Recommendation of Scary Music: That Song That’s Actually Frightening
One facet of music as an art form is that it can evoke fear—just hearing it can send chills down your spine.
In this article, we’re spotlighting a range of pieces under the theme of scary music.
From classic horror movie theme songs to classical music at the core, plus rock and popular music, we’ve curated a wide selection! Some tracks might not seem particularly scary when you’re just listening, but once you learn the backstory, they suddenly become terrifying… You might make discoveries like that.
Be sure to check it out!
- A spine-chilling scary song: masterful tracks that evoke fear and eerie recommended songs
- Actually scary nursery rhymes. Children's songs that give you the chills once you understand their meaning
- A fearsome and beautiful masterpiece: Themes from terrifying film scores
- Disgusting music. A classic of Japanese pop/rock.
- [Dark Side] Songs with scary lyrics. Tracks that make you shiver with chilling phrases.
- [So touching it makes you cry] A heartbreakingly wistful and sad song that tightens your chest
- BGM for a haunted house. Scary music.
- Chills down your spine. A collection of Vocaloid songs that are scary but irresistibly listenable.
- A roundup of love songs themed around homosexuality and LGBTQ+
- Anime songs to listen to on Halloween: Theme and insert songs from anime about yokai and ghosts
- A spine-chilling, terrifying song. Japanese music that evokes madness and horror.
- [Classical] Recommended classical music perfect for Halloween
- “Song of War”: A classic that sings of the tragedy and folly of war
Recommendation of Terrifying Music: Those Actually Scary Songs (21–30)
Theme From SangueliaFabio Frizzi
The theme song from Italian director Lucio Fulci’s film Zombie (Zombi 2).
The movie enjoys a cult following for its numerous grotesque zombie scenes.
The music was produced with computer programming, showing a strong influence of techno music, and it turned out to be a pretty cool track.
The Cursed/Bladed Grass (Otokiriso)Otogirisō Soseihen Arenji & Orijinaru Saundotorakku
The main theme of a new game genre called “sound novel,” released by Chunsoft in 1992.
Like a novel, the story and mystery unfold through text, and the player occasionally chooses from options that cause the storyline to branch.
The song evokes a European manor of the Middle Ages and The Phantom of the Opera, and despite the game’s audio hardware of the time, it’s a dramatic and excellent piece.
Orasho — Hymns of Divine WorshipSIREN R Orijinaru Saundotorakku
The theme song of the horror game SIREN, released in 2003 by Sony Computer Entertainment.
Set in a remote rural village in Japan, the game follows the unraveling of mysteries and attempts to escape as the villagers succumb to a zombie-like state known as ‘Shibito.’ Although this song is a traditional Japanese piece with gagaku-style progression and is meant as an offering to a deity, it’s sung in the villagers’ eerie voices, making it extremely frightening.
Please be careful not to let it become a trauma.
The Beautiful PeopleMarilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson, with a voice and appearance straight out of a horror manga.
The lyrics sarcastically call the modern people steeped in capitalism and materialism “the beautiful people,” and the upbeat groove makes it an incredibly cool metal classic.
The music video’s parade of eerie, over-the-top costumes also makes it a fun watch.
Gloomy SundayAwaya Noriko
This is a chanson born in Hungary, known worldwide as a frightening song.
In Japan, it’s known through performances by artists such as Noriko Awaya, who was called the “Queen of Blues.” That bleak melody inevitably sends chills down your spine, doesn’t it? This Japanese version was recorded once around 1936, but there’s an anecdote that its release was banned because the overly pessimistic atmosphere was deemed problematic.
With a noble yet weighty vocal tone that highlights quiet madness and sorrow, this chilling piece seems perfect for a ghostly Halloween gathering.
This Is HalloweenDanny Elfman
The main theme from Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, created by Tim Burton.
Composed by Danny Elfman, a frequent collaborator on Burton’s works such as Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, it conjures music that is eerie yet somehow comical—perfect for a dark fantasy.
In the House, In a HeartbeatJohn Murphy
The theme song from the 2002 British film “28 Days Later.” Directed by Danny Boyle, it portrays the lives of survivors in a devastated city where a virus that attacks the brain turns people violent.
The score throughout is by John Murphy; though the melody is simple, centered on piano and guitar, it aptly captures the desolate, depopulated landscape of London.