What do you hear when you look at that photo from the Psycho shower scene? Amazing, right?
There are several elements essential to horror and we know that we don't have to tell film buffs that music is one of the most important of all. A stroll in the woods is no more than a stroll in the woods without piercing violin. Skinny dipping in a lake is no more than skinny dipping in a lake without deep, heartbeat-like notes. A stalking scene is, well, always creepy, but made even better by low, heavy thuds. Sometimes the most important of all is the film's theme. That's what lasts. Let's take a look at one of the decades that did it the best: the 70s.
(Note: If you're hoping for Jaws, it's not happening. Definitely a great score, but not "horror" enough for me.)
5) Phantasm
A theme song that's inexplicably familiar even if you haven't seen the movie (yeah, it's been sampled a lot but that's not quite it... have fun with that link, by the way).
4) The Amityville Horror
An extremely underrated horror with an extremely chilling (Academy Award-nominated) score. Creepy voices that seem to know more than you do, the sharpening of an axe and ominous bass sounds.
3) The Exorcist
From the same composer as The Amityville Horror, it's another one that's brilliantly creepy. You know you know it, even if you're not sure what it's from.
2) Halloween
If you don't know by now, we're both mega-huge fans of John Carpenter's Halloween series. And guess what makes it even better? Carpenter composed this suspenseful, dramatic score himself. Two notes, jumping octaves here and there, it couldn't be simpler—or more perfect.
1) Suspiria
It's strange and it scares me. The film's entire score was composed by Italian prog rock band Goblin. It's bizarre, bold and unforgettable, much like the film itself.
