Recommendation of Scary Music: That Song That’s Actually Frightening
One facet of music as an art form is that it can evoke fear—just hearing it can send chills down your spine.
In this article, we’re spotlighting a range of pieces under the theme of scary music.
From classic horror movie theme songs to classical music at the core, plus rock and popular music, we’ve curated a wide selection! Some tracks might not seem particularly scary when you’re just listening, but once you learn the backstory, they suddenly become terrifying… You might make discoveries like that.
Be sure to check it out!
- A seemingly scary nursery rhyme: a children’s song that gives you the chills when you hear it
- Chills down your spine. A collection of Vocaloid songs that are scary but irresistibly listenable.
- Anime songs to listen to on Halloween: Theme and insert songs from anime about yokai and ghosts
- [If You Can Sing These, You're Amazing!] Cool Karaoke Songs for Women
- A collection of cool songs that sound great when sung by women, originally male songs
- [Played in the Parks] A Special Feature on Iconic and Popular Songs from Disney Halloween
- [Fun] A Collection of Children’s Songs Featuring “Ghosts”
- Hits you hard! A collection of dark and cool Vocaloid songs
- Vocaloid Halloween Song Special [Trick or Treat]
- Yami songs recommended for women
- [Yandere] A Special Feature on Chilling Vocaloid Love Songs
Recommendation of Terrifying Music: Actually Scary Songs (31–40)
Dead and BuriedJoe Renzetti
The main theme from the 1980 zombie horror film “Dead & Buried.” It’s a cult favorite directed by Gary A.
Sherman, with a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon of Alien and The Return of the Living Dead fame.
The zombies in this film aren’t the typical attacking kind.
The music, too, is less outright scary and more a melancholic piece reminiscent of classic suspense films—but after seeing the movie, it still sends a chill down your spine.
Requiem K.626 – 7.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This is the Requiem (a mass for the dead) composed by Mozart, the genius Austrian musician of the 18th century.
It was his final work, left unfinished at his death, and in the film Amadeus—based on Peter Shaffer’s play—it is used alongside the episode in which his confidant Salieri has him write it as a requiem for Mozart’s own death.
Brimming with brilliance, it is a masterpiece that evokes both the terror of approaching death and the serene beauty of the world beyond.
ThrillerMichael Jackson
An American superstar celebrated around the world, Michael Jackson’s iconic 1982 track.
The 14-minute short film is famous, and the footage of Michael dressed as a zombie dancing with ghosts and monsters earned high acclaim.
The effect-laden bassline just makes your body start moving.
GhostbustersRay Parker Jr.
The theme song from the American film Ghostbusters, released in 1984.
Sung by Ray Parker Jr.
, it became a huge hit when the movie came out.
Rather than being scary, it’s a comedic and catchy ’80s rock number, and it can be called a fine song that captures the playful, bright image of Hollywood-style ghosts.
DarknessClock Tower Official Soundtrack
The theme song from the 1995 horror game Clock Tower, released by Human.
The game follows a protagonist invited to a mansion who must flee from the Scissorman, a killer wielding giant shears, and it is inspired by the Italian film Phenomena directed by Dario Argento.
Don’t dismiss it as mere game music—the intro evokes The Exorcist, layered with eerie synthesizer tones, and the techno-flavored development toward the end makes it an addictive masterpiece.
In conclusion
Even if you don’t have a particularly scary impression of it, once you listen to a song while paying attention to its background, a track you never thought twice about might suddenly seem frightening… That kind of side effect may have occurred with this article, too.
It could be that the music you usually enjoy actually has a scary backstory.
The more you learn, the more fascinating it becomes—that’s one of the wonderful charms of music, isn’t it?