This Horror Life

Perhaps no element of horror is more ignored than the music. While certain scores will constantly come up as particularly great, such as the band Goblin’s scoring of Suspiria or John Williams’ lurching strings in Jaws, the music contained within horror films tends to be ignored. But why?

Is it solely because of the nature of the score itself? After all, a good score is designed to enhance the film, not overshadow the action on screen. The music can shift your mood, distract you from the obvious, and bring you fully into the world of horror unfolding on screen.

It’s hard to imagine that people could just ignore the audio cues piled into the mix to help bring out the scares. Whether the mournful cry of a theremin or the undulating tremolo of an orchestra, these cuts of music are written specifically to bring out the best of the film.

Take for example the opening lullaby of Rosemary’s Baby. Jazz musician Krzysztof Komeda produced a serene ballad that encapsulates the essence of the film. The simple melody seems familiar, yet the orchestral harmonies and quasi-Baroque clavichord-esque keyboard work show that not is all as it seems. The perfect dream life of Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse is as much an illusion as the peaceful melody sung by Mia Farrow. Elements of the theme are used in different ways throughout to elucidate the events in time with Rosemary’s realizations.

Yet it is Polanski who time and again receives full credit for the craft of the film. This is not to question his role, no. Roman Polanski produced one of the best horror films by using more mainstream filmmaking techniques laced with disturbing imagery, much courtesy of novelist Ira Levin, to unnerve the audience, set them off balance, and betray all expectations of what the film initially seemed to be. It’s just the score is pushed aside like the fondant covering on a cake; both wrap the product up to a beautiful finish yet fall to the wayside when people dig in.

It is a personal belief that it does not take a music scholar to recognize the greatness of music. Such an education certainly helps in understanding how the product is made, though the lack of such experience is no excuse to ignore it. If we can comment on dialogue and sound effects with ease, we can surely mention a few words reflecting the hard, unheralded work of film composers in putting that final bow on the package.

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