"Halloween Month" concludes by paying tribute to the themes they made us soil our pants...
Greetings, my creatures of the
night, and welcome to the final installment of “Halloween Month” here at Rave
Up Music. As always, I am Barius, and for this last part of our month long
Halloween party, it is time to look at a very celebrated part of the Halloween
tradition: horror movies!
Since the advent of film and
motion pictures, the viewing of the horror films have become an integral part
of the Halloween season. Watching movies about ghosts, goblins, vampires,
serial killers, and even the unknown has become a part of the Halloween
tradition for many people around the world. As with any genre of film, the
music in a horror film helps to creature mood and atmosphere of the story. From
the dark, ominous brass that warns you of danger to the rapid rhythms of
strings as a killer chasing after its next victim, the music in scary movies
helps to shape the audience’s movie-going experience.
Today, we wrap up Halloween Month
by looking at the Top 13 Horror Film Themes. These themes can have lyrics, be
an orchestral score, and a weird combination of the two. These are the themes
that help create the mood and atmosphere of the film. These are also the themes
that when you hear them, they either draw you closer, or make you run in fear
to the nearest panic room that you can find. Mine is my bathroom, but I
digress…
So, hold on tightly to your teddy
bears, for this is Top 13 Horror Film Themes!
13)
Theme from Hellraiser
Composer Christopher Young composed
a theme that sets the mood of entering the world of the Pinhead and the
Cenobites. The theme starts slow and mysterious, almost to the point of being
hauntingly beautiful. There are few dissonant chords to add the sadistic nature
of the Cenobites, but enough that it shows the angel-like feel of theme. The
use of a chorus gives the theme a grandiose feel as it builds to the end of the
piece.
While it is a beautifully compose
piece, I am putting it at the bottom of the piece because the piece as a whole
does not have a lot of memorable moments that sticks with after you hear it or Hellraiser. Still, for the
moments that are there, they really sell the darkness and the light of the Hellraiser film, which still makes it
worthy of starting off this countdown. And I am sure Pinhead would approve of
this.
…or maybe not…
12)
Theme from Friday the 13th
The theme to Friday the 13th is filled with kinetic energy and
suspense that will make guess if Jason Voorhees or his mother is out to get you
for being naughty. The theme starts with a fast pace tempo, as if you are being
chased in the woods by Camp Crystal Lake. Suddenly, the theme slows down, as
giving you moment to breathe, even though the threat of being killed is still
lingering out there. This is the kind of theme that Jason can stalk his victims
to. At least it is not rap music being played in a boom box.
With a theme that full of energy
and fear, the theme to Friday the 13th
will teach all you teenagers out there to watch Jason and prevent him from
falling into the lake.
11)
Theme from A Nightmare on Elm Street
Who knew composing a simply
melodic line can give you nightmares for weeks? All joking aside, the main
melodic line, paired with the sustaining strings and synthesizers, gives the
sensation of stepping into the dream world in which there is no escape at all.
The random heavy drums give the feeling that Freddy Krueger is watching you
carefully before he bombastically kills you in your dreams. The theme, composed
by Charles Bernstein is an example of how simplicity can leave a lasting
impression.
10)
Rosemary’s Baby
The theme to Rosemary’s Baby is both beautiful and sad at the same time. The
female vocals give the impression of a mother, in this case Rosemary, rocking
her baby to sleep. But, the accompaniment makes give the sense of sorrow,
knowing of the evil that lies within the child. The theme is also composed in a
way that you want to be comforted by the mother’s singing, having her sing to
you that everything will be okay, but in your heart, you know that it will
never be. When a theme can give you very different emotions and feelings, it is
an effective theme, and Rosemary’s Baby
is one that will give you chills down your spin.
9)
Theme from The Amityville Horror
If the theme to Rosemary’s Baby gives you a lot of emotions
to feel, then the theme to The Amityville
Horror will have feel like a living mood ring. The theme starts off slowly,
almost to the point of soothing. Soon, you are hypnotized by the repetitive
piano and melodic line. Soon, the mood shifts to haunting as the laughter of
children chills you to the bones, by the end when the last, deep laugh is
heard, you are downright freaked out. This is one theme that will make you feel
anxious in your own house.
8)
Theme from Gremlins (“The Gremlin
Rag”)
Celebrated composer Jerry Goldsmith
brings as this catchy little tune from one of the films that was a big part of
my childhood. Although Gremlins is
more of a comedy at times than a horror film, this theme captures the essence
of the gremlins: mischievous, deadly, creepy, yet still a hoot to watch causing
havoc in the town. And at Christmas time no less! Though technically the ending
theme to the film, “The Germlin Rag” is the one that many people associate with
the film, for it is the right amount of catchiness, as well as creepiness that
will make look under your bed every night for the next 15 years…or was that
just only me?
7)
Theme from Phantasm
Like a lot of other horror film
themes, the theme for the 1979 film Phantasm
has a great, slow build with a nice ostinato piano part, and very light cymbal
hits before the drum beat and accompanying strings and synthesized sounds come
in. Again, it is a very simple theme, but is still effective to give you the
creeps, and to make sure one of the Tall Man’s sentinels does not take you out.
As the theme fades out, the piano riff continues, forever engraving it on your
mind. When it come to theme, the one from Phantasm
has the right amount of scariness that it will make you think twice about
hiring a mortician.
6) Theme from Jaws
Right off the bat, the theme to
this 1975 thriller set you into a world where an ominous threat is lurking in
the water. Legendary composer John Williams establishes the mood with a simple
two-note phrase in the low brass and strings that is played through the entire
theme, and even in other parts of the score. The use of dissonant chords in the
strings give the audience a sense of uneasiness, as if at any moment, Jaws will
come out of the water, and devour you whole.
The theme to Jaws is one of the catchiest themes to a movie, and has been
engraved into pop culture. You can find homages and parodies to the theme in several
movies and television. A personal favorite of mine is Salsa Shark from Clerks.
With a good set-up that leads to
a good climax and resolution, the theme to Jaws
gives you a good reason to stay away from the beach, besides the extra pounds
you will most likely put on from eating too much Halloween candy…
5)
Theme from Suspiria
If you have never seen this 1977
Italian horror film by Dario Argento, I really recommend it. It has good suspense;
good twists, and actually has some pretty gruesome images. As for the
soundtrack, it is composed by prog rock group Goblin, and though their music
was written prior to the film’s production. In fact, a lot of Goblin’s music
for Suspiria has been reused in other
films like the Japanese martial arts film Dance
of the Drunk Mantis and the comedy We
Are Going to Eat You. Yes, those are real titles to real films.
The theme for Suspiria is a good mix of the mysterious
with a bit of chase music. The theme starts off with creepy bells and lutes. Slowly,
you hear percussive drum hits that accompany random chants and yells, as if a
witch’s covenant is conjuring up a big spell. Soon, the pulsing synthesizer
brings us to the rock out moment, as if the witches have spotted you, and are
out to get you. Soon, the music reprises the beginning, as if the witches
returned back to casting the magic.
With a film like Suspiria being both frightful and
suspenseful, the music of Goblin is the perfect fit to be the soundtrack to this
amazing film.
4)
Theme from The Omen (“Ave Satani”)
Jerry Goldsmith once again
appears on this list, bringing with him one of the most epic themes to a horror
film ever! While the use of a large choir to add the grandiose sound of the
spawn of Satan arriving is impressive, it is the use of a Latin chant, “Sanguis bibimus, corpus edimus, tolle corpus
Satani” that gives it the creepy, foreboding feel to the music. The
instrumental parts enhance the choir, and add that right amount of demonic
twist to the music. After listening to this theme, you will second guess naming
your son Damien.
3)
Theme from Halloween
Director John Carpenter also
wrote and composed the music to the classic 1978 horror/slasher film. The theme
is set in a 5/4 time signature (five beats per measure), giving the music a
slightly agitated feel to it. The ostinato piano rhythm pushes the theme
forward, as the low sounding synthesizers play dark, minor chords, indicating
the evil lays within our killer, Michael Myers.
No, not that Michael Myers…
The theme to Halloween is one of the themes that set the standard for all horror
film themes after it, with the exceptions of the top two themes…
2)
Theme from Psycho
The well-respected Bernard
Hermann brings the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic to life.
The main theme to Psycho is both
controlled and frantic at the same time. The classic stabbing sound of the
violins being contrast with its melodic lines demonstrates the multiple
personalities of our main villain, Norman Bates. When the music shifts to the
more relaxing mood, it shows more dimensions to Bates, giving an even creepier
factor to the character. In the traditional sense of film scoring, Hermann’s
theme to Psycho is one of the finest
examples of how music enhances the mood of a film.
“Tubular Bells” is one of those
horror film themes that change the role of music in horror film. Right away,
the ostinato keyboard sets the ominous mood of the film, and as more and more
instruments add to the song, the song shift various mood to creepy, dark, to
hopeful with lingering doubt. These moods fit the overall emotions the person
goes through during the course of the movie, as they watch poor Regan suffer
being possess by the demon Pazuzu.
The
Exorcist is
often debated as being the greatest horror film of all time. While I am not sure
about that, it is indeed one of the best horror films, and its theme “Tubular
Bells” is one of the catchiest, creepiest, well-composed piece of music, which,
in my opinion, makes it worth of being the Number Horror Film Theme.
And those are the Top 13 Horror
Film Themes. As always, I welcome you to list your own list of horror films
that you feel are the best. Well, that brings us to the end of Halloween Month
here at Rave Up Music! Next month, is it back to our regularly schedule reviews…until
December…Until next time, I am Barius, and I want to wish you all a very fun,
safe and Happy Halloween! And as always, keep on rockin’!
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