Horror Core: Great Genre Film Themes

I've written about music before. Not that I'm at all qualified to do so, but still. And now here's more on the subject. Specifically about theme songs for genre films. Which I've also posted about in the past. Sort of. But this time I'm talking song songs, like with lyrics and stuff.

It's not so unusual for a movie to have a theme song--in fact, it's often expected. More so if a singer is cast in the film. Witness Men in Black or Battleship. Or Dark Floors, the Lordi movie. Heck, Bobby Brown laid down a track for Ghostbusters 2 and he was hardly in it. And then there are the genre films that have no good reason for a theme song, but still one exists. For reasons that escape most of us, someone decided these movies needed a theme tune, something to sum up, in verse, the films' themes and/or plot. I've scoured my memory, my friends' memories, and the Internet to bring you a few choice selections.

Shocker as heard in Shocker



Shocker is not a great film, by any standard. But it's still kinda fun to watch, even if Wes Craven was just plagiarizing himself for most of it. A lot of work went into the soundtrack, and a super-group of sorts was assembled to produce and sing the theme song. The Dudes of Wrath include members from KISS, Whitesnake, Motley Crue, and Van Halen.

Green Slime as heard in The Green Slime



I haven't actually seen this stinker from 1968, but I'm told that those who have remember it for its theme song. Or from the first ever MST3K. Anyway, The Green Slime boasts a rocking theme that includes both a sitar and a theremin. Written by award-winning composer Charles Fox, and sung by Richard Dalvey, who pioneered surf music. (Special thanks to Andrew Barr)

Zombeavers as heard in Zombeavers



If you haven't seen Zombeavers, you should. Also, the song is full of spoilers. Sung by crooner Nick Amado, and written by Jon and Al Kaplan, the Zombeavers theme is exactly what you'd expect from the guys who brought us The Thing musical. Incidentally, the guys who wrote the movie's theme also wrote the movie.

Looker as heard in Looker



Looker isn't a bad movie, even though critics didn't like it very much back in 1981. Written and directed by Michael Crichton, the movie touches on themes of beauty and perfection and the plot could totally be remade today. Complementing the film is its theme song sung by Sue Sadd and the Next, which was later covered by Kim Carnes. Looker has an entire soundtrack album that recorded but never released. (Special Thanks to Don Guarisco)

Dream Warriors as heard in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors



The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is a fascinating study. No less interesting is the third movie's theme song by Dokken. This rock power anthem probably wasn't the band's crowning achievement, but it was remixed and released on what became their best-selling album. Rumor has it the band's internal conflict helped fuel their sound. Whatever the case, Dream Warriors is so awesome that it defeats Freddy himself.

Burn as heard in The Crow



The Crow is legendary for a lot of reasons, its soundtrack being one of them. The movie is full of '90s rock and metal, and the soundtrack sold over four million copies. Initially, no label would produce it until Trent Reznor got on board. The soundtrack is crammed full of new songs and covers, but Burn by The Cure became the movie's theme. It's haunting and gothy, capturing the essence of the film.

The Sound of Fear

I recently saw Let Me In with Don Guarisco and Ian.  We were pleasantly surprised, impressed even, with the film.  We talked about its relationship with the source material and how it managed to maintain the same integrity as the original--something so rare.  Then Don made a comment about the music.  He said, "And the music was great."

"I'm so glad you said something," I said.
"Who's gonna drive you home..." sang Ian.
I continued talking, "So few modern horror movies have any real memorable themes or music."
"I know, there's no melody."
"It's just, like, noise," I explained, rather lamely.
"Tonight!"

It's with this conversation in mind, and the fact that it's almost Halloween, that I take a look at some of my (and hopefully your) favouritest horror movie musics. It doesn't take a genius to know that music helps set the set the mood, and if I had any kind of musical training, I'd be able to further elaborate on this point.  But I don't, so I'll just get to the good stuff:

Tubular Bells - theme from The Exorcist



Mike Oldfield wrote the haunting Exorcist theme and then managed to turn that one short piece of music into four albums (at least).  The theme has been remixed any number of times, but the the creepy melody hasn't changed and continues to evoke a sense of dread.

Beetlejuice Theme


Danny Elfman's frenetic, brass-heavy composition builds up to a dramatic, vocal climax that seems on the verge of spinning wildly out of control.  It's the perfect accompaniment to Tim Burton's film, a movie perched on the edge of insanity.

Helen's Theme - Candyman Suite



Philip Glass' Candyman Suite is typical of his other works: mindblowing.  But Helen's Theme, which is a simple solo piano piece, is sparse and beautiful and offsets the complex nature of the film.

Hello Zepp - theme from Saw



Despite my lamentations regarding the lack of good music in horror these days, Charlie Clouser wrote a thrilling, sticks-in-your-head composition for the climax of Saw.  The piece, titled Hello Zepp, has since appeared in all the Saw movies and now serves as the franchise's theme song.

Jigoku Nagashi (Hell Flow) - Hell Girl OST



Hell Girl is an anime series about Ai Enma, a young girl who ferries condemned souls to hell.  Takanashi Yasuharu's soundtrack is both light and dark, with a clear sense of sadness that permeates throughout.  Hell Flow plays when Ai takes flight in her flaming carriage to visit the damned on Earth before she carries them off to hell.  The tone is energetic, suspenseful, and ultimately damning.

theme from Halloween



A kind of modern renaissance man, John Carpenter co-wrote, directed, and composed the music for his now-classic film, Halloween.  Minimalist and haunting, the piano theme plays over an equally minimalist opening credits sequence.  The music hints at the suspense and horror to come, but the simple visuals give nothing away.