If you've ever found yourself watching a musical and longing for the addition of murder and
Meat Loaf to liven things up, then you'll be pleased to know that your wish was already
granted back in 2014 with the arrival of "Stage Fright."
"Stage Fright" is 50% horror-comedy, 50% musical, and 100% bizarre.
Meat Loaf plays the role of Roger, the stressed-out producer of a failing musical theater camp.
In addition to being on the verge of bankruptcy, the camp is plagued by a masked saboteur and
serial killer who sings about how much he hates musicals.
Roger is pretty stressed out.
Not only is he trying to save the camp, but he's also raising the teenage children of
his former lover — a broadway diva named Kylie Swinson who was brutally murdered after
a performance several years prior.
Now, Camilla, the daughter of the dead diva, has dreams of following in her mother's footsteps
and sees the camp's culturally appropriative kabuki production of "The Haunting of the
Opera" as her big break.
"Maybe this is what I'm supposed to do."
"You actually want to compete with those theater geeks?
Those kids aren't normal."
Not only is the fictional musical "The Haunting of the Opera" an obvious nod to the real-life
musical "The Phantom of the Opera," it's also the same musical that her mother starred in
on the night she was killed.
"Your mother's role.
"She would be proud."
With Roger's blessing and some deeply uncomfortable sexual advances from the casting director,
Camilla vies for the role of the play's leading lady.
Roger becomes heavily invested in making sure that Camilla gets the part when he learns
that a bigshot broadway agent will be stopping by on opening night, so he ignores the fact
that people are being killed on camp grounds.
The show must go on.
"Isn't it wrong to sing and dance when someone just died?"
"Stage Fright'' received mostly unfavorable reviews, garnering a 37% approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes and a similarly abysmal 39/100 on Metacritic.
Upon viewing the movie, it's easy to see why it failed to impress.
While there are some funny moments, the film doesn't really succeed as a comedy.
As a horror movie and musical, things aren't much better.
There are gallons of gore and a generous smattering of whimsical songs, but the scares are scarce
and the music is ultimately mediocre.
This isn't to say that "Stage Fright" is terrible; it's just not the type of movie you should
watch if you're expecting "Phantom of the Opera" or "Sweeney Todd."
Basically, it's not bad enough to be "bad in a good way," and definitely not good enough
to be celebrated.
Despite the negative reviews, many critics found Meat Loaf's over-the-top performance
to be the saving grace of the otherwise underwhelming film.
If for no other reason than to appreciate the late performer's theatrical flair, "Stage
Fright" is definitely worth a watch.
This comes as no surprise when considering the late singer's own words during an interview
about the film in 2014.
He revealed:
"For almost 50 years, everything that I do on any given night has to be better than the
night before, and if I think it isn't, I'm upset."
It makes sense that someone so committed to making every performance memorable and consistently
outdoing himself would bring that same level of artistic drive to the set of "Stage Fright."
Meat Loaf was best known for his dramatic musical performances and operatic vocals,
so people who knew him solely for his musical abilities may be surprised to learn that the
man behind "Bat Out of Hell" also acted in a number of films throughout his career.
In fact, he has said that he considered himself to be more of an actor than a musician, so
it makes sense that he would be in a movie that combined two of his passions.
Prior to "Stage Fright," Meat Loaf had already racked up quite the filmography with roles
in iconic films like "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Fight Club."
"Well, the first rule is: I'm not supposed to talk about it."
Interestingly, after playing the doomed biker Eddie in "Rocky Horror," Meat Loaf said he
was actually hesitant to star in another musical due to the "infamy" of the horror-comedy.
However, nearly 40 years later, Meat Loaf became intrigued by the opportunity to play
Roger in "Stage Fright."
In particular, he was enticed by the vocal style of his character, which differed from
the power ballad style he was known for, and his presence ended up being the best thing
about the movie.
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