Someone, probably Eli Roth, once said that any viewer who doesn’t want to be scared during a horror movie shouldn’t cover their eyes, but should cover their ears. Whoever said that was right because a good cinematic scary story is nothing without an iconic suite of songs to set the tone.
Many of the best musical scores in cinema history come from horror films. Listening to some of the most beautiful songs, one would often be shocked bythe visceral nightmare thatmusic might accompany. Horror scores are perhaps more important to the feel of a film than any other genre’s dulcet tones.
Saw
Score:Charlie Clouser
The massive hit status of the 2004 torture horror classic was a bit of asurprise to James Wanand Leigh Whannell. The yearly sequels gradually overstayed their welcome, but theSawfranchise was a bona fide phenomenon for a while. Many elements contributed to the franchise’s success, but a single song on the film’s soundtrack definitely contributed a lot to its legacy. The soundtrack is composed mainly of hardcore industrial rock. Clouser worked with rock legends, primarily Nine Inch Nails before his career in film scores, and he brings that level of discordant impact to the film. The song “Hello Zepp” swiftly became one of the most iconic horror theme songs of all time, a position it retains to this day.TheSawfranchise is a greatmodern example of a horror score that demonstrates choices outside the typical options.
Maniac
Score: Rob
This 2012 slasher is one of the bestremakes in the world of horror. Elijah Wood stars as a dangerously unhinged serial killer. Almost the entire film is shot in first-person from the killer’s POV, providing a deeply unpleasant level of immediacy to the stylized violence. Along with the unique visual choices, the soundtrack is a massive standout in the genre. French musician Rob, a frequent collaborator with bothManiac’s screenwriter Alexandre Aja and its director Franck Khalfoun, brings a beautiful synth soundtrack to this film. It evokes positive memories of Wendy Carlos' score fromKubrick’sA Clockwork Orange. It evokes the ethereal dreamlike energy of the film, the haunting delusion of its protagonist, and the grim truth underlying both. It’s a stellar soundtrack to listen to without the film, but in the context of the movie, it’s perfect.
The Omen
Score:Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith wrote the score forPlanet of the Apes, Alien, Chinatown, Total Recall, The Mummy, Mulan, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Patton, Air Force One, L.A. Confidential, 3Rambomovies, fiveStar Trekfilms, and much more. He’s one of the most important, innovative, and influential composers in cinema history. Across his legendary sixty-year career, he was nominated for eighteen Academy Awards. He only won one, the 1976 Oscar for Best Original Score for his work on Richard Donner’sThe Omen. The film is an unusual beast. It was greeted with mixed reception upon its initial release but has since remained akey piece of horror history. Goldsmith’s score is a massive booming orchestral powerhouse. The film’s theme “Ave Satani” remains the go-to theme for evil across cinema. This may not be Goldsmith’s best score, but it’s yet another feather in the cap of a true legend in the field.
Halloween
Score:John Carpenter
No list of great horror scores would be complete without the great work of John Carpenter. Carpenter was a one-man army on his first breakthrough hit, the one that would spawn afranchise that goes on to this day. He directed, co-wrote with his producer Debra Hill, and he provided the score. TheHalloweentheme might be the most iconic piano riff in cinema history. It’s so synonymous with the holiday that one can be expecting to hear it in every store come late October. Carpenter borrowed from some of the greatest classic scores, like Goblin’s score forSuspiriaandTubular BellsfromThe Exorcistto create one of his own. It’s haunting and unique, its bizarre time signatures belie something special, and it has been hugely influential over the years. There’s nothing quite like theHalloweentheme when the leaves begin to change and the nights get longer.
Videodrome
Score:Howard Shore
When it comes to horror scores, there are two typical options. The classic symphony orchestra and the modern droning synth. There aren’t a lot of films that blend the two, and even fewer that use both to tell the story. David Cronenberg’siconic body horror classicVideodromepulls it off with aplomb. The film follows a TV station CEO who descends into a world of nightmarish snuff films and synthetic hallucination. The film careens wildly into absurdity as it goes on, so Cronenberg wanted a score that would mirror that dive. Shore created the incredible score forVideodromeby composing for a full orchestra, then translating that soundtrack into a synthesizer. As the film gets deeper and stranger, it becomes more reliant on its electronic sound. It’s the perfect score for the film and one of the best feats of composition in modern cinema.
