Chris Cavoretto - "My Top 10 Horror Soundtracks/Scores"

Coming up with a list of favorite horror scores/soundtracks is tough.  There are hundreds, maybe thousands of quality soundtracks out there.  The hard thing is trying to figure out which ones you remember the whole score to and which ones you remember one theme to.  Some almost made the list but after rethinking, maybe the movie was dark in tone or content but not necessarily horror.  Everyone single one of you who reads this list is going to be like, "how come (insert title you're appalled isn't on this list) isn't on this list?!"

  I've adjusted and readjusted and still had to leave out some greats.  This list contains soundtracks and scores I can listen to pretty much all the time not get sick of any of them.  Let's face it, this could easily be a top 20 or even 50 and I'd still end up leaving out some near-perfect selections.  So, without further ado, here are my top 10 horror soundtracks/scores:

10- Suspiria

Goblin did a phenomenal job scoring Suspiria.  It's creepy and driven.  A great combination for a horror score.  There is a lot going on here and haunting moments are everywhere.

9- Hard Rock Zombies

I'm not sure a movie has been made that makes less sense than this one and it's score is just as weird.  Paul Sabu and Holly Moses captured every sense of nonsense with this one.  The love ballad, Cassie, is just pure cheesy, hair metal gold.

8- A Nightmare on Elm Street

Such a great score.  The synths all over this one are so perfect for an 80's slasher film.  It's easy to make synths fun, not always so easy to make them creepy, but Charles Bernstein did it.

7- Zombie (aka Zombie Flesh Eaters aka Zombi 2)

Fabio Frizzi was the perfect composer to do this score.  The theme has become a cult classic but it's got so much more throughout.  Jungle rhythms as well as 70's horror synth collide to make a classic score here.

6- Halloween

Now, the theme song is probably the most recognizable horror theme out there but this whole score is great.  John Carpenter was great at setting tone with a reoccurring theme brought back throughout a movie and knowing that repetition can bring a sense of panic.  This is a masterpiece.  The tension you get from songs like The Shape Stalks is just awesome.  Nothing bad about this one at all.

5- Maniac (2012)

This is a mix of throwback 80's style horror synth and a new breed of horror synth.  Rob captures what few do (John Carpenter being the HUGE exception) by bringing back a melody throughout so many of the songs.  It adds a theme for the whole score.  Doll is automatically one of those songs that, if you dig 80's-style horror synth, you're going to love it.  The rest keeps up nicely and the song Juno somehow manages to pull you in even though you know you shouldn't like a song like it.  It's just so goddamn good.

4- City of the Living Dead (aka The Gates of Hell)

Fabio Frizzi had a hell of a score under his belt with Zombie, but his work on City of the Living Dead is just a touch better in my opinion.  The theme melody comes back more.  While the music seems to have more repetition (with some songs not being different enough from others to tell which is which), it's just amazing.  The tension is great and a few songs are sort of a throwback to Zombie while others break down walls to lead you on new paths.  For me Zombie was quite a bit better than City of the Living Dead but the scores tells a different tale.

3- Chopping Mall

I have to admit, I don't own this score.  I have the theme song and it's on several of my playlists.  I've only heard the score in the movie.  With that said, it's still good enough to have made number three on my list.  Chuck Cirino knocked the synth thing out of the park for this.  Every bit of the movie was made more awesome by his music.  The only copies I've found online for sale are a partial score with the score from Death Stalker 2.  However, Waxwork Records will be giving it a proper reissue this year.  Great news for anyone who loves horror synth.  This one is just plain fun!

2- Sinister

Christopher Young usually has big, orchestrated scores he composes.  This time he went with computers and synthesizers.  What he ended up with was some of the creepiest, most intense music I've ever heard.  To get the full effect, I suggest you do what I did and seek out the other songs used in the movie.  The score, itself, is amazing.  Adding the soundtrack songs is even more amazing.  Sure, it makes it over an hour and a half but it's well worth it.  Songs by Boards of Canada, Sunn O))), Aghast, Ulver, Judgehydrogen and Accurst are just as intense as Young's work and a huge part of the film.  The movie was pretty okay for a new horror movie but the music within is some of the best of any horror film.

1- The Fog

It seems this film has grown in popularity the last couple of years.  Rightfully so.  It's one of the true classic horror movies.  John Carpenter made it all the better with his score.  Like Halloween, everything fits perfectly.  This one is just a little better.  The recent full score reissue by Death Waltz Recording Company gives you everything.  Like much of Carpenter's work, the melody themes are present throughout the entire score and it ties the whole thing together so well.  If you need creepy music for any occasion, look no further than this score.  Pretty much any track off of this can be played over anything to give it a sense of eeriness.  I used it as walk-up music outside for trick-or-treaters last year on Halloween.  The score for The Fog is what every horror score composer should aspire to.  Period.

By Chris Cavoretto, the synth-fiend behind Werewolves in Siberia! http://werewolvesinsiberia.com