The Music of Horror Movies

One of my favorite things about horror movies is how certain musical themes or phrases make those chilling moments even more haunting. When you hear a minor second interval, it's hard not to think about John William's score and a great white shark approaching on an innocent victim. Norman Bates sneaking up on Marion Crane in the shower would not have the same effect without Bernard Hermann's high shrieking violins. John Carpenter composed his own score for Halloween on his synthesizer.

Here are various themes and scores that come from a range of movies in the genre.

Psycho
Composer: Bernard Hermann

Opening credits



Shower Scene



Halloween
Composer: John Carpenter



Even though it wasn't written specifically for the Halloween movies. I always think about the movies when I hear "Mr. Sandman". It's used in Halloween II and Halloween H2O




Jaws
Composer: John Williams




The Exorcist "Tubular Bells"
Composer: Mike Oldfield



The Shining
Composers: Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind



A Nightmare on Elm Street
Composer: Charles Bernstein





Friday the 13th
Composer: Harry Manfredini



The Bride of Frankenstein
Composer: Franz Waxman

Minnesota Orchestra will be presenting the movie and performing the score behind it on October 28



Rosemary's Baby
Composer: Krzysztof Komeda




Hocus Pocus
Hocus Pocus is not a scary movie, but it's a fun movie from my childhood that usually gets a viewing around Halloween. I love Bette, and I can't help but think of Hocus Pocus when I hear this song.