After having fun compiling a “Top Ten Horror Remakes,” I thought I would make a list of what I consider the best overall horror scores of all time. Take into account that I picked these on overall scariness, how much the score helps the movie, and how good the music is on its own. A tough one I skipped over was The Exorcist – I didn’t put it in because for one, I only really remember “Tubular Bells,” and two, that song didn’t occur during the parts where I was scared. Anyway, hope you have fun with the list, listening to the tunes, and hopefully discovering some great movie music!
10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Belonging to the last generation of kids that grew up with movie rental stores, the “horror” section was always enticing to me as a little one. Although I knew what nightmares lay inside those VHS cases, I couldn’t help my curiosity. Like many kids, the ‘Nightmare’ series was always skin crawling because Freddy Kruger was not only a creepy, burnt up serial killer with metal claws, but he took over you while you were sleeping. The score reflects this dream-like horror that gave many people goose bumps when the film came out (and still to this day).
9. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Exploiting the common fear of childbirth, Rosemary’s Baby is a very scary movie that will probably remain so for as long as us humans watch horror flicks. The theme to the movie is a haunting, but beautiful piece that evokes images of a mother singing a lullaby to their child.
8. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
I love pretty much all of Goblin’s scores, and since Dawn of the Dead is one of my favorite horror movies I have to put it on the list. I can’t say the movie is really scary anymore (in fact even when it first came out George Romero intended for it to be a bit campy – ‘satire,’ in his words), but the Italian prog-rock group Goblin plays an eerie, foreboding score that promises a zombie apocalypse is not far off.
7. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Little did I know that after renting this film years ago from the local library (I know…renting movies at a library; hey, reading takes longer) that I would be totally blown away. Back then I was naïve and was not spoiled as to the ending, and it was a shocker. Although in recent years Shyamalan has gone downhill, at least he has made a masterpiece for us to enjoy for years. The score is just as haunting as the film, and it’s always good when a musical piece for a horror film starts to make you paranoid while you’re listening to it.
6. Children of the Corn (1984)
I saw this movie in kindergarten. It gave me nightmares. The music had a lot to do with it (and possibly the kids hanging on crucifixes, kids stabbing people to death, and pure evil ground lumps).
5. Halloween (1978)
Need I say anything? This is one of the most popular scores in the horror genre, and it was composed by the director himself, John Carpenter!
4. Stephen King’s It (1990)
This was one of the first horror movies I watched as a kid and it was pretty scary! Although the kid-half of the film is far superior than the second, adult-half, Tim Curry is terrifying as the child-killer Pennywise the clown and the music is frightening as well.
3. Psycho (1960)
One of the most well respected film scores of all time, and for good reason. Bernard Herrmann composed many of cinema’s greatest scores, including North by Northwest, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Taxi Driver. In Psycho he limited himself to string instruments only in his orchestra and the effect is pure horror!
2. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Cannibal Holocaust is one of the vilest, most disgusting movies ever made. It was one of the first “found footage” movies, where a documentary crew goes out into the jungle and gets eaten by cannibals. The director, Ruggero Deodato, was sentenced to court after the making of the film because he was thought to have actually killed his actors in the making of it (because the special effects were so life like). It’s still up in the air how much of the movie is really staged, especially considering he used REAL cannibals in his film. The score is brilliant, however; Riz Ortolani composed one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard as the opening of the film, an extreme contrast to the events about to unfold. And for the scary scenes, a highly disturbing synth/violin combo does the trick for an ultimate uneasy feeling.
1. Suspiria (1977)
The film itself has not aged well, but the soundtrack sure has! Another great score from the Italian group Goblin, I must have listened to this score 50 times. It’s so weird, eclectic, and strangely catchy. The thing goes from haunting bells to smooth jazz to rock. There’s a little of everything in here and it’s not only my favorite horror score, but also my all-time favorite score for any movie.
Thank you for reading, and I hope whoever out there reading this will feel free to comment, leave your thoughts, and read my other entries! I appreciate anything, from a simple thumbs up to hardcore brutal criticism! - P. Waters
I think that the most intriguing element of Goblin's score for "Suspiria" is how it catches the viewer TOTALLY off-guard and then manages to draw you in with the sheer odd atmosphere it creates. When I first saw "Suspiria", the music during the first kill scene made me laugh. I laughed at the goofy synth-horns, the plasticine facial models, and the watered-down-ketchup blood. But before long I found myself utterly enthralled and affected by the nightmare Argento had crafted. The scariest part of that movie for me is it's complete ambiguity. It's just so visceral, disconcerting, and untethered by conventions of any sort. Each time the credits roll, I find myself asking if I actually WATCHED a movie, or just fell into a deep and disturbing sleep. Argento just gets it.
ReplyDelete