Well, it’s Halloween’s Eve and I’m actually not really into Halloween though I did meet my hubby for the first time at a Halloween party back in high school (I was wearing a black cape and he had a skeleton costume on, ha!) That’s pretty much the only time I actually celebrated this popular ‘holiday’ and those who know me well know I’m not a horror fan at all. I wasn’t going to do anything special for Halloween but I was listening to Classical MPR’s Saturday Cinema with my favorite host Lynne Warfel where she played some of the greatest spooky classics. Then I realized I hadn’t done a Music Break post since last January [gasp!]

Well, to rectify that, I’m listing six of my favorite horror scores… there might be ghosts involved but there’s nothing ghastly about this scary-good music:

Halloween (1978) – John Carpenter

It’s extremely rare that a film director also composes the music for his films, but that’s exactly what John Carpenter did for this 1978 film. Per this article, he did so because it was such a low-budget film there weren’t enough funds to pay a film composer, let alone an orchestra. Carpenter had studied music as a kid and played in bands. He then booked a studio in LA and connected with Dan Wyman—and eventually engineer Alan Howarth—to help him realize the soundtrack with synthesizers.

Well, it’s such an iconic score that’s instantly recognizable!

Alien (1979) – Jerry Goldsmith

I saw this movie as a teen at the theater and it’s truly one of the scariest things I’ve seen in my life. I don’t think I could handle seeing something like this anymore, my nerves are just too feeble now, ahah. But this score is pure perfection, it really should’ve been shortlisted for an Academy Award though Goldsmith was nominated for an Oscar that year for his work in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

There’s such a palpable sense of dread and suspense in this score, it perfectly captures the claustrophobia, paranoia, and pure terror. Yet it’s also quite melodic and beautiful.

The Omen (1976) – Jerry Goldsmith

I promise I didn’t include this score just because Gregory Peck is in it, ha! It’s the only movie of the Omen franchise I’ve seen, and I don’t think I need to bother with the rest. Just like The Exorcist, it’s one of the scariest movies ever involving a possessed kid. The score is equally bone-chilling, another masterful work from the genius composer Jerry Goldsmith!

The choir chant with Latin lyrics makes the song Ave Satani even more sinister and haunting, Per IMDb, that song remains the only Best Original Song Oscar nominee for a horror film, and the only nominee that was written and sung in Latin. The Omen is the only Oscar win for Goldsmith out of a staggering 17 nominations! He absolutely deserved the win for this and at least a half dozen more!

Sleepy Hollow (1999) – Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman and Tim Burton have done plenty of collaborative magic together. I quite like Sleepy Hollow that it’s one of the rare horror movies I have seen twice! There are definitely some terrifying scenes here but also plenty of humorous moments. I could even say it’s my favorite Johnny Depp role out of the eight movies he’s done with Tim Burton.

There’s a sense of wonder in Elfman’s score, despite the inherently dark and creepy story. The strings evoke something eerie but also romantic and even ethereal. Unlike the more iconic classic horror scores, this is one I could listen to repeatedly as it’s pretty melodic.

The Sixth Sense (1999) – James Newton Howard

This is the movie that put M. Night Sight Shyamalan on the map and I remember being in awe of it the first time I saw it. Thankfully I saw it before the age of social media where things could easily be spoiled long before a movie’s even released! There is something obviously ominous yet sorrowful about this score, which makes sense once you see the movie [I know the movie is 24 years old but I still won’t spoil it just in case some readers still haven’t seen it, ahah].

I love so many of James Newton Howard’s scores – I really need to do a top 10 list to highlight his work. I can’t believe he hasn’t won an Oscar yet despite nine nominations!

Crimson Peak (2015) – Fernando Velázquez

I was initially hesitant to see this as the trailer was quite terrifying but I ended up loving this movie and it wasn’t as scary as I thought. The production design is just top-notch, which is what one expects from a Guillermo del Toro movie. One thing I absolutely love is the score by Fernando Velázquez who I think is such an underrated composer (I’ve highlighted his work in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, one of my all-time faves!). The piano motif is just so gorgeous, it’s definitely one of my favorite scores of the 2000s (not just horror ones)

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HONORABLE MENTION

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Danny Elfman

There are apparently a lot of debates out there about whether this is a Halloween or Christmas movie. Well, why can’t it be both?? In any case, I do think Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated feature belongs in the horror category as even though it’s rated PG, there are some terrifying things for young kids here. Apparently, the score got bad reviews initially, per this article, he said “… when I wrote it, nobody understood it. I got horrible reviews for it. Disney didn’t know what to make of it.… They did a preview with kids who were expecting The Little Mermaid and they got an unfinished version of The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Well, Elfman’s got the last laugh as this soundtrack is as fantastic as the movie. It’s a fun one to listen to no matter what the season!

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Well, Happy Halloween, all! What are some of your favorite horror movie scores?

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