Kang & Kodos theme from the Simpsons -- musical antecedents?

Cafe Society
1

This musical theme plays on The Simpsons for many or most appearances of Kang and Kodos. To me it sounds like 30s horror film music – is there specific older music which The Simpsons is riffing on here? Thought it might be Frankenstein, but that’s not too similar.

(I’ll note that the first 3 notes of the Kang & Kodos theme’s melody, C-G-F# at the 7-second mark, are a spooky inversion of the show’s iconic main title theme. Kind of neat.)

2

The swooping higher-pitched tones sound like a theramin, an instrument that was very popular in 50’s Sci-Fi schlocky movies, so that’s one element that might be familiar as a throwback.

I didn’t recognize the actual music part as anything, I would just call them generic tension chords.

3

The Day the Earth Stood Still

4

Holy flurking shnit!