Movies

Just in Time for Halloween: Some Great Horror Movie Soundtracks

Danny out in Edmonton has compiled this list of horror movie soundtracks. Anything you want to add?

A horror movie’s intensity, suspense or sheer creepiness can be enhanced even more by the music selected to accompany the scene. Good horror movie soundtracks add suspense, give us chills and in some cases even add comedic levity to a potentially intense scene. The perfect musical selection can be a trigger that when heard outside the movie, can take you back to the scene it was featured in and re-ignite the emotions being felt while watching that scene initially.

There have been many orchestral scores that have had this effect. Exorcist, Halloween, and even Jaws all had soundtracks that enhanced the all around scariness and intensity of the scenes they were used in. The majority of these scores were written specifically for the movie. You can find a wide variety of “Best Horror Movie Soundtrack” lists featuring orchestral scores online. But what about a soundtrack that is a compilation of artists whose singles may not have been written for the movie. The music can still have an equally  effective impact as any spooky orchestral score.

Here’s a list of some of the more powerful horror movie soundtracks that are not orchestral scores but still had a huge effect on a movie or scene.

Read the whole list here. My favourite? I’m from Winnipeg, so the law dictates that it must be Phantom of the Paradise.

Somebody Super Like You from schufu gatouleas on Vimeo.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39164 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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