Carl Zittrer's music is eary but of course Jerry Goldsmith's ''The Omen'' is *THE KING* of horror scores!

serifiot, October 31, 2006; 9:30 PM

I think it can be hard to separate the music from the experience. For instance Goldsmith's
score for Coma has some fantastic creepy, discordant music, but the film was not really
frightening at all (to me).

Is the criteria that it's a scary listening experience or made a scary film scarier? Speilberg has
said that the music for Jaws added about 50% of the scare to that film and I agree. Ditto
Carpenter's Halloween.

I know people speak highly of the Goblin scores for Dario Argento's films but I'm not familiar
with them. It's years since I've seen Suspiria.

whyaduck, October 31, 2006; 10:57 PM

I believe The Omen film score is scary and evil sounding in itself as a solitary listen but also being the film so perfectly translated into musical notes is what undoubtly enhanced this particular movie's great commercial enduring success.

All those film scores you mentioned by the way are excellent. Coma is a favorite, as well as Suspiria and Halloween of course.

serifiot, October 31, 2006; 11:33 PM

All of Chris Young’s horror stuff, “Pranks”, “Hellraiser” I & II, “Nightmare on Elm Street II”, “Bless the Child”, “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” etc.
(“The Vagrant” is kind of silly but for some reason it still gives me the creeps!)



vodka_kayou, November 1, 2006; 12:15 AM

I like the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers score. very creepy!

JackDVD78, November 1, 2006; 1:06 AM

Jeepers Creepers 1 and 2 are really good horror scores.
Hellraiser 1 and 2 by Young sound scary, too.

The score to Secret Window by Philip Glass and Geoff Zanelli has really eary and scary score.

Darkness Falls by Brian Tyler is also great. The Haunting by maestro Goldsmith has eary moments as well.

Last but not least Aliens by Horner.

Ciao!

karol, November 1, 2006; 3:48 AM

"THE OMEN" (Goldsmith)...... beyond the shadow of a doubt

steven_91, November 1, 2006; 4:26 AM

I gotta go with Creepshow - John Harrison. What a gorgeous score!

-Chris

hkchris, November 1, 2006; 4:27 AM

Poltergeist 2, which even surpasses Poltergeist 1!

M.J.Degenkamp, November 1, 2006; 5:26 AM

The Exorcist is still the only film that scares me and has the music to match. Even Schifrin's unused score has it's moments. Some of the scariest music is from The Exorcist trailers, which are featured on the DVD. Dont watch them on their own. The music that makes me uncomfortable listening to it is The Mephisto Waltz by Goldsmith. The Omen is a fantastic score but it doesn't frighten me. Carpenter scores also have their moments.

TheSaint.786, November 1, 2006; 6:03 AM

Halloween by j Carpenter

philkws, November 1, 2006; 7:00 AM

For me the first NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Charles Bernstein) is the most scary. Much more than the movie !

rayanimator, November 1, 2006; 7:26 AM

I'll have to go with "Evil Dead" by Joseph LoDuca. Just a really creepy score. Some of his better stuff.

drakemarone, November 1, 2006; 8:11 AM

Mephisto Waltz by Jerry Goldsmith...it sends chills down my spine,i can't even give a good listen because i get so freaked out,i turn it off right in the middle.

j.w.schenk, November 1, 2006; 11:27 AM

Has anyone ever notice that FRIDAY THE 13th borrows a bit of music from COMA?

hammon, November 1, 2006; 11:54 AM

Goblin's score for SUSPIRIA is one of the scariest I've ever heard.

American.Nightmare, November 1, 2006; 12:13 PM

TO Hammon:
Which particular track to COMA do you notice this?

j.w.schenk, November 1, 2006; 12:25 PM

Hey, Nightmare, did you like Goblin's work on the original "Dawn of the Dead"?

drakemarone, November 1, 2006; 1:06 PM

@drakemarone:

Oh, definitely. It's one of my favorite Goblin scores. I also like the supplemental album that was put out by Trunk Records that contains all of the "library cues" and incidental music from the American release of the film. Good stuff!

American.Nightmare, November 1, 2006; 1:36 PM

Some of my all time Scary soundtrack favourites are:

THE CHANGELING (ken Wannberg & Howard Blake)
THE OMEN TRILOGY (Jerry Goldsmith)
THE THING (Ennio Morricone)
QUIEN PUEDE MATAR A UN NIÑO ? (Waldo De Los Rios)
CHILDREN OF THE CORN (Jonathan Elias)
HELLRAISER (Christopher Young)
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (Lalo Schifrin)
BLACK SABBATH (Roberto Nicolosi)


byronger, November 1, 2006; 2:04 PM

OH YEAH, John Carpenter's "The Thing" is one of the greatest horror films ever! The score was awesome!

drakemarone, November 1, 2006; 3:02 PM

Oh, I'm overwhelmed! Thank you very much for your answers. All and everyone of your choices are great horror scores...

I specially agree with THE MEPHISTO WALTZ by Goldsmith. Every note of this unsettling soundtrack scares the hell out of me.

Scary regards to all of you,
Angel

angeldibujo, November 1, 2006; 3:13 PM

Lol, good thread. I remember back when I used to write a lot I would listen to John Carpenter's "Halloween" for inspiration. Kinda funny though that in a interview he said something about that main theme being a warm-up tune his father taught him.

drakemarone, November 1, 2006; 3:39 PM

...listening to "Bram Stoker's Dracula" by Wojciech Kilar.

This fairly recent, yet EXCELLENT score should not be overlooked!

serifiot, November 1, 2006; 3:55 PM

To: locojoe

I'll have to pull it out, but there is short "theme/riff" that is in COMA you will definitely recognize in FRIDAY THE 13th! If you have COMA play it, you'll recognize it for sure.

hammon, November 1, 2006; 7:59 PM

By far the opening credits to the "Amityville Horror" OR I find both of these creepy too- John William's "The Fury" and Christopher Young's "Flowers in the Attic".. honorable mention to Bernard Herrmanns CLASSIC "Obsession" (who can forget that one???) and Franz Waxman's "Rebecca"!!!!

Kim

emt8134, November 2, 2006; 5:56 PM

what about,The Car,anything that has to do withe devil creeps me out.

billjenedsall, September 16, 2007; 8:01 PM