I have always lived for horror. I was the kid who would go to the library in elementary school and check out Goosebumps books on rotation. I was the one telling scary stories at the lunch table—which may have gotten me in trouble a time or two. All of that love for being scared has grown into a deep appreciation for how horror is so much more than just visual media. I have probably spent an immense chunk of my life watching scary films—good ones and not-so-good ones, which you’ll be able to see in this collection of scores and needle drops that I would deem the greatest horror movie soundtracks of all time.
I’m looking at soundtracks as a whole for this list. While there are so many incredible and influential singular tracks that come from the classics—I’m looking at you, “Tubular Bells”—I’m more tuned into an album I can throw on where every song is a perfect balance of ambiance, terror and haunting production. Also, some killer artist features wouldn’t hurt either. I’m a sucker for a needle drop and, sometimes, they give an extra layer that original scores can’t always capture. So, if you need a good mix for a scary good Halloween party, look no further than these 15 gems.
On The Outside Looking In: Pearl (2022), Daughters of Darkness (1971), The Wicker Man (1973), The Thing (1982), It Follows (2014), Eyes Without A Face (1960)
15. Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
I may have hated clowns as a kid, but Killer Klowns From Outer Space is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s sick and silly all at once with the comic way these alien clowns kill their victims—encasing them in cotton candy or devouring them via a shadow puppet. The pure goofiness of it all is exaggerated through the slapstick soundtrack with its eerie ‘80s synth and circusy romp undertones. The jangly riff and stinging organ in The Dickies’ “Killer Klowns” is the perfect murder ballad for the brightly colored clowns to turn people into popcorn. Plus, how can you not love a movie with its own theme song?
14. The Lost Boys (1987)
Death by stereo, baby. I love an ‘80s horror flick. The Lost Boys is so quintessentially ‘80s, from the outfits to the music. And, of course, who is more ‘80s than the duo of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman? I’ll go on record that the iconic goth theme “Cry Little Sister” is one of the best original movie songs ever. The Lost Boys also has two of my favorite musical sequences ever, with the Echo & The Bunnymen’s “People Are Strange” montage as the Emersons arrive in Santa Carla and the pier party with an oiled-up Tim Cappello ripping on the saxophone. Why was he shirtless and jamming to “I Still Believe”? I’m honestly not sure, but it’s definitely memorable. This cult classic is a time capsule of the change in the ‘80s music landscape from heavy synth to hair metal, with songs like “Laying Down The Law” and “Good Times.” If you don’t live for Kiefer Sutherland’s bleached hair, leather jacket and singlar earring then we can’t be friends.
13. Candyman (1992)
For me, it was “Bloody Mary” but, in 1992, it was “Candyman.” The urban legend is all too familiar, but Candyman made it terrifyingly real with its hauntingly gothic score. A perfect example of taking something innocuous and flipping it into a chilling soundtrack, the music box at the beginning of the film is an ideal vessel for the children’s tale aspect of the film. The choral theme that plays when Candyman approaches reflects his almost religious presence. As much as I love a shrill and harsh score, I think the use of organs and harmonies in Candyman, rather than something jarring, led to a fitting juxtaposition of the visceral nature of the killer’s acts and the mythicality of his existence.
12. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Rosemary’s Baby is one of those movies that sticks with you forever, and that’s due in part to the creepy, melodic soundtrack. I always enjoy when art takes something traditionally innocent and turns it on its head, and that is just what “Lullaby” did. The flow of this soundtrack perfectly reflects the descent into the deranged world that the Woodhouses find themselves in. I always love when films do something different with their sound design and, at the time, jazz wasn’t being used in horror. It was mostly classical because it hit harder, but Rosemary’s Baby proved you can make anything creepy. The soundtrack begins as light and airy with undertones of foreboding, but then it wholly commits to the horror and puts the music at the forefront rather than as a passive actor in the film. The chants of the cult are enough to keep anyone awake at night, including me.
11. The Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
Punk and horror go hand in hand, and The Return Of The Living Dead delivers on that equation and a scary good time. What this movie lacks in, well, everything technical, it makes up for with its ridiculous cast of characters and a killer soundtrack. I listen to this soundtrack no matter what time of year it is because, when you have The Jet Black Berries, The Cramps, SSQ and The Damned all on one album, there are no skips. I don’t think there will ever be anything more rocking than 45 Grave’s “Partytime” playing over the zombies being brought back to life by acid rain and bursting from the ground in search of brains. What else could you want from a movie whose main characters are named things like Trash, Scuz and Suicide?
10. Nope (2022)
It’s no secret that Jordan Peele is the most influential voice of modern horror. His first three films have all been executed to perfection, but Nope stands out to me for its visual and musical vision. I’m a sucker for a classic song remix, and the slowed version of “Sunglasses At Night” that plays after Jean Jacket attacks the farm is utterly horrifying—but also one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard. Add Dionne Warwick and The Lost Generation needle drops into the equation and you have the recipe for a perfect soundtrack. Not to mention, all the original music for the film is just as magnificent. I live for the adventurous campiness of “Jupiter’s Claim,” the classic western whistle of “Nope” and the downright menacing trill of “Arena Attack.” It’s what movies are meant to be.
9. 28 Days Later (2002)
Another perfect combination of needle drops and the original score, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later is quietly foreboding and grips you from the very beginning. The alt-rock needle drops ground the film in reality by ripping you out of the lulls that the moody ambient tracks hypnotize you into—hearing recognizable songs like Grandaddy’s “A.M. 180” or Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s “East Hastings” takes you out of the post-apocalyptic landscape and plunges you into the idea that this deadly virus could be real. This choice is even more impactful when you reach the film’s end and realize that the real horror wasn’t the infected—although fast zombies are always terrifying—but the humans left behind.
8. Halloween (1978)
It still baffles me that John Carpenter wrote one of the most recognizable scores ever in just one afternoon. Perhaps I am breaking my own rule with this one, as most of this soundtrack is just the “Halloween Theme,” but it’s so good it doesn’t even matter. I mean, it’s basically like one big remix of those same notes, but they hit so hard every time I would listen to them on loop for hours on one album. There are still some other standouts, however, with the discordant notes of “Halloween 1963” and, of course, the “Don’t Fear The Reaper” needle drop, which is remixed into the piano notes on the soundtrack. My favorite part of this score is that it is up-tempo, but Michael Myers famously chases his victims at a snail’s pace—irony at its finest.
7. Possession (1981)
Not to be edgy, but I had to include this film, even though it was banned for years—it is still a crazy thought that movies were actually successfully banned in the past. Possession is peak ‘80s synth horror with unreal visual sequences and layered musical production that I could see being played at some musty, experimental warehouse rave—something I would attend in a heartbeat if “Meeting With A Pink Tie” were on the setlist. Threaded through the modern synths are quick interludes, classical waltzes and the curious sizzle of a keyboard. The soundtrack is a blast, and the practical effects in this film made my jaw drop the first time I saw them. Possession is just a generally life-changing experience.
6. Mandy (2018)
I’ll watch pretty much anything Nicolas Cage is in, no matter how good or bad, but Mandy is definitely a hidden gem of the Cage-verse. The psychedelic thriller was one of the last films scored by Jóhann Jóhannsson, and the eerie ambiance he created engulfs you in the tragedy that Cage’s character, Red, faces over the death of his wife. It’s a tapestry of textures from heavenly violins to grinding metal that reflects the grief cycle that Red flows through while hunting down a murderous religious cult. The blasted-out bass of “Black Skulls” reminds me of the ringing in your ears when you detach from reality. It’s almost painful, in a way. Then, in the tone of one of my favorite genres—sad synth—“Death and Ashes” rips you apart with its yearning drone. My favorite track, the noir synth of “Forging The Beast,” scores the sickest scene in the history of media where Red crafts his own scythe in slow motion, in preparation for his own murderous rampage. In short, it’s metal.
5. Psycho (1960)
It is impossible to make this list without Psycho. It began the horror soundtrack medium as we know it—grating and shrill sounds created to make you jump out of your skin. While the shower scene is what Psycho is most known for, the rest of the film boasts some heart-racing tracks that don’t get the love that they should, like “The Hill” or “Cleanup.” Alfred Hitchcock is a legend for a reason, and his collaboration with Bernard Herrmann for this film is the perfect use of grand classical music as a tool for creating terror. There is something so special about hearing a full orchestra recording for a movie. It makes it so much richer. Plus, this real-time recording made Herrmann get creative with crafting sounds. The infamous shrill plucks of the score were created by the musicians using the backsides of their bows to play in a grating way. Even now, when I hear it, I have to resist the urge to cover my ears because of how jarring it is, which means it worked.
4. Eraserhead (1977)
David Lynch is a mastermind in using music in films, and he proved that in his directorial debut, Eraserhead. This film is definitely not for everyone. It’s odd and offputting, much like all of Lynch’s work, but the score is something I think we can all agree is a masterpiece. The film revolves mainly around the music, which makes it an interesting listen away from the plot as well, because you are essentially listening to half the movie. I love how Lynch approaches film as a completely immersive experience and doesn’t just rely on visual cues to create a story. “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” is like the oxygen of the film, and I mean that literally, as it sounds like a big machine breathing in and out throughout the entirety of the track. The barren industrial landscape the movie takes place in is the most important part of the music. It’s harsh and cold, just like the reality that Henry Spencer lives in with his odd alien baby. When I listen to a lot of ambient music today, I can hear the Eraserhead influence in the real-world sounds artists pull from for Lynch’s textured soundscapes.
3. The Shining (1980)
*Insert Kubrick stare here.* The Shining has gone down in history as one of the scariest films of all time because, well, it is. Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance is one of the most horrifying performances in cinema because it is so grounded in reality—the idea that people can go mad when they are left in isolation for too long. While Nicholson’s performance drives the horror forward, it would be incomplete without the droning womps of the synth-coated soundtrack. Kubrick had used symphonic scores in his previous films, but the strings in The Shining permeate the landscape and build on the dread at every turn. To this day, I can vividly recall the crescendo of the blood elevator scene and how Kubrick dares you to look away, knowing that you can’t.
2. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
I unironically own the vinyl of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: The Return because the music is just that good. We can argue all day long whether or not this is a horror movie, but there has never been a more terrifying villain in fiction than the essence of evil, Bob. While I am biased, as this is one of my favorite movies of all time, the way Angelo Badalamenti crafted the jazzy noir of this town stuck in time is relentlessly moving. In addition to the dark jazz of the instrumental tracks, there is the heavenly dream pop of Julee Cruise’s “Questions in a World of Blue” and the richly unforgettable drone of Jimmy Scott’s “Sycamore Trees.” The film may follow the inescapable doom of Laura Palmer, but there is a soft beauty in the soundtrack that will always send chills down my spine.
1. Suspiria (1977)
Suspiria is a mystic landscape of haunting synths, horrifying shrieks and otherworldly sounds from Italian prog rockers Goblin. The film follows Suzy Bannion as she is hunted down by witches running a prestigious dance academy in Germany. The original movie is in Italian, and the dub is interesting, to say the least, but what makes this film so chilling is the score. In order to create the almost ritualistic sound, Goblin used unique instruments like the bouzouki, tabla and celesta, which add to the supernatural sounds of the score. Suspiria’s score acts like its own character; the shrill riffs and erratic wails have burned into my brain more than even the most ghastly of visual scenes from any other horror film.