# Favorite Horror/Thriiler Movie Music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257 "2016-10-31T14:29:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/1 "2016-10-31T14:29:07Z")
'Tis the season for holiday music, and nothing sets the mood at the late night double feature picture show like the proper music. What are your favorite horror themes from your favorite horror movies? For me, it’s the main theme that runs through the [_Puppet Master_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHQrvscTaeg) series from Full Moon Pictures. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/2 "2016-10-31T14:54:50Z")
John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/3 "2016-10-31T16:01:55Z")
The Exorcist: Tubular Bells ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/4 "2016-10-31T16:07:44Z")
Franz Waxman’s score for _The Bride of Frankenstein_. Runner-up: Bernard Herrman’s Theremin-heavy _The Day the Earth Stood Still_. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/5 "2016-10-31T16:10:27Z")
Herrmann also gets props for the square-dance scene in _The Devil and Dan’l Webster_, where Walter Huston (as Mr. Scratch) gets progressively wilder on the fiddle. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/6 "2016-10-31T16:25:51Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). And another from a Carpenter movie…only he composed this little ditty himself-[_Halloween_.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt5rCgHN1Gc) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/7 "2016-10-31T17:19:37Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And another from a Carpenter movie…only he composed this little ditty himself-[_Halloween_.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt5rCgHN1Gc) Carpenter in fact helped compose a lot of the **The Thing** soundtrack himself. This is worth reading. The story behind the **The Thing** soundtrack, and the official soundtrack album that differed so radically from it. (This new cd is very good, btw.) [http://buysoundtrax.stores.yahoo.net/thmufrmopiby.html](http://buysoundtrax.stores.yahoo.net/thmufrmopiby.html) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/8 "2016-10-31T17:54:35Z")
The most effective one I believe I’ve ever experienced is for _It Follows_. And I do mean “experienced”. It’s practically a separate character. \*The Ring’s \* score is beautiful, so much so that I’ll put the movie on just to help me drift of to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/9 "2016-10-31T19:23:44Z")
I forgot to mention my favorite: Jerry Goldsmith’s **Alien**. The complete 2-disc soundtrack is a treasure. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/10 "2016-10-31T19:33:40Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > John Carpenter’s **The Thing** (1982). Certainly this. James Horner’s **Aliens.** Also, John Williams’ **Jaws** and Clint Mansell’s **Moon.** ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/11 "2016-10-31T21:47:22Z")
The [Suspiria soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJUaCAIxSk4) by Goblin is a classic. Probably more famous than the movie itself. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/12 "2016-10-31T21:50:42Z")
[Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9rZjlsyYY) Obviously it wasn’t written for a horror movie but it’s been used in several. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/13 "2016-10-31T21:57:36Z")
I haven’t seen “Cub”, but I really like the soundtrack. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NOd18V9uv4Q/maxresdefault.jpg "STEVE MOORE - "Intro & Credits" (Official Track)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOd18V9uv4Q) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/14 "2016-10-31T22:46:11Z")
Wendy Carlos’ _The Shining_ and Jerry Goldsmith’s _Poltergeist_. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/15 "2016-10-31T23:18:28Z")
The [opening theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e817qtDsIo4) by Wojciech Kilar from **Bram Stoker’s Dracula**. The menacing cellos are terrific, and then it builds through the strings and into the crash of the brass. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/16 "2016-10-31T23:22:59Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). Winner in 1. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/17 "2016-10-31T23:37:05Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Franz Waxman’s score for _The Bride of Frankenstein_. > > Runner-up: Bernard Herrman’s Theremin-heavy _The Day the Earth Stood Still_. The Bride of Frankenstein score doesn’t really sound like a horror film. I do like it, but that three-note motif for the Bride always makes me think of _Bali Hai_ from _South Pacific_ (even though Waxman wrote this well before Richard Rogers). And I always love Bernard Hermann’s scores. Given my druthers, though, my favorite is his score for **The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad** ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/18 "2016-11-01T00:22:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9rZjlsyYY) > > Obviously it wasn’t written for a horror movie but it’s been used in several. I knew I wouldn’t be the first with this one.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/19 "2016-11-01T00:25:46Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Bride of Frankenstein score doesn’t really sound like a horror film. I do like it, but that three-note motif for the Bride always makes me think of _Bali Hai_ from _South Pacific_ (even though Waxman wrote this well before Richard Rogers). Some of it’s crap, like the accompaniment to the prelude with Byron and the Shelleys, and the background to the “little people” scene. But I love the grotesque and quirky stuff that comes up whenever Boris and Ernest are onscreen together. (Wow. I never noticed the similarity to “Bali Hai.” How weird is that?) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257/20 "2016-11-01T00:30:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9rZjlsyYY) > > Obviously it wasn’t written for a horror movie but it’s been used in several. Boris plays it in “The Black Cat” (1934). Peter Lorre plays it in “Mad Love” (1935). Erich von Stroheim plays it in “Sunset Boulevard” (1950, and I would argue that this is a very fine horror movie!) Where else does it turn up, off the top of anyone else’s head? Man, I wish I could afford to keep a pipe organ in MY house. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-horror-thriiler-movie-music/770257.md?page=2)