Horror opera is probably not a term you're overly familiar with, unless you're one of those people that flocked to watch Paris Hilton's face fall off in Repo. You should be, by the way, because that was awesome. Repo started out as a ten-minute operetta called the Necromerchant's Debt that eventually progressed into the spectacle it ultimately became, but what about regular, stodgy opera. Can that be horrifying?

The answer is yes, there have been a few operas that can easily be classified as a horror tales, and some of them are damned frightening to watch. Most of these were adaptations from better known film and literature works, but not always. If you'd like a little fright in your high art evening, then here's five that can provide it.