Dylan Masvidal | Staff Writer
What is it about fear that’s so enticing, so provocative?
Once Halloween season enters the fray, we as audiences begin to yearn for a dark place to crawl into, calling to us like a siren’s song.
No more is this fact than through the music that is tailor-made for the genre. A composition which makes an out-of-body experience so devilishly attractive.
If you thought spooky tunes peaked with the “Monster Mash”, then hold on to your butts because these songs I’ve carefully picked out are not for the faint of heart.
1. Main Titles (From “Darkman” Soundtrack) by Danny Elfman
Born from his love of Universal monster movies and the pulpy mystery adventures of The Shadow, horror director/auteur Sam Raimi created a hero who’s synonymous with tragedy.
To ensure viewers would be taken aback by his grisly figure as much as they’d be captivated by his gruesome heroics, Raimi enlisted the help of Oingo Boingo frontman and emerging film composer Danny Elfman.
Thanks to his mad scientist musical tendencies and previous experience with comic book films (Batman ‘89), Elfman’s overpowering theme for the character reuses that trademark horn and harp section yet eliminates any trace of whimsy, highlighting just how hopeless Darkman’s situation truly is.
2. Dead Souls (From “The Crow” Soundtrack) by Nine Inch Nails
Sticking to the theme of film compositions, there are very few, if not zero, soundtracks more iconic than 1994’s “The Crow”.
I’ve already gleefully expressed how special of a companion piece it is, with “Dead Souls” being the pièce de résistance.
A cover of a Joy Division B-side, Nine Inch Nails’ rendition of the song cranks up the uncontrolled hysteria and paranoia of the original to 11, amplifying the noisy instrumentation to new heights.
Reznor’s haunting vocal timbre couldn’t have been a better match as well. If the 90s goth style took on a life of its own, chances are “Dead Souls” would be playing at its christening.
3. Live By Yo Rep (From “Mystic Stylez”) by Three 6 Mafia
Before their focus was club bangers and green skull tees, legendary hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia were pioneering their signature sound of Memphis horrorcore with a huge chip on their shoulder.
“Live By Yo Rep” is the most visceral of their early work, sporting a killer piano loop and synth lead you swore John Carpenter programmed.
Doubling as a diss track towards fellow rap act Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, the painfully descriptive lyrics of violence and inhumane action are somehow made catchy thanks to their blazing fast flows.
One thing’s for certain, if your dad’s Doug E. Fresh CD is appropriate for all ages, this song’s parental advisory sticker was set on fire with a blowtorch.
4. Constant Elevation (From “6 Feet Deep”) by Gravediggaz
Underappreciated doesn’t even begin to describe Gravediggaz’ contribution to hip-hop.
Whereas Three 6 Mafia’s reality rap was allergic to sugar coating, Gravediggaz reveled in the psychotic nature associated with the horrorcore subgenre.
“Constant Elevation” embodies that zany terror to the fullest, converting boom bap into a madhouse of sinister record scratches, hypnotic piano keys and playfully evil rhymes (“My mental ward is my brainstorm, somehow I flipped and came equipped with a chainsaw”).
If these elements didn’t scream “psych ward patients on the loose” already, allow RZA to do his best demented Woody Woodpecker impression near the end of the track to seal the deal.
5. Ghosts (From “Blood on the Dance Floor”) by Michael Jackson
You can have “Thriller” and “Off the Wall” at your Halloween rager–I’ll gladly dance the night away to “Ghosts”.
My final selection on this list makes me somewhat of a snob, I know, but one of my earliest memories of discovering Michael Jackson’s music was shaking in my John Cena Kmart exclusive sneakers as I watched the “Ghosts” music video on YouTube.
Teddy Riley, a trailblazing producer of new jack swing and R&B, crafts an irresistibly eerie pop beat for the ages, setting the stage for Jackson to do what he does best: Grab you by the ears and never let go.
The king of pop cries out for retribution through metaphor as the “ghouls” who thought they had “the right to shake his family tree” must hear his displeasures.
A collaboration of such epic proportions can bring any dead party to life with the push of a button.
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