A fearsome and beautiful masterpiece: Themes from terrifying film scores
The role that music plays in horror films and suspense dramas is incredibly significant and important.
There are ways to evoke fear through silence, of course, but iconic theme songs often have the power to make you feel fear from the melody alone, or instantly conjure vivid scenes from the film.
Here, we’re introducing a collection of terrifying yet beautiful masterpieces, centered on classic horror movies.
Many of these tracks transcend the category of “film themes” and are used in all sorts of contexts—you’ve likely heard quite a few of them at least once.
You might even discover, “So this was from that movie?”
By all means, turn off the lights and enjoy with headphones!
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A Scary and Beautiful Masterpiece: Horror Movie Music and Theme Songs (1–10)
PsychoBānādo Hāman
Inspired by a real crime that occurred in 1960, Psycho was adapted into a film.
The music was composed by Bernard Herrmann, who worked on numerous film scores.
His orchestral arrangement masterfully conveys urgency and fear.
Even today, the piece can make you feel uneasy.
Main Theme of the Movie “Resident Evil”Marilyn Manson
The main theme created by Marilyn Manson, famous for the Resident Evil series.
The music box perfectly captures the image of a city lurking with zombies, expressing a decadent beauty—truly a masterpiece.
Listening to it at night might even keep you from sleeping.
The theme song of the movie “Friday the 13th”Harī Manfuredīni
When it comes to horror movies, you just can’t leave out Friday the 13th.
The fun part of this track is definitely that high-pitched, screechy scariness—it’s the kind of BGM that instantly conjures up Jason’s mask.
It’s a spine-chilling theme song that amped up the 1980 splatter-film masterpiece!
Terrifying and Beautiful Masterpieces: Horror Film Music and Theme Songs (11–20)
THE TWILIGHT ZONE THEMEBānādo Hāman
This is the theme song from the American horror series The Twilight Zone.
The way the intro begins gives me chills—it feels quintessentially like a horror track.
Created solely with analog instruments at a time when synthesizers and electronic instruments weren’t yet popular, it’s an astonishingly well-crafted horror song.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (Main Theme)Mark Ayres
It’s the first installment in the American horror film series A Nightmare on Elm Street from 1984, which features the killer Freddy.
As expected, the high notes in this piece are striking, but the continuous low drone is also frightening.
It’s a theme song that heightens the sense of fear by creating an atmosphere that something is about to happen.
Saw Theme Song- Hello ZeppCharlie Clouser
Now synonymous with the Saw series’ main theme, Hello Zepp.
You can tell the track itself is cleverly structured to further heighten the climactic finale of the film.
The soaring violin lines and the increasingly frenzied drums amplify the sense of urgency.
Theme of The ExorcistMike Oldfield
Many people were probably quite shocked by that sensational footage at the time.
This is the theme song from a movie made around the theme of a spirit medium and exorcist.
It’s such a well-crafted piece that you almost feel as if you might get possessed while listening to it.
The endlessly looping high-pitched refrain stirs up a sense of fear.