Get your dancing shoes on!

The recent announcement of a sequel to 2019's Joker was compelling news to movie fans everywhere. And with the recent confirmation that the anticipated follow-up will be in fact, a musical starring Lady Gaga, who most comic fans are expecting to play the Joker's eternal companion in crime Harley Quinn, the news has become an even hotter topic amongst fans. Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) promises a distinctly dark musical tone, and will undoubtedly be one of the biggest stories in fandom when it releases in 2024.

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But before we all dive head-first into the clown prince of crime's upcoming operatic second chapter, let's take a look back at some of the most notable movies that were made in a similarly melodically macabre milieu that we expect Folie à Deux to be made in. In other words: the dark musical.

In this bloodstained adaptation of Broadway titan Stephen Sondheim's vengeful tale of a widowed barber who lives in London, murders people with his razors held akimbo, cooks them into meat pies, and occasionally trims people's beards, is a melodramatic bloody good time. With Tim Burton at the helm, the movie benefits from his unique ability to imbue the story with a sense of gothic horror and larger-than-life musical crescendos. This makes Sweeney Todd a dark musical to keep returning to.

The chemistry between the duo of Helena Bonham Carter's Mrs. Lovett and Johnny Depp's titular Sweeney Todd is palpable. Their relationship on screen could also be somewhat of a tonal predecessor to the dark musical duet that Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga will likely go for in Folie à Deux. The incomparable Alan Rickman shines as the movie's twisted antagonist Judge Turpin, as he did in nearly every role he inhabited throughout his illustrious career.

Bloodsucking sentient plants, a semi-sadist dentist, a poor lovesick schmuck stuck on skid row, and a flawless soundtrack of musical bangers, it can only be the one-of-a-kind 80s dark musical classic Little Shop of Horrors. A deceptively grim musical comedy that manages to be as joyful and heartfelt as any depiction of an attempted global takeover of earth by carnivorous alien plants could ever be.

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A stacked cast of comedy gods (Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, etc.) combined with a timeless soundtrack written and composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, the songwriting duo behind nearly every Disney classic from the 90s, elevates Little Shop to all time status. Being that the movie is directed by Yoda himself, Frank Oz, it also features some of the most amazingly articulate puppetry and creature design one can find in a musical, dark or otherwise.

Easily the most obscure entry on this list, but no less worth experiencing, Cannibal! The Musical is South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999) creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker first major project that they ever collaborated on together, and did so while they were still in college. A deeply overlooked grisly oddball of a movie, Cannibal serves as a rowdy introduction to the infamous duo's trademark comedic style.

The story is an original musical based on a local Colorado legend about a Cannibalistic pioneer named Alfred Packer. This micro-budget indie is truly the first instance of the legendary comedic duo showcasing their talent for writing hilarious, catchy musical tunes, and crafting sublime moments of gratuitous cartoon violence and subversive gut-busting humor. A hidden, gory gem of a musical.

A flamboyantly ghoulish musical might not be the first thing one thinks of when the name Brain de Palma is brought up. But 1974's Phantom of The Paradise deserves mention near the top of the esteemed auteur's long list of big-screen accomplishments. It is possibly the most unhinged and creatively unencumbered movie made in De Palma's decidedly provocative career as a writer and filmmaker.

A rock opera like no other, Phantom stands alone in film history because of it's wildly creative clash of styles, both aesthetically and musically. Celebrated songwriter Paul Williams lends his infectiously dark pop/rock songwriting to De Palma's unbridled and explosive visual style, making it an utterly unique display of filmmaking prowess. This one truly must be seen to be believed.

Few films epitomize the meaning of a campy cult classic more than the infamous The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Instead of relying on cheap scares, it throws out the cinematic rule book and cultivates an unforgettable vibe through its darkly comic personality which absolutely sizzles off the screen and into the minds of its audience. The movie actively disregards any notion of appealing to polite society, and that, among other things, is what has made it last.

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There's a reason this movie has remained as such an object of fascination it's over the years. Rocky Horror is a film that is solely concerned with appealing to a specific audience of movie goers who crave something a little, or a lot, more left-field than your average big-screen Hollywood affair. It flies it's horrifically hilarious musical flag high, and never apologizes for it for a second.

Far from the most shadowy and nightmarish of musicals, but infused with a tremendous amount of darkness of the human spirit, Martin Scorsese's much maligned grand musical experiment from his early years as a director New York, New York, is a fascinating dark musical to return to nearly fifty years later.

Also considering the outsized amount of influence that other Scorsese films that were made around the time of New York, New York like Taxi Driver(1976) and The King of Comedy(1982) had on the story and tone of Joker (2019), it is more than possible that this painfully romantic musical will be also be a key influence on Joker 's impending musical sequel as well. While the film was considered a flop upon its release, the two lead performances remain stellar, and it still contains a handful of sequences that are among the most stylistically dazzling in all of Scorcese's unparalleled filmography.

Next:8 Surprising Broadway Musicals Based on Movies

Writer and lover of Film, TV, books, graphic novels, and storytelling all across mediums. Voracious consumer and ponderer of the creative arts. Occasionally cracks jokes. Bay Area native.

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