FSF-099 The Scariest Music I Ever Saw (10/27/07)

It was a night, just like tonight. The moon was full and everywhere folks sat in theaters nibbling naively at their popcorn buckets unaware of the terror that was to be unleashed upon the world...Ah! The scariest music I ever saw! They came without warning. Through the blood-curdling depths of the pits of hell they rose up and filled my ears with such terror and fright that I turned white like a ghost! This music is NOT for the faint of heart. This music is not for the insecure or weak. This music will turn even the bravest of men and women into shrieking children crying for their mommies and daddies.

Let this be your last WARNING! Listen at your own risk. Do not listen alone or in the dark. And whatever you do...no matter how badly you want to...no matter how much you crave...never, ever turn up the volume. For if you do you are sure to be scarred beyond repair from the the most frightening, the most terrifying, the most horrifying, the most scarifying music your ears will ever hear. Save yourself now! Turn away and let your ears rest in peace. If not...it's sure to be you resting in peace!!!

Here is the lineup for FSF-099 The Scariest Music I Ever Saw



One of the most fun aspects about being a film composer is the ability to scare someone. It goes back to being a kid hiding in the bushes while your unsuspecting friends walk up the street only to be reduced to a sniveling, shrieking creature as you jump out and yell "Boo!" As film composers, we relish in the same idea. Music is well-known as a powerful tool in film but never can it be more obvious than in a great horror film!

The music I have assembled for this week's program is truly some of the scariest scores I've ever heard. I rarely, if ever, listen to them for fun. They are so potent, and so impacting that I must heed my own warnings and spare myself from such torture. Of course it helps that these films are also some of the scariest movies I have eve seen. But the visuals, story, and music all walk hand in hand to bring a truly scary experience to the audience. Whether the music reminds of the film or just plain scares you on its own, it no doubt will leave a lasting impression on you.

One of the freakiest and scariest films I've seen in a long while is THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (2005). If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. It's really a great Halloween film and the music by Christopher Young is indeed some of the scariest I've heard in a long while. He's good at scary scores. He's done quite a few of them but none quite match the muster of EMILY ROSE.

If you polled film music fans all over the world and asked them what they thought their scariest score was. There's no doubt that THE OMEN (1976) by Jerry Goldsmith would pop up frequently. From the music, the texts, the orchestration, and the harmonies, Goldsmith chills the bones with this one. In a long distinguished career, Goldsmith earned his only Academy Award for this score.

One film that I remember vividly scaring me to death was THE CHANGELING (1980) by Ken Wannberg and Rick Wilkins. I'm a sucker for a good ghost story and this one didn't disappoint. However scary the film is, the music by John Williams' primary music editor, Ken Wannberg, is one of the horror greats in film music literature. I just can't put this score on when I'm home alone or sitting in a dark room. It sparks the imagination way too much for that.

Another classic among classics is HALLOWEEN (1978) by John Carpenter who also directed the film. What sets apart this score from others is that its a synthesizer score performed mostly by Carpenter himself. It's repetitive theme has become a classic theme that is often clichéd and spoofed in other movies. It further expands the definition of what scary music is and how it gets to be that way. There is a relentlessness to the music which parallels the relentlessness of the mass murdering Michael Myers as he stalks down his victims. The cold and callous nature of his character is perfectly reflected in the music.

One film that is sure to have fallen under the radar and missed most people is THE MEPHISTO WALTZ (1971) also by Jerry Goldsmith. It's another titillating ghost story that is riveted by a truly terrorific score. You won't hear sounds amassed together quite like Goldsmith did in this score. I dare you to listen to this one alone in the dark!

Finally, one couldn't talk about scary music without acknowledging one of the most nerve-wracking and terrifying scores ever written. PSYCHO (1960) by Bernard Herrmann is a masterpiece. Written only for strings, this music has achieved a status matched only by John Williams theme from JAWS (1975). It's ingrained in our popular culture. When you hold your fist in the air striking downwards while shouting "Eeek! Eeek! Eeek!", people know what you are referencing. It's been spoofed throughout films and become synonymous with getting killed in the shower. Janet Leigh, who played unfortunate shower victim Marion, said herself that this scene in the finished film with Herrmann's score affected her so much she stopped taking showers. Many who saw this film agreed and the practice of taken showers diminished around the country after 1960.

One interesting anecdote of note: Hitchcock was adamant that there would be no music in the shower sequence. When he hired Herrmann he told him to do whatever he wanted as long as there was no music in the shower sequence. Herrmann knew better and asked Hitch if he could score it anyway and then he could choose to use it or just leave it out. Hitch agreed while further ensuring that it would be a waste of time. Long story short, Hitchcock heard the Herrmann's finished music for the shower sequence and said something to the effect of "Yes, of course we will use this music!"

Enjoy the show and have a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!