By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Horror isn’t a genre we usually associate with music, although 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, however, is that they tend to focus more on the biting Broadway style than on bloodshed. If you are like me and looking for the Perfect combination of melodies and terror, you’re in luck: Rest! The Genetic Opera is now streaming for free on Tubi.
The repo plot! The Genetic Opera
Based on the musical of the same name, Rest! The Genetic Opera is set in a dark future where most of humanity has been wiped out due to widespread organ failure. The ruthless corporation GeneCo will transplant organs to those with money, which has successfully saved lives while creating a culture of hedonistic body modifications. But when someone misses a payment, those organs can be repossessed, and when GeneCo’s founder receives a fatal diagnosis, it puts him on a collision course with his Repo Man that will change everything.
The cast of Rest! The Genetic Opera is small but full of familiar faces, including surprise appearances from Paris Hilton and even a cameo from Joan Jett. Our main female protagonist is played by Child spies veteran Alexa Vegas and horror icon Bill Moseley memorably play one of GeneCo’s failures. Meanwhile, the titular Repo is played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer The legend Anthony Stewart Head, and the dying CEO is played by Paul Sorvino, who hasn’t been this perfect since Baz Luhrmann. Romeo + Juliet.
A cult failure
Despite this stacked cast, Rest! The Genetic Opera was a box office bomb thanks in large part to its very limited theatrical release. Against a budget of $8.5 million, the film only grossed $188,126 (no, that’s not a typo). Fortunately, the film found new life on DVD and Blu-Ray, and it has since garnered an intense cult following that many have compared The Rocky Horror Picture Showanother bizarre horror musical that has only grown in popularity over time.
Critics certainly didn’t know what to make of it Rest! The Genetic Opera: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film only has a critical score of 37 percent. In general, critics grudgingly praised the film’s style, but derided it for being crude and without substance in terms of storytelling. It’s worth noting, however, that the film has an audience rating of 73% via the Popcornmeter, signifying how much more it resonated with general audiences than with critics (who are, historically, very harsh with horror films).
Now it’s time to answer the question you’ve probably been shouting at your screen: why the Damn do i recommend you watch Rest! The Genetic Operaa film that wouldn’t even make $200,000 at the box office and is generally reviled by critics? On the one hand, the music is surprisingly catchy. This may not sound like much, but given how well the lyrics to “Things You See In A Graveyard” live in my head rent-free, I can’t help but recommend this film to other film lovers. horror eager for a new ear bag. candy.
Furthermore, while Rest! The Genetic Opera has some terrible performances (Paris Hilton deservedly won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress), it also has some wonderful, unforgettable ones. Paul Sorvino manages to give excellent line readings and sing killer tunes while chewing up every scenery he can find, and I’ve truly never found this talented actor more captivating. As for Anthony Stewart Head, it’s incredibly enriching as Buffy fan of seeing him abandon his staid librarian persona to play against type as a sort of hitman with a heart of gold.
Finally, as a horror fan, I have to recommend Rest! The Genetic Opera to try something different. It’s a genre filled with tired tropes and hackneyed ideas… like, how often am I supposed to care about teenagers being chased into the woods or killer sharks terrorizing a small town? Rest! takes big swings that don’t always connect, but it has the distinction of being completely unique…the kind of ambitious horror freakshow splatter fest that we may never see another director attempt to create.
REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA REVIEW NOTE
Will you find Rest! The Genetic Opera as engaging as I am, or do you want Repo Man to come watch you after watching? You won’t know until you stream it for free on Tubi. After realizing that you’ll never see something this strange again, you might find yourself with a void inside of you that even GeneCo couldn’t properly fill.
