Horror movies soundtracks

[MIO Records]

Heya,

I never was a big fan of horror movies but was always fascinated when the scores where using large orchestras, dark chants, bells, electronic effects so mostly the music was more interesting than the movies for me and made me see quite few.

There are classic horror movies soundtracks like Psycho, Jaws, the exorcist etc.... in these you can find a lot of resemblance to groups like Art Zoyd which did horror soundtracks as well.

Not sure why but in the last few weeks i started to hear some more horror movies soundtracks including classics and modern soundtracks like IT, SAW and others in which i found a whole universe that i never paid enough attention to.

We are talking massive works with massive investments and those works stand for their own quality.
Yeah, after two hours its a bit repeating itself but to hear it with good headphones makes you travel to the bottom of your stomach :-)

So, for those who skipped it like me, here is a "short" playlist for you to catch up....
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1z...c5c5b79d6c4065

If you see something i didn't include and its great please write it down...

M

[hippypants]

That's a lot to look at, but I'd say Firestarter, Tangerine Dream's soundtrack, and The Wicker Man original soundtrack. Poltergeist too if it wasn't on there.

[MIO Records]

That's a lot to look at, but I'd say Firestarter, Tangerine Dream's soundtrack, and The Wicker Man original soundtrack. Poltergeist too if it wasn't on there.

TD & Poltergeist are in.
Regarding Wicker man i thought about it few times.... I remember its more folkish no?

Working on this playlist reminded me of a soundtrack i LOVED that is not on spotify:

[dropforge]

Working on this playlist reminded me of a soundtrack i LOVED that is not on spotify:

Yes, this is superb and till very recently was woefully OOP. The Australian Blu-ray includes a separate soundtrack CD, with more music.

[nosebone]

I love this one

[dropforge]

More excellence from the Goblin camp, and a great one from the Phenomena soundtrack by Bill Wyman & Terry Taylor.

[MIO Records]

I love this one

Added to the list. Thanks.

[Harbottle]

TD & Poltergeist are in.
Regarding Wicker man i thought about it few times.... I remember its more folkish no?

Working on this playlist reminded me of a soundtrack i LOVED that is not on spotify:

I found a copy of this on vinyl a few weeks ago. It's excellent. I have quite a few of Towns' Mask Orchestra stuff and other soundtracks he did.
I though this one reminded me of Keith Emerson sound tracks in places.

[Harbottle]

Heya,

I never was a big fan of horror movies but was always fascinated when the scores where using large orchestras, dark chants, bells, electronic effects so mostly the music was more interesting than the movies for me and made me see quite few.

There are classic horror movies soundtracks like Psycho, Jaws, the exorcist etc.... in these you can find a lot of resemblance to groups like Art Zoyd which did horror soundtracks as well.

Not sure why but in the last few weeks i started to hear some more horror movies soundtracks including classics and modern soundtracks like IT, SAW and others in which i found a whole universe that i never paid enough attention to.

We are talking massive works with massive investments and those works stand for their own quality.
Yeah, after two hours its a bit repeating itself but to hear it with good headphones makes you travel to the bottom of your stomach :-)

So, for those who skipped it like me, here is a "short" playlist for you to catch up....
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1z...c5c5b79d6c4065

If you see something i didn't include and its great please write it down...

M

I have a fairly large collection of horror soundtracks, especially Italian ones. I grew up obsessed with Italian horror movies (Thanks to watching some video nasties when I was a kid!)

The soundtracks by Fabio Frizzi are exellent: Zombie Flesh Eaters, City of the Living Dead, The Beyond to name three. Very 'proggy' in places iwth a lot of synths and guitar.
Goblin, of course, are marvellous, even their lesser known releases such as Contanimation, although some of their soundtracks only feature one member. My favourite track from their soundtrack to Phenomena is a track by Bill Wyman, though.

I always enjoy Keith Emerson's soundtracks (Inferno, especially) although I think his attempts at 'pop' songs are often a bit naff.

Then there's a whole load of stuff by ex Goblin member Claudio Simonetti.

The soundtrack to 'Living Dead at Manchester Morgue' is another favourite of mine.

British composer Simon Boswell has some excellent stuff as well: Stage Right, Hardware to name two.

I quite like the jazzy soundtracks to movies by people like Jess Franco and Jean Rollin. Some of Rollin's soundtracks veer towards psychedelia as well. A guy called Daniel White did a lot of them. I have an LP of the music from Zombie Lake, but like a lot these cheap movies it's material taken from other films and the LP appears to be lifted from the film's audio track.

Nico Fidenco did some great soundtracks to Joe D'Amato movies - Porno Holocaust, Emannuelle films, Zombi Holocaust.

Then there's all the Ennio Morricone stuff from the early seventies and late sixties, whcih is more avant-garde (And sometimes features The Group, an avant garde collective whose other member, Egisto Macchi, also did a number of soundtracks and library music, a lot of it quite avante-garde.)

Brunco Nicolai's horror soundtracks are also good.

The soundtrack to House by the Cemetery is very good as well.

One of my other favourites is Alien 2 (AKA Alien Terror) by Oliver Onions, which came out a few years back.

A few years back labels like Death Waltz were releasing a lot of this stuff, but they were swallowed up by Mondo and the guy who ran it (Spencer Hickman) appears to have closed down his record shop which was where I used to get a lot of stuff from. A lot of horror soundtracks came out between 2010 and 2020 but it seems to have died out these days.

I also have most of John Carpenter's soundtracks and LPs of the music for Day of the Dead, Creepshow, Creepshow 2 (Rick Wakeman!) and many others for films like Night of the Demon, From a Whisper to a Scream, CHUD, Zombie 4, etc.

My collection is divided into three sections, Italian, US/UK and Tangerine Dream! I recently found a copy of Near Dark in a local record shop.

I only tend to be interesting in the soundtracks that are non-orchestral. (Apart from John Barry's work, that I really like.)

I'd say my favourites are the work by Frizzi, Goblin, Keith Emerson and the early Morricone soundtracks.

Of course, the New Trolls album, Concerto Grosso, was partly done as a soundtrack to a film.

The Modern Jazz Quartet did a few soundtracks in the 50s and 60s. I like them, as well.

[interbellum]

Yes, this is superb and till very recently was woefully OOP. The Australian Blu-ray includes a separate soundtrack CD, with more music.

Wow, thanks a lot for this. I do have the LP and CD with Colin Towns' music and a poor DVD-version of the movie Full Circle (The Haunting Of Julia), so this is a real update!!

Haven't checked the list, but these came to mind:

Jóhann Jóhanssons: Mandy - https://www.discogs.com/master/14269...ure-Soundtrack

Philippe Sarde: Ghost Story (just like Full Circle based on a novel by Peter Straub) - https://www.discogs.com/master/84277...ure-Soundtrack

[MIO Records]

Wow, thanks a lot for this. I do have the LP and CD with Colin Towns' music and a poor DVD-version of the movie Full Circle (The Haunting Of Julia), so this is a real update!!

Haven't checked the list, but these came to mind:

Jóhann Jóhanssons: Mandy - https://www.discogs.com/master/14269...ure-Soundtrack

Philippe Sarde: Ghost Story (just like Full Circle based on a novel by Peter Straub) - https://www.discogs.com/master/84277...ure-Soundtrack

Good stuff. Thanks.

[Jacob Holm-Lupo]

For a whole album of horror soundtrack-inspired instrumental stuff:
https://telepath1.bandcamp.com/album/mental-mutations

[MIO Records]

Not a soundtrack but a great Italian group with horror/satanic vibes: Jacula.

Also a good soundtrack was Vampiros Lesbos.

[Klonk]

Can't go wrong with any John Carpenter score. The Philip Glass score for Candyman has always been a favorite of mine...

[MIO Records]

Can't go wrong with any John Carpenter score. The Philip Glass score for Candyman has always been a favorite of mine...

those toy pianos are great :-)

[jefftiger]

As noted above, Keith Emerson has done a few. My favorite is “Inferno”. The soundtrack is outstanding. I tried watching the movie years ago and I couldn’t finish it!

[Mr.Krautman]

Yes, this is superb and till very recently was woefully OOP. The Australian Blu-ray includes a separate soundtrack CD, with more music.

I concur this is the BEST horror movie soundtrack ever, period.

Unfortunately the Imprint Blu-Ray re-issue with the extra (audio) CD was a limited (1.500 copies) edition and is also OOP, or very expensive (close to 100$).

Fortunately I still have my old Vinyl copy (on Virgin) and the 1995 CD re-issue I bought back then.

[Mr.Krautman]

Another good one (not mentioned yet):

"Phantasm" (Myrow/Seagrave, 1979)

Was issued both on vinyl and CD by Varèse Sarabande but OOP for decades. Good luck finding a copy at a decent price.






And F.Y.I there's a very affordable 6-CD GOBLIN boxset "The Awakening" issued by Cherry Red Records including all their best horror movies soundtracks. Absolutely essential If you don't already have them.

"The full original soundtracks for both Profondo Rosso and Suspiria, along with a multitude of bonus tracks are featured in this six CD box set. The package also includes Goblin’s scores for Argento’s Tenebre and George Romero’s also legendary, Zombi (Dawn of the Dead), along with the band’s 1976 album Roller, their uncompromising psychedelic concept work,Il Fantastico Viaggio del Bagarozzo Mark and the rare non-album singles Chi? And Yell."

[Shadow]

I was going to mention Phantasm. I have the album floating around here somewhere. There is Rosemary's Baby and Damien.

[interbellum]

Unfortunately the Imprint Blu-Ray re-issue with the extra (audio) CD was a limited (1.500 copies) edition and is also OOP, or very expensive (close to 100$).

Damn. I ordered the wrong double-disc-version of The Haunting Of Julia: https://www.amazon.nl/Full-Circle-Ha..._df_B0BTT4YY8N

There are still some copies left from the Blu-Ray /CD-set for a reasonable price: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-Ju.../dp/B0BTTLG44S

[dropforge]

Another good one (not mentioned yet):

"Phantasm" (Myrow/Seagrave, 1979)

Was issued both on vinyl and CD by Varèse Sarabande but OOP for decades. Good luck finding a copy at a decent price.[/I]

Yeah, those are way OOP, especially the Rock-Is-Dead CD reissue with the different cover, which I have. I used to have the VS vinyl, but I sold it.

https://www.discogs.com/release/1599...ure-Soundtrack

[interbellum]

I hesitate to mention this one, because the film shows no blood, killings, etc. and because there is, as far as I know no official release of a soundtrack, apart from the music of Georghe Zamfir and Beethoven.

Picnic At Hanging Rock, which includes haunting Mellotron-pieces by Bruce Smeaton.

Watched the Director's Cut yesterday, which comes with the lovely 3-DVD box from Second Sight.

[interbellum]

Damn. I ordered the wrong double-disc-version of The Haunting Of Julia: https://www.amazon.nl/Full-Circle-Ha..._df_B0BTT4YY8N

There are still some copies left from the Blu-Ray /CD-set for a reasonable price: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-Ju.../dp/B0BTTLG44S

Now I have both! Just listening to the bonus-tracks from the CD. Especially Flight is great! Very much in the same vein as the original soundtrack.
Looking forward to watch the movie this weekend.

[Gizmotron]

I didn’t check all the replies, so forgive me if it has been mentioned, but the WINNER is Keith Emerson’s Inferno soundtrack.

The movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(1980_film)

[Gizmotron]

Yeah, those are way OOP, especially the Rock-Is-Dead CD reissue with the different cover, which I have. I used to have the VS vinyl, but I sold it.

https://www.discogs.com/release/1599...ure-Soundtrack

I see where Peter Gabriel got the idea for the cover photo on his new CD.