Editor’s Note: This article isn’t intended to collate the most obscure horror scores around. Instead, it’s meant to offer a mix of ones you may have heard of (or probably have) with ones you likely haven’t. After all, we don’t want to totally alienate those folks just dipping their toes into the world of horror, do we?
It’s almost time, kids, the clock is ticking, Halloween is just around the corner. To help curate your seasonal listening, I’ve handpicked 10 soundtracks from my library of horror music that I think will shock, scare, and delight. As your sommelier of scary scores, I’ve pulled from the reserve shelf, delving into more underappreciated and obscure music in hopes that you’ll discover something new to suit your spooky soundtrack tastes. In unranked order:
10. The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue by Giuliano Sorgini (1974)
As a self-proclaimed aficionado of zombie cinema, imagine my delight when I recently discovered this classic of the genre. Director Jorge Grau’s unique, UK-set The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue feels like a perfect middle point between Romero’s legendary Night and Dawn films. With music including everything from a wickedly groovy opening cue, to atmospheric wails, to lush strings, this soundtrack is a smorgasbord for any zombie or horror connoisseur.
9. The Ritual by Ben Lovett (2017) (Interview)
Hot off the hype of his new Hellraiser score, now is the perfect time to rediscover Ben Lovett’s folk-horror gem, and first feature-length collaboration with director David Bruckner, The Ritual. This monster movie meditation on grief and male friendship is elevated by Lovett’s score, one that strongly rivals the similar, more popularized scores of Midsommar and The Witch. The creaking strings, horns, and haunting tones evocatively capture more than just the movie’s nightmarish forest setting, but also the full depth of its emotional horror.
8. Nightmare City by Stelvio Cipriani (1980)
Quentin Tarantino tells a great story about this fun Italian “zombie” movie, explaining how its director, Umberto Lenzi, once poo-pooed his description of the film as a zombie movie, insisting instead that it was an “infected people” movie (all in a hilarious Italian accent). Semantics aside, Nightmare City’s score by Stelvio Cipriani is an undeniable banger. With a tracklist spanning both Goblin and Frizzi-esque cues, all the way to full-on disco tracks with Clarence Clemons-worthy sax, it is pure ‘80s “infected people” movie soundtrack bliss.
7. The House by the Cemetery by Walter Rizzati (1981)
Next, we stumble into Lucio Fulci’s The House by the Cemetery and its gothically groovy score by Walter Rizatti. For the final film in his “Gates of Hell” trilogy, Fulci left behind frequent collaborator Fabio Frizzi, but fortunately didn’t lose any magic in the music department. Armed with fat bass lines, synths galore, and melancholic melodies, Rizzati’s score stands its ground next to Fulci/Frizzi’s hall-of-fame horror soundtracks, carving its name as a classic in its own right.
6. Blood and Black Lace by Carlo Rustichelli (1964)
Everything you need to know about Mario Bava’s genre-defining Blood and Black Lace and its music is captured in the incredible opening titles, set to the sumptuous main theme by Carlo Rustichelli. It is the definition of cool, sexy, sleek, and dangerous—a vibe sought after by countless stylish filmmakers, from Argento to Nicolas Winding Refn. With a distinctive throw-back quality channeling the exotica genre, Rustichelli’s score sets a picture-perfect mood, particularly for lavish, bloody affairs.
5. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage by Ennio Morricone (1970)
If you only know Ennio Morricone for his spaghetti westerns or Hollywood scores, let The Bird with the Crystal Plumage be your introduction to my favorite of his (many) musical modes: Giallo master. Gorgeous, haunting, jazzy, dissonant, mesmerizing; all words that could describe the music of Crystal Plumage. But, like the best works of its director, Dario Argento, enjoying this soundtrack is not about explaining it, but rather feeling it. Surrender yourself to maestro Morricone for a beautifully terrifying listening experience like no other.
4. Phenomena by Goblin (1985)
How do you approach the music to a film featuring (not exclusively) a rampaging serial killer, an all-girls boarding school, telekinetic powers, swarming insects, and a chimpanzee companion? For most, the task would be insurmountable. For Goblin, it’s just another day at the office. Boasting one of the most insane main themes I’ve come across, featuring full-on rock drums and Claudio Simonetti’s rockstar-tier keyboard playing, Phenomena’s score delivers on the crazy promise of its premise, and then some.
3. The Guest by Steve Moore (2014)
As my favorite contemporary Halloween movie, I’ve seen Adam Wingard’s The Guest my fair share of times. So, I’m no stranger to why it’s best remembered for its retro-chic needle drops. What I’m here to tout, however, is its equally-worthy original score by Steve Moore. Capturing the vibe of vintage action-horror to a T on analog gear, Moore gives this homage-laden film plenty of great music to call its own—especially as the film reaches its wonderfully batshit finale.
2. Halloween III: Season of the Witch by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth (1982)
John Carpenter and Alan Howarth’s score for Season of the Witch is the musical equivalent of Aliens or Terminator 2—a sequel that, against impossible odds, meets and arguably even surpasses its iconic original. With the freedom to depart Haddonfield and leave Michael Myers behind, Carpenter and Howarth ran with the opportunity and created a synth-soaked nightmare that, to my ear, captures the feeling of the Halloween season better than any other. This is your definitive Halloween listen.
1. The Scary of Sixty-First by Eli Kessler (2021)
For the closing credits, I leave you with the score to Dasha Nekrasova’s 16mm modern exploitation masterpiece, The Scary of Sixty-First. While the film, about two young women who unknowingly move into an apartment that used to belong to Jeffrey Epstein, is notoriously polarizing, the excellence of Eli Kessler’s score is undeniable. From its opening arpeggio, a vivid apparition of synth scores from decades past, to its new-agey soundbaths that masterfully conjure mystical, otherworldly vibes, comparisons to haunting Euro-horrors, DePalma, and Polanski feel more than justified.
About the Author: Hey, I’m Sam. I like violent movies with synth scores and listening to library music on the beach. My perfect idea for a date is taking a trip to 1970s Italy where I can stumble into a stylish murder mystery involving a black-gloved killer featuring music by Ennio Morricone. I live in Vancouver, B.C. and think too hard about what I write on my Letterboxd. Twitter: @mondosammi