The Hatchetfield Trilogy is a musical franchise that explores the bounds of psychological, emotional, and horror limits. The musical theatre company Starkid, led by founders Matt Lang and Nick Lang, which started the company in 2009, is the genius behind this engaging franchise and its branching stories. Every person in the Starkid team brings amazing voices and songs to beautifully fleshed-out stories, and The Hatchetfield Trilogy and the Hatchetfield series as a whole are a testament to that.
The first musical in this franchise, released in 2018, is The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, and is a comedic horror that sets the stage in the Hatchetfield universe. In this musical, the protagonist, Paul Mathews, is a regular guy working in an office who, as the title suggests, doesn’t like musicals. After a mysterious, blue asteroid lands in the Starlight Theatre, the entire town of Hatchfield starts to sing and dance, to Paul’s horror. Will the cast be able to escape this sing-song apocalypse, or will they all succumb to this musical tragedy?
This musical’s comedic timing and character arcs are perfect for audiences who like character-driven stories that have emotional weight to them. Through the musical, you get a feel for Paul and the people around him, and eventually cheer for even the most sleazy of them. For being a low-budget musical with not a lot of props and multiple people playing different roles throughout the run time, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is a great start and setup for the installments that come after. This musical is a great watch if you like to follow a protagonist's story from start to finish.
This musical’s comedic timing and character arcs are perfect for audiences who like character-driven stories that have emotional weight to them. Through the musical, you get a feel for Paul and the people around him, and eventually cheer for even the most sleazy of them. For being a low-budget musical with not a lot of props and multiple people playing different roles throughout the run time, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is a great start and setup for the installments that come after. This musical is a great watch if you like to follow a protagonist's story from start to finish.
Characters: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Plot twists: 4/5
Main setting: 3/5
Overall rating: 4.25/5
TGWDLM soundtrack ratings worst to best (in my opinion):
14. What Do You Want, Paul?
13. You Tied up My Heart.
12. Show Me Your Hands.
11. Let Him Come.
10. Cup of Roasted Coffee.
9. Cup of Poison Coffee.
8. La Dee Dah Dah Day.
7. Join us and Die.
6. America is Great Again.
5. Not Your Seed.
4. The Guys Who Didn’t Like Musicals.
3. Inevitable.
2. Show Stopping Number.
1. Let it out.
Story: 5/5
Plot twists: 4/5
Main setting: 3/5
Overall rating: 4.25/5
TGWDLM soundtrack ratings worst to best (in my opinion):
14. What Do You Want, Paul?
13. You Tied up My Heart.
12. Show Me Your Hands.
11. Let Him Come.
10. Cup of Roasted Coffee.
9. Cup of Poison Coffee.
8. La Dee Dah Dah Day.
7. Join us and Die.
6. America is Great Again.
5. Not Your Seed.
4. The Guys Who Didn’t Like Musicals.
3. Inevitable.
2. Show Stopping Number.
1. Let it out.
The second installment in the franchise, released in 2020, is Black Friday, and greatly expands on The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals' structure. In this musical, the citizens of Hatchetfield need a Black Friday shopping trip, especially after the newly released Tickle-Me-Wiggly is stocked on shelves. Everyone floods to the mall and enters the main toy store in the mall, Toy Zone, in hopes of snagging one. But this seemingly normal shopping trip turns deadly as cults, needs of escape, and weird doll obsessions start to surface. All this is happening as a war is brewing on the surface. How will the citizens in the mall deal with this weirdly cutesy apocalypse?
Even though the musical is set with entirely different citizens of Hatchetfield, the new cast comes out swinging, with amazingly fleshed-out motivations that make you root for and understand each and every one of them. You can really feel the emotion within each of the songs and the emotional weight that each one possesses. While not having a set protagonist, the musical makes sure to give enough screentime to explore the main characters throughout the run-time. The stage presence of the cast is overwhelmingly amazing. This musical is great if you like an overarching story rather than focusing on a set protagonist.
Even though the musical is set with entirely different citizens of Hatchetfield, the new cast comes out swinging, with amazingly fleshed-out motivations that make you root for and understand each and every one of them. You can really feel the emotion within each of the songs and the emotional weight that each one possesses. While not having a set protagonist, the musical makes sure to give enough screentime to explore the main characters throughout the run-time. The stage presence of the cast is overwhelmingly amazing. This musical is great if you like an overarching story rather than focusing on a set protagonist.
Characters: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Plot twists: 5/5
Main setting: 2/5
Overall rating: 4/5
BF Soundtrack ratings worst to best (in my opinion):
17. Tickle-Me Wiggle Jingle
16. Take Me Back
15. Black Friday
14. If I Fail You
13. Monsters are Men(reprise)
12. Monsters are men
11. Made in America
10.Deck the Halls(of Northville High)
9. CaliforM.I.A
8. What Tim Wants
7. Adore me
6. Do You Want to Play?
5. What Do You Say?
4. Our Doors are Open
3. Wiggle
2. Feast or Famine
1. What if tomorrow comes
Story: 4/5
Plot twists: 5/5
Main setting: 2/5
Overall rating: 4/5
BF Soundtrack ratings worst to best (in my opinion):
17. Tickle-Me Wiggle Jingle
16. Take Me Back
15. Black Friday
14. If I Fail You
13. Monsters are Men(reprise)
12. Monsters are men
11. Made in America
10.Deck the Halls(of Northville High)
9. CaliforM.I.A
8. What Tim Wants
7. Adore me
6. Do You Want to Play?
5. What Do You Say?
4. Our Doors are Open
3. Wiggle
2. Feast or Famine
1. What if tomorrow comes
The third installment in this franchise, released in 2023, is Nerdy Prudes Must Die, and is a combination of better effects from Black Friday and the focus on main protagonist motivations from The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. In the musical, the two main protagonists, Stephanie Lauter and Pete Spankskoffski, are from two different social circles in their high school: the popular kids and the nerdy prudes. After the revenge on the main bully of the school (Max Jagerman) went wrong, Stephanie, Pete, and the other nerdy prudes must navigate the consequences of their actions. Murders, summoning rituals, and reincarnated corpses come to terrorize the group. How will these teens deal with their supernatural predicament?
This musical, being the most recent, is the best of the three, and it really shows with the stage design and direction. The scenes are bigger and better than ever, and the effects are show-stopping. Like The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, you can really feel the deep motivations of both Stephanie and Pete throughout the musical with their will-they-wont-they dynamic. This musical has way more location variety than the other two to flesh out Hatchetfield's main locations and the way the town reacts to said locations. It helps to show the way the town sees itself and gives this franchise an expanded quality. This musical is a great watch for people who adore a classic teen supernatural story.
This musical, being the most recent, is the best of the three, and it really shows with the stage design and direction. The scenes are bigger and better than ever, and the effects are show-stopping. Like The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, you can really feel the deep motivations of both Stephanie and Pete throughout the musical with their will-they-wont-they dynamic. This musical has way more location variety than the other two to flesh out Hatchetfield's main locations and the way the town reacts to said locations. It helps to show the way the town sees itself and gives this franchise an expanded quality. This musical is a great watch for people who adore a classic teen supernatural story.
Characters: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Plot twists: 3/5
Main setting: 5/5
Overall rating: 4.5
NPMD soundtrack from worst to best (in my opinion):
15. If I Loved You
14 . The Best of You
13. Cool as I Think I Am (Reprise)
12. Bury the Bully
11. Go Go Nighthawks!
10. Dirty Girl
9. High School is Killing Me
8. Bully the Bully
7. Cool as I Think I Am
6. Just For Once
5. Hatchet town
4. Dirty Dudes Must Die
3. Literal Monster
2. The Summoning
1 . Nerdy Prudes Must Die
Story: 5/5
Plot twists: 3/5
Main setting: 5/5
Overall rating: 4.5
NPMD soundtrack from worst to best (in my opinion):
15. If I Loved You
14 . The Best of You
13. Cool as I Think I Am (Reprise)
12. Bury the Bully
11. Go Go Nighthawks!
10. Dirty Girl
9. High School is Killing Me
8. Bully the Bully
7. Cool as I Think I Am
6. Just For Once
5. Hatchet town
4. Dirty Dudes Must Die
3. Literal Monster
2. The Summoning
1 . Nerdy Prudes Must Die
There are many different series connected to this trilogy, like the Zoom series Nightmare Time and the one-off musical Working Boys, but those could be discussed at a later date. Hatchetfield, as a story, is complicated and has an immense amount of emotional depth. The complex characters and plot lines run so incredibly deep that it would take hours to explain them all. All I can leave you with is a recommendation to watch the musicals for yourself and explore the story in full. Horror, both psychological and comedic, is this franchise's pride. Starkid has truly made tragedies with beautiful execution.
