Horror Movie Scores & Soundtracks
The mood of horror films is established not just by spurts of blood and spine tingling plot lines, but by scores and soundtracks. Sound can enhance spook factor or give horror its campy edge. Today, let’s examine a few great uses of music in horror.
In John Carpenter’s Halloween, a slasher flick that came to define horror well into the 80s, a high-pitched and turbulent piano melody define the film’s musical theme. Played in 5/4, the idiosyncratic time signature heightens the discomfort of the listener. Elsewhere, keyboard stabs cause viewers to jump out of their seats and descending piano lines force a bit of audience contemplation. There is a simplicity to the music mainly because Carpenter is playing the piano. He reports that he has “minimal chops as a musician” but the impact of this score is deeply felt. Boo!
Jennifer’s Body, Diablo Cody’s 2009 effort, featuring a demonically possessed Megan Fox chewing up the bodies of teenage boys, opts for a different musical approach. The musical sensibility is defined by the use of 22 songs written and recorded by bands, which include contributions from Hayley Williams, Panic! At the Disco, and All Time Low. Indeed, Fueled by Ramen is well-represented here. By leaning into the emo-punk wave of the late aughts, Jennifer’s Body in retrospect can read almost like a time capsule, allowing us to question how patriarchy and on band’s desire for fame conspire to harm young women.
Panos Cosmatos’ Beyond the Black Rainbow, a 2010 release, uses music to temporally dislocate the audience from their present day. The sci-fi thriller, set in 1983, has a score composed by Sinoia Caves. In conversation with Noisey, Caves used old analogue synthesizers that dates to the period of the film. By employing 80’s gear, Caves enhances the period piece of it all. The music is ominous and suspenseful, but this almost musicological approach to texture is what makes the soundtrack worth a listen.
There’s so many great scores and soundtracks coming out of horror. It’s definitely a genre where music can exist almost like a narrator, pushing us through the plot into spaces of terror. I hope that, this Halloween, you clue your ears into the soundtracks of your favorite horror flicks. Listen deeply and consider how music informs your viewing experience.
