The 20 Scariest Film Scores Ever?
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20 Scary Film Scores: The Best Horror and Thriller Soundtracks
If it weren't for the scary music that accompanies a horror or thriller movie, that movie might not have the same impact on its audience that the director would have hoped for.
Some of the best known and most popular films in the horror genre also have some of the most recognisable music in movie history. Just hearing it without seeing the film can scare the living daylights out of a lot of people, but marry those chords and notes with a well directed chiller and then you have the makings of a top notch fright night.
So, why not dim the lights, grab a pillow (or the person sitting next to you) and prepare yourself for some of the scariest film scores ever recorded.
Picture Source: Adapted
1. Halloween: John Carpenter
One of horror's most famous themes was composed by the director of Halloween, John Carpenter.
Halloween: The Movie
Halloween
Amazon Price: $5.98 (as of 05/24/2012)
Halloween stands on its own as an uncannily frightening experience - it's one of those movies that had audiences literally jumping out of their seats and shouting at the screen.
2. Psycho: Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann's soundtrack to Hitchcock's movie Psycho is one of the film world's most recognisable scores, and one that you should never play when taking a shower!
Psycho: The Movie
Psycho (Collector's Edition)
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 05/24/2012)
More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters - then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you.
3. The Omen: Jerry Goldsmith
You'll have a Devil of a time listening to Jerry Goldsmith's score to the movie The Omen, the first of which introduced us to the Antichrist, Damien.
The Omen: The Movies
The Complete Omen Collection (The Omen - 1976/ The Omen - 2006/ Damien: The Omen II/ The Omen III: The Final Conflict/ The Omen IV: The Awakening)
Amazon Price: $27.93 (as of 05/24/2012)
The Academy Award-winning score by Jerry Goldsmith is still very haunting as is the rest of the original Omen. Time has not altered the effectiveness of this great chiller which is enhanced by great acting, notably by Greg Peck and Lee Remick. All sequels included.
4. The Exorcist: Mike Oldfield
Taken from Mike Oldfield's best selling album Tubular Bells, his composition was an excellent marriage to the ominous and horrific tale of a young girl in The Exorcist.
The Exorcist: The Movies
The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology (The Exorcist / The Exorcist (Unrated) / Exorcist II: The Heretic / The Exorcist III / Exorcist: The Beginning/ Exorcist: Dominion)
Amazon Price: $12.98 (as of 05/24/2012)
This DVD set comprises the scariest and most fascinating collection of movies in modern horror. The scream of the crop. The fear is here.
5. Alien: Jerry Goldsmith
Another Jerry Goldsmith composition accompanied the crew and its unwelcome guest aboard a spaceship bound for Earth in Alien.
Alien: The Movies
Alien Quadrilogy (Alien / Aliens / Alien 3 / Alien Resurrection)
Amazon Price: $30.50 (as of 05/24/2012)
The Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc boxed set devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here they have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and picture. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years, this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "special edition" form.
6. The Amityville Horror: Lalo Schifrin
The highly respected composer Lalo Schifrin wrote the soundtrack music to the allegedly true story of a family experiencing horrifying paranormal events after having moved into a house where a mass murder had been committed.
The Amityville Horror: The Movies
The Amityville Horror Collection (The Amityville Horror/ The Amityville Horror II: The Possession/ The Amityville Horror III: The Demon/ Bonus Disc - Amityville Confidential)
Amazon Price: $10.47 (as of 05/24/2012)
The infamous Amityville series is based on the true story of a haunted house in Amityville, New York. Even people who haven't seen the movies or read the books will still recognize the appearance of the infamous Amityville house of horror, with it's eyelid like windows that seem to stare at you.
7. The Shining: Hector Berlioz
The movie version of Stephen King's The Shining not only dramatized the claustrophobic and eerie atmosphere of an isolated and possessed hotel, but also included one of the creepiest soundtracks, enhancing the feeling of impending horror.
The Shining: The Movie
The Shining (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Amazon Price: $9.66 (as of 05/24/2012)
Kubrick's The Shining gets under your skin and chills your bones; it stays with you, inhabits you, haunts you. And there's no place to hide...
8. Saw: Charlie Clouser
Known as Hello Zepp, Charlie Clouser's signature theme to the Saw series of movies has appeared throughout the franchise and adapted to the changing situations and various victims of the Jigsaw Killer.
Saw: The Movies
The Saw Trilogy (Saw/ Saw II/ Saw III)
Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 05/24/2012)
All three movies in this package are the unrated director's cuts with footage not shown in the R-rated versions. They have great extras like two short movies including the one that spawned the 2004 movie, commentaries, behind the scenes footage, featurettes, a fun game, trivia, art gallery and documentaries.
9. Jaws: John Williams
No list of scary soundtracks would be complete without John Williams' superb theme to the movie Jaws.
Jaws: The Movie
Jaws (Two-Disc 30th Anniversary Edition)
Amazon Price: $11.86 (as of 05/24/2012)
The story of a Long Island town whose summer tourist business is suddenly threatened by great white shark attacks on humans goes straight for the jugular with beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing sequences of action and suspense supported by a trio of terrific performances.
10. Friday the 13th: Harry Manfredini
Any resemblance to Bernard Herrmann's signature music to the shower scene in Psycho is no doubt unintentional, but Harry Manfredini's signature music to Friday the 13th has some uncanny similarities to Hitchcock's classic in this most famous of slasher movies. Maybe because of the knife.
Friday the 13th: The Movie
Friday the 13th Uncut (Deluxe Edition)
Amazon Price: $4.97 (as of 05/24/2012)
Terror strikes at a recently re-opened summer camp as each of the counselors is stalked by a violent killer.
Download Your Favourite Scary Soundtrack Music
All Available From iTunes
All of the tracks below can be directly downloaded from here to your mp3 player!
| Track | Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween Theme - Main Title | John Carpenter | Halloween (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
| Psycho Theme ( Bernard Hermann / Ensign Music Corp. ) | Halloween Scream Themes / Horror Movie Music With Blood Curdling Sound FX | Halloween Scream Themes / Horror Movie Music With Blood Curdling Sound FX | |
| Ave Satani | Jerry Goldsmith | The Omen (The Deluxe Edition) | |
| Tubular Bells (From the "Exorcist") | Mike Oldfield | Tubular Bells (Deluxe Version) | |
| Theme from Alien | Soundtrack & Theme Orchestra | Movie Themes from the 70's | |
| Amityville Horror Main Title | Lalo Schifrin | The Amityville Horror (Music from the Motion Picture) | |
| The Shining | Halloween Hit Factory | Classic Halloween Theme Songs | |
| Hello Zepp | Charlie Clouser | Saw (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) [Soundtrack from the Motion Picture] | |
| Main Theme (From "Jaws") | John Williams | The Music of John Williams - 40 Years of Film Music (Box Set) | |
| Main Theme from Friday the 13th | Orlando Pops Orchestra & Andrew Lane | The Greatest Sci-Fi & Horror Themes |
The Scary Soundtrack Poll
Register Your Vote!
Ten More Scary Soundtracks
Dim the Lights and Enjoy...
1. Scream
2. Nightmare on Elm Street
3. The Bride of Frankenstein
4. The Thing
5. The Fog
6. Dawn of the Dead
7. Creepshow
8. Suspiria
9. 28 Days Later
10. Drag Me to Hell
The Best of the Horror Genre
Watch the movies and enjoy the soundtrack music from these top horror film selections.
Five More Horror Selections
More classic scary films to make your Halloween the best spooky fright night - or watch them at any time of the year!
About This Horror Soundtrack Fan
With each article, Richard invites you to step into his world of music, television and entertainment. He will introduce you to The Top 10 Albums in the UK, share Halloween Rock Songs and even give you an up close look at some classical actors like Christopher Lee as Dracula.
For a complete list of Richard's articles on Squidoo, please visit Waxing-Lyrical.
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Are You A Fan of Scary Soundtracks?
Your Comments Are Welcomed!
Thank you for visiting! Is there a movie score that you find scary that is not included here? Please let us know below.
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cinefile
May 12, 2012 @ 1:48 pm | delete
- Really enjoyed this lens.
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Rankography
Nov 2, 2011 @ 5:09 pm | delete
- Great stuff. I am adding your lens to my Plexo for Scariest Movies
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CosmeticMom
Oct 29, 2011 @ 11:26 pm | delete
- Oh, I just watched The Exorcist the other night! Creepy!
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poddys Oct 28, 2011 @ 1:12 am | delete
- The soundtrack is the first impression that you get of a movie, so if it really does help to set the scene, or make you feel creepy, then it has done it's job. The soundtrack to Psycho definitely did that for me, and even now it's a creepy movie. I find some of the older horror movies are scarier than the new ones. Nicely done, love the creepy color scheme too, blessed.
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TapIn2U Oct 25, 2011 @ 10:28 am | delete
- Scary! Perfect for Halloween. Sundae ;-)
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TapIn2U Oct 25, 2011 @ 10:28 am | delete
- Scary! Perfect for Halloween. Sundae ;-)
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dotsonr
Oct 18, 2011 @ 3:39 pm | delete
- I love the creepy soundtracks. Great idea for a lens!
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fiercerulingdiva
Oct 18, 2011 @ 11:31 am | delete
- Scary stuff !!
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Sylvestermouse
Oct 17, 2011 @ 8:50 pm | delete
- Just seeing the photos scares me!
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sushilkin Oct 14, 2011 @ 7:58 pm | delete
- great collections.
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wyatt89
Oct 14, 2011 @ 7:35 pm | delete
- Halloween. Michael Meyers. Horrifying! Sweet lens.
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Handytools
Oct 9, 2011 @ 6:12 pm | delete
- Exorcist, Exorcist, Exorcist. Perfect theme.
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nightbear
Oct 5, 2011 @ 10:35 pm | delete
- The Exorcist music is perfect, Gorgeous and Terrifying. Blessed!
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AlleyCatLane
Oct 3, 2011 @ 1:20 pm | delete
- Great lens. I love horror movies but more the gothic or fantasy or sci fi kind, not the slasher type. The Fog sounded pretty scary to me.
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PaulOnBooks
Oct 3, 2011 @ 6:31 am | delete
- Excellent and unusual lens - Angel Blessed
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by Waxing-Lyrical
Scary film scores are one of the best parts of watching my favourite horror and thriller movies.
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