Horror Movies and Music with Rachel Reeves
Rachel Reeves is a regular contributor at some of your favourite media outlets including Rue Mogue and Vehlinggo, writing about horror movies and film scores. You might have seen some of Rachel’s work in the past on Consequence, Nightmare on Film Street, We are Horror Zine and Film Cred. Rachel is also one of the co-hosts on the incredible Stephen King podcast, The Losers’ Club on the Bloody Disgusting Podcast Network.
Favourite piece/s written: Female Film Composers
Favourite interview: Oh wow. This is tricky. Honestly, what I love about interviewing folks is that I learn something new every single time. BUT, if I had to pick a favourite, today it would be composer and musician Charlie Clouser about his music for the Saw franchise. That’s also kind of cheating because I’ve interviewed him twice now, but he’s so wonderful! He was my very first interview ever and I had such a wonderful experience it made me want to do it more! Then, interviewed him again this year due to Spiral’s release. Read the interview here.
What soundtrack started it all for you?
While I’ve always adored music and have long been a musician myself, my obsession with film scores always comes back to Krzysztof Komeda’s Rosemary’s Baby score. From the very opening moments where the track ‘Lullaby’ plays over the opening credits, I became transfixed by the seamless juxtaposition of beauty and eeriness. Continuing throughout the film, Komeda’s use of avant-garde jazz techniques, instrumentation and style wonderfully illustrate the inner emotional turmoil that Rosemary is experiencing along with the dark forces at work around her. For the first time, I truly became aware of how crucial film music is to the overall successful execution of a film and how much emotional and narrative information can be conveyed through music. Komeda’s score completely opened my mind to the power of film music and sent me down the path of appreciation and passion that I’m still walking today. I’m forever grateful for that.
How have you seen music evolve from the cult classics to the modern horror films that are being released today?
One of the things I find most fascinating about horror film scores throughout time is the impact that technology has had on them. In the 50s and 60s, film music was almost entirely composed and performed utilizing traditional, orchestral instrumentation. Given the development timeline of musical technology this makes sense. However, as electronic instruments, synthesizers and techniques began to develop, the soundscape of film music also began to shift.
Now, every culture has subconscious emotional associations with different tones, instruments and chords. But what if the audience simply can’t pinpoint what an instrument is? Or what a specific noise is? Not only does it imbue these new sounds with a futuristic vibe, this inability to associate and categorize often creates a deep feeling of unease. While the science fiction genre was really the earliest one to pioneer and embrace these ideas, horror was not far behind. By pushing the boundaries of what was traditionally considered music, electronic music opened up a whole new world of possibilities for composers.
As many horror fans know, the 80s were a glorious time for electronic and synth scores. Not only did they have a cool, modern sound for the time, they were also cheap to create. This key fact and reason behind their usage cannot be understated. Rather than relying on a full orchestra of players, or even a small quartet, a stripped down electronic music score could be composed, created and recorded by one capable person with access to the right equipment. This allowed even the smallest of productions, with the tightest of budgets, to still hire up-and-coming composers to create new and original scores. With the explosion of horror films that came out during the decade thanks to the booming home video market, electronic music quickly became a major staple and defining feature within the genre.
In more recent decades, horror film scores have been developing in a really exciting way. As technology has become embedded in nearly every facet of life, many composers both in and out of the horror genre are blurring the lines between tradition and progression. Leaning more towards hybridization, composers are redefining the long established cultural and emotional associations that audiences have had with electronic music by integrating them with a more traditional sound.
No longer something that merely signals that a film takes place in the future, outer space or in some parallel dimension, modern electronic music and film scores carry real emotional weight. By combining these elements with familiar instruments like violins, piano, guitar, etc. these hybrid scores offer a fresh and expansive listening experience. Not only are these particular modern horror scores redefining what emotional states sound like, this fusion of elements keeps the spirit of experimentation alive as composers are pushed to develop new and terrifying sounds to thrill audiences with.
Why do you think that horror is a genre where composers are able to experiment with their tone and sound?
The eternally rad thing about horror is that there are endless possibilities; both for filmmakers and composers. Unlike a lot of other film genres that have an accepted, defined sound, there are really no limitations to what a horror film can sound like. A horror film can have a fully electronic score, it can have an orchestral score, it can have vocals, it can be minimal, jazz, hip-hop, rock or metal music. Innovation and creativity are a part of the horror DNA and that spirit applies to the music as well.
There’s also the horror itself. Because of the need to actually scare or unsettle in whatever capacity the particular film requires, composers are able to really dig in and get creative. There are so many fascinating ways that composers have created indefinable fear through sound throughout horror history. Utilizing a myriad of extended techniques and emerging technologies, horror composers often create never before heard sounds from both new and familiar sources alike. While I am not a composer myself, I have to think that this freedom to create is an incredibly rewarding and welcome opportunity.
What specific elements do you think are used to create the perfect soundtrack for horror films? What makes it stand on its own from the horror film itself?
The thing that makes a perfect horror soundtrack is actually no different than any other genre. Ultimately, a perfect soundtrack is one that supports the narrative and adds to the overall success of a film. Now for horror, that narrative can sometimes involve jump scares, comedy, violence, drama, gore, action or extremely dark moments, but the goal is still the same. It should be an intimate part of the film itself while also retaining a unique identity. This is the fine balance that every composer is trying to achieve when they first set pen to paper.
As an avid film score lover, I often find that I enjoy casually listening to scores that tell a story all to themselves. Whether I’m in the mood to dance, read, get scared, write or stew in my angry thoughts, there’s a horror score for that. By listening to a score separate from the film, you’re really able to see the thematic puzzle pieces and composing techniques come together in a really interesting way. Subtly connecting threads from one track to the next is a true art and it is one that composers don’t really get enough credit for.
When thinking of atmosphere, what horror movie scene do you think of instinctually?
The first one that comes to my mind today is Buddy Ripperton’s death scene from John Carpenter’s Christine. As Christine pulls out of the gas station garage engulfed in flames, she flies down the street after the fleeing Buddy. Once Carpenter’s score kicks in with the icy cool synth ping, there’s a rhythmic persistence to the chase. This pulsing, regular beat remains constant and highlights the cruel way Christine is toying with Buddy. With her headlights centred right on Buddy’s futile run, it is the music that infuses Christine and this adrenaline-inducing scene with personality and atmosphere.
William Ostrander as Buddy Repperton in Christine (1983)
Simple in it’s execution, Carpenter’s music works wonderfully against what the scene suggests. Although clearly a terrifying scene, it is the restrained, deliberate nature of the music that conveys Christine’s determined nature and cruel indifference to Buddy’s plight. Then, as she finally catches up to Buddy without ever-changing speed, she casually runs over him without a second thought. By keeping the music contained, calm and collected, Carpenter’s music adds so much to Christine’s character in a beautifully, intangible way.
What are your top horror movie soundtracks? What makes these soundtracks different from non-horror soundtracks?
This is always a tough question as there are so many great ones! However, if my feet are pressed to the fire I’d say that my top picks for today include:
John Williams ‘Jaws’
Brad Fiedel ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’
Popol Vuh ‘Nosferatu’
John Carpenter ‘Halloween’
Basil Poledouris ‘Robocop’
Benjamin Wallfisch ‘IT’
Bernard Herrmann ‘Psycho’
Christopher Young ‘Hellraiser’
Claudio Simonetti ‘Demons’
Goblin ‘Tenebrae’
Ennio Morricone ‘The Thing’
Part of what makes all of these scores so great is their timeless feel, iconic themes and ability to evoke a strong, visceral emotional response. Even a casual horror fan can likely identify many of these scores within a few moments of listening. It is that pervasive nature to these scores that make them some of the best to have ever existed.
What makes the ultimate horror movie soundtrack?
A great theme, a supportive emotional undercurrent and a unique approach that cannot be confused with or attributed to any other composer or film.
What composer and horror filmmaker would you like to see collaborate?
More than anything, I would love to see a more diverse range of composers working in the field. For decades and decades, the field has been dominated by white men. Now, those men have created some wonderful music, yes...but there is so much more out there. There are so many talented women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ creators that have unique and interesting things to say through music and it is criminal to keep their voices silent by withholding opportunities.
Composer Tamar-Kali (Shirley, The Assistant, and Mudbound).
That said, there are several pairs that I’ve often found myself daydreaming about. One I would definitely love to see would be Hildur Guðnadóttir (Chernobyl, Joker) and director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Prisoners). Another, Carla Patullo (Porno) and director Natasha Kermani (Lucky). Michael Abels (Us, Get Out) and James Wan (Saw, Insidious) would also be an interesting pair I think. Also, Clint Mansell (Black Swan, In the Earth) with director Emma Tammi (The Wind). I would also love, love, love to see Tamar-kali (Shirley, Mudbound) really enter the horror sphere with a director like Rose Glass (Saint Maud).
