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Let Sarah Brightman, Michael Crawford, David Hasselhoff Scare the (Bleep) Out of You

Five of our favorite spooky Broadway moments

A moment from the original <i>Phantom of the Opera</i> music video.
A moment from the original Phantom of the Opera music video.

While many of you might still be stuck at home in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, that’s no reason not to enjoy Halloween from the comfort of your computer chair (provided you still have electricity). In that spirit, we’ve compiled five must-see Halloween YouTube videos for the theatrically-inclined. Beware! Some of our selections are truly ghoulish.

1. The original “The Phantom of the Opera” music video – The Phantom of the Opera

Want to see where the world’s most successful musical got its terrifying start? Oscar-nominated director Ken Russell conceived and filmed this promotional music video for The Phantom of the Opera before the hit musical even reached the West End. It stars Cockney Rebel lead singer Steve Harley and original Christine Sarah Brightman and it is awesome. With just a fundamental knowledge of Bar Mitzvah-style video editing and a trip to Party City, you too can recreate the magic of the original Phantom video in your very own home!


2. “The Time Warp” – The Rocky Horror Picture Show

This big dance number from the cult classic film is always a show-stopper at midnight Rocky Horror screenings around the country. Learn it at home so you can be prepared to dance in the aisles when you get there. It’s just a jump to the left…

3. “A Little Priest” – Sweeney Todd

Have you ever hated someone so much that you wanted to bake him/her into a pie and feed him/her to hungry cockneys? Let stage legends George Hearn and Angela Lansbury indulge your fantasy when they perform Broadway’s cleverest song about cannibalism in this film version of the 1982 touring production of Sweeney Todd. They’ll serve anyone, meaning anyone, and to anyone, at all.

4. “Confrontation” – Jekyll & Hyde

“I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth!” Baywatch star David Hasselhoff gives a tour de force performance of “Confrontation” in the 2001 TV version of Frank Wildhorn’s Jekyll & Hyde.

5. TV spot montage – Dance of the Vampires

Check out this commercial for infamous Broadway flop Dance of the Vampires. It starred Broadway legend and original Phantom Michael Crawford as Count Giovanni Von Krolock, a powerful and sexy Vampire Lord. A Halloweenish nightmare for investors, Dance of the Vampires lost nearly $12 million and was recognized by The New York Times as, “among the most expensive losers in Broadway history.” As the voiceover reminds us, this show “really bites.”