The 10 best songs used in horror movies
There is little better than sitting down with your favourite people and watching their proverbial souls leave their bodies as a horror movie wreaks havoc on their constitution, whether it be a blood-dripping slasher flick, a deeply terrifying paranormal picture or the kind of monster movie that leaves you checking under the bed before you hit the hay, as an audience, we love to be scared.
The popularity of horror movies has only increased over recent decades. Previously reserved for the darker moments of one’s cinematic catalogue, horror flicks are now as mainstream as superhero movies. As such, the genre now has an unbreakable bond with pop music and below, we’re picking out ten iconic music moments from its rich legacy.
Though rarely venturing into the confines of the coffin-obsessed genre, Quentin Tarantino once neatly summarised the affect music can have on a movie: “One of the things I do when I am starting a movie, when I’m writing a movie or when I have an idea for a film is, I go through my record collection and just start playing songs, trying to find the personality of the movie, find the spirit of the movie,” Tarantino explained in a booklet that came alongside The Tarantino Connection, a collection of soundtrack songs from his films. “Then, ‘boom,’ eventually I’ll hit one, two or three songs, or one song in particular, ‘Oh, this will be a great opening credit song.’”
Horror can equally be typified with the music that scores it. Whether it is the hauntintg use of synth that so often leads us into inescapable nightmarish situations or the juxtaposing use of happy-go-lucky pop that guarantees its audience will be lulled into a potentially fatal false sense of security. Music maketh the movie.
Below, we’re picking out ten of our favourite music moments in the history of horror movies, expect to see entries from Nick Cave, Stevie Wonder and Creedence Clearwater Revival and more.
The 10 best songs used in horror movies:
10. ‘Red Right Hand’ by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Scream (Wes Craven, 1996)
For good reason, the American horror maestro Wes Craven is recognised as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, re-inventing the genre several times throughout his career. His 1996 film Scream doffs its cap to the very genre it’s built from, satirically twisting cliches to tell the story of a teenage girl and her group of friends stalked by a serial killer using horror films as inspiration for his murderous acts.
One scene in the movie uses the iconic sound of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, playing the mysterious song ‘Red Right Hand’ during an innocuous transitionary moment, making the moment instantly memorable.
9. ‘Banana Boat’ by Harry Belafont – Beetlejuice (Tim Burton, 1988)
The influential gothic filmmaker Tim Burton is beloved for his approach to horror, sprinkling the genre with his own taste for elaborate costumes and romantic tales. His 1988 classic Beetlejuice is no different, with the film telling the story of a deceased couple who are unsuccessful in scaring away a family that has moved into their old home from the underworld.
Starring Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, the movie is best known for the ‘Banana Boat’ scene in which Harry Belafont’s song blares out during a sophisticated dinner party, inexplicably leading the diners to dance around the room expressively.
8. ‘When the Man Comes Around’ by Johnny Cash – Dawn of the Dead (Zach Snyder, 2004)
To say that the horror novelist Stephen King is a fan of your film is great praise indeed, with this being the case for Zack Snyder’s remake of Dawn of the Dead in 2004. Calling the film “genius perfected”, King spoke the praises of the zombie movie, which tells the story of a group of desperate survivors who seek refuge in a shopping mall, starring Sarah Polley, Kim Poirier, Ty Burrell and Ving Rhames.
In addition to his “genius” comments, King added that the film “begins with one of the best opening sequences of a horror film ever made,” citing the brilliant montage that’s paired with Johnny Cash’s 2002 song ‘When the Man Comes Around’.
7. ‘Goodbye Horses’ by Q Lazzarus – The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
Based on the novel of the same name and series of books following the serial killer from author Thomas Harris, Jonathan Demme’s film tails along with a young FBI cadet seeking help from an incarcerated cannibal in the effort to track down another vicious serial killer. With a central plot that is palpable in tension, Anthony Hopkins’ haunting performance drives the drama, fueling the film as it propels at a terrifying pace.
Still, there’s definitely something to be said for Ted Levine’s Buffalo Bill, whose eerie performance during the makeup scene that uses ‘Goodbye Horses’ by Q Lazzarus makes for an iconic piece of horror cinema.
6. ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder – The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
John Carpenter’s remake of the 1951 film The Thing from Another World, itself based on the John W. Campbell Jr. novella Who Goes There?, is a pioneer of cosmic horror storytelling, deftly entwining the terror of man’s paranoid struggle with the inconceivable horror of the unknown. That’s why the music choice of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ towards the start of the movie is so effortlessly effective, blending into the background of an innocuous scene with eerie foreshadowing.
Used when the dog enters the Antarctic research facility at the beginning of the movie and stalks his future victims, this moment is one of many times Carpenter has got his music choices spot-on.
5. ‘Tiptoe through the Tulips’ by Tiny Tim – Insidious (James Wan, 2010)
James Wan’s successful horror movie franchise Insidious may be one of the most beloved genre series of contemporary cinema, but we don’t think it’s worthy of being considered one of the best horror movies of the 2010s. Still, there are moments in the supernatural horror flick, following a young boy who falls into a coma and enters a psychic otherworld named ‘the further’, which are truly exceptional.
The movie’s most memorable moment, which, in turn, has become one of the most iconic horror scenes of the 21st century, is when Rose Byrne’s Renai is doing chores around the house to the tunes of a record player when suddenly her music is interrupted by the sound of ‘Tiptoe through the Tulips’ by Tiny Tim and an insidious vision spectre.
4. ‘Midnight, the Stars and You’ by Al Bowlly – The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
Set in the magnificent, fictional Overlook Hotel, located in the Colorado Rockies, Stanley Kubrick’s iconic movie, based on Stephen King’s tale, follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) and his family, who opt to look after the hotel over the winter. Dwarfed by the towering presence of the hotel, however, Jack soon becomes engulfed by an evil, violent presence, influencing his temper toward his wife and psychic son.
The magical musical horror movie moment comes at the film’s end, after the death of Nicholson’s Torrance, when the protagonist is shown to be something of a malevolent spirit present in the old photograph of party revellers from 1921. It’s pure cinema.
3. ‘Hip to Be Square’ by Huey Lewis and the News – American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000)
The blinding illusion of the American Dream is violently smashed to pieces in Mary Harron’s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho following Patrick Bateman, an egotistical psychopath with hedonistic fantasies. Exploring the mind of an American psychopath, played excellently by Christian Bale, Bateman is an obsessive maniac with a passion only for personal perfection and financial gain. So narcissistic is his inner turmoil that he begins taking out his insecurities on those around him in violent acts of murder.
One of the movie’s most memorable moments comes when Bale’s protagonist revels in the murder he is about to commit, dancing around his apartment to ‘Hip to Be Square’ by Huey Lewis and the News in a genius scene of sinister comedic brilliance.
2. ‘Bad Moon Rising’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival – An American Werewolf In London (John Landis, 1981)
John Landis’ An American Werewolf in London perfectly toes the line between horror and comedy, miraculously producing a film both unforgettably disturbing and joyously camp. A predecessor to late-1980s horror-comedy classic Evil Dead II, Landis’ film is the genre’s grandfather, following the tale of two American college students who are attacked by a mythical werewolf while walking tour of Britain.
With careful music choices throughout the movie, we could have opted for Bobby Vinton’s slow, soothing version of ‘Blue Moon’ or Van Morrison’s ‘Moondance’ for Landis’ movie, but for the sense of creepy foreboding that ‘Bad Moon Rising’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival provides, we simply couldn’t resist sticking it at number two.
1. ‘Tubular Bells’ by Mike Oldfield – The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
Widely recognised as the greatest horror movie of all time, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist is an undisputed masterpiece, largely thanks to Marcel Vercoutere’s iconic special effects work, and the performances from each of Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow. Still, without ‘Tubular Bells’ by Mike Oldfield, the film wouldn’t hold the infamy it does today, with the song helping to build a truly terrifying atmosphere.
The flickering, ethereal soundtrack acts as a religious omniscient overseer over the events of the film. Originally written by Mike Oldfield, the song was adapted slightly for the film to achieve an eerie, unsettling tone with effortless ease. Together partnered with The Exorcists’ other tracks that incorporate experimental sounds and religious undertones, a classic of horror is created.
