FAVORITE HORROR SOUNDTRACKS/SCORES

[Gallahan]

Doing research into the horror genre caused me to read horror novels, watch horror movies and listen to horror soundtracks/scores. Believe me, it was sometimes awkward buying a soundtrack like "Halloween 5" with my girlfriend next to me, giving me the "What are you buying THAT for?" look. But hey, she dealt with my interest in things that inspired imagination, horrific or not.

Here is a short list of creepy soundtracks that should add to the horror ambiance.
BUT--- ...what are your favorite soundtracks/scores? I'm sure everyone will benefit from hearing!

These are in no particular order...
1. The Thing
2. Nightbreed
3. Ghostbusters (some great "funny" music to lighten the mood between the scary stuff)
4. Any Hellraiser
5. Haunted
6. Silence of the Lambs
7. Encounter (UFO stuff) -by Michael Stearns
8. The Fugitive (certain selections are just "cool" interludes in a horror movie)
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 (Craig Safan, the guy who composed The Last Starfighter)
10. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Okay, one of the NEWEST movies to have a FANTASTIC "X-Files"-ish type score was surprisingly...
THE FOURTH KIND.

Again, list what you use. Ambiance is everything in a BTS game. BTS is like telling an interactive story around a campfire. Horror music can heighten that experience.

[Shawn Merrow]

The original Omen is my favorite.

[Holister]

Just about anything put out by NOX ARCANA.

The " House on Haunted Hill " soundtrack was great too.

[jaymz]

The Original Halloween.

[mrloucifer]

As a soundtrack junkie and owner of many, I use lots of them. I'll post as I recall them, or if I get a chance at home I'll look them over and compile a list.

That being said, A favorite of mine to use is by Celldweller, and the Album is called "Soundtrack for the Voices in my Head."

[Shawn Merrow]

The X-Files CD "Songs in the key of X" is also really good.

[mrloucifer]

The X-Files CD "Songs in the key of X" is also really good.

Both of the X-File movie soundtracks are worthy additions and make the occasional appearence in my games.

[Cybermancer]

I don't know if they really count as horror scores, but I like listening to either Enter Sandman or Fundamentum when thinking about stuff for BtS.

[Misfit KotLD]

I love the soundtrack to Event Horizon.

[mrloucifer]

I used the "DEVIL MAY CRY 4" soundtrack this last weekend.

[mrloucifer]

OH yeah, and I used the "DooM" movie soundtrack as well. The peice "First Person Shooter" is ideal during the combat or chase/hunting scenes.

[mrloucifer]

A favorite intro tune of mine to use before starting the game "Overture of the Rebel Angels" from Danzig's incredible album "Black Aria".

[Misfit KotLD]

A favorite intro tune of mine to use before starting the game "Overture of the Rebel Angels" from Danzig's incredible album "Black Aria".

That entire album is awesome.

[mrloucifer]

A favorite intro tune of mine to use before starting the game "Overture of the Rebel Angels" from Danzig's incredible album "Black Aria".

That entire album is awesome.

I'M SAYIN BRO!

[mrloucifer]

Another favorite game intro track I like to use is called “Nara” by E.S. Posthumus, off the album “Unearthed”. I use it when I plan/expect the majority of the game to have a more “research/investigation” feel to it.

You may recognize this track as the theme/intro music to the TV show “Cold Case”.

[mrloucifer]

During an intense “skill rolling” session, say like fixing a broken engine/ motor/ weapon/ object during a critical moment (time’s running out or the rest of the group is fending off attackers so the skillful PC can work), I like to use “Freedom Battle” by Michael W. Smith, off of his album “Freedom”.

To do this, you can let the intro portion play softly in the background before turning it up as the intense portion picks up (about 1:12 into the music) or plan ahead and fast forward to that spot, or if you have a music manipulator like “audacity” you can chop off the intro music and use it that way.

Coincidentally, there are a few tracks off this album that I’ve used in the past for a variety of reasons.

[Gallahan]

I'm glad you mentioned "Black Aria" by Danzig. I LOVE that album. It has POWER. --I'd forgotten about it completely!! Yes, it is a fantastic CD for BTS.

Some other ones to consider. These are considered "new age." Composer Michael Stearns has 2 good ones.
1. "Encounter" --sort of a cool, sleek UFO thing going on, but subtle enough to provide dramatic undertones for any BTS campaign.
2. "Sacred Sites" --more mystical, arcane, dealing with 'lost world' and ancient voices... very organic, very profound

Composer Constance Demby has a great new age album. Unexpectedly on such an album was at least one (very long, over 9 min) piece PERFECTLY BTS in nature, and worth the CD price.
1. "Set Free" --the track called "Into the Center." It's absolutely fantasic. Great for ghost campaigns. Any campaigns, especially paranormal investigation. Plus, if you look up her other CDs, there are many good ones for paranormal investigation.

And really, both are GREAT background for any H.P. Lovecraft-themed campaigns/adventures.

[mrloucifer]

The "Trailer Music" series by Kerry Muzzey are all priceless peices that are typically one or two minutes and work in about 100 different emotive grasping moments at least.

[mrloucifer]

While I'm on Kerry, his soundtrack music for the short movie "Hole in the Paper Sky" is simply beautiful and emotive. The track "Thank You" is one of the most beautiful peices of piano music I've ever heard and is ideal for a moment of someone thanking the PC's for saving/rescuing/helping them after and epic encounter w/ the supernatural.

[Gallahan]

Oh yes... Danzig's "Black Aria" is fantastic.

On the "traditional" heavy metal front, Iron Maiden captured some essences of INSANITY and the supernatural with their CD: "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son." Particularly "Can I Dream of Madness," "Moon Child" and "INFINITE DREAMS." --The last one in all caps because it's just a fantastic song that begins slowly and ends tremendously. "The Prophet" is also a good one for psychic characters.

Another metal/rock song is by Blue Oyster Cult, from the "Heavy Metal" soundtrack. It's "VETERAN OF THE PSYCHIC WARS" and is absolutely one of the best rock songs for a BTS soundtrack mix.

I recently bought/downloaded the latest "A Nightmare of Elm Street" score by the same guy who composed the Transformers movies. Fantastic.

[Gallahan]

BTW: I looked online to try to download Danzig's "Black Aria" as an MP3, but it's still only available at amazon as a CD. However, looking it up lead me to a neat discovery.

Danzig released "Black Aria 2" in 2005-ish. Only in CD form, again. But, I got a used copy on the way for about $4 + shipping. That's a great price to pay for some GREAT music to add to a horror mix.

I thoroughly enjoyed his first "Black Aria," can't wait to hear the DARK MAGIC of his second. It's REALLY HILARIOUS because some of the reviewers down-rated "Black Aria 2" because it sounded like a horror movie soundtrack. Obviously, they didn't get it. And while that might turn away Danzig traditionalists, it's birdsong (okay, EVIL birdsong) for fans of BTS looking to spice up a campaign with heavy atmospherics.

Keep in mind that MUSIC is one of the most potent ways to add dramatic depth to any campaign; it's just a matter of selecting the right music for you and the group. Generally I tend to shy away from music that is too intrusive or has lyrics or aggressive vocals. To me, acid/heavy metal EVAPORATES most of the horrific atmosphere from any scene. You're just playing "shock-jock" at that point. Of course, this is very subjective, in that everyone has different tastes. For me, the instrumental and symphonic bring allow the roleplaying time to "ferment" into something really dramatic. And then there are the exceptions, such as tossing in "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" and "Infinite Dreams" into the mix (literally). Add to that the theme to "Ghostbusters" and some new age by Constance Demby "Into the Center" and Michael Stearns' CDs "Encounter" and "Sacred Sites."

At the end of the day, the more diverse the horror mix, the better. It's keeps it from getting stale.

[Lord Z]

My experiments with music at the table haven't worked well. Perhaps I wasn't bringing as much careful plannikng to the process as Gallahan.

Right now, I am listening to The Upper House by Allicorn. I found it in the downloads section of yog-sothoth.com.

[Gallahan]

I just try to alternate music from mysterious to energetic, without using lyrical or heavy metal (much). Keep the music moderately volumed, not too intrusive or distracting.

Like any good mix, alternate the intensity. If you were to make nothing but an action mix, of nothing but high intensity music from beginning to end, it would get boring quickly. The same for making nothing but slow music. HOWEVER, in BTS, a mix of nothing but mysterious music does work, so, scores like THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS work well. The ultimate stand-alone soundtrack/score for BTS, for me, is THE THING. But, it's older, hard to find, and can be expensive.

The important thing is to have the music set an ambiance for you game without it overpowering it. ENCOUNTER by Michael Stearns is great for a subdued background music that you can set to replay over and over as your game unfolds. The score to the X-Files TV show (not the movies) is good too, except for the irritating dialogue inserts into each piece. A long piece called "Into the Center" found on SET FREE, by modern synth composer Constance Demby is fantastic for supernatural intrigue. It's absolutely scary and mysterious and ... "deep."

I don't time or sync the music selections for specific scenes. Trying to do this takes too much time from the game and feels stiff and contrived. What I do is to create a mix that has energetic and mysterious elements, and alternate them. What you'll notice is that over time, the music will 'just happen' to coincide rather spectacularly. OR, that you will coincide your verbal descriptions based on what you know the music is about to do (you have to listen to your mix and get to know it, perhaps while you're planning/writing the adventure).

[Lord Z]

Hey, that last part is a dirty GM trick if I ever read one. Good show!

[Gallahan]

Hey, that last part is a dirty GM trick if I ever read one. Good show!

Doh!!! I sorta let that one out of the bag! BUT, I will redeem myself by NOT telling one of the BEST GM "tricks" ever. Actually, I prefer to call it a "technique." But, yes, it is deceptive, and rather insidious. However, quite necessary for the fun of the players and should never be attempted without at least one shot of tequila. Just kidding about the shot of tequila. Although that would be rather fun.

[mrloucifer]

Just about anything put out by NOX ARCANA.

Same goes for anything from Midnight Syndicate.

[mrloucifer]

I bought the Limited Collectors Edition of "Alan Wake" this week, which includes the soundtrack as once of its contents. For fans of "Twin Peaks" (which I am) or into that similar style of moody music (which I also am), its all ideal for background music during your game. All my games take place in the Pacific Northwest anyway so its an extra bonus to fit the feel.

[Lord Z]

That raises a question for the gamers who use mood music. Do you choose music which matches the setting of the game or do you prefer generalist mood music which is not related to any geographic area?

[mrloucifer]

My short answer to both is "yes".

I have days where I pick music that fits a patiuclar theme or setting, and then I have a selection of fairly "generic" music that just lays in the background when I have no specific music planned that day.

[mrloucifer]

Another favorite that I pulled out is "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" soundtrack by Steve Jablonsky. Its for the remake (which wasnt bad as far as remakes go.) and has a great tension building set up to it.

[Gallahan]

I remember the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and agree, it was well done. I didn't realize that Jablonsky did the score. Of course, he went on to write the Transformers scores, Gears of Metal (I think) video game, and a more recent score for a movie that came out in the last couple of months (I forget which one). Point is, he's an up and coming artist.

When Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen, Star Trek TMP, The Haunting, The Mummy, Hollowman, Rambos 1-3, and about 200 other films since the 1950s/60s) passed away back in 2004-ish, he left a huge, gaping hole in the soundtrack world. A good way to discover good scores is also to search for them by composer at a site like amazon.

A BUNCH of relative newcomers started filling Goldsmith's shoes (the man must have scored 10 movies a year!). Some of these artists are: Steve Jablonsky, Brian Tyler, John Powell, and John Ottman. Doing a search on just about any score composer will result also in the "Others who bought this also bought THIS..." section. A whole host of composers will pop up, along with popular soundtracks. You could easily spend hours sifting through composers and scores for just the right ones. Even better, MANY scores can be bought one track at a time via MP3 download.

So, if you're willing to spend the time, you could feasibly put together a horror mix for about $10 (ten tracks from ten different albums). If you do it this route, be sure to look up Constance Demby's new age CD "Set Free" and include "Into the Center." THAT track is a LONG one, and is spooky, majestic, dark, thrilling and filled with supernatural wonder. --Great for BTS and fantasy adventures.

Just some thoughts.

[Gallahan]

I recently discovered the movie "Trick 'r Treat."

Apparently, for whatever reasons, it was never released to the big screen and went straight to DVD. I think they said it was because that children were in peril and some/many of them died in the story. Well, HELLO MCFLY: The Grimm's fairytales involve tons of children, and in the TRUE endings, not everything is Walt Disney.

Anyway, I thought that the music composed by Douglas Pipes was fantasmagorically horrific.

The movie wasn't bad either. In fact, it was rather delicious.

I just got the score/soundtrack in the mail today from amazon. Wonderful music for ANY BTS campaign/story/adventure.

[Gallahan]

Just a heads-up on some good spooky soundtracks to keep an eye out for...

1. Inception (action, depth and mystery)
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (the lastest release)
3. Star Trek the Next Generation Volume 2: This one is older, and it is the music to the classic episode where the borg attack and Picard is made into one of them. However, the actual Star Trek theme is not prevalent in the meat of the score, but there is a LOT of spooky music and dramatic build-up. This would be perfect for any BTS horror soundtrack mix.

Again, highly recommended is the soundtrack to The Fourth Kind, and Trick or Treat.

The neat thing is that you can download the MP3 version of these scores from Amazon.com (in fact, that's how I got them). You get them quickly and can build a play list in whatever media player you have, and if desired, burn a CD using selections from whatever scores you like. I found that mix CDs are better for gaming since the texture and pace is different at every turn. Of course, there are gems out there like The Thing (1980s) which is fantastic all on its own.