Needs More John Carpenter
October 29, 2014 1:07 PM Subscribe
FACT magazine runs down the 100 greatest horror soundtracks (that's a lot of horror soundtracks). Also, there's a companion streamable YouTube playlist.
Honestly, my two favorite horror soundtracks were for Whale's Frankenstein and Dracula.
There weren't any soundtracks. And it works really well for both of them.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:17 PM on October 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
There weren't any soundtracks. And it works really well for both of them.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:17 PM on October 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
Here are all 100 of them as a Youtube playlist.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:26 PM on October 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:26 PM on October 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
I don't know if this is even relevant yet, (haven't gotten through all of the article) but how the fuck did I never notice until the other day that the theme to reanimator is just the theme to psycho jazzed up a little?
posted by Ferreous at 1:31 PM on October 29, 2014
posted by Ferreous at 1:31 PM on October 29, 2014
My vote for best horror soundtrack goes to The Equestrian Vortex.
posted by Artw at 1:39 PM on October 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:39 PM on October 29, 2014 [3 favorites]
I skipped ahead to the top of the list, but did a double-take on #2. Popol Vuh? Really, Norwegian 70s prog-rock band Popol Vuh? But sadly, no.
posted by Harald74 at 1:48 PM on October 29, 2014
posted by Harald74 at 1:48 PM on October 29, 2014
Skimming through there are some really great and eclectic choices here, with No. 48 almost making up for the lack of my own top pick.
posted by Artw at 1:52 PM on October 29, 2014
posted by Artw at 1:52 PM on October 29, 2014
Krzysztof Penderecki's Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima (used in The Shining) is probably the best horror track ever.
I'm listening to the Only God Forgives soundtrack lately, which is a pleasantly absurd mix of synth and cheesy Dracula organs.
But Goddamn, no horror track chills me right down to the bone like the intro theme to The Blob.
posted by dgaicun at 2:22 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm listening to the Only God Forgives soundtrack lately, which is a pleasantly absurd mix of synth and cheesy Dracula organs.
But Goddamn, no horror track chills me right down to the bone like the intro theme to The Blob.
posted by dgaicun at 2:22 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm guessing there's no Huey Lewis from Back To The Future. That was pretty horrifying.
posted by philip-random at 2:52 PM on October 29, 2014
posted by philip-random at 2:52 PM on October 29, 2014
For those balking at the apparent 1-per-page list thing, you can press the right arrow key on your keyboard to the next one. It's more like a slideshow than a bunch of separate webpages.
This was a neat list -- lots of stuff I would never have heard of (including most of the films themselves).
posted by treepour at 3:22 PM on October 29, 2014
This was a neat list -- lots of stuff I would never have heard of (including most of the films themselves).
posted by treepour at 3:22 PM on October 29, 2014
That's a great list and I'm happy to see Mica Levi so highly placed but, yeah, it does need more Carpenter. And I'd question the horror of some of the movies listed. Here's my honourable mention.
posted by steganographia at 3:22 PM on October 29, 2014
posted by steganographia at 3:22 PM on October 29, 2014
The soundtrack was one of the best things about Suspiria and it truly deserves it's positioning at #1.
posted by hoodrich at 8:47 PM on October 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by hoodrich at 8:47 PM on October 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
My favourite not mentioned - Interview with a Vampire. Maybe a bit cliched with its boys' choirs and twiddly violins, but the Libera Me is wonderfully chilling and really set the tone as the background to the film's opening scene.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 4:32 AM on October 30, 2014
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 4:32 AM on October 30, 2014
How The Exorcist wasn't #1 will forever haunt me
Not eligible -- the list is only of original soundtracks, not ones that used pre-existing songs.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:46 AM on October 30, 2014
Not eligible -- the list is only of original soundtracks, not ones that used pre-existing songs.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:46 AM on October 30, 2014
I was a bit sad not to the see Ennio Morricone's score for The Exorcist 2 on the list - it's brilliant, especially at the opening (the actual film is absolutely terrible, but that's another story...)
Morricone's score for The Thing is pretty great too - though sounds suspiciously like John Carpenter did it himself.
posted by bifter at 9:34 AM on October 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Morricone's score for The Thing is pretty great too - though sounds suspiciously like John Carpenter did it himself.
posted by bifter at 9:34 AM on October 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Not eligible -- the list is only of original soundtracks, not ones that used pre-existing songs.
Which makes Hardware a little confusing as I barely remember anything not Ministry or PiL.
posted by Artw at 9:36 AM on October 30, 2014
Which makes Hardware a little confusing as I barely remember anything not Ministry or PiL.
posted by Artw at 9:36 AM on October 30, 2014
Seconding Ravenous. I own that soundtrack and it still creeps me out.
And I get that this list was about soundtracks composed specifically for movies, but I think we all know what horror movie had the best soundtrack ever.
posted by lumpenprole at 4:38 PM on October 30, 2014
And I get that this list was about soundtracks composed specifically for movies, but I think we all know what horror movie had the best soundtrack ever.
posted by lumpenprole at 4:38 PM on October 30, 2014
Vague tangent: more music for Halloween, from Daptone Records
- HALLOWEEEEEN Spotify Playlist by The Budos Band
- Satan Is Her Name - Halloween Spotify Playlist (and YouTube Playlist) from Daptone Records
- Strange Happenings mix on Mixcloud by Mikey "Custodian of Soul" Post
Weird, I was thinking the soundtrack to Ravenous was on here--coulda sworn it was on the 100 song YT playlist linked inthread--and I just saw it last night (thank you MetaFilter! you made my holiday weekend excellent with your horror recs through the years) and was coming in to say yeah, I loved the soundtrack and how it was all over the map, much like the movie (so entertaining). Also weirdly it vaguely reminded me of some of Earthbound's charms.
No complaints from me--all of my favorites that immediately came to mind are on here, including Halloween III, Legend of Hell House, Shock, Suspiria (and all the prog-y Goblin/Argento/Bava stuff really), Let's Scare Jessica To Death (YES!), Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, House of the Devil, Berberian Sound Studio, Possession, The Keep, Kwaidan, Rosemary's Baby, Session 9, Psycho, Eraserhead...I like too that they appreciate when a movie's best feature is the score (The Keep, I'm looking at you), and how sometimes the sound design that's most affecting is the kind that's not very noticeable in a typically "cinematically" cued way.
Felt their inclusion of Upstream Color was inspired (I found that movie as traumatic, horrific, and cathartic as any genre horror I've watched, and it had the "this is all a fuzzy bad dream/half-remembered and buried thing" feel down pat) and in the same vein, if you could argue it was a horror movie I'd wish for Badlands except the music wasn't made for the movie (but is so good!).
posted by ifjuly at 3:39 PM on November 3, 2014
No complaints from me--all of my favorites that immediately came to mind are on here, including Halloween III, Legend of Hell House, Shock, Suspiria (and all the prog-y Goblin/Argento/Bava stuff really), Let's Scare Jessica To Death (YES!), Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, House of the Devil, Berberian Sound Studio, Possession, The Keep, Kwaidan, Rosemary's Baby, Session 9, Psycho, Eraserhead...I like too that they appreciate when a movie's best feature is the score (The Keep, I'm looking at you), and how sometimes the sound design that's most affecting is the kind that's not very noticeable in a typically "cinematically" cued way.
Felt their inclusion of Upstream Color was inspired (I found that movie as traumatic, horrific, and cathartic as any genre horror I've watched, and it had the "this is all a fuzzy bad dream/half-remembered and buried thing" feel down pat) and in the same vein, if you could argue it was a horror movie I'd wish for Badlands except the music wasn't made for the movie (but is so good!).
posted by ifjuly at 3:39 PM on November 3, 2014
(I mean, Near Dark and The Thing aren't on there, but to be fair I love those movies so hard it's possible I have no clear recollection of the scores as I am too blinded with affection for the whole package when I watch them.)
posted by ifjuly at 3:43 PM on November 3, 2014
posted by ifjuly at 3:43 PM on November 3, 2014
Sacred Bones Releasing Horror Icon John Carpenter's Debut Solo Album Lost Themes, Share "Vortex"
posted by Artw at 4:58 PM on November 3, 2014
posted by Artw at 4:58 PM on November 3, 2014
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posted by Hoopo at 1:15 PM on October 29, 2014 [3 favorites]