Anyone who has ever tried watching a horror film without the music will quickly find that the atmosphere is nowhere near the same. As terrifying as these iconic horror films can be, they are often given a helping hand by their chilling soundtracks. In some cases, this has even caused certain theme songs to be more recognizable than the films they come from.

Often, though, the best soundtracks blend into their filmography seamlessly, and can be underappreciated gems. Regardless of their infamy, the following titles are some of the best theme tunes from a wide variety of subgenres across the horror film spectrum.

Related

10 Best Villain Theme Songs In Games

Theme songs are great at making sure scenes and characters are remembered, and these villains are iconic just from how amazing their theme songs are

10 The Ring - 'End Credits'

The 2002 Ring film is an American remake of Hideo Nakata's 1998 film, which was based on the novel by Koji Suzuki. Centered around a sinister videotape that will kill its viewers after seven days, and the haunting child who seems responsible for its curse, the narrative is already horrific.

With little use of gore and selling its scares primarily though terror, the image of Samara crawling out of a television has etched itself into horror film fame. But the score, created primarily by composer extraordinaire, Hans Zimmer, really adds to the terror. With harsh strings and haunting piano melodies, the 'End Credits' best demonstrate the overall haunting beauty of The Ring's soundtrack.

9 Psycho - 'The Murder'

As horror film themes go, 'The Murder' from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 horror film is up there as one of the most infamous. Psycho is primarily set in the Bates Motel. Initially, the film follows a young lady called Marion and her stay at the motel, which ends brutally and abruptly. The scene where Marion is stabbed to death in the shower by a figure shrouded in shadow has become one of the most iconic scenes in horror.

This is in no small part down to the theme, 'The Murder', that plays during the scene. The iconic music was composed by Bernard Herrmann. Initially, Hitchcock has wanted the scene to play out without music but, after hearing Herrmann's score, acknowledged that it greatly intensified the scene.

8 The Omen - 'Ave Satani'

The 1976 horror film, The Omen, directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer, follows a dramatically horrific plot. The Thorn couple lose their biological child shortly after birth so, unbeknownst to his wife, the father secretly adopts another child as their own. Unfortunately for the couple, this child turns out to be the actual prophesied antichrist.

The sinister child, Damien, proceeds to make their lives a living hell. Appropriately for such a biblical and dramatic plot, the film's original theme, 'Ave Satani', is composed by Jerry Goldsmith to be a sacrilegious and Satanic inversion of a Gregorian chant, complete with bellowing chorals. An imposing piece of music, it sets the tone perfectly.

7 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - 'Opening Titles'

Tobe Hooper's 1974 Texas Chain Saw Massacre film may not have as iconic a soundtrack as some of the previous entries, but it is undeniably an unusual and viscerally unsettling score. The film was influential, igniting the public's interest in an ongoing franchise about the killer, Leatherface, and his family, and kick-starting a lot of common slasher tropes.

But the score deserves some love and recognition too. Most notable in the 'Opening Titles', the soundtrack uses unusual objects as instruments in order to create an unnatural, discordant, and deeply unsettling sound.

6 Jaws - 'Main Title And First Victim'

Back to the iconic with Spielberg's 1975 shark based horror, Jaws. The infamous horror may have had a profoundly negative affect on the reputation of great white sharks, but it did wonders for the beloved composer, John Williams.

Related

The Best Horror Movies Of The 21st Century (So Far), Ranked

Modern-day horror movies in the 2000s have altered the genre dramatically, and here's a look at the best this century has offered so far.

Jaws's theme tune, 'Main Title And First Victim', is designed to imitate the slow, pursuing, and unstoppable way in which an evil mega great white shark might attack. The instantly recognizable theme is one of the most iconic in horror films.

5 Alien - 'Main Title'

Taking a turn to the science fiction, Ridley Scott's iconic 1979 film, Alien, is another horror film starring a relentless and pursuing predator. In this instance, it is a little more extra terrestrial. Jerry Goldsmith takes the credit for the beautifully intriguing and unsettling score that supports this phenomenal film.

Originally, Goldsmith wanted to create a romantic and mysterious theme, but Ridley Scott wasn't keen on the initial version. In the end, Goldsmith went for the more typical suspenseful theme that is so recognizable now, but hints of the mysterious and beautiful can still be heard in the final piece.

4 Saw - 'Hello Zepp'

The original Saw film, directed by James Wan, was released in 2004 and kick-started a much loved franchise. Horror fans just couldn't get enough of the sinister Jigsaw and his life or death traps.

Charlie Clouser did the composition for the film, and the iconic piece, 'Hello Zepp', has become the recurring theme throughout the series. Its most infamous use, however, is in the scene it was originally composed for; when the reveal is made about Zep's true role in the film, and the identity of the real Jigsaw killer.

3 28 Days Later - 'Main Theme'

As zombie films go, Danny Boyle's 2002 British horror, 28 Days Later, has to be up there as one of the best. Staring a young Cillian Murphy, it is a highly brutal but surprisingly touching take on the zombie apocalypse.

Composed by John Murphy, the soundtrack's deep electric guitar beats are a league away from the classic strings and pianos of horror film fame. Despite being an outlier in style, the theme is no less impactful. Mirroring the film's narrative, the theme is unsettling but somehow strangely beautiful.

2 Halloween - 'Main Title'

Directed and scored by John Carpenter, the 1978 Halloween film had to feature highly for having one of the most iconic themes in horror film history. Halloween follows the story of a brutal killer, Michael Myers, as he pursues his victims.

Quickly becoming an infamous slasher film, Halloween was praised highly for its music, with the theme becoming one of those horror themes that is instantly recognizable even to some with no other knowledge of the series. The iconic killer, Michael Myers, has appeared in multiple pieces of media, such as Dead By Daylight or Call Of Duty: Ghosts, and he is almost always featured alongside his infamous theme.

1 The Exorcist - 'Tubular Bells'

Just snatching the top spot from Michael Myers, the 'Tubular Bells' theme from William Friedkin's 1973 film, The Exorcist, is another piece of instantly recognizable and beloved horror music. Depicting the possession and grueling exorcism of a young girl, The Exorcist was so terrifying at the time of its release that many considered it to be cursed.

While the film intentionally used music sparingly, Friedkin bought the rights to Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells' for its main theme, which has now become so infamous as to be associated almost entirely with the horror film. It is a beautifully haunting score.

MORE: The Best Horror Movie Halloween Costume Ideas In 2023