Movie Soundtracks of the Month (October): Horror Soundtracks

Tis’ the season to watch Horror movies, fa la la la la la la. Freddy, Jason, Michael, and some boobies fa la la la la la la la la. BUT the kills aren’t all that matters na na na na na na na na, music accompanies the blood splatters na na na na na na na na. That’s all the rhyming you get out of me. Horror films personify perfectly how a score can add to the affect a film has on our minds. What would Michael Myers slicing and dicing have been if John Carpenter haven’t given us that iconic piano track? How creepy would that shark have been if John Williams didn’t let us know he was coming about ten miles away? You picking up what I’m putting down? Check out some selected horror soundtracks below as I elaborate furthur. Oh and Merry Halloween.

1. HALLOWEEN – JOHN CARPENTER

An obvious choice for number 1? Sure. Well deserved? You bet your last breath. Right from the opening credits we get treated to this creepy theme by the man John Carpenter himself. Talk about setting up the mood early. We get this nifty piano track sprinkled throughout the movie as our favorite man in mask Michael Myers stalks high school girls…in broad daylight. In plain sight. Nobody ever said he was intelligent. But hey when you’re wielding a knife that size you don’t have to be. Anyone who loves these films would agree that this iconic score is just as if not more memorable as the franchise it keeps company? Agreed? Thought so. John Carpenter has composed the scores for such films as Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness, In the Mouth of Madness, They Live, and Village of the Damned. Purchase the soundtrack here

2. JAWS – JOHN WILLIAMS

As above, this memorable score for one of Steven Spielberg’s greatest hits has become as associated with the film itself as Linsday Lohan is associated with cocaine. From a composer like John Williams we expect nothing less. The idea of the very possible scenario of a man eating shark deciding you’re breakfast is scary in itself, add in the key ingredient of the music below and you have yourself one hardcore fear of the big blue. John Williams has such an impressive resume it’s difficult to share. He has also assisted Steven Spielberg on such classics as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T, The Indiana Jones Franchise, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan. Purchase the soundtrack here

3. THE OMEN – JERRY GOLDSMITH

This 1976 classic is the king of films that stray away from the kids are cute and cuddly theory.The Lost Boys is the film to go to if you think your brother is a vampire. Mommy and daddy, if you have a suspicion that your son or daughter is the anti-christ here is the film to reference. The selected track Ave Satani perfectly captures the flawless creepiness or our little pal Damien who is a good kid other than his fear of churches, his less than cordial relationship with zoo animals, and the fact that he’s satans kid. But hey did he ask for that? Jerry Goldsmith has scored other classics like Alien, Poltergeist, the Planet of the Apes films, the Rambo franchise, and Star Trek films. Purchase the soundtrack here

4. 28 DAYS/28 WEEKS LATER – JOHN MURPHY

This particular track is featured in 28 Days Later and it’s sequel. Personally for me, the opening scene of the sequel found the best use for it. One of the best and most intense opening sequences I’ve seen in a film, horror or not. Picture broad daylight getting run down by agile anti George Romero zombies and see if you don’t soil your pants. The title of the track on the sequel is entitled “Don Abandons Alice.” Right there you know what you are in for. John Murphy has also scored such films as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Sunshine, and The Last House on the Left remake. Purchase the soundtrack here

5. SAW – CHARLIE CLOUSER

This film spawned a whole genre of “torture porn” films, some good, some not. Including six sequels, now while the sequels weren’t able to capture the magic the original threw our way there is no denying that for the majority of us the first film knocked us on our asses. We hadn’t seen anything quite like it before. The ending of the film that started it all left me with my mouth gaped open for a good hour and yes, the iconic score from Charlie Clouser contributed heavily to that. If I were Jigsaw and I wanted to add insult to injury I would put this score on tape and play it in the last moments of my victims lives. Yup, that hardcore. Clouser has also scored the films Natural Born Killers, Escape from L.A, Lost Highway, The Matrix & Matrix Reloaded, Underworld, and Resident Evil: Extinction. Purchase the soundtrack here