Horror Movie Review: Eldritch USA (2023)

I do enjoy a horror musical, especially ones that really lean into the theatre and campiness of it all, but good ones are far and few between. There’s no touching the classics like Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors, but modern times has produced the likes of Repo! The Genetic Opera, Stage Fright (horribly underrated), and Anna and the Apocalypse. Those are great examples, but the reality is, I’ve seen more bad horror musicals then good ones.

So, where does Eldritch USA sit? Sort of the middle, leaning towards the good, and all because for its flaws, it embraces the theatre and campiness of it all.

Written by Ryan Smith, who co-directed the film with Tyler Foreman, Eldritch USA stars Graham Weldin, Andy Phinney, Cameron Perry, Aline O’Neill, Westan McNew, and Rebecca Claborn. The film features original songs by Fox Royale, and trust me, some of these ditties will get stuck in the head for hours afterwards.

So, what’s the story? It’s basically sibling rivalry twisted around Lovecraftian horror, with a sprinkling of zombie mayhem thrown in. Which sounds like quite a lot and liable to confuse, but the main focus of the film tends to stay on brothers Geoff and Rich, who have spent their entire life competing, with the former always coming out on top.

It really gets under Geoff’s skin, especially as Rich goes out of his way to take every opportunity away from him, but not to the extent that he would ever hurt his sibling. That is until a freak accident sees Rich wind up dead. Panicking, Geoff enlists the help of his best friend and a backwoods cult (it makes sense in the film) to resurrect his brother.

It works, except Rich is different now, he’s nice. Which might not seem like a big deal, but for this character, it’s shocking. Maybe death changed him? Maybe he genuinely wants his brother to finally be lucky in love? Or maybe something else came back during the resurrection? Something with really sinister plans for the world.

It’s a solid story with fun turns, told in engaging fashion, and with a cast game for the silliness, but also capable of delivering the serious stuff when it matters. While there’s nothing that original here, the different horror elements put together, blended with comedy, and with the musical twist makes it feel particularly fresh. It helps that the characters are all wholly likeable too. Even the ones that we’re not supposed to like!

As for the songs? As I said, there are some that will get stuck in the head but there are also plenty that are completely forgettable. Mainly due to repetition, but also because they’re just not that good. There are times when the lack of energy to the songs is notable too, and it would have been nice to see a bit more dance choreography to things.

Problems enough to ruin the film? Not even close, I really did enjoy Eldritch USA and while I don’t think it will join the list of my favourite horror musicals, it got closer than most in modern times.