10 Awesome Original Songs Written for Horror Movies
One of Stephen King’s favorite bands, the Ramones were featured twice in the 1989 adaptation of Pet Sematary, first with the song “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker,” which played during the film, followed by the song “Pet Sematary,” which played along with the end credits. While the former had been released by the Ramones over a decade prior, the latter was written specifically for the film and ended up becoming one of the band’s biggest radio hits. Interesting to note, Plain White T’s covered the song for the Frankenweenie soundtrack.
What better way to end a horror movie set on Valentine’s Day than with a loving ballad? No better way, thought the composer of 1981’s My Bloody Valentine, and the movie is all the better because of that decision. The studio originally planned on ending the film with a hit rock song, but when they realized they couldn’t afford it, they gave the ball to composer Paul Zaza, who came up with this catchy little ditty. Performed by well-known Canadian tenor John McDermott, “The Ballad of Harry Warden” basically recaps the entire plot of the film, only in the form of a song.
We end this nostalgic little list with my personal favorite original horror movie song of all time, which I’m almost as in love with as the movie itself. Killer Klowns from Outer Space simply wouldn’t be Killer Klowns from Outer Space without this awesome song from California-based punk band The Dickies, which played over both the opening and ending credits of the film. No song on this list is more perfectly suited to the movie it was made for than this one, and the music video for the film also evokes that fun vibe of the film, featuring clips and original footage of the Klowns in action. The Dickies released an EP called Killer Klowns from Outer Space in 1988, the same year of the movie’s release, though only the title track was featured in the film.
Can you think of any other original horror movie songs? Comment below and let us know!
