An often under-appreciated, yet vital aspect of the horror movie is the soundtrack or score. Without it, how would we know if a character was about to be attacked or if a room is hiding some invisible evil? If a horror movie does it right, a well written score can become as memorable and frightening as the main villain. Throughout the years certain horror movies have become as well known for their score as they have for the film itself.
These seven films are just a few of the very best:
7. Theme from Jaws (1975)
Never have two notes signaled such destruction. Is Stephen Spielberg’s 1975 summer blockbuster Jaws a horror movie? The debate will likely continue to rage on and on. However the movie is categorized, one thing is sure: Many folks left the theater with a fear of the water. The shark itself, constructed of foam and other low-grade special effect materials, could certainly have been made to look a tad more realistic. Thankfully, with John Williams’ brilliant score, this man-eating menace seemed all the more frightening. Unique in the fact that it was comprised of only two alternating notes, E and F, it is a tuba that welcomes the titular character Jaws whenever he enters the scene… forever making tubas as scary as deep, dark water.
6. Theme from 28 Days Later (2002)
Danny Boyle’s post-apocalyptic masterpiece approached the zombie sub-genre in such a unique manner that the movie inspired its resurrection. Instead of slow-moving dullards, the zombies in this film chased down their prey like rabid dogs… fast rabid dogs. The desolate landscape of a once thriving London was enhanced with John Murphy’s score. The orchestral work starts out faint but builds slowly until it reaches a sort of orchestral climax that enhances the kind of edge-of-your-seat scares that this film is known for.
5. The Woman soundtrack (2011)
It would seem that everything Lucky McKee touches turns to gold. After his 2002 sleeper hit May, he returned to the horror genre with a vengeance with The Woman, a violent and shocking story of an everyday family man who decides to kidnap and “civilize” a woman he finds in the woods… with disastrous results. One of the film’s most unique qualities, aside from just being all around amazing, is McKee’s choice of using Sean Spillane to create one of the best horror soundtracks of all time. Unlike most horror movie scores, Spillane has created an album that can stand on its own outside of the movie and leaves people wondering why this guy’s name hasn’t been seen at the top of various music charts. While some have argued that having a soundtrack so good can take away from the movie, each song seamlessly fits into the scenes of the film. Since the movie does all the heavy lifting when it comes to scares, the soundtrack is able to just be amazing in and of itself.
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.