I’ve said it many times before, music (or lack
there-of) makes a horror film. Over the past 50 years, the horror genre
has pumped out some of the most iconic film scores of all time. Songs
that send chills down your spine and make you think of impending doom
every time you hear their ghastly melody.
I love a good horror soundtrack, it’s a big appeal
for me and something that I think modern horror has lost a sense of. In
this here article, I’m going to list some of the most iconic (as well as
some of my favorite) horror theme songs that you may, or may not, have
heard of.
10. The Shining – Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind
What a beautifully haunting main title. As the
Torrance’s little VW Bug winds its way through the jagged Rocky
Mountains, we’re subjected to a collection of sounds that sound both
human and supernatural. It is a perfect indication of the fear and
trepidation that the film instills on its viewers as it progresses to
its rocky finale.
9. The Twilight Zone – Marius Constant
This is probably the most iconic television theme
song of all time. It was composed for the second season of Rod Serling’s
seminal hit television show by Marius Constant and it has become a
staple of many lives, mine included. Every time I hear that fantastic
little jingle I get excited about whatever strange and wonderful journey
I may be going on, even if seen the episode a hundred times already.
You can almost see the swirling, hypnotic background when you hear it.
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street – Charles Bernstein
Considered by Rotten Tomatoes to be one of the best
films of 1984, Wes Craven’s Freddy Krueger sliced his way into horror
fan’s hearts forever as one of the crudest, rudest and generally
hilarious slasher villains out there. The theme is another great,
haunting and melodic, and funnily enough, heavily inspired by Gary
Wright’s Dreamweaver (seriously, check it out here).
7. Poltergeist (Carol Anne’s Theme) – Jerry Goldsmith
This is one of my absolute favorite themes in the
horror world, because it’s the exact opposite of what you would expect
with the theme for a horror film. It’s a beautiful song, and it
perfectly exemplifies the sweet innocence of our protagonist, Carol
Anne. It’s sweet melody, sung by a choir of children, soothes the heart
in the oddest of ways and helps you realize that maybe, just maybe,
everything will be alright.
6. The Omen (Ave Satani) – Jerry Goldsmith
A double-whammy for Jerry Goldsmith, then again
he’s one of my favorite horror composers, this being my favorite of his
compositions (however, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum).
This is the theme for Damian, the son of Satan, in the amazing occult
film The Omen. “Ave Satani” features a choir
singing a Latin chant that translates to “We drink the blood, we eat the
body, raise the body of Satan. Hail! Hail, Hail Anti-Christ! Hail
Satan!” It’s dark shit, and it’s exactly what The Omen needed.
I remember being immediately taken with this score when I first watched
the film some 12 years ago. It played a huge part in my future
fascination, and borderline (who am I even kidding) obsession with the
horror genre.
5. Hellraiser – Christopher Young
Clive Barker had original commissioned a the
soundtrack from his breakthrough film from the industrial band Coil,
however he later rejected it. The job then fell upon the shoulders of
Christopher Young, who created the eponymous theme song, and Lemarchand’s Lullaby that
makes us all immediately imagine chains flying at us from all
directions. I fucking LOVE this whole soundtrack, it sets up the film
with a grandiose feeling of dread and wonder.
4. Suspiria – Goblin
Suspiria is one of the
most talked about horror films of all time. I feel as if I’ve always
heard people referencing this film, in some way or another. It’s a
fantastic film, more art house than anything, that tells the story of a
young American girl who attends a prestigious dance school in Italy only
to discover that it’s no mere dance school (forgive the cliché ridden
summary). The reason I find this theme so intriguing (aside from the
fact that it’s really just pretty damn awesome) is that it is so
regularly used in pop culture references that most people probably don’t
even realize they’ve heard it, and would recognize it almost
immediately. Finnish rock band HIM, used it as intro music for their
American tours for years, as an example.
Who made the final 3? Head inside to find out.
Who made the final 3? Head inside to find out.
