Give your audience a fright with the right horror film music!

-Horror Film Music-

Choose good tunes to conjure a spooky mood!

It may still be the height of the summer heatwave, but time marches on. Indeed, the sunny warmth will soon be in its death throes, giving way to chilled air and the fleshy, bloody colors of autumn! Of course, with the change of the leaves comes a touch of magic in the air. But is it good or is it evil? Tis the season for supernatural happenings, beckonings from beyond, and spooky storytelling! With this in mind, right now is the perfect time to put the finishing touches on a horror movie and prepare it for a cooler release date. To that end, here’s some Yummy Sounds advice for choosing fantastic, phantasmagorical horror film music!

Let’s get unpredictable

Since just about everyone thinks they know what horror film music sounds like, finding a track should be a piece of cake, right? Weird synth, towering organ, maybe some screaming violins. By and large, your instincts for horror film music are bang on. These instruments are in fact often used in horror to create unease and nerves. But they can’t do it alone. Dissonance, driving repetition, and gradual increases in volume all forge the feeling that danger is getting closer. Even having notes played on unexpected beats is enough to make someone jump if done well.

Think about the two-note melody that dominates the Jaws theme. It’s barely a melody at all! Nevertheless, it manages to scare the bejeezus out of the audience. It’s because it immediately evokes the idea that something dangerous is lurking just out of sight. And its unpredictability only adds to the fear. It’s a masterpiece of musical mind games! And it won legendary film composer John Williams an Oscar. But not everyone is going to be able to commission a custom score for full orchestra.

Getting up the ghost

Fear not. To get an wonderfully terrifying sound, some of the best horror film music has relied on innovative use of everyday objects. In fact, horror has helped to drive sound effects development for decades. Even more excitingly, electronic music production allows for the ready combination of orchestra and effects. Not only does this give horror film music wider scope, but also it keeps prices in check for indie productions. And without a doubt, some of the most beloved horror flicks are the lowest budget jobs!

Check out music mag NME’s solid list of some of the genre’s most memorable soundtracks. Surprisingly, the tunes are incredibly diverse. And yet, just as in a quality scream flick, not all is as it seems. In fact, while their instrumentation and melodies vary wildly, they all have something in common—suspense. All in all, that sensation of pursuit does much more to create a creepy feeling than a particular sound. A distorted bowed saw, a nightmarish synth soundscape, deranged rock n roll—they can all get the job done!

Horror Film Music you can choose from:

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With such a versatile and extensive library, Yummy Sounds has what you need. Equally important, our composers and producers are all about developing the right mood. In fact, you can filter by Mood on our search page. Or if you already know just what style of horror film music you want, you can search by music genre. The last thing you want to be screaming at in post-production is the choice of music. But luckily, there aren’t any twists and turns to our plot. Yummy Sounds is easy to use, and if you just can’t decide, then drop us a line. We’re here for you like a devoted boyfriend in a classic teen scream flick!