Halloween - Halloween Theme - Main Title

John Carpenter

A first cut of this film without music did not scare anyone. Carpenter created this well known theme and ushered in an entire genre of slasher flicks along the way. We are glad he did!

Drag Me To Hell - Lamia

Christopher Young

Christopher Young is the master of the horror music genre and it will be quite some time before someone replaces his talent. Drag Me To Hell is a masterpiece, only bested by his Hellraiser series. He created a ten finger violin sound that only the devil could play. How cool is that?

The Omen - Ave Satani / The Demise of Mrs. Baylock

Jerry Goldsmith

Goldsmith won an Academy Award for this demonic score in 1976. It was also nominated for best song (Ave Satani) but we feel The Demise of Mrs. Baylock truly captures the terror.

Jaws - Main Title & First Victim

John Williams

This classic theme simply alternates E and F notes. Williams used a Tuba to "make it a little more threatening." In 2009 a man was killed by a shark in Kill Devil Hills, NC while swimming at night. Scary, we like to swim there too during summers.

A Nightmare on Elm Street I & II - Main Title

Elmer Bernstein / Christopher Young

Charles Bernstein created a classic beginning to this fun franchise. While the more recent films became campy the first few Elm Streets were raw, original, and terrifying. A killer that stalks your dreams? Pleasant nightmares...

Bram Stoker's Dracula - The Storm

Wojciech Kilar

Visually stunning re-invention of a classic tale, Coppolla and Kilar created a masterpiece. The Storm captures the diversity of this score and the sense of darkness the film possesses.

Poltergeist II - Where Are You? / They're Back

Jerry Goldsmith

We debated long and hard which track was better so had to put both in. This sequel has a much darker tone than the original that borrows concepts from his score to The Omen. Reverend Kane's theme from Where Are You is downright freaky.

Psycho - Hotel Room

Bernard Herrmann

Everyone knows The Murder theme from Psycho but if you want to hear the real terror, watch the entire sequence between Norman Bates and Marion Crane before he kills her. The music just creeps right under your skin. This entire score is done with strings...brilliant!

Sleepy Hollow - Introduction

Danny Elfman

Elfman created a wonderfully dark score for this Burton take on a legend. The score holds up very well on its own, but is even more powerful with the moving image. Introduction is an ominous work that sets the stage for things to come.

Hellbound Hellraiser II - Hellbound / Second Sight Seance

Christopher Young

Young's masterpiece, this is the most powerful composition ever heard for a film. It begins strong, dark, and maintains a complex orchestration of sweeping choirs, horns, and percussion. It mesmerizes you, grabs you, and won't let you go until the majestic Cenobites appear to take away your soul.

In the Mouth of Madness - A Boy and His Bike

John Carpenter

The blurred lines between fantasy and reality take a terrifying turn down the horrific mind of John Carpenter. This particular scene in the movie is absolutely spine tingling. It would have been just as scary without music, but the unnerving sound underscores the bizarre image of the boy turned old man on his bike. It is really freaky.

The Ninth Gate - Balkan's Death / Vocalise

Wojciech Kilar

The Ninth Gate is an interesting film that as a whole doesn't work as well as some of the fantastic individual themes and plots that develop. There are many outstanding cues on this score that Kilar weaves into the story. Balkan's Death has powerful overtones of Dracula and Vocalise is beautiful and haunting.

Night of the Living Dead - Farmhouse

Paul McCullough

Directed by Tom Savini, this is one of the stronger re-makes that has held up well over the years. McCullough's electronic score is not as bizarre as the original, but still quite intriguing. Farmhouse develops slowly and builds as exploration of the abandoned (eh-hem) property soon gets infested with zombies.

House / House 2 - Viet Memories / The Chimney

Harry Manfredini

House took the simple concept of the spooky mansion, updated it with modern day special effects and dashed it off with a healthy dose of comedy. The result is a fantastic score by Manfredini that really has some tense moments in it. Extremely rare soundtrack, but you can get CDR copies signed by Manfredini himself!

Creepshow - Prologue - Welcome to Creepshow

John Harrison

What happens when you get some of the best horror directors and special effects artists together to create a movie with terrifying minisodes? You get Creepshow of course. A great score from the 80's we really love Harrison's opening of this pulp comic book film.

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Miss Foley in the Mirror

James Horner

One of Horner's darker works this movie had a terrific premise and a sinister visual design. Jonathan Pryce playing Mr. Dark is a fantastic backdrop to create an eerie score. This cue is a compilation of scenes from the film, but slowly builds with some nice strikes to perk you up.

Friday the 13th - Moments of Madness

Harry Manfredini

"Ki Ki Ki Ma Ma Ma" and so created an iconic sound to represent a killer. While a lot of the score is repetitive as this theme only appears when the killer is shown, it is a theme that no doubt has struck fear into many a fan.

Pet Sematary - The Return Game (Jud and Gage)

Elliot Goldenthal

Extremely intense strings for this terrifying film, especially this gruesome sequence. One of the best adaptations of Stepehen King's works to date.

Tales from the Darkside - Lot 249 Suite

Various

This score is basically three long suites for each tale in the film. Lot 249 is definitely the darkest of them all and really sets the mood for a mummy that comes back to life with a thirst for blood.

The Amityville Horror -

Lalo Schifrin

One of the great 70's horror films apparently based on a true story. The legend of 112 Ocean Avenue lives on today and is disputed as a hoax. Hoax or not the original movie is a great frightfest with an eerie score composed by Schifrin. Note this is the ORIGINAL score on Vinyl, NOT the remake which is missing some great tracks.

The Horror of Dracula -

James Bernard

A great Hammer Horror film with a classic soundtrack composed by James Bernard. Christopher Lee as Dracula is top notch...they should really cast him in a re-make today before he dies...call it a Bela Lugosi flashback.

The Exorcist - Tubular Bells

Various

This score originally released on vinyl in 1974 has music from Penderecki and various other artists (including Jack Nitzsche). Tubular Bells is a classic though that has haunted many a spooky house on Halloween night crying out for an exorcism.

Interview with the Vampire - Libera Me

Elliot Goldenthal

Great blend of a boys choir and strings by Goldenthal to create a moving but dark and omninous prelude to the film.

Nosferatu -

James Bernard

Bernard re-creates the score to the classic 1922 Nosferatu giving this demonic vampire the fitting twisted score he has always deserved. It is amazing how a film that is so old can still really creep you out. Watch it alone in the dark, we dare you.

Dreamscape - Labyrinth

Maurice Jarre

A cult classic from the 80's this highly synthesized score works best in the film. But this movie has some really terrific moments that hold up well through the years. Jarre does a good job with the synths creating a howling of strings with bizarre echoes and reverbs to create a festival of snake monsters, zombies and blood and guts.

Session 9 - A Few Simple Up and Down Jerks

Climax Golden Twins

BONUS: Just added Session 9 to this list because it is such a brilliant and terrifying soundtrack for a dark and evil film. Go rent the movie, watch it alone in the dark, then go order the soundtrack.