Top 15 Greatest Horror Theme Songs

We’ve compiled a list of the best and most haunting horror theme songs, old and new, to help you keep the spooky spirit alive all year long.

Visuals are powerful, and film is certainly a visual medium. But it’s impossible to deny the impact of sound. When great music is combined with great imagery, that’s when magic is made. On social media, adding music to a photo using a tool like https://create.vista.com/features/add-music-to-picture/ can dramatically increase the reach and engagement over a simply static image; sound brings the image to life and tells a powerful story. In film, the score is the heart and soul of the cinematic experience, creating mood, tension, atmosphere, drama, and emotional resonance.

I listened to over 150 horror movie themes to create my personal Top 15 Horror Anthems. Some of my choices may be no-brainers; others may be head-scratchers. My goal was to create a diverse list that honors the classics while hopefully adding new blood to your chilling playlist.

15. Terrifier (2016)

Art the Clown arrived on the scene solo in 2016 to the delight and disgust of many viewers, moving from All Hallows Eve to his own horrendously gory slasher series, Terrifier.

Terrifier is a divisive movie in the community; arguments over gore and brutality abound. But I’m only here to discuss the classic horror theme featured in the film from the mind of artist Paul Wiley. The synth energy and relentlessly beating drums evoke 80’s slasher nostalgia and scores Art’s kookiness with old-school serial killer vibes as he takes his large dramatic steps, trash bag in hand, stalking with the slowly building music.

With the hit Clown Café debuting in the sequel, I think Terrifier stands well musically with wild features and ominous scores that pay homage to the slasher genre and keep things both campy and creepy.

14. Willy’s Wonderland (2021)

Willy’s flew a little under the radar for most mainstream audiences in 2021, but I’m a diehard fan of the Nicolas Cage epic, with the master thespian in an ass-kicking, non-speaking role.

Emoi’s blend of original freaky children’s themes, combined with the foreboding synth and organ style, scored the satanic animatronics flawlessly during their darkest scenes. This is especially true of the Death Anthem, which plays during the final climactic fight scene and includes a little ode to “Pop Goes the Weasel” as the two wordless forces of good and evil battle it out in the ball pit and hotdog stand that is Willy’s Wonderland.

The stellar soundtrack is enhanced by added catchy tunes like a theme for the restaurant played out in legendary style by Cage during an intense pinball match. If you’re not chanting, “It’s your birthday,” by the end, you haven’t been listening.

13. The Ring (2002)

Psychological and supernatural, The Ring arrived to scare us senseless in 2002, starring Naomi Watts, Brian Cox, and Martin Henderson. The film, directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Ehren Kruger, is a remake of the 1998 film Ring by Hideo Nakata, based on a 1991 novel by Koji Suzuki of the same name.

The film follows Rachel Keller (Watts), who must figure out a way to evade her death after viewing a cursed VHS that supposedly kills any viewer within seven days of watching it. Opening to a generally warm reception, The Ring holds a place in horror history, especially for memorable hard cuts to horrifying scenes.

The music is so notable because it comes from the mind of musical genius and Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, who has written music for movies from Dune to Dunkirk. The theme is quite long, very mournful, but passionately striking. Beginning with tragically sad and mystical keys on a piano, it can ramp up into quick strings, down to the lowest orchestral notes over the lightest bells. It is a beautiful piece, and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film last year, the original soundtrack, in either vinyl or CD, is now available for your listening pleasure.

12. 28 Days Later (2003)

2003 brought zombie fever to the USA with the release of 28 Days Later, starring Cillian Murphy. Bringing the infected to the forefront and beginning a wave of zombie cinema and television that continues today; one could argue that this was the catalyst to the modern zombie craze.

The music composed by John Murphy, who also wrote the music for the sequel (which features this piece) as well as other high-profile horror films like Last House on the Left, created a special piece for one of the film’s most climactic moments and one of horror’s most memorable kills.

In the House in a Heartbeat is not only a reference to what survivor Selena says you’ll be willing to do “in a heartbeat” in this world but also scores Cillian Murphy’s evolution from the hunted to the hunter, stalking the corrupt military to a building score of gentle piano that soars into guitar and orchestral sound as the violence reaches its peak. Almost unnoticeable as it creeps into the panic, it’ll get your heartbeat going.

11. Signs (2002)

This may be a controversial pick, but in the hay days of Shyamalan, when the twists were good and the scares were real, Signs arrived in more ways than one.

With Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix heading this 2002 alien invasion nightmare where symbols in a cornfield turn into something more sinister, I’m not surprised if you weren’t all ears for the score when the extraterrestrials finally arrived. The story follows a widowed, traumatized farmer, his brother, and his son as they try to navigate the ever-changing signs presented to them and the new world order that’s looming just over the cornfields.

James Newton Howard’s composition of untethered brass and steady string score keeps us perked during the most intense scenes and is a piece to behold. You know exactly the panic injected into the music as innocents flee, and the world suddenly gets a whole lot smaller when the reveals come and go from the fleeting footage to the first contact.

10. Beetlejuice

With an incredible cast led by Michael Keaton and anchored by Winona Ryder, Geena Davis, and Alec Baldwin, Beetlejuice was the wacky horror comedy no one knew they needed that got people chanting.

Directed by Tim Burton and written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, the plot follows a couple, recently deceased, haunting their new home. Sentenced to 125 years in the building, the couple isn’t interested in new families moving in. They reach out to a “bio-exorcist” by the name of Beetlejuice (Keaton), who just so happens to be a mischief-maker as much as otherworldly terror. Unseen to adults but visible to the new occupants’ teenaged daughter Lydia (Ryder), Beetlejuice and the deceased Maitlands (Davis and Baldwin) get to work at scaring the new residents out, or die all over again trying.

The film garnered critical and audience appeal, earning an Oscar for best makeup and, more importantly for this article, earning Danny Elfman a 1990 Saturn Award nomination for best music. Danny Elfman exclusively provided music for Beetlejuice, including its bouncing, zany opening theme, which has the composer’s handwriting all over it. Fun, playful, yet complex, this lively orchestra is just the energy Beetlejuice evoked — and the energy has kept Burton and Elfman hard at work to the present day as they prepare for Beetlejuice to return in 2024.

Keaton and Ryder are supposedly returning to represent the original cast, but new writers have been brought on, and old talent will be put to the test next to fresh-faced Scream Queen Jenna Ortega and Emmy award winner Justin Theroux.

9. Child’s Play (1988)

The classic 1988 horror tale of toys gone awry, Child’s Play introduced us to an iconic villain, Chucky, or Charles Lee Ray, voiced then by the gruff Brad Dourif. The 80’s slasher entry followed a single mother and widow Karen (Catherine Hicks), who is trying to get her son Andy the toy of his dreams: The Good Guy Doll. After finding and procuring one for the boy, the toy starts to act on its own, directing the child and attaching itself like a parasite to the broken family.

The killer toy made its mark and has spawned many sequels, reboots, and even television adaptations, but I believe its theme also stands the test of time, much like its wise-cracking, sadistic doll.

The music composed by Joe Renzetti is both a tribute to the period with its synth and an ode to the terrifying childhood nightmare with tinkling bells and haunting choirs. Somewhere between menacing and innocence is where we find this tune, a perfect fit for the toy that promises to be your friend till the end.

8. Army of Darkness

As wild, fantastical, and otherworldly as every Evil Dead installment tends to be, Army of Darkness was a horror, fantasy, and comedy blend that brought the best of the Evil Dead out. Certified fresh by audiences and critics, the third installment in the franchise stars Bruce Campbell and Embeth Davidtz. It follows Ash (Campbell) as he is trapped in the Middle Ages, fighting the undead in a bid to return to the present time.

I chose this incredibly upbeat, borderline patriotic tune of thundering brass because everything about the Evil Dead universe is so over the top, even the themes. Its strings resonate, and its drums are like a general charging into some past war, not far off from what Campbell has to fight off in this installment. The film also features work from familiar face Danny Elfman, who composed the notable track March of the Dead, which almost took focus from the main theme for me.

March of the Dead sounds far more like a horror score than the main theme that would make you think a superhero might be emerging, but this was a one-track gig for Elfman, who instilled his telltale playful style into his portion but couldn’t overtake the high rising main theme by Joseph LoDuca, who composed the music for the rest of the film as well.

7. The Lost Boys (1987)

Directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Janice Fischer, James Jeremias, and Jeffrey Boam, The Lost Boys was a supernatural coming-of-age story whose title references the “lost boys” in Peter Pan, packing in a list of 80’s stars. Following single mother Lucy who is tasked with taking care of her sons Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim), as well as their eccentric grandfather, the group is now located in the fictional town of Santa Carla, California. The two youngsters come into contact early with characters pulling their attention.

Michael is fascinated by a girl he sees, Star (Jami Gertz), but it seems she’s already with the lead of a biker gang, David (Kiefer Sutherland). In the meantime, the two youths meet up with vampire hunters Edgar and Alan Frog, who give them comic books to arm themselves with knowledge and warn them that the invasion of the undead is much closer to home than they think.

Young and wild forever, The Lost Boys took the vampire tale and added edge and a coming-of-age sense of heart, winning over audiences and becoming a genre classic. With its many merits, it carried its own theme written for the film, which proved an emotional song that would move audiences even outside the theater. A dramatic ballad that peaked at 15 on the Billboard Top 200 in its year of release, composed by Michael Mainieri and Gerard McMahon, MacMahon’s performance of the rock and organ classic Cry Little Sister remains a goosebumps-inducing experience nearly 35 years later.

6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street was always one of the darkest stories I ever thought turned into legend. A child serial killer with a body count estimated over twenty, Freddy Kreuger was already a monster before he was released from custody on a technicality and left to roam free again. This didn’t last long, though, as vengeful parents hunted the killer down and set his hiding place ablaze, leaving him to burn alive inside. His spirit survives the fire, however, and continues down its murderous path in the dreams of the sleeping kids and teens on Elm Street.

A butcher with a costume we all know and love and a god-awful laugh to wake up to, Freddy is one of the Big Ones, like Michael Myers. His theme is just as haunting as he is, with distant echoing drums, a humming choir, and intermittent synth scoring that is classic slasher fare. You might not recognize it as it lulls and peaks much like horror films do, dancing to crescendos just to drop to a whisper, but that’s Freddy’s game, and a nightmare is just as much an emotional ride as this song.

Written by Charles Bernstein, its most recent credit is 2009’s 100 Hits: Halloween, showing that this tune just as much stands the test of time as it retains its recognizability.

5. Candyman (1992)

Now considered a cult classic that didn’t receive the popularity it deserved in 1992, Candyman is a tale of urban legend and race tangled in bloody movie history.

Following two graduate students doing work on their thesis on an urban legend, we discover the legend of Candyman. As the students researched the residents around the location of his passing and the turning of his horrific death into urban legend rather than a historical tragedy, the film focused on race relations. It brought a legend with presence and style in the form of the enigmatic Candyman with his hook and fur coat.

Helen’s Theme, written by Philip Glass, is the film’s most iconic piece of music that follows the characters through their travels in a shady urban Chicago and welcomes this dark legend on screen when the time comes. This song, which sounds like a cross between a gospel choir and a dark fairytale, carries the origins of tragedy on its notes. Helen’s Theme announces the arrival of a larger-than-life legend, giving a perfect backdrop to the serene yet menacing figure of Candyman.

Tony Todd’s soothing, iconic representation of the character only scores this urban legend into horror history, like writing on the wall.

4. The Exorcist (1973)

Easily recognizable and wildly famous, The Exorcist introduced a theme (also known as Tubular Bells) for the ages with its dancing piano and brass, an ominous portent to any arriving at the cursed home.

Even amongst some calls for the film to be banned, the 1973 smash hit boasted stars such as Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Jason Miller, and last but never least, Linda Blair in a blood-curdling performance. Following a mother, with the help of two Catholic priests, who tries to banish the evil that has taken up home in her young daughter’s body.

The music is ghostly and eerie to listen to just on its own and elevates shadowy arrivals and turns of fate that can get your heart racing to its intense beat. Written by Mike Oldfield and buried in a list of classical musical credits that are present in the film is the theme known as Tubular Bells. Between the bells, we hear a melancholic piano score and are flighted away by this supernatural thriller movie that took childhood to its darkest corners, dared to defy God, and became an icon in doing so.

3. Silent Hill (2006)

Based on the 1999 smash hit game of the same name, 2006’s Silent Hill, starring Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean, went back to the burning town to seek answers about their daughter Sharon. What followed them was a piano score that both gamers and horror fans should know well by now.

Akira Yamaoka’s Promise (Reprise) is the haunting melody that fans of the series know as its most well-known piece of music. Sad, chilling, and childlike, it encapsulates with a single short piece of music the loneliness and innocence at stake. When contrasted with the unforgiving landscape of Silent Hill, its gentle melody only rings that much louder.

2. Halloween (1978-Present)

I know I might get roasted for this sitting in the number two spot, but Michael Phelps (and Michael Myers) can’t win every gold, and that’s the equivalent of this soundtrack: nothing but gold. The score, initially developed by John Carpenter in 1978, is a universally known piano track that serves as Michael Myers’ anthem and hunting theme. The quick, intense keys lighting up the night have won many awards for their compositions, past and present. As recently as this year, Halloween Ends received a Chainsaw Award for their composition of this theme with a more modern mood — with the help of Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies, with John Carpenter still on staff to aid composition and direction.

Any horror fan will jump to this as an easy answer for most famous theme songs, and therefore, it should perhaps have landed at number one on my list. But Halloween has had more time to share its musical gifts with the world, and there are other killers scored with passion, flair, and timing that made them contenders with the boogeyman himself on this list.

1. Saw (2004)

James Wan and Leigh Whannell introduced a piece of low-budget iconic horror in 2004 that just received its tenth installment, Saw X, this year. The first film, Saw, brought about the figure Jigsaw and the game we all know and sometimes love. The first movie centers around Adam and Dr. Gordon, two players in Jigsaw’s game who have a ticking clock to find a way to break their binds or be sealed in their tombs. This new form of mind game also brought about a theme that we came to recognize as the curious, haunting melody warning of things taking a dark turn.

Hello Zepp, the piece composed by Charlie Clouser for the first film, is the telltale sound of Saw’s encroaching piano and dramatic strings that crescendos into what you imagine you’d be feeling as the clock runs out. It has become an instantly recognizable staple for horror music. Anytime this theme begins to play, we know the game is on, and its well-composed spinetingling nature keeps us leaning in to see if whoever’s under the gun has what it takes to survive the trial.

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