Today’s episode of Sounds of Cinema continued the month long Halloween theme with a look at songs inspired by horror films. Here is a recap of the songs featured on the show.
Universal Monsters
In the late 1950s and early 60s there was a resurgence of interest in the Universal monster films that had been popular decades earlier. This was partly due to the popularity of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and the television broadcast of classic movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man. To capitalize on that trend a lot of monster-themed novelty songs were produced such as “The Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley, “Jekyll and Hyde” by Jim Burgett, and “The Mummy’s Bracelet” by Lee Ross. The most famous of these was “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers. The song was actually banned by the BBC who thought it was too morbid for the airwaves. “Monster Mash” was the first track of a whole album of related songs featuring performers imitating the classic monsters. Pickett imitated the voice of Boris Karloff who was well known to audiences for his role in Frankenstein as well as The Black Cat, Black Sabbath, The Raven, Targets and the narration in 1966’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
The Universal Monsters and the actors who played them continue to be a source of inspiration. One of the most famous examples is Bauhaus’ song “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” which was subsequently featured in the 1983 vampire movie The Hunger. Boris Karloff was the subject of the titular song by The Barbarellatones. The song was originally featured on the 2006 album Interview with the Glampire and it was included on the soundtrack to the 2009 remake of Night of the Demons.
Blood Feast
Blood Feast was released in 1963 and it is now regarded as the first splatter film. The picture inspired several songs and a metal band took Blood Feast for its name. The Misfits often referenced horror films in their music and their second album included the track “Bloodfeast.”
Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho has inspired several songs including “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads, “Egg Man” by The Beastie Boys, and “Motorpsycho Nightmare” by Bob Dylan. The strings portion of The Beatles’ “Elenor Rigby” was partially inspired by Bernard Herrmann’s score. Psycho and its most famous scene continue to be referenced by filmmakers and songwriters such as “The Shower Scene” by Ice Nine Kills which reiterates the premise of the film from Norman Bates’ point of view.
Tie-in Albums
In conjunction with the release of Joker: Folie à Deux, Lady Gaga released the album Harlequin which is primarily a jazz album similar to her collaborations with Tony Bennett. The album was a musical companion piece to the movie and to her character and included covers and original songs.
Freddy Krueger of A Nightmare on Elm Street become one of the biggest media figures of the 1980s. The release of the third film in 1987 was accompanied by a media blitz and heavy merchandising. Freddy was everywhere, even hosting his own MTV specials. One of the odder Nightmare on Elm Street promotional items was a music album titled Freddy’s Greatest Hits. This was not music from the films. Instead, Freddy’s Greatest Hits was a mix of covers and original songs performed by The Elm Street Group featuring Robert Englund. The album was reissued on vinyl in 2017 by Strange Disc Records.
Dawn of the Dead
1978’s Dawn of the Dead is one of the most influential films ever made and it has been the inspiration for several songs. Gorillaz sampled the music and other audio elements for their album Demon Days. The Murderdolls album Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls includes several songs referencing horror films with one track titled “Dawn of the Dead.” My Chemical Romance’s debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love included the track “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville” which is inspired by the film’s images of zombies wandering the Monroeville shopping mall. Be Your Own Pet’s eponymous album included the track “Ouch” which described a zombie apocalypse and referenced dialogue from Dawn of the Dead.
Nosferatu
Films were major source of inspiration for the band Blue Öyster Cult with songs such as “Godzilla” and “Joan Crawford.” Their song “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” has been covered many times and versions of the song have appeared in films including the original Halloween, Scream, and The Frighteners. Blue Öyster Cult’s 1977 album Spectres included the track “Nosferatu.” The lyrics narrate the story of the 1922 silent horror classic which was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.
Other Songs
City of the Dead was a 1960 horror film that was retitled Horror Hotel for its US release. The song “City of the Dead” was released by The Clash as the B-side of the “Complete Control” single and it was later included on the album Super Black Market Clash.
Horror films were a source of inspiration for The Cramps who recorded songs such as “Human Fly” and “I Was a Teenage Werewolf.” The band’s music has also appeared in numerous films and television shows including Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Return of the Living Dead, and Wednesday.
The Ramones song “Chainsaw” is inspired by the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it recounts the events of that film from the point of view of Leatherface.
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