The burnout, the nerd, the prude, the bully…
With fall fully set in, and winter on its way, it’s the perfect time to snuggle up and go down an old movie bingefest. “The Breakfast Club” or “Sixteen Candles” are perfect to watch at 2 a.m. during a sleepover.
If you’re a perpetual re-watcher like me, here’s your new solution to scratch that 90s movie nostalgia. Only, this one is much hornier, a little blooder and a lot more musical.
“Nerdy Prudes Must Die” is just as outspoken and hilarious as its name suggests. It’s the fifth installment of the Hatchetfield series from StarKid Productions. Like its predecessors, it’s a horror-comedy musical set in the fictional town of Hatchetfield, except this time it’s a parody of 90s’ teen-slashers, complete with the high school stereotypes and questionable horniness.
The musical follows Steph Lauter, the rich girl/resident burnout, and the school’s group of social outcasts, including Peter Spankoffski (the nerd), Richie Lipschitz (a weaboo), Ruth Fleming (the horny virgin) and Grace Chastity (the prude) as they attempt to get revenge on their school’s biggest bully, Max Jägerman.
Things take a bloody turn when they accidentally kill Max and kickstart an ancient ritual which brings Max back from the dead. Now, they must figure out how to stop him before he fulfills his dying promise: “Nerdy prudes must die!”
Of StarKid’s musicals, “Nerdy Prudes Must Die” has quickly become my favorite. From start to finish the show is a riot, playing on classic 90s movies tropes while also twisting them, such as making the horny best friend a woman or having the bully be unironically attracted to the prude. Even the ending is a perfect twist on a couple common tropes, although I’ll keep myself from spoiling everything.
Of course, the highlight of the musical is its songs. All of them are bangers, from “Dirty Girl” (a song about the Grace’s sexual fantasy, where she imagines Max is secretly a Christian), “Nerdy Prudes Must Die” (when the first murder takes place), or “Just for Once” (Ruth’s Falsettos-esque song inside a monologue from the show’s fictional play).
The cast of “Nerdy Prudes Must Die” all kill it, but my two standouts were undoubtedly Angela Giarratana, who plays Grace Chastity, and Will Branner, who plays Max Jägerman.
Giarratana delivers some of the best lines of the show (“I am only one man’s girl, Max, and his name is Jesus Christ.”) and showcases an amazing vocal range. Branner gives my favorite performance of a bully since Joe Keery as Steve Harrington in “Stranger Things,” although Max most definitely does not have a redemption arc. Their duet, “Dirty Girl,” is one of my favorite songs in the whole show.
But I can’t ignore the amazing acting and vocal chemistry between Mariah Rose Faith, who plays Stephanie Lauter, and Joey Richter, who plays Peter Spankoffski. Their two duets, “If I Loved You” and “Cool as I Think I Am (Reprise)” are both in my top five songs from the show.
Another thing that stood out to me was the improved choreography and sound quality compared to StarKid’s other shows. It’s a far cry from their first ever show. This is most noticeable in the group numbers, but even the duets showcase cleaner choreography than their previous show, “Black Friday.”
However, I do think that “Nerdy Prudes Must Die” does have some shortcomings — especially when it comes to the song length. Many of them overstay their welcome just a tad longer than welcome. While on rewatches it isn’t as glaring, during my first watch I often felt like a few songs could’ve easily been just a minute or two shorter. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does sometimes halt the show.
Another thing that may be hard is the references to previous StarKid content. While for the most part they’re innocuous, there were a few times — such as during “Hatchet Town” — where the references felt out of place and detracted from the overall viewing experience. Even as an avid Starkid fan I felt like they were a bit too much.
But I don’t think knowledge of any previous StarKid shows is necessary. Many of the bigger references (such as when an iconic scene from “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals” is reenacted) are blended into the show itself. Overall, if you haven’t seen any StarKid shows before it’s still watchable, even if a few moments might be confusing.
Like many of StarKid’s other shows, “Nerdy Prudes Must Die” is unlike any musical I’ve seen before. But I think it’s a gem even in StarKid’s already star-studded line-up. I think they make the best use of their cast in this show and brought in some newer cast members that flesh out their roles amazingly.
If you’ve got time this weekend to cuddle up and watch a dumb musical, “Nerdy Prudes Must Die” might be something to check out. And hey, good news, it’s free on YouTube.
Watch “Nerdy Prudes Must Die” here.
