The soundtracks to horror films are crucial to their effectiveness. A well-composed score not only sets the tone but grips audiences by the ears, pulling them deeper into fear. Some are eerie, some thunderous, others quietly creeping into the psyche—but all of them are unforgettable. Let’s journey from spine-tingling to truly terrifying, counting down the top 10 horror film scores, with one truly iconic theme reigning supreme.

10. 28 Days Later (2002) – John Murphy

Starting off our list is John Murphy’s bleak and atmospheric score for 28 Days Later. His composition, “In the House – In a Heartbeat,” builds a haunting, simmering tension that mirrors the film’s apocalyptic dread. The minimalistic piano and guitar slowly crescendo into a cataclysm of sound, much like the movie’s narrative arc. Murphy’s score perfectly complements the film’s sense of dread, isolation, and violent urgency.

9. The Witch (2015) – Mark Korven

Mark Korven’s score for The Witch captures the chilling bleakness of 17th-century puritanism gone wrong. Using dissonant strings, ghostly choir arrangements, and obscure instrumentation like the hurdy-gurdy, Korven creates a sense of primal fear. The music is unsettling and sparse, conjuring a world where nature itself seems malevolent. This score proves that horror can be all about what’s left unspoken—and unheard.

8. Jaws (1975) – John Williams

Though Jaws is as much a thriller as a horror film, John Williams’ infamous two-note motif deserves its place on this list. Those iconic, slow-building notes embody impending doom, transforming an unseen shark into a nearly supernatural force. Williams created a masterpiece of simplicity, with the tension rising as the music speeds up, much like a heartbeat in fear. It’s an auditory embodiment of terror, and we’ve all heard it when swimming just a little too far out in the ocean.

7. Suspiria (1977) – Goblin

Dario Argento’s Suspiria was visually groundbreaking, but Goblin’s rock-influenced score gave it an equally bold sonic identity. The Italian progressive rock band crafted a hallucinatory soundscape using pounding drums, echoing vocals, and sinister melodies played on Moog synthesizers. It’s unnerving, psychedelic, and hypnotically immersive. The score turns the whole film into an auditory nightmare—just as surreal and terrifying as the film’s kaleidoscopic visuals.

6. Get Out (2017) – Michael Abels

Michael Abels’ score for Jordan Peele’s Get Out masterfully combines horror with elements of African American spirituals, creating a sound that is as culturally resonant as it is unsettling. The Swahili chants heard in “Sikiliza Kwa Wahenga” (translated to “Listen to your ancestors”) evoke ancestral cries of warning. The blending of classical strings with spiritual chants elevates the horror of racial tension in the film, amplifying its deeper social commentary.

5. Halloween (1978) – John Carpenter

John Carpenter’s synthesizer-driven score for Halloween is one of the most recognizable horror themes in film history. Composed in 5/4 time, the eerie, looping piano melody is deceptively simple but devastatingly effective. The pulsating rhythm creates an unrelenting feeling of pursuit, mirroring Michael Myers’ slow, methodical approach to his victims. Carpenter’s music became the template for slasher film scores and has influenced generations of horror composers.

4. The Shining (1980) – Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is an atmospheric masterpiece, and much of that unsettling atmosphere is due to the electronic manipulation of classical music by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind. From the dissonant wails of Ligeti to the piercing shrieks of the opening theme, the music in The Shining sounds like a distorted mirror of reality. It enhances the film’s eerie portrayal of psychological unraveling, turning the Overlook Hotel into a living, breathing entity.

3. Psycho (1960) – Bernard Herrmann

Perhaps no other score has been as influential in the horror genre as Bernard Herrmann’s work for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The shrieking strings of the infamous shower scene have become synonymous with terror itself. The screeching violins are primal and visceral, slicing through the silence just as Norman Bates slices through his victim. Herrmann’s use of an all-string orchestra was unusual at the time, but it added a cold, sharp quality to the film that became its auditory signature.

2. Hereditary (2018) – Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson’s experimental score for Hereditary creeps under your skin, subtly driving the slow-burn horror of the film. Stetson uses his saxophone in unconventional ways, creating alien-like sounds, unsettling drones, and distorted tones that feel almost supernatural. The dissonance and underlying growls in the music perfectly align with the film’s themes of family trauma and occult menace. Stetson crafts an oppressive atmosphere where silence feels just as threatening as sound.

1. The Exorcist (1973) – Mike Oldfield

Finally, at number one is the most iconic horror score of all time: Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, which became synonymous with The Exorcist. The gentle, repetitive melody of the opening contrasts with the chaotic horror to come, creating an eerie calm before the storm. Though not originally composed for the film, Oldfield’s progressive rock piece was perfectly matched to the story of possession and evil. Its cyclical structure mirrors the film’s theme of an inescapable battle between good and evil, while the chilling innocence of the melody evokes a sense of the supernatural lurking just beneath the surface. The music has become the embodiment of the film’s terror, and decades later, it remains a haunting and unforgettable theme.