terrorizing a tiny town? Repo! takes big swings that don’t always connect, but it has the distinction of being completely unique…the kind of ambitious horror freakshow splatterfest that we may never see another director attempt to create.
REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA REVIEW SCORE
Will you find Repo! The Genetic Opera as engaging as I did, or will you want the Repo Man to come take your eyes after you watch? You won’t know until you stream it for free on Tubi. After realizing that you’ll never see something so weird again, though, you may be left with an emptiness inside of you that not even GeneCo could properly fill.
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