B Movies Blog

HHello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping another edition of Lights, Camera, Albums into the ol’ VCR. 

With Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge having turned 20 earlier this year (WOOF), I think it’s only right to give it the LCA treatment. 

If this is your first Lights, Camera, Albums, welcome! 

Just to catch you up, LCA is a series where I take an album and pair each song on the tracklist with a different movie.

Sometimes, the connection is obvious. Other times, you might have to tilt your head to the side, squint your eyes, and apprehensively say, “Oh yeaaaah.” 

Regardless, everyone seems to really dig this series, and I love writing it, so we’re happy that you’ve found your way here. 

We’ve also covered albums by everyone from Chappell Roan to Fall Out Boy, so you have plenty of genres to choose from. 

Now, it wouldn’t be a proper B Movies piece if I didn’t have some disclaimers. 

First and foremost, this album has a lot of references to self-harm, SI, su*c*d*, and all like topics. So, some of the movies I chose also deal with these topics. I’m not here to make light of their subject matter AT ALL. 

I also tried to pick movies that were Hot Topic-coded or Hot Topic-adjacent given how crucial this album was to the Hot Topic culture of the early aughts. 

Secondly, given some of the subject matter, this means we’re going to nix any photos with funny captions. 

And finally, I’m not going to include “Interlude,” and some people will probably be upset with me. 

Alrighty, that should do us for introductions and disclaimers. 

Without further ado, I present to you Lights, Camera, Albums: My Chemical Romance’s Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge: 

“Helena” as The Virgin Suicides 

CW/TW for SI, su*c*d*, self-harm, and all like topics 

This pairing was actually the first I made for this album. I think the lyrics of “Helena” really capture Trip’s (Josh Hartnett/Michael Paré) thoughts about the Lisbon sisters and the heartbreak the deaths left in their wake. 

I also think that “Helena” is a bit shrouded in mystery because you only get the perspective of our narrator, much like with Trip. We don’t know exactly why the Lisbon sisters did what they did, so Trip and the other boys are just trying to make sense of it all. 

“Give ‘Em Hell, Kid” as Jawbreaker 

I’ve been holding on to Jawbreaker for a very, very long time, but I finally feel ready to use it in an LCA for a couple of reasons: 

1. I feel like the venn diagram for millennials who grew up listening to MCR and watching Jawbreaker is basically a circle. 
2. I think Jawbreaker is Hot Topic-adjacent FOR SURE. 

The lyrics that really sold me on pairing these two are these: 

“Well I’m a total wreck and almost every day

Like the firing squad or the mess you made

Well don’t I look pretty walking down the street

In the best damn dress I own?“

It’s honestly giving Courtney Shayne (Rose McGowan) telling everyone to strut their shit down the hallway like everything’s peachy fucking keen while she covers up Liz’s (Charlotte Ayanna) murder. 

“To the End” as Death Becomes Her 

This was another immediate match for me. Death Becomes Her is all about appearances, and so is “To The End.” Things are never what they appear to be, and MCR wants us to KNOW IT. 

For example, Madeline (Meryl Streep) and Ernest’s (Bruce Willis) marriage is absolutely miserable, Helen (Goldie Hawn) is obsessed with taking revenge while pretending to be over it, the list goes on and on. 

I think these two play nicely off of each other because Madeline and Helen’s relationship is the real focal point of the film, and they’re stuck together for eternity. 

“You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison” as Funny Games (2007) 

This might be one of my more obscure matches, but hear me out. I feel like “You Know What…” matches the chaos of Funny Games, particularly the chaos of Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet in the remake. Much like Funny Games, I feel like we don’t fully know the intention or purpose of the events. 

I promise this makes sense in my head. 

“I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” as Donnie Darko 

I knew from the get go that I wanted to throw Donnie Darko into the mix because it and the next movie we’re talking about are two of the most Hot Topic-coded movies I could think of. Then, it clicked with me… 

The character of Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the epitome of this song. Think about it. He’s a teenage kid being told by a demented rabbit that the world is going to end in a matter of days after a near-death experience. I’d be struggling too. 

“The Ghost of You” as The Crow 

Y’all KNOW I wasn’t about to write an LCA about My Chemical Romance and not include The Crow, aka the most Hot Topic-coded movie of all time. And, I feel like “The Ghost of You” could fit right into the soundtrack for The Crow. I also feel like Eric (Brandon Lee) could sing this while thinking about Shelly (Sofia Shinas) and planning his revenge on their murderers.  

“The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You” as Se7en 

Okay, I’m about to spoil a movie that’s 29 years old, but I wanted to give all of you a fair warning in advance. 

My brain somehow immediately connected these two. I feel like this song could play as Mills (Brad Pitt) reflects back on his and Tracy’s (Gwyneth Paltrow) relationship after John Doe (Kevin Spacey, unfortunately) murders her, and Mills finds out what’s in the box. I see it as a lament and potentially slowed down because Mills is not only grieving his wife, but he’s also trying to come to terms with his own hubris contributing to the cause. 

“Thank You for the Venom” as Wristcutters

This might be another one that leaves you scratching your head, but I can explain. 

For those who haven’t seen Wristcutters, the entire premise is that people who kill themselves are sent to a specific sector of the afterlife. However, Mikal (Shannyn Sossamon) is adamant that she arrived there accidentally while Zia (Patrick Fugit, swoon) is on a mission to find his ex-girlfriend who he believes killed herself after his death. And, I think this song matches their intensity. 

“Hang ‘Em High” as Repo! The Genetic Opera

I know Repo! was released a few years later than Sweet Revenge, but you can’t tell me that Repo! isn’t EXTREMELY Hot Topic-coded. I digress. 

I see can absolutely see Nathan (Anthony Steward Head), Shilo (Alexa PenaVega), and Rotti 

(Paul Sorvino) singing this song during the climax of the film after Nathan is revealed to be the Repo Man. There are parts that speak to Rotti’s hatred of Nathan, Nathan’s mourning of Marni (Sarah Power), and the betrayal Shilo feels toward her father. The recurring line, “would I lie to you?”, really drives it home for me. 

“It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish” as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Forgive me for taking this long to throw Tim Burton into the mix, but you’re about to get a double dose. 

This pairing is pretty on the nose, tbh. Throughout “It’s Not a Fashion Statement, It’s a Deathwish,” there are a lot of allusions to vengeance, aka the main theme of Sweeney Todd. The character of Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp, unfortunately) is a resurrection of sorts. After losing everything, Benjamin Barker returns to London as our titular character to exact his revenge. And, wouldn’t you know that these lyrics perfectly align with this sentiment:  

“I will avenge my ghost with every breath I take

I’m coming back from the dead and I’ll take you home with me

I’m taking back the life you stole“

“Cemetery Drive” as Corpse Bride 

I told y’all you were getting a double dose of Burton! “Cemetery Drive” tells the tale of someone’s lover who has taken her own life. While Emily (Helena Bonham Carter) was murdered, I still think it works. 

Both Corpse Bride and “Cemetery Drive” share common themes of tragedy and grief. They both also focus on the aftermath of death from the vantage point of afterlife as opposed to the typical vantage point of the living. Emily is mourning the life she was robbed of and only wants to be loved, which aligns with the mournful tone of our narrator in “Cemetery Drive.” 

“I Never Told You What I Do for a Living” as Lisa Frankenstein

Lisa (Kathryn Newton) would’ve LOVED this album, so I think it’s only right to pair these two. This song is, 100%, from the perspective of The Creature (Cole Sprouse). The Creature almost immediately falls for Lisa, and he’s willing to do anything for her, be it staying in her closet or killing those who wrong her in some way or another.

I also think the poetic and gothic lyrics of MCR really align with the movie, as well as Lisa’s writing. The lines that really sealed the deal for me on this one were: 

“Another knife in my hands

A stain that never comes off the sheets“

And yes, I was picturing the castration scene when I read them.