SHOCK looks at a pack of masterful musicians and their legacies in horror.
A good composer creates a sonic force that seduces us into the filmmakers’ world, elevating an image and finding things that the eye cannot see. Can you imagine STAR WARS or JAWS without John Williams? or imagine not hearing that iconic first note by Wendy Carlos in Kubrick’s THE SHINING? How about John Carpenter’s piano and synth sound being vacant from The Shape’s reign of terror in HALLOWEEN?
You can’t. Music matters.
SHOCK spotlights 15 key composers who have helped make horror great.
TANGERINE DREAM: Affiliated with many maverick filmmakers early their careers like Michael Mann, William Friedkin and Ridley Scott. Tangerine Dream’s unmistakable electronic-based sound can be heard throughout many horror and fantasy titles: THE KEEP, LEGEND (the American version), SPASMS, Stephen King’s FIRESTARTER and Kathryn Bigelow’s cult masterpiece NEAR DARK are just a few of their creepy efforts. See our essay on TD’s NEAR DARK score HERE. Memorable scores: THE KEEP & SORCERER.
JAMES HORNER: This late maestro’s distinct style echoes through many horror and science fiction flicks. A long-time James Cameron collaborator, Horner had a trademark brilliance, which was abruptly silenced when he died in a plane crash. Thankfully, the impact he made on such films like HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP, WOLFEN, TITANIC, AVATAR, DEADLY BLESSINGS, several STAR TREK chapters and Roger Corman’s BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS will forever resonate. Most memorable score: ALIENS
RICHARD BAND: Band is like the twisted sibling of John Carpenter (but with a much more classical leaning) and an inexhaustible a composer. A bulk of of his scores were confined to the Empire/Full Moon Universe,films like GHOULIES, METALSTORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN, PARASITE, FROM BEYOND, just to cite a few. Most memorable score: RE-ANIMATOR, which owes a debt to PSYCHO (see our interview with Band here).
CHRISTOPHER YOUNG: A composer who has been firmly rooted in horror since the 80s and who was responsible for the scores to THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD and DEF-CON 4 as Chris Young. Christopher Young still continues to flourish; his career has run the gamut from ELM STREET 2, THE FLY 2, INVADERS FROM MARS, right up to more current flicks like DELIVER US FROM EVIL and SPIDER-MAN 3. Most memorable Scores: HELLRAISER (Young replaced Industrial act Coil as the original composer) and HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II.
CHARLES BERNSTEIN: Not the most all-encompassing career as a composer; however Bernstein collaborated with horror great Wes Craven on A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and DEADLY FRIEND. Outside of Craven’s films he also tackled APRIL FOOL’S DAY, CUJO, RUMPELSTILTSKIN, and helped out on the soundtrack to Tarantino’s KILL BILL VOL. #1 and INGLORIOUS BASTERDS. Most memorable score: no second guessing here, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET – top-notch spine-chilling work! (I kinda like PIGS myself! – ed)
HARRY MANFREDINI: An extensive tenure in horror soundscapes, most famously recognized for his compositions for all of the original FRIDAY THE 13TH films, right up to JASON X, (although strangely excluded was JASON TAKES MANHATTAN). Manfredini also made music for the oddball HOUSE movies (save for part three). If that weren’t enough to get him into horror hall of fame, he also did CAMERON’S CLOSET, WISHMASTER, DEEP STAR SIX, SWAMP THING and THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2. Most memorable score: FRIDAY THE 13TH!
WENDY CARLOS (a.k.a. Walter Carlos, before sex reassignment): Although she had a very short career in theatrical composing, Carlos had fashioned some of the most notable scores to date while working extensively with Stanley Kubrick during his best years. Wendy Carlos later went to compose the score for Disney’s TRON. Memorable Scores: .A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and THE SHINING.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWbI19Pt_nU
ANGELO BADALAMENTI: Not exclusively a creator of horror scores, yet his terrifying contributions to the nightmarish worlds of David Lynch are wonderful. He also has an impressive catalog of straight-up horror offerings such as: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS, THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN and Eli Roth’s freshman flick CABIN FEVER. Memorable Scores: TWIN PEAKS, LOST HIGHWAY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTp6d7Bw79A
BERNARD HERRMANN: A legend, the king. Herrmann first made a mark making music for 1938’s Orson Welles notorious broadcast of WAR OF THE WORLDS. He also composed for Rod Serling’s THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and found fame working with Alfred Hitchcock on films like VERTIGO and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. But his credits are extensive. He also composed THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, the original CAPE FEAR, TAXI DRIVER, Brain De Palma’s OBSESSION and even Larry Cohen’s IT’S ALIVE – whew. Most memorable score: PSYCHO!
GOBLIN: We seriously could not forgive ourselves if Italian prog-rockers Goblin weren’t on this list. Almost godlike, the ever-morphing lineup of Goblin has provided music for films for like George A. Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD, Dario Argento’s DEEP RED, SUSPIRIA and TENEBRE and Luigi Cozzi’s CONTAMINATION, Goblin’s impact on horror has been enduring. They also have legions of diehard fans to back them up and tour live often, now on multiple incarnations. (they’re THE BEACH BOYS of horror- ed). Memorable scores: SUSPIRIA, DEEP RED, DAWN OF THE DEAD.
HOWARD SHORE: Many composers tend to rely on solid working relationships with specific directors (i.e. John Williams/ Steven Spielberg, and earlier mentioned Badalamenti/Lynch). Howard Shore has had and continues to have an inseparable relationship with David Cronenberg. The two have been together since 1979’s THE BROOD. When not composing great music for films like DEAD RINGERS, SCANNERS and VIDEODROME, Shore has lent his talents to David Fincher’s SE7EN, Scorsese’s GANGS OF NEW YORK, and even Jonathan Demme’s THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Memorable scores: THE FLY and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
ENNIO MORRICONE: Morricone made news recently for winning a long overdue Academy Award, for Tarantino’s THE HATEFUL EIGHT. Prior to this golden achievement, Morricone composed decades of extraordinary scores for international films, in his native Italy and beyond. Countless Spaghetti Westerns, a handful of Sergio Leone films, and yes, many horror titles including WOLF, EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC, Alberto De Martino’s THE ANTICHRIST (aka THE TEMPTER) and Dario Argento’s first three films.Memorable scores: Too many to mention but THE THING is a major horror work.
JAMES BERNARD: A major name in horror composition. He was Hammer Horror’s go-to guy and a long time Terence Fisher collaborator. Bernard composed classic horror titles like; HORROR OF DRACULA, THE GORGON, DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, and TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA but this is merely a fraction of James Bernard’s catalog. Most memorable score: HORROR OF DRACULA (which owes a debt to Max Steiner).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOIiJskzVfY
JOHN CARPENTER: Compiling this list was quite the journey, but to not include John Carpenter would be sacrilege! With a stellar history both as a composer and a director, his sound and vision has spanned nearly five decades and he is now touring this year with his LOST THEMES II album and playing his notable soundtracks live, something composers rarely do. Carpenter brilliantly executed most of the compositions used in his film roster, save a few titles like STARMAN, THE THING (though he certainly helped) and THE WARD. Most memorable score: HALLOWEEN…but we love them all. (editor: mind if I request my fave? GHOSTS OF MARS? Thanks!)
JERRY GOLDSMITH: If James Bernard was the prodigal composer, Goldsmith would have to be the second coming, he was that gifted and influential. This man has worked multiple times with hordes of talented directors ranging from Paul Verhoeven to Ridley Scott. Like Bernard Hermann, Goldsmith also forged some of the classic themes distinctively featured on THE TWILIGHT ZONE, (he even composed the soundtrack for the feature). Where to start? Goldsmith gave us PLANET OF THE APES, LOGAN’S RUN, ALIEN, STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (the Klingon battle theme is cherished), POLTERGEIST (creepy as hell), BASIC INSTINCT (hauntingly sultry), TOTAL RECALL (brilliant), LEGEND (although both versions are great, see our comments on Tangerine Dream above), THE OMEN (1979), LEVIATHAN – my lord, the list goes on and on! Memorable scores: ALIEN: his score totally elevates ALIEN to whole new level. (and PLANET OF THE APES! Genius! – ed)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrYcPZ7QHbY&list=PLg1hvssN_l3_kFNvbi9lprgzC4HvR3NDS
Thoughts? Did we miss any of your favorites, and if so, why do you believe they should be included?
