Lady Gaga has written countless chart-topping pop songs and appeared in several critically-acclaimed television and film roles - both of which are inspired by her love of horror movies. She gained inspiration for many of her most bizarre and iconic creative projects from horrifying and psychologically thrilling media. She is so proficient in portraying darkness that many audience want Lady Gaga to return to American Horror Story. From her dark "Paparazzi" music video in 2008 to her performances drenched in blood during her Monster Ball Tour in 2011, the influence of horror and the macabre on Lady Gaga's career is quite clear.
With the release of her first album The Fame in 2008, the singer and songwriter Lady Gaga quickly gained a reputation for using dark, outlandish, and artistically fascinating visuals to promote her music. Lady Gaga would go on to release seven more albums and has won a total of 13 Grammys. She is primarily known for her versatile talent, as she often delves into music genres outside of pop music, including the release of two jazz albums with Tony Bennet (Cheek to Cheek and Love For Sale). Lady Gaga proved to be a movie star as well as a singer. Her acting performances earned a Golden Globe for her performance as The Countess on American Horror Story, an Oscar Nomination for her role as Ally in A Star Is Born, and was even nominated for Best Actress at the 2021 Critic's Choice Awards for her performance in House of Gucci. Lady Gaga's awareness of pop culture, dark artistic overtones, and versatile talent are part of what makes her so influential. Many of Lady Gaga's offbeat and macabre creative choices can be traced back to her love of horror films.
Lady Gaga explained her love of horror movies in a 2015 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; wherein she said that she loves scary things and finds them relaxing. This explains why Gaga is so proficient at playing villains, like the witch from AHS: Roanoke, and creating creepy music videos (like "Alejandro"). In the interview, Lady Gaga explained that she’s always been fascinated with the dichotomy of sex and horror experienced simultaneously, which is a prominent theme throughout her music. However, like Lady Gaga herself, the horror movies she cites as the most influential to her defy strict categorization and bleed into the science fiction and the psychological thriller genres. Yet, these films still contain terrifying subject matter meant to elicit horror. By delving into Lady Gaga’s favorite horrifying and psychologically thrilling movies, audiences can see the inspiration behind some of the pop star’s wildest decisions throughout her career.
The Exorcist (1973)
In 1973 William Peter Friedkin directed the ultimate experience in religious horror, The Exorcist. The film followed the possession of a young girl Reagan (Linda Blair) and the two priests (Jason Miller and Max von Sydow) who exorcise the demon. The Exorcist was also the first horror film to garner an Oscars nomination for the Best Picture category. The film has a reputation as one of the scariest and most innovative horror films ever released. There were many tales of audience fainting from fear in the theatre. Lady Gaga commented on how scary she found The Exorcist in 2012 (via Twitter).
Donnie Darko (2001)
The 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko directed by Richard Kelly could be categorized into multiple genres. However, there are several dark themes and terrifying images within the film that fall into the horror and psychological thriller category. The film followed Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhall), a teenager who encountered bizarre time-traveling entities and dreams of an apocalypse. Donnie Darko's mind-bending timeline and bizarre creative imagery garnered a strong cult following. Lady Gaga uses similar bizarre imagery in her music videos that also blur the lines between the science fiction and horror genres, as seen in her music videos for "You and I" and "Born This Way." On an episode of Variety, Lady Gaga told Jake Gyllenhall that "Donnie Darko is religion. If you know your sh-t, you know Donnie Darko."
Psycho (1960)
Psycho in black and white, Hitchcock was able to include much more violent imagery than audiences at the time were used to. Lady Gaga also frequently explores the boundaries of sexuality and violence in her music, performances, and videos. Psycho is also considered an influence on the slasher subgenre of horror that would develop throughout the 70s and 80s. In the 2015 Tonight Show interview with Jimmy Fallon, Lady Gaga compared slasher movies that contain a significant amount of violence to a nice cup of tea.
Rear Window (1954)
psychological thriller films, such as The Woman in the Window. Rear Window is known for its masterful use of suspense, and was referenced in Lady Gaga's song "Bad Romance", alongside some other notable horror and thriller films, making it clear that the artist has a vested personal interest in both them and the genres. The song states Gaga’s love of Hitchcock by referencing his films in the lyric: "I want your Psycho, your Vertigo shtick. Want you in my Rear Window baby you’re sick."
Vertigo (1958)
Hitchcock’s classic film noir genre elements like shadows and mystery to elicit horror and intrigue, and will likely make the viewer afraid of heights by the time the credits roll. Lady Gaga described herself as a “Hitchcock groupie” to Jimmy Fallon and even compared herself to Kim Novak. In her song “So Happy I Could Die,” Lady Gaga calls herself a "Lavender Blonde," which was one of Kim Novak’s nicknames while she was working in Hollywood. Not only does she compare herself to the leading lady of Vertigo, but Lady Gaga also used parts of Vertigo score in the opening scene of her music video for "Born This Way."
Lady Gaga’s love of darkness and intrigue can be seen in the music she creates, the roles she takes on, and the films she loves. Of course, not all of her art is inspired by horror. For example, Lady Gaga recently wrote a song for the Top Gun sequel. However, it cannot be denied her career has constantly been influenced by the horror genre. This can be seen in the murderous plotlines and dark atmosphere of Lady Gaga's music videos "Paparazzi" and "Telephone," as well as her complicated and murderous roles in movies like House of Gucci. Lady Gaga's favorite horror movies show that she has always been well-versed in the realms of darkness and intrigue.
