7 Best Horror Movie Soundtracks
Erin Hoyles
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4. Theme from It Follows (2014)
David Robert Mitchell’s 2014 smash hit was a favorite with both diehard fans and critics. After a first-time date turns into teen sex in the back of a car, a girl finds herself being pursued by a malevolent force that can take the form of a stranger… or someone she knows. Forced to run from this supernatural lesson for having sex, she and her friends must race to find a solution before “it” finally catches up. The film is a slow burn of dread and easily one of the scariest movies ever made. One of the standout, never seen characters of the film is the score. Disasterpiece managed to create a unique and stunning homage to all the great horror scores before it, bringing to mind John Carpenter’s Halloween. A definite reminder of just how much the score can add to the scare.
3. Theme from Saw (2003)
James Wan’s directorial debut and quite a masterpiece, Saw shocked audiences with one of the all-time greatest endings in the horror genre. Taking the concept of a twist to entirely new levels, Wan made history with this movie about a serial killer known as Jigsaw, who would torment his victims in macabre traps. While the movie made Jigsaw a legend and inspired seven sequels, none would compare to the genius of the original. When Jigsaw finally reveals where he has been hiding, it is hard not to feel a bit of a shudder down your spine. That shudder might not be as visceral if not for Charlie Clouser’s “Hello Zepp.” With a pounding, hair-raising arrangement, Clouser manages to seamlessly put music to film in a way that only enhances the utter dread the audience feels when the real Jigsaw finally stands up.
2. Theme from Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Roman Polanski’s film based on the novel of the same name is a psychological horror about a woman whose worst fear comes to life when she discovers she has given birth to the spawn of Satan. In the second film in his “apartment” trilogy, Polanski creates a tense, frightening movie that is still popular today. One of the more creepy aspects of the film was the epic “Rosemary’s Lullaby” (or “Sleep Safe and Warm”) that was part of the score. Written by Krzysztof Komeda, this creepy lullaby is haunting enough on its own, but since it is also the song that trumpets the arrival of the “Baby”… it is all the creepier.
1. Theme from Halloween (1978)
Directed AND scored by John Carpenter, this slasher horror flick is about an escaped mental patient wreaking havoc on a Midwestern neighborhood on Halloween night. Michael Myers, the psychotic antagonist, rampages through neighborhoods wearing a painted white Captain Kirk mask. The only one who can stop him is a teenage Jamie Lee Curtis. Carpenter managed to not only direct the film that became the penultimate slasher flick, he also scored it with one of the most recognizable horror themes of all time. Using only the high end keys of the piano over a looming bass line, Carpenter signals the coming of Michael Myers in epic fashion.
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