I recently enjoyed exploring an important facet of horror through the book Music in the Horror Film, edited by Neil Lerner (Routledge, 2009). I was then able to interview Lerner who discussed the significance of the aural in horror cinema for Cinefantastique Online. Below is the introduction:

I come from a generation of fantastic film fans who wanted a greater depth of knowledge about the films we loved. This moved beyond knowing who the actors and even the directors were. We knew about the special effects technicians, the make up artists, the matte painters, the model makers, stop-motion animators, and even who composed the scores. Some of my favorites included Bernard Herrmann, James Bernard, Jerry Goldsmith, and of course John Williams. Here you can find anything related to history of music.

A few moments reflection on the movie going experience, especially in regards to the horror genre, reveals how important music is. Some of the more noteworthy examples are the shower scene in PSYCHO, the main theme for JAWS, and the memorable music for John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN. Unfortunately, while the images of horror have been the focus of much critical and academic discussion, little attention has been paid to the music. Addressing this deficit, Neil Lerner has edited the book Music in the Horror Film: Listening to Fear (Routledge, 2010). Lerner is Professor of Music at Davidson College, where he teaches courses in music as well as film and media studies. His work on film music has been published in numerous journals, essay collections, and encyclopedias. Lerner discusses horror film music in this special interview for Cinefantastique Online.

The interview can be read here. It includes video clips courtesy of YouTube with the music discussed in the piece.  Music can be enjoyable but emotional too, Music can switch our mood.

Readers with an interest in music in horror, as well as science fiction and fantasy, might also take a look at The TheoFantastique Store music and soundtracks section, and the widget in the right hand column of this blog featuring Amazon MP3 clip previews of some of this music.