Halloween Day by Day: "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) Theme

Horror movies are the stuff of nightmares. Sometimes, the nightmare IS the horror movie. Sometimes, horror movie music makes that nightmare all the more real...

1984 saw the start of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise- and in doing so, gave the horror world a truly classic horror icon in the shape of Freddy Krueger... and an equally iconic theme.

This piece of music is both dreamlike, and nightmarish at the same time. It walks the line between the two realms with etheral wind sounds, and low pulsing beats of the heart. The combination of wind instruments, guitar, and synth sounds add up to a really mysterious and otherworldly song. The ever changing melody and rhythm create an slow building of unease as you sense the creature in the shadowy depths of your bedroom slowly creeps up to whisper in your ear.

The layers of sounds, rhythms, and tunes lay on each other, adding a heaviness of mood that reflects the overall tone of the movie. It almost smothers you as if you've pulled too many covers over your head in a vain attempt to hide from the dream thing reaching for your toes.

The theme from "A Nightmare on Elm Street" certainly deserves to be considered an icon in the horror movie music pantheon. Listen to it below!

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