Why Were Not Afraid to Love Scary Music (Plus 13 of the Best Horror Film Scores) Faculty composer Ryan Page discusses the appeal of scary movies and what makes the scores to films like John Carpenters Halloween and Dario Argentos Suspiria so compelling.
By
Bryan Parys
October 30, 2024
Image illustration by Pamela Hersch
Acclaimed Goosebumps author R.L. Stine recently said on the Chicago Humanities Tapes podcast that scaring kids was never his goal. In fact, he was surprised when his young readers told him that they actually enjoyed being freaked out by his stories. [Kids] like to be scared when they know they're safe at the same time, Stine realized. When they know they're in their room reading, they're out there fighting these monsters, but they know they're home safe.
Children aren't the only ones looking to be scared as a form of entertainment, as is evident by the countless horror films that plumb the depths of our fears and darkest imaginations. As central to the most iconic scary movies as figures like Jason, Freddie Krueger, and Hannibal Lecter, are the film scores that heighten the fear factor.
The shrieking strings in Psycho, the pulse-quickening bass line from Jaws-these scores function like any film soundtrack in that they add to the emotional experience of the visuals. But horror film scores also have the critical job of reminding us of the most important part: that what we're seeing isn't real.
Ryan Page, Assistant Professor, EPD
Ryan Page (he/they), assistant professor of electronic production and design (EPD), says that horror media allows us to explore the darker side of humanity, but from a safe distance. So thats something that I would never want to see in real life, right? I would never want to be trapped in a house with zombies, you know, pounding at the door, Page says. Music, they continue, is one of those things that allows [the horror] to be a thought, to be unreal, and I think that that can be a very kind of exciting place to be in. In fact, as he points out, the viewer has signed up for this experience. They bought the ticket, theyre ready to take their ride, they want to be sort of toyed with a little bit, he says.
As an electronic music composer, Page often works on sound design for digital media, including audio work on The Sims 4: Get Famous expansion pack, and has collaborated with artists such as Laetitia Sonami, Pauline Oliveros, Anna Friz, Rhys Chatham, and Ikue Mori. Under their current artist name Repairer of Reputations, Page frequently works on horror-related media, with this October being particularly prolific for them in this area. They released part one of The Path of Veins, an interactive visual horror novel that they wrote, programmed, and scored. They also released the latest installment of an annual project titled October Country, where they cover a selection of their favorite horror film scores and releases them as a free download on Bandcamp-but only available during the month of October.
Listen to a piece from Ryan Pages score for The Path of Veins, Part 1:
<a href=https://repairerofreputations.bandcamp.com/album/the-path-of-veins-part >The Path of Veins Part 1 by Repairer of Reputations</a>
The Best Scary Music Is Also a Little PrettyPage's interest in horror film scores began as a teenager after he picked up a DVD copy of Dario Argentos 1977 horror film Suspiria (incidentally, he was attending Berklee's Five-Week summer program at the time). Even as he realized the film was one of the scariest he'd ever seen, he couldn't stop thinking about the soundtrack and how anyone could write music like this.
To make music sound scary and interesting is a unique challenge, as it's not just about picking the most atonal textures or dissonant notes and slapping them together. Ironically, to make something memorably ugly, it has to have an air of pleasantness.
Take the theme from John Carpenter's Halloween.
On its own, the theme is pretty in its simple, minor-key melody, which isn't surprising given that Carpenter scored the film himself despite not having any formal musical training. What makes the piece so haunting is this simplicity plus a metronomic thumping set within an odd time signature (in this case, 10/8 or complex 5/4 time). You have this pattern thats repeating in a way that feels slippery. . . . It creates a kind of tension, Page says.
Jungmin Lee, assistant professor in the Screen Scoring Department, explains that Simple meters like 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 would give [a film] scene a stable feeling. But in a horror film, odd meters such as 5/8, 7/8, and 7/4 have a shifting quality. They're a little unpredictable and make us feel uncomfortable, she says.
Watch Jungmin Lee give tips on how to score a scene from a horror film:
Haunted By the PastThe overall effect on the listener/viewer is that your grip on reality starts to slip just a little bit, and things start to feel surreal or uncanny-that is, things feel both real and unreal at the same time. The term uncanny is a concept that comes from the German word unheimlich, which translates to not from the home, but, according to how psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud discussed the term, it can also mean something hidden within the home (or within the familiar).
Combine the uncanny with the idea of nostalgia, and you start to get closer to why things like ghosts and zombies can be so scary. If you think about the semantic origins of [nostalgia], it also means homesickness, Page says.
Nostalgia and homesickness are about longing for something familiar that has been lost. We typically think of nostalgia as a pleasant feeling, reminiscing about the bygone, wistful days of youth. But people also talk about being haunted by the past, and as Page says,
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Why Were Not Afraid to Love Scary Music (Plus 13 of the Best Horror Film Scores) Faculty composer Ryan Page discusses the appeal of scary movies and what makes the scores to films like John Carpenters Halloween and Dario Argentos Suspiria so compelling.
