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By Wil Forbis
email: forbis the mighty at hot mail dot com (remove spaces etc.)
www.wilforbis.com
Recently I decided to stretch my creative muscles and write a musical
composition in the style of the great horror themes of cinema such as
John Carpenter's "Halloween" or Charles Bernstein's "Nightmare on
Elm Street." This turned out to be a very enjoyable exercise from which
I learned quite a lot. Thus educated, I decided to collect my
observations on the process into this article.
First, because I will refer to it throughout the article, let me present my
horror theme: "Chamber of Severed Heads."
Horror music is an interesting genre. Though it's quite prominently
used in film, television and video games, you don't see a lot of
discussion or analysis of its composition. In many quarters, horror
music is even maligned, lambasted as a genre of unsubtle dynamics,
dissonant melodies and tired clichs. And --- when one is talking about
the mediocrities of the genre --- these charges are doubtless true. But
during horror music's best moments (say, the work of Bernard
Herrmann or Goblin), it can reach the heights of any other style of
music.
From a composer's viewpoint, there's an undeniable challenge to
writing horror music. Since so many of the instruments, harmonies,
melodies and structures used in horror stand apart from those used in
"conventional" music, writing in the style gives one a chance to try new
things and break out of the box. Horror music, almost by definition,
should not sound normal; it should defy many of the rules followed in
standard musicmaking.
I considered a number of ideas and concepts while writing my horror
theme. I've grouped these into two sections: 1) Instrumental Ideas and
2) Musical Ideas.
1) Instrumental Ideas in Horror Music
instruments such as the pipe organ* or cello --- are often used by
horror composers. (Indeed, one could argue they've become
predictable.) Symphonic and classical instruments and choral voices
are hallmarks of horror soundtracks; perhaps they ascribe a timeless
nature to the monstrous evil which is causing zombies to rise from the
earth or vampires to hunger for virgin blood.
* One book in the fictional teen detective series "The Three Investigators" described a feeling of
slowly building dread that could be instilled in humans by playing extremely low notes on a pipe
organ. The notes were too low to hear, but could play havoc with the human nervous system.
(I'm dubious about the concept, but it's fun to think about.)
ESOTERIC INSTRUMENTS
Classical and symphonic sounds notwithstanding, exotic or fringe
instruments also have their place in horror. The wavering theremin,
almost upon its invention, became synonymous with either eerie
science-fiction monsters or ectoplasmic ghosts shimmering in the
darkness. Less used instrument like the musical saw or wood blocks
can find a home in a horror score. If you're composing your music on a
keyboard synthesizer, now is a good time to explore the less utilized
tones and patches in your collection.
One interesting idea is to contrast an esoteric instrument (such as the
theremin) against a more traditional collection of instruments such as
a symphony or chamber group. The foreign, oddball nature of the this
arrangement helps instill a sense of "something's not right here" that's
idiomatic of horror.
INNOCENT INSTRUMENTS
Interestingly, seemingly "innocent" instruments, such as a piano
played in the high register, or a music box, are horror staples. Often a
childlike melody is played on these instruments and is then contrasted
against a symphonic pad or drone which might be in a different key,
causing dissonance.
HEAVY METAL
In the realm of modern music, heavy metal is the genre with the
strongest connection to horror themes such as demons, serial killers
and unfathomable evil. Therefore heavy metal instrumentation can be
borrowed for ominous effect. Heavily distorted guitars --- either
knocking out low-end power chords or blistering guitar solos --- are
often featured on horror soundtracks. The pounding, relentless beats of
heavy metal drums also can symbolize a kind of unapologetic onslaught
of evil. Sounds borrowed from heavy metal's distant cousin, Industrial
music, are also appropriate. Industrial music, with its precise,
mechanistic beats and anti-organic synthesizer tones, strives to
minimize, if not remove, the human element from music*, and thus is a
found in the western major and minor scales that are considered
dissonant* --- the tritone (flat 5) (say, C and F# played together) and
the flat 9 (C and C#) are good examples --- and utilizing them in
melodies or harmonies is sure to garner a creepy effect. But one can
also employ a more subtle form of dissonance by tweaking the pitch of
notes in tiny (microtonal) amounts. For example, slightly de-tuning
some but not all of the strings on a guitar or piano will generate a
certain spookiness. Or, try recording a normal melody and harmony
and then slightly de-tune the melody (this can be easily accomplished
in most music production computer programs) so that it subtly clashes
with the harmony.
* Why certain intervals are considered dissonant and others not is beyond the scope of this
article. An excellent investigation into this topic can be found in the book "This Is Your Brain on
Music." (Daniel J. Levitin 2006.)
DISSONANT CHORDS
There are certain chords that contain dissonance and have become
"classics" of the horror genre. Of course, any chord containing
dissonant intervals is a good candidate for exploration; I list some good
starting points here.
The min/maj 7 chord (e.g. a chord containing a minor third and a
major seventh)
Lydian style chords (e.g. major or minor chords which contain a
perfect fifth and a #4 (or 11) interval)
Flat 9 chords. A major chord with a flat nine interval (e.g. a G
chord with the notes G, B, D and G#) has a kind of exotic, middle
eastern sound. A minor chord with a flat nine interval (e.g. a G
minor chord with the notes G, Bflat, D and G#) is little more in
the horror vein.
Chord clusters. These are heard a lot in the work of 20th century
classical --- particularly atonal --- composers and have that "cat
walking on a piano" sound. These are basically chords containing
a lot of close intervals. For example, a chord containing the notes
D, E, F#, A and Bflat. Chord clusters are jarring and dissonant,
and thus, perfect for horror.
Diminished chords. Diminished chords --- often heard in
classical and jazz music --- have a very recognizable, edgy,
unresolved sound. They are --- having been overused in
numerous Looney Tunes cartoons -- also somewhat hokey. There
is a technique, more comical than horrifying, that I would like to
Dead Silence
A great modern horror score that is just a pleasure to listen to. Note the
use of interesting sound design and the creepy music box melody.
Obsession
Anything done by composer Bernard Herrmann in any genre is great
music and worth studying. He is most famous for his numerous
Hitchcock scores, especially "Psycho." I thought I'd throw in a lesser
known work of his, the main title for Brian de Palma's Hitchcock
homage about a man seeking what is ultimately a doomed second
chance at love. (The film is admittedly more suspense than horror, but
still worth perusing.)
Suspira
All of the music progressive rock band Goblin composed for Italian
horror director Dario Argento is unique and easily identifiable (albeit
somewhat dated sounding.) I picked the mandolin rich theme to
Argento's occult classic "Suspira" as an example.
Halloween
As mentioned above, this theme is set to an odd meter of 5/4. It's also
relatively simple and devoid of complex orchestrations. But that
simplicity mimics the tone of the film. Michael Myers is not a complex
villain driven by nuanced, subconscious desires. He is simply pure evil.
Vertigo
Another great Herrmann theme, this time from the classic Hitchcock
film.