The Twenty Greatest Horror Movie Soundtracks of All Time

Welcome back to The Longbox, Fear Fans!

Compiling this list that I’m about to assault your eyes (and ears) with, well, it felt like excavating my own psychological backyard. Every time I thought I’d settled on the definitive twenty, another addition would claw its way back into my consciousness, demanding recognition. Horror soundtracks don’t just accompany fear—they architect it, building sonic cathedrals of dread that linger long after the credits roll.

Through the years I’ve spent nights lying in bed, letting these compositions wash over me, studying how they manipulate my nervous system with surgical precision, jolting my memories of these classic movies they augment. So I guess this exploration will be less about ranking terror and more about understanding how sound transforms cinematic scares into lasting cultural nightmares. I hope this interests you as much as it does me, dark travelers.

So, with our introduction out of the way, it’s time to showcase some scary movie tunes. Are you with me?

The Foundation of Fear: Classical Horror Scoring

Psycho (1960) – Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann’s revolutionary score for Hitchcock’s Psycho didn’t just accompany the birth of modern horror cinema—it midwifed it into existence. Those infamous shower scene strings remain the most recognizable horror motif in cinema history, and for good reason. Herrmann made a brilliant creative decision to use only string instruments, creating an intensely focused sonic palette that matched the film’s stark black-and-white cinematography.

What strikes me most about this score is its restraint. Herrmann understood that the “shrieking strings” would fundamentally change audience expectations of horror music, proving orchestral instruments could generate visceral terror through dissonance and sharp, stabbing rhythms. He used silence as effectively as sound to build psychological tension—a technique that still makes my skin crawl every time I experience it.

The score’s influence extends far beyond its initial release. Film scholar James Berardinelli noted that “Psycho‘s music is one of its strongest assets,” and I couldn’t agree more. Herrmann’s masterful manipulation of motifs, with the main theme recurring throughout in various forms to represent Norman Bates’ fractured psychological state, creates a musical portrait of madness that feels both beautiful and deeply disturbing.

The Exorcist (1973) – Mike Oldfield and Various Composers

The Exorcist employed a unique approach that still feels radical today. Director William Friedkin rejected Lalo Schifrin’s original score in favor of an eclectic mixture combining Mike Oldfield’s haunting “Tubular Bells” with selections from avant-garde classical composers including Krzysztof Penderecki and György Ligeti. This decision created one of cinema’s most unsettling sonic landscapes.

That famous opening theme, featuring Oldfield’s hypnotic piano and atmospheric synthesizers, immediately establishes an otherworldly dread that permeates every frame. The soundtrack’s power lies in its juxtaposition of beautiful melodies with dissonant modern classical pieces, creating cognitive dissonance that mirrors the film’s themes of innocence corrupted by evil.

Friedkin literally spent months picking out songs and tunes to fit scenes, and this meticulous approach shows. The enduring popularity of “Tubular Bells” as both a standalone musical work and horror cinema staple demonstrates the soundtrack’s dual achievement as both artistic composition and effective genre scoring.

Jaws (1975) – John Williams

John Williams achieved something remarkable with Jaws—he made a simple two-note motif synonymous with oceanic terror across global popular culture. The composer’s minimalist approach, featuring alternating E and F notes played with increasing intensity, Williams described as “grinding away at you, just as a shark would do, instinctual, relentless, unstoppable.”

This deceptively simple theme became one of cinema’s most effective examples of leitmotif. I can’t hear those notes without feeling my pulse quicken, proof of the music’s continued power to trigger primal fear responses. The soundtrack’s achievement extends beyond its famous shark theme to encompass Williams’ broader orchestral palette, which creates both tranquil New England coastal atmospheres and explosive aquatic carnage.

Williams’ approach perfectly supported Spielberg’s strategy of suggesting rather than showing the mechanical shark, with the music carrying much of the film’s suspense. The score’s influence on subsequent thriller and horror films cannot be overstated—it established a template for building tension through musical crescendo that remains effective fifty years later.

The Electronic Revolution: Synthesizer-Driven Horror

Halloween (1978) – John Carpenter

John Carpenter’s Halloween score revolutionized horror film music by proving electronic instruments could generate atmospheric dread as effectively as traditional orchestras. Created in just three days on a budget of $300, Carpenter’s minimalist synthesizer compositions became the franchise’s defining sonic element.

That main theme’s haunting piano melody played in an unusual 10/8 time signature creates an unsettling rhythmic foundation that perfectly matches Michael Myers’ relentless stalking. What I find most impressive is how Carpenter achieved maximum impact with minimal resources. He recorded five or six themes without scoring to picture, just creating music blind and then cutting the themes into the movie.

This methodology produced music that feels both organic to the film’s atmosphere and distinctly otherworldly. The Halloween theme’s cultural penetration extends far beyond horror cinema, influencing the development of synthwave music and remaining instantly recognizable across multiple generations. Carpenter’s dual role as director and composer allowed for unprecedented integration between visual and audio elements.

Suspiria (1977) – Goblin

The Italian progressive rock band Goblin created one of horror cinema’s most innovative and influential soundtracks for Dario Argento’s Suspiria. Their combination of rock instrumentation with classical elements, electronic experimentation, and unsettling vocal arrangements produced what many consider the definitive giallo soundtrack.

The main theme’s hypnotic repetition, punctuated by otherworldly whispers and percussion, creates an atmosphere of mounting dread that perfectly complements Argento’s visual excess. Goblin’s approach essentially “invented sound design,” blending musical composition with atmospheric effects to create an immersive sonic environment.

The soundtrack has the ability to terrify audiences even outside its original cinematic context, as evidenced by the band’s many live performances. Band member Claudio Simonetti has referred to Suspiria as Goblin’s masterpiece, and its continued influence on horror scoring through multiple reissues demonstrates why.

The Thing (1982) – Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone’s collaboration with John Carpenter on The Thing produced one of horror cinema’s most effective examples of atmospheric scoring. Working in an uncharacteristically minimalist style at Carpenter’s direction, Morricone created music that emphasizes isolation and paranoia through sparse orchestration and electronic textures.

The creative relationship between Morricone and Carpenter required significant collaboration, with Carpenter encouraging the Italian maestro to “use less notes.” This pared-down approach resulted in music that builds tension through suggestion rather than obvious horror cues, creating an atmosphere of constant unease that perfectly matches the film’s Antarctic setting and themes of mistrust.

Contemporary Masters: Modern Horror Scoring

Hereditary (2018) – Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson’s groundbreaking score for Hereditary represents a significant evolution in horror film music. As both a renowned solo artist and sought-after collaborator, Stetson brought a unique perspective to horror scoring, using circular breathing and multiphonics to generate otherworldly sounds from traditional instruments.

His approach to the film’s family trauma themes through music creates an intimate horror experience that burrows beneath surface scares. The Hereditary soundtrack’s critical acclaim, including recognition as one of the most terrifying horror film scores in recent memory, demonstrates Stetson’s successful translation of avant-garde musical techniques into effective genre scoring.

Get Out (2017) – Michael Abels

Michael Abels’ score for Jordan Peele’s Get Out achieved the remarkable feat of incorporating African American musical traditions into horror film scoring while addressing themes of racial horror. The centerpiece track “Sikiliza Kwa Wahenga” features Swahili chanting that translates to “Listen to the Ancestors,” creating a musical narrative that supports the film’s deeper cultural commentary.

Abels’ background in contemporary classical composition allowed him to create a sophisticated sonic landscape that operates on multiple interpretive levels. Peele specifically requested that the music incorporate “the African American voice both metaphorically and literally,” and Abels’ achievement in meeting this directive while creating genuinely terrifying music demonstrates the potential for horror scoring to address social themes without sacrificing genre effectiveness.

It Follows (2015) – Disasterpeace (Rich Vreeland)

Rich Vreeland’s score, created under his Disasterpeace moniker, successfully merged 1980s synthwave aesthetics with contemporary horror sensibilities. The soundtrack’s nostalgic electronic palette perfectly complements the film’s deliberate ambiguity about its temporal setting while creating genuinely unsettling atmospheres.

Vreeland’s approach demonstrates how electronic music can evoke both nostalgia and terror simultaneously, tapping into collective cultural memories of earlier horror cinema. The It Follows soundtrack’s influence on subsequent horror films and electronic music demonstrates its success in updating classic synthesizer scoring for contemporary audiences.

Atmospheric Innovators: Ambient and Experimental Approaches

Under the Skin (2013) – Mica Levi

Mica Levi’s avant-garde score for Under the Skin represents one of horror cinema’s most successful experiments in non-traditional scoring approaches. Her use of dissonant string arrangements and electronic manipulation creates an alien perspective that perfectly matches the film’s otherworldly protagonist.

The score’s ability to generate unease through texture and timbre rather than melody demonstrates sophisticated understanding of psychological horror principles. Levi’s background in experimental music allowed her to approach horror scoring from a unique perspective, creating music that feels genuinely alien rather than simply frightening.

Midsommar (2019) – Bobby Krlic

Bobby Krlic’s score for Midsommar achieves the challenging task of creating horror music for a film set primarily in bright daylight. His incorporation of traditional Scandinavian folk elements with contemporary orchestration creates an unsettling juxtaposition that mirrors the film’s themes of beautiful terror.

Krlic’s approach to scoring the film’s cult rituals and psychological breakdown sequences shows remarkable restraint, allowing silence and ambient sound to carry equal weight with composed material. The soundtrack’s success in creating horror atmospheres without relying on traditional genre cues establishes it as an innovative work in contemporary horror scoring.

Genre-Defining Legacy Works

The Omen (1976) – Jerry Goldsmith

Jerry Goldsmith’s Oscar-winning score features the infamous “Ave Satani” chorus, which combines Latin text with avant-garde choral techniques to create genuinely blasphemous-sounding music. The score’s success lies in its juxtaposition of beautiful, hymn-like passages with discordant, demonic material, creating musical representations of good and evil in conflict.

The Shining (1980) – Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind with Classical Selections

Stanley Kubrick’s approach through a combination of original electronic music by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind with selections from avant-garde classical composers created one of cinema’s most psychologically disturbing soundtracks. The opening theme’s arrangement of the Dies Irae from Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique immediately establishes an atmosphere of impending doom.

Alien (1979) – Jerry Goldsmith

Goldsmith’s Alien score represents a masterclass in creating claustrophobic terror through musical architecture. His incorporation of orchestral and electronic elements created a template for science fiction horror that continues to influence composers today. The score’s genius lies in its ability to make the vastness of space feel suffocatingly intimate, using dissonant orchestral clusters and ethereal electronic textures to mirror the film’s themes of isolation and biological horror.

I love Goldsmith’s approach to scoring the alien itself—rather than creating a traditional monster theme, he crafted an absence of melody that feels more terrifying than any musical motif could. The famous chest-burster sequence demonstrates his restraint, allowing the horror to build through silence before unleashing a cacophony that mirrors the creature’s violent emergence. This sophisticated understanding of when not to score proves as important as the composed material itself.

Poltergeist (1982) – Jerry Goldsmith

The Poltergeist score presents one of horror cinema’s most fascinating challenges—creating genuine fear within a family-friendly context. Goldsmith’s approach demonstrates his ability to calibrate fear levels for different audiences while maintaining musical sophistication. The score walks a delicate line between wonder and terror, using lush orchestral themes for the family’s suburban normalcy that gradually become corrupted by supernatural intrusion.

What I find amazing is how Goldsmith creates music that frightens adults without traumatizing children, using familiar musical language that slowly reveals its sinister undertones. The famous “Carol Anne’s Theme” begins as a beautiful, innocent melody that becomes increasingly distorted as the supernatural forces claim her. This gradual transformation mirrors the film’s central concept of domestic safety being violated by otherworldly malevolence.

Gremlins (1984) – Jerry Goldsmith

Goldsmith’s Gremlins score showcases his remarkable versatility within the horror genre, balancing comedy and terror through musical themes that shift tonally with the creatures’ transformation from cute to chaotic. The score’s dual nature reflects the film’s own genre-blending approach, providing whimsical themes for Gizmo’s adorable moments while crafting genuinely menacing music for the gremlins’ destructive rampage.

I’m continually blown away by how Goldsmith manages these tonal shifts without losing musical coherence. The main theme’s playful innocence can become threatening through simple orchestration changes, demonstrating his mastery of leitmotif development. The Christmas setting adds another layer of complexity, with traditional holiday music becoming corrupted by the creatures’ presence, creating cognitive dissonance that makes their chaos feel even more unsettling.

Candyman (1992) – Philip Glass

Philip Glass’s minimalist approach to Candyman created hypnotic, repetitive themes that perfectly matched the film’s urban legend mythology. Glass’s signature style—built on repetitive arpeggios and gradually shifting harmonic patterns—transforms the Cabrini-Green housing projects into a modern gothic cathedral of dread. The score’s relentless, circular nature mirrors the inescapable cycle of the Candyman legend itself.

What strikes me about Glass’s contribution is how his avant-garde classical background brings intellectual weight to a genre often dismissed as lowbrow entertainment. The famous “Helen’s Theme” uses his trademark minimalist techniques to create mounting psychological tension, with subtle variations in rhythm and harmony that burrow into the subconscious. The score’s influence on subsequent horror films attempting to blend art music with genre conventions cannot be overstated.

Dawn of the Dead (1978) – Goblin

Goblin’s second masterwork represents their ability to create apocalyptic atmospheres through progressive rock elements that feel both contemporary and timeless. Unlike their Suspiria score’s supernatural dread, Dawn of the Dead required music that could capture societal collapse and zombie apocalypse horror. Their approach combines driving rock rhythms with atmospheric synthesizer work, creating music that feels both urgent and hopeless.

The score’s most brilliant achievement lies in its contrast between the shopping mall’s commercial muzak and Goblin’s intense compositions, highlighting the film’s consumer culture satire. Their main theme builds from ominous beginnings to explosive climaxes that mirror the survivors’ escalating desperation. The band’s ability to create different sonic landscapes for various zombie encounters—from slow-moving dread to frenzied action—demonstrates their sophisticated understanding of horror scoring principles.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – Krzysztof Komeda

Krzysztof Komeda’s haunting lullaby theme creates one of cinema’s most memorable horror melodies, juxtaposing innocence with supernatural dread in ways that continue to unsettle decades later. The Polish jazz composer’s approach to Polanski’s paranoia masterpiece emphasizes psychological horror over obvious scares, using a deceptively simple melody that becomes increasingly sinister through repetition and variation.

The famous “Rosemary’s Lullaby” achieves the remarkable feat of being both beautiful and deeply disturbing, perfectly encapsulating the film’s themes of maternal horror and violated innocence. Komeda’s jazz background brings sophisticated harmonic sensibilities to the horror genre, creating music that functions as both tender lullaby and ominous warning. The score’s influence on subsequent maternal horror films demonstrates its success in translating complex psychological themes into memorable musical form.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – Wojciech Kilar

Wojciech Kilar’s score for Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula stands as a towering achievement in gothic horror scoring, representing one of cinema’s most accomplished fusions of Eastern European musical tradition with Hollywood’s grand cinematic scope. The celebrated Polish composer didn’t just create background music—he architected an emotional cathedral that transforms Coppola’s visual excess into something approaching the sublime.

What impresses me about Kilar’s approach is his sophisticated understanding of leitmotif as psychological portraiture. Each character receives distinct musical DNA that evolves throughout the narrative. Dracula’s ominous, funereal theme carries the crushing weight of centuries-old tragedy, transforming simple orchestral passages into meditations on immortal loneliness. The urgent, percussive motif driving Van Helsing and the vampire hunters creates relentless momentum that mirrors their obsessive pursuit, while the sweeping romantic theme for Dracula and Mina performs the impossible—making us believe in the monster’s capacity for genuine love.

The opening track, “Dracula – The Beginning,” remains one of horror cinema’s most powerful musical statements. I’ve absorbed this piece countless times, and it never fails to transport me into Coppola’s world through pure sonic force. Kilar builds from mysterious whispers to thunderous gothic grandeur through a masterful crescendo that establishes the film’s complex emotional terrain—simultaneously mournful and terrifying, beautiful and damned.

Coppola’s decision to grant Kilar full creative freedom resulted in a soundtrack that feels authentically rooted in Eastern European folk traditions while serving Hollywood’s spectacular demands. This cultural authenticity elevates the material beyond typical vampire cinema, grounding supernatural horror in genuine musical heritage. Kilar’s score functions as emotional bridge between the film’s seemingly contradictory interpretations of Dracula as both romantic hero and ancient monster.

The collaboration with Annie Lennox on “Love Song for a Vampire” works well, and links Kilar’s orchestral compositions to contemporary sensibilities without compromising the score’s gothic integrity. This marriage of classical composition and modern vocals creates perfect encapsulation of Coppola’s genre-blending ambitions, proving that horror scoring can transcend traditional boundaries while maintaining its essential power to disturb and move audiences simultaneously.

The Wrap-Up: The Sonic Architecture of Fear

These twenty soundtracks represent diverse approaches to generating fear through music, from Bernard Herrmann’s classical orchestral innovations to contemporary electronic experimentation. Each work demonstrates that effective horror scoring requires deep understanding of psychological principles, technical musical skill, and creative courage to explore and create unconventional soundscapes.

I find myself returning to these soundtracks repeatedly, not just for their effectiveness within their original cinematic contexts, but for their power as standalone musical experiences. They remind me why I fell in love with horror in the first place—the genre’s unique ability to transform fear into art, creating beauty from terror through the alchemy of sound and vision.