Did you honestly think I'd let this year's " Halloween Day by Day " go by without covering THIS particular theme? Shame on you, ye of little faith! John Carpenter's musical theme to his first movie is just a masterpiece of horror movie music.  It's a pulse quickening, uneasy melody that matches your racing heart and panicked thoughts.  It always sounds as if it's coming from the shadows behind you- just like the stealthy stalking of Michael Myers himself.  The different layers of tones and melodies keeps changing sides, and makes you look over your shoulder at any little sound in your empty house. This theme is the sound of slow, inevitable fear and death coming for the unwary- relentless in it's approach, unyielding in it's mission, uncompromising in it's plans for you. It is the sound of " Halloween ", the night death came home. My words can't do this piece of music justice, really.  Just listen to it bel...

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...

Religion sometimes has a huge influence on horror movies- especially when it involves Satan. So, one could expect religious influences to appear in the music from such movies.  1976's " The Omen " is a perfect example of that influence- and is this week's horror movie theme to be enjoyed and commented on. Not many horror movie themes have actual titles.  The theme from " The Omen " is different in this regard.  This Jerry Goldsmith created piece was title " Ave Satani ".  It is essentially a "Satanized" version of the Latin Mass- and was one of the few non-English songs to be nominated for an Oscar. It's short, but memorable, and sets up the tone of the movie perfectly.  The religious sound of the Gregorian style chanting is familiar (especially to those of Roman Catholic upbringing), but is just off centered enough to create a dissonance that makes you uneasy.  The low tone of the melody, and the slow, deep sound of ...

The 1980's brought us some of the most iconic horror movies- and created the idea of horror franchise:   "Halloween ", " Nightmare on Elm Street ", " Friday the 13th ". It also gave us some of the most iconic horror themes as well.  This week, we're going to listen to the theme to the 1980 release of " Friday the 13th ".  So, turn off the lights, pop in the headphones, and let's go... There are some strong elements to this piece:  The tempo is like a racing pulse, the back rhythm is like a tiger stalking a lost villager through the tall grass, the melody like a mosquito trying to avoid the fly swatter, the chorus like whispers of the damned coming from under your bed. From the first sound of shattering glass to the ending reverberations, this piece of music is a microcosmic version of the movie from the discovery of the body to the end.  You're scared and trying to escape the killer who's chasing you... you thin...

When it comes to music, horror tends to have some of the most dramatic, visceral melodies around.  This Halloween season, I'm going to examine five iconic horror movie themes. First up is the theme to the 1979 horror, " The Amityville Horror ".  I won't go through the synopsis- since it would have nothing to add to the theme. So, let's get to it! I love how this starts out calm and serene.  You could almost imagine driving a gentle tree edged drive way up to your new home in autumn- the leaves drifting lazily from the trees, only to get airborne again from the tires passing buy. The house comes into view, and it's magnificent... but something's off. The music slowly adds scratchy, hard edged notes... hollow thrumming as the house gazes down upon you... judging you... and waiting for you to enter its shadowy embrace... This particular theme reflects both the surface and the underbelly of the famous house: serene and welcoming on...