[Editorial] Shiloh’s Coming-of-Age Tale in Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

 “Seventeen and you can't stop me!”

Spoiler Warning

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) tells the tale of a dystopian future wherein people regularly buy medical care on credit through a company called GeneCo, and if the patients can’t pay their bills, the Repo Man comes to take back whatever GeneCo supplied.

And yes, that means he’s regularly killing people by ripping out their organs. But it isn’t just necessary surgery - GeneCo fuels a culture in which it’s stylish to have myriad body modifications done, and the Repo Man may have to rip off your new nose if you can’t pay. That’s all dark enough, but at the center of the story is a sick teenage girl, Shiloh (Alexa PenaVega), who has to stay inside so the air outside doesn't kill her. She has the same disease her mother had, before she passed away. However, what Shiloh doesn’t know is that her dad is the Repo Man. 

Shiloh’s story makes for a perfect, albeit tragic, coming-of-age tale. Shiloh is a seventeen-year-old girl, with an entire inner life that’s always being tamped down. She is almost literally kept in a bubble. She and her father, Nathan (Anthony Stewart Head) live in a gorgeous gothic house, which seems cold and unwelcoming to others. Scattered around her bedroom are various medical supplies, and her bed is draped in plastic sheeting to keep her air pure. Her father keeps her dressed in nightgowns and comfortable clothes, highlighting her fragility and need to stay indoors. He is constantly reminding her to “take her medicine,” which is kept in unlabeled containers throughout the house, like candy. Shiloh’s whole life and identity is wrapped up in her illness, and while she would like to explore her interests - music and studying insects - she hides them from her father, to avoid his lectures about how she can never leave the house. It’s an extreme example of growing up in an overly protective home, and relatable to many. 

In what he insists is an effort to protect her, Nathan keeps secrets from Shiloh. And as the secrets of the story start to unfold, it’s like a soap opera, with twists and turns, secret lovers and old grudges. Nathan carries a lot of anger from his past, which he takes out on others in his role as Repo Man. He tells Shiloh he’s working toward a cure for her disease. He hides that part of himself from Shiloh, though she is becoming an adult right before his eyes. Anyone who has grown up in a family where secret histories start to unravel can relate to the disorienting feeling of suddenly learning you were lied to. Shiloh experiences that feeling several times throughout this film. 

And like in any good coming-of-age tale, there is rebellion. Her father keeps secrets, but so does Shiloh. She dons a gas mask (to protect herself from the air that she has been told is deadly to her) and sneaks out at night to a mausoleum. She studies insects, and collects them, perhaps trapping them the way she feels trapped and studied herself. When she follows an interesting bug out of the mausoleum and into the graveyard, she suddenly realizes two things: 1), that the air won’t kill her, and 2), that she is completely unprepared for the drugs, violence, and horrors of the outside world. She understands she’s been lied to, but she’s not yet sure to what extent. Now that she knows she can venture out into the world, she’s determined to learn the truth. It’s completely understandable that Shiloh wants to learn more about her deceased mother, whom Shiloh never got to meet.

She starts on a quest to learn more about her history, and in doing so, plans to learn more about her own identity. As a teenager, she wants to decide who she is, and start making some decisions for herself. She meets her mom’s best friend, who happens to be the most famous singer in the world, Blind Meg (Sarah Brightman), whom Shiloh idolizes. To her shock, Blind Meg is Shiloh’s godmother, and she can fill in some of the blanks in Shiloh’s family history, including why her father got stuck with the Repo Man job.

Throughout the film, Shiloh has been fighting for the opportunity to make her own decisions and carve out her own path in life. When she’s finally given the opportunity, her choices are horrible because she has been a pawn in GeneCo’s game. The head of GeneCo had been in love with her mother, and to get revenge on Nathan, he uses Shiloh. He reveals the biggest twist of all - Shiloh has never been sick, and in fact, her father was keeping her drugged to keep her “safe” from the world and make her stay home. After revealing this fact, he gives Shiloh a gun and encourages her to kill her father. 

Shiloh has been sheltered, drugged, lied to, and used for her whole life. Her father has loved her, yes, but as part of her coming-of-age story, she needs to decide where to go from there and what to do with this new information. It’s a lot all at once for anyone, let alone a teenager with no one else in the world. Repo! is campy and silly, gory and violent, but also tragic and heartbreaking. 

It’s also an excellent example of horror from its time, with plenty of gore. The director, Darren Lynn Bousman, is also a producer in the Saw franchise, and you can feel Saw’s influence on the aesthetic of the film. Paris Hilton plays one of the heirs to GeneCo, and her character wants to become a famous singer, but her face keeps falling off. I have purposely waited this long to mention it’s a musical. If you liked the sound of this film up until now, I really encourage you to give it a chance. If you don’t normally like musicals, but everything else sounds like fun, maybe you will love it!  If you’re a Buffy fan, you already knew Giles could sing, plus Repo! showcases the talents of Sarah Brightman, who famously sang on Broadway. Repo! The Genetic Opera deserves more love and attention from horror fans, so if you’re looking for a fresh take on a coming-of-age story, give this a try. 

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