Does horror translate to the stage? Before Dracula was a film, it was a very popular Broadway play in 1927 and '28, starring Bela Lugosi himself. Another stage version starred Frank Langella in 1977, which also made the move to the big screen.

So maybe it's horror musicals that don't fare well? But there, too, we have one giant problem: The Phantom of the Opera, one of most successful productions of all time. Even its spiritual little brother, Jekyll & Hyde, ran for more than 1,500 performances and won multiple awards.

But mixed among these successes are some pretty terrible adaptations of horror novels. Here's a quick breakdown of three shows that were frighteningly bad.

Frankenstein - A New Musical (2007)

The story: This deadly serious version changes the story so that the Creature, after being rejected by Victor, takes revenge on his creator's entire family, and a few friends. Lots of deaths here, including a young boy (Victor's brother) strangled, an innocent woman hanged for the crime, and an old blind man crushed to death by the Creature's too-enthusiastic hug. The Bride makes a brief appearance, but Victor kills her almost immediately after creating her. The Creature not only talks but sings, which can take some getting used to. There's no joy or camp here -- head for the Young Frankenstein musical for that.

The production: This version only ever played off-Broadway. It ran for just 70 performances, 25 of which were previews. There was also a production in Fort Wayne, Indiana—not exactly known for its theatre scene—that ran for three weeks. However, a London version actually won "Best Show of the Year" in 2009.

What the critics said: "With nary a shriek, of either humor or horror, in its drably earnest two hours of throaty sturm und drang." (New York Times) "It's a fright all right, just in all the wrong ways. Bombastic and mind-boggling, the musical misfire... ransacks Mary Shelley's gothic classic." (New York Daily News)

Standout song: "Your Father's Eyes," in which Victor's father sings about believing in his son, no matter his sins, is actually quite moving. It makes no mention of science or monsters, so it stands on its own. You could perform it a wedding and no one would know where it came from.

Carrie (1988)

The story: What's the most iconic moment in the film Carrie? A bucket of pig's blood dropping on her after she's crowned prom queen. But that amount of blood would flood the actor's wireless microphone, so in the musical, bullies Chris and Billy just run up on stage and throw the blood on her, which doesn't drench her or cover her much at all. That's just one of many disappointing changes made by the stage version—though technically it's based on the original Stephen King novel, not the Brian De Palma film adaptation. Still, it had King's blessing and its book was written by the film's screenwriter. One critic said the play swung too much between "seriousness and schlock," while the New York Daily News accused it of "gratuitous vulgarity," likening it to 2 1/2 hours of MTV videos.

The production: The show didn't last nearly as long as Frankenstein. Just 16 previews and five performances, at a cost of $8 million. It became legendary as one of the most expensive flops in Broadway history. There wasn't even time for an official cast album.

What the critics said: "Most of Carrie is just a typical musical-theater botch, albeit in the echt West End style (lots of smoke, laser and hydraulic effects)." (New York Times). "This show would need the lunacy of a Charles Ludlam to cut through King's hooey and psychobabble. What it gets from director Terry Hands is a sobriety that is often unintentionally funny." (Associated Press)

Standout song: Before dumping pig's blood on Carrie, the bullies have to get the blood, right? The result is "Out for Blood," a song about killing a pig, which must be heard to be believed. It includes lyrics like "Now it's your chance to prove you're a stud / It's a simple little gig, you help me kill a pig / And then I've got some plans for the blood," along with lots of pig sound effects, thunder crashes, shout-singing, and some fine examples of 1980s minor-key guitar riffs.

Dracula, the Musical (2004)

The story: Dracula returned to Broadway more than 75 years after the aforementioned 1927 play. This time, it was a musical, and a confusing one at that. Though it hews closely to the novel and the 1931 film, a lot of plot and character backstory is sung once and never mentioned or explained again. As Dracula pursues Mina Harker, he asks "Why do you keep me waiting? I'm not accustomed to waiting," though he's immortal and time is irrelevant to him. In the end, he decides the only way to ensure her safety is to die, instead of just going into hiding as he has done for centuries. So she kills him with... a Bowie knife. Even a brief nude scene by Kelli O'Hara and generally cool special effects couldn't save this mess.

The production: The show lasted 154 performances (about 19 weeks), but reviews were unanimously dreadful. It's possible critics were still mad at composer Frank Wildhorn, whose pedestrian, derivative Jekyll and Hyde somehow became a decent hit. The show had only a six-piece orchestra, so much of the music came from synthesizers, which isn't good for anyone's ears. No reviewer found it scary, which is the whole point of Dracula.

What the critics said: "It just isn't much fun to trash something that's so eminently, obviously trashable. Dracula, the Musical isn't simply bad... it is bad and boring." (New York Times). "Rattles the old bones of Bram Stoker's novel without generating a moment of suspense, horror, romance, or even vague interest." (Variety)

Standout song: "The Heart is Slow to Learn" is a perfectly nice Broadway song. But it's just as forgettable as the rest of the score.





Have you seen or heard any of these shows? Take center stage in the comments.