A great soundtrack can be the difference between a truly chilling scene and a dry visual with a little shock value to it. A lack of score or lyrics can leave an eerie stillness over you just as much as sound can overwhelm and disorient you. Let’s take a look at my (so far) Top 5 Soundtracks in horror and their effect on the project … because I’m a ridiculous audiophile.
- THE STRANGERS
My first listing is a favorite not just for the eerie, folksy sound used to set the mood for a terrifying night in a cabin on the woods but for the way it actually used sound to disorient and overwhelm you. When there’s a knock at the front door…..simultaneously there’s a wind chime hit against the back door and a brick thrown through the bedroom…so where the hell do you go? The use of audio is amazing and the track listing is creative. They managed to make ‘Mama Tried’ by Merle Haggard SUPER unnerving and ‘Sprout and The Bean’ by Joanna Newsom haunting when set against a backwoods home invasion.
- THE SKELETON KEY
From the time I was little, the flavor and creeptastic reputation of the stunning swampland in Louisiana was a dream to me. Imagine how much I fell in love with The Skeleton Key! Easily one of my favorite soundtracks, it elevates the entire mood of the films southern backdrop and makes you FEEL the hoodoo all over. Two of my favorite tracks are ‘Death Letter’ by Johnny Farmer and ‘Iko Iko’ by The Dixie Cups. Just remember….. It can’t hurt you if you don’t believe…..
- REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
Testify! Composed by Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith (Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman) this is a BRUTAL, BLOODY, GORY, HILLARIOUS, FREALKY AS HELL musical for the true horror junkie. It ranges from rock pieces like ‘Legal Assassin’ to a beautiful opera ballad like ‘Chromaggia” (sung by the incomparable Sara Brightman). My personal favorite…I think most REPO fan’s will agree with me…is ‘Zydrate Anatomy” which is like the most screwed up lullaby you could sing your child to teach them about drug addiction. It’s basically directions on how to get high of Zydrate which is a futuristic drug that, at street grade, is extracted from dead bodies. Sounds legit, right?
- THE DEVILS REJECTS
One of the big draws of Rob Zombie’s films is his gritty, throwback, 1970’s style and his music selection follows suit. There could be very few soundtracks better than one developed by a musician, right? When you open up with ‘Midnight Rider’ by the Allman Brothers it’s going to be a gun slinging, on-the-run good time. The highlight is, of course, the climax where the standoff is set to ‘Free Bird’ by Lynard Skynyrd. If you’re going out anyway…why not go out to one of the most bad ass southern rock anthems of the 70’s?
- QUEEN OF THE DAMNED
With music assembled by incredible frontman, Jonathan Davis, there was no way this wasn’t going to be my favorite. The guest vocalist line up for the project was the stuff of rock and roll fantasies. David Dreyman, Chester Bennington, Marylin Manson and many more lent a voice to the songs created for vampire rock gods, The Vampire Lestat (which should have been Satan’s Night Out…but, I digress…). This is also why I am hoping that IF this remake of The Vampire Chrinicles ever happens that Jared Leto is involved because I can TOTALLY hear him being the voice of Lestat (End of All Days, Anyone? Where my 30 Seconds to Mars fans at? )
What are your favorites? I’m always on the hunt for new music.. comment below!
-Nixxi
Terrorcentric 
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