Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

I'm not entirely sure where to start with Repo! When I first heard of it, way back when, I was absolutely baffled by it. I knew the concept of a horror musical -- I'd seen Little Shop of Horrors both on stage and on DVD -- but this just seemed...incredibly strange. It didn't really click for me until I heard the first sound byte of Graverobber screaming "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVEEESS", but by then I knew I was hopelessly hooked.

Repo! The Genetic opera is a complete mishmash of things. You have the coming of age story of young Shilo Wallace, who's been kept locked up in her room by her surgeon father (who harbors a dark secret of his own) for fear that a blood disease will kill her. Then there's Rotti Largo and his three bratty kids -- Rotti is the owner of GeneCo, the world's largest provider of medical services and plastic surgery.

You see, organ failures have escalated all over the planet. GeneCo, and other companies like it, provide a service for a price. The insurance rates are high, but the company promises that you'll love your new organs -- and why not a touch up to your face, your boobs or your butt while you're at it? The numbers start to stack up and when people can't pay, that's when GeneCo sends out the RepoMen. These are specially assigned killers who excel in the cleanest of surgeries, and they will track you down until they repossess the organ that belongs to GeneCo, even if that means killing you in the process.

Now, Repo! is not for everyone. It's heavily saturated with gore, the songs are definitely an acquired taste, and the acting is over the top. It was compared to Rocky Horror, and described as being such for a new generation. I honestly couldn't think of a better description, because Repo! is, at heart, a cult film. You're either going to love the hell out of it or raise your brows at everyone who even mentions the film. With a wide cast of stars -- ranging from Bill Moseley and Nivek Ogre to Anthony Stewart Head and Paris Hilton -- and a varying vocal range, this film is a strange concoction that will either work for you or it won't.

The story twists and turns, taking separate plots and weaving them into one gigantic tale of sorrow and loss, mixed in with a heavy dose of comedy and heavy riffs. Repo! makes no apologies for what it is, kind of like the hooker on the corner by the liquor store. It's grungy and gross, it takes a huge social topic and cuts it open while you watch squirming. Really, I wish it was actually longer -- several scenes were cut, eventually making their way online, but there's just so much available here that the film could have easily been twice its length. But sadly, producers will always have their say.

Four years after its making, it's already got a large following who perform weekly shadowcasts, and the original creators (Terrance Zdunich and Darren Lynn Bousman) are looking to take the movie around for another spin, pairing it with their new "The Devil's Carnival" (another post for another time). Sadly, all attempts at a sequel were stunted due to Repo!'s poor returns, and due to Hollywood red tape, the rights are no longer in the creator's hands. But we still have the original, the one, the only Repo! You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll sing!