Sound design is an integral part of the horror movie experience. Be it blood-curdling screams, atmospheric soundscapes, or a distinctive score. Of course, we could talk horror movie film composers all day, but what about secular music? There’s something chilling about using something familiar or upbeat as a false sense of security. In my article on Tales From The Darkside, the opening theme made a beautiful countryside give me nightmares! In this series, I want to share some of my favorite scenes in horror movies, elevated by the use of pop culture sounds. This is…
Curated Terror: The Songs of Horror vol. one.
Merle Haggard & The Strangers “Mama Tried” – The Strangers (2007)
The Strangers, by design, is a simple horror film. There are only a few characters, a single setting, and not much story to speak of. But what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in tension. The majority of the tension comes from the idea of something terrible happening in the seemingly safest place you know; your home. Without giving too much away, The Strangers is sort of like a film adaption of Halloween if it really happened.
There’s a scene where a character walks upon a house that looks as if an accident has taken place. It’s dark with no one in sight. Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” is the only sound he hears behind the front door. The character grabs a makeshift weapon and proceeds to call out for whoever may be inside. As he walks in, the mysterious masked assailant walks behind him with the sounds of his footsteps being hidden by the volume of the song. Not only is it a great song from the legendary Haggard, but its simplicity adds to the tension. The entire sequence is wonderfully edited further proving that sound design is a crucial element of horror.
Jay Ferguson “Quiet Cool (instrumental)” – A Nightmare On Elm St. 3: Dream Warriors (1986)
The opening of A Nightmare On Elm St. 3 isn’t really scary but it captures dread and desperation perfectly. The teenaged Kristen Parker knows if she falls asleep, it could mean a fatal run-in with dream demon Freddy Krueger. So to stay awake she builds with arts and crafts, eats instant coffee while drinking Diet Coke. When that fails, she turns her stereo on full blast with some era-correct 80s goodness.
On the theatrical version and most recent DVD/Blu-ray pressings, the song Kristen listens to is “Into The Fire” by Dokken. But due to licensing issues, the VHS version (the one most of the people my age grew up watching) the song is an instrumental version of “Quiet Cool” by Jay Ferguson. Despite being more generic, there’s some really interesting contrast jumping into the track from Angelo Badalamenti’s eerie synth score. The up and down nature of the music cues plays perfectly the rollercoaster of Kristen’s dilemma.
The Cramps “Surfin’ Dead” – Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
Written and directed by the late Dan O’Bannon, Return Of The Living Dead is a dark comedy horror that redefined the zombie genre. From the tar-man zombie, the Linnea Quigley cemetery striptease, to the ‘send more paramedics’ gag, just about every scene of this film is iconic. Most notable is the goth rock and punk soundtrack featuring artists like TSOL, 45 Grave, Roky Erickson, and The Damned.
My personal favorite sequence is when the group of rag-tag survivors holes up in a funeral home chapel. They’re running around frantically trying to board up the windows and put tables and dressers in front of the doors to keep the recently animated dead from breaking in and eating their brains. Adding to the absurdity of the situation is The Cramps’ gothabilly “Surfin’ Dead”. Somewhat breaking the fourth wall, the song is played so loud, it’s almost as if the actors are shouting over it. Return Of The Living Dead is a national treasure and I’ll die on this hill defending it!
Everclear “The Swing” – Scream 2 (1997)
In 1996, Wes Craven’s Scream revitalized the stagnant horror genre with self-referencing comedy and a well-written twist-ending. For the inevitable sequel, the comedy aspected were toned down in favor of scares based on paranoia. While not as original, I’d argue Scream 2 is a better horror film with some legitimate tension in a tired slasher genre.
My favorite scene is when Cici Cooper (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) is stalked over the phone by the killer who she thinks is her drunk ex. As the conversation turns confrontational, it’s too late as Cici is chased around the dorm by the infamous Ghostface killer. The chase ends when Cici is stabbed in the back then thrown over the outside balcony. What makes this scene chilling is how Everclear’s “The Swing” starts playing before playing into the next scene. There’s just something morbid about an upbeat pop song as the soundtrack to a murder. I especially love the song’s opening lyric “I never said I was innocent. I will burn in the hell for the things I’ve done to you.”
Slayer “Angel Of Death” – Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Director Joe Dante knew he’d never top the sentimental fireworks of Gremlins, so he took a page out of Sam Raimi’s rule book and just spoofed it for the sequel. As hundreds of people are trapped in a futuristic New York skyscraper, Billy and the adorable Gizmo must fight off an onslaught of gremlins until morning. It’s stupid, over-the-top, but still pretty funny.
There’s one particular scene where a gremlin drinks from a science lab beaker and evolves into a horrifying spider hybrid. It’s a weirdly edited, abrupt scene that happens out of nowhere. Making the scene even weirder is how it is cut to Slayer’s controversial “Angel of Death”. Originally released as the opening track to the monumental album Reign In Blood, the song’s lyrical content nearly cost Slayer their record deal with Capital. But here it is, a few years later used in a family film. I’m not sure why they chose “Angel of Death” for the scene but the absurdity is kind of why I love it so much. Come to think of it, there aren’t nearly enough horror movies with Slayer songs.
Minnie Riperton “Les Fleur” – Us (2019)
One of the most unexpected but wholeheartedly welcomed additions to the horror scene is Jordan Peele. Where his first film Get Out, put social commentary front and center, Us plays upon perception. There’s plenty of what made Get Out special, but this film is far more dense, personal, and uncomfortably introspective. However, it stands on its own and revolutionizes the horror genre all the while pretending to be a simple home invasion film.
I won’t spoil the film with a proper synopsis or the ordeals characters go through, but by the final scene, you are exhausted. But right before the credit rolls, a few more pressing questions as asked while Minnie Riperton’s 1969 epic “Les Fleur” plays. It’s a track of hopefulness, and victory but closing out a film like Us, is less of a pallet cleanse and more of a threat. Especially the lyric “Inside every man lives the seed of a flower. If he looks within he finds beauty and power.”. It’s one of my favorite songs and I’m happy this movie is giving it some exposure.
The Rolling Stones “Time Is On My Side” – Fallen (1998)
I think most people would agree that Denzel Washington is one of, if not the greatest actor of our generation. But not many remember he was the star of a horror movie. Fallen tells the story of a detective investigating a serial killer whose m.o. is eerily similar to a serial killer he once helped apprehend and watched perish in the electric chair. This investigation leads the detective down a gruesome rabbit hole of psychological and supernatural atrocities that goes far beyond life and death.
Early in the film, we see the original serial killer prepped for his execution. He charismatically taunts the onlookers by singing The Rolling Stones’ version of “Time Is On My Side”. Later, it’s revealed the killer is seemingly hopping in and out of bodies like a supernatural haunt. Most of the time it’s signified by the new host singing that same song. Despite hearing the song probably 50 times in the movie, it’s interesting how a classic rock song somehow takes a new meaning and becomes its own character.
Alice Cooper “Teenage Frankenstein” – Friday The 13th VI: Jason Lives (1986)
To make sure Jason is really gone for good, Tommy Jarvis exhumes his grave to set fire to the body. But after a freak thunderstorm causes Jason’s body to get struck by lightning and reanimating the corpse. Now the hockey-masked killer is back and stronger than ever before and his unrelenting slaughtering continues.
Writer/director Tom McLoughlin set out to make Jason’s triumphant return a dark-humored action movie. This is evident in a scene where Jason stalks and kills 2 teenagers in an RV while speeding down the highway! Heightening the sense of spectacle, the sequence is cut to Alice Cooper’s “Teenage Frankenstein”. It ends with the RV on fire, both teens dead (obviously), and Voorhees standing over the wreckage in one of the most iconic visuals of the entire franchise. In my interview with McLoughlin, we joke about if the entire movie is a rock song, the RV sequence is the guitar solo. That’s rock n’ roll!
The Ramones “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” – Pet Sematary (1989)
While everyone seems to have a nostalgic soft spot for It, I think Mary Lambert’s Pet Sematary is by far, the best adaption of any Stephen King story. It’s a dark tale of death, grief, and macabre told in a very surreal, dream-into-nightmare way. A middle-class family moves to Maine where they discover a pet cemetery on their property where anything buried there, returns. It’s a horror film and there’s plenty of legitimate scares throughout, but Pet Sematary (like the novel) touches upon elements not typically found in the genre.
Most notably, the tragedy of losing a child and the grief afterward. The scene in question begins bright and cheerful as the family has a picnic in their yard. Meanwhile, a speeding truck driver, preoccupied with rocking out to The Ramones, tragically hits and kills the family’s youngest child who unfortunately wandered too close to the road. Despite not seeing the actual accident (thank God), the scene is very dark and goes places the viewer isn’t expecting. For me, it’s even darker being cut to a song as upbeat as “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”.
Donovan “Hurdy Gurdy Man” – Zodiac (2007)
Based on the most famous unsolved murder cases in American history, David Fincher’s Zodiac is a gorgeous, albeit unsettling mystery thriller from start to finish. Although a film adaption of the non-fiction novel by Robert Graysmith, the film’s writer James Vanderbilt, producer Bradley J. Fischer, and director, Fincher, conducted their own investigation to make sure they had all the meticulous details.
Zodiac begins with a couple cruising around their small Bay area town before parking in a secluded lot to talk. Although this should feel all commonplace for a couple to find a quiet place to make out or whatever. But there’s something about the direction and cinematography that makes the scene play out like a dream or a memory. As Donovan’s psych-folk “Hurdy Gurdy Man” plays on the radio, a mysterious car pulls up and a man gets out. Thinking it’s the police, the couple turns around to talk with the approaching man. But instead of small talk, the man pulls out a gun and shoots them both for no reason. It’s a chilling scene of surreal terror and the psychedelic sounds of Donovan accentuate the feelings of familiarity and dread.
There are countless other examples of how music can elevate a scene in a horror film. And that’s not even discussing actual film scores! The correlation between sight and sound is often overlooked in the genre, but I think it is easy to hear how these particular songs take on new meanings when used in the context of horror. Who knows, we may not hear them the same way again…