- 11 months ago
These tunes will haunt your nightmares! Join us as we count down our picks for the songs that gained fame or notoriety after being featured in horror films. Our list includes tracks from "American Psycho," "The Shining," "Beetlejuice" and more! Which song still gives you chills when you hear it? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00In 87, Huey released this for their most accomplished album.
00:04I think their undisputed masterpiece is hip to be square.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the tunes that either got famous
00:12or gained further prominence after being featured in scary movies.
00:16We'll be excluding instrumental tracks and original scores for this list,
00:19so our deepest apologies to The Exorcist and Jaws fans out there.
00:24Number 10. Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.
00:28Scream.
00:30An macroscopic cog in his catastrophic plan
00:33Designed and directed by his Red Right Hand.
00:39Wes Craven's ingenious dissection of the horror genre can be felt in every frame of screen,
00:44with even the most innocuous moments serving his meta intentions.
00:48Case in point, the continued use of Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.
00:52On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man in a dusty black coat
00:59It's not only a clever nod to the actions of the Ghostface Killer,
01:05but also an anthem of sorts to the town of Woodsboro.
01:08With the community gripped by a mysterious and elusive presence,
01:11Red Right Hand is perhaps the only song that could reflect the paranoia of being a cog in someone's vicious plan.
01:17That it would appear in almost every subsequent Scream sequel,
01:20not to mention the in-universe stab features,
01:23only underscores the masterful use of such a cleverly written song.
01:26There are whispering his name through this disappearing ring,
01:30but he didn't need his code.
01:33Number 9.
01:34I Got Five On It by Lunes.
01:36Us.
01:37I got five on it.
01:40Messing with that, no way.
01:43What does I got five on it mean?
01:45It's about drugs.
01:46It's not about drugs, it's a dope song.
01:48Don't do drugs.
01:49You wouldn't expect an easygoing rap song to pack such a sinister punch,
01:53but director Jordan Peele found a way in his sophomore feature.
01:56The signature Lunitz track may be about lighting up some sticky icky,
02:00but it takes on a number of connotations through its appearances in Us.
02:04Unless you pull out the fat crispy,
02:06five dollar bill on the reel before it's history.
02:09The tools be having them vacuum lungs,
02:11and if you let them in ever free you well are dumb.
02:14I Got Five On It is simultaneously an ode to communal experiences
02:18and a lament for not having enough to be fully satisfied.
02:21This makes the film's string arrangement of the song
02:23a chilling leitmotif for doppelganger Red,
02:26while also adding weight to the movie's exploration of marginalization
02:29and haves and have-nots.
02:31If you listen closely enough,
02:33many of the movie's mysteries become even easier to unpack
02:36through the song's witty lyrics.
02:38Number 8.
02:39The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash,
02:41Dawn of the Dead.
02:42Will you partake of that last offered cup?
02:47Or disappear?
02:48And to the father's death.
02:53When the man comes around.
02:55Kicking off Johnny Cash's final studio album,
02:58The Man Comes Around is a song that fittingly reflects on times approaching an end.
03:02Between its references to the Book of Revelation
03:04and Cash's high-spirited vocals,
03:06the tune seems to greet the apocalypse as a source of humor and entertainment.
03:10The wise men will bow down before the throne.
03:15And at his feet, they'll cast their golden crowns.
03:21When the man comes around.
03:23Which is precisely why it's a fantastic respite after Dawn of the Dead's grisly first movement.
03:28Played over the movie's chaotic opening credits,
03:30The Man Comes Around is both a change of pace,
03:33and a distress signal alerting the viewer of worse things ahead.
03:36The song has since become a reliable choice for other action media with dark themes,
03:54which is a testament to how well it's able to convey the notion of an unstoppable threat.
03:59While steeped in suspenseful imagery and tragic themes,
04:25the music of choice in this horror comedy
04:27is an upbeat collection of songs that contribute to its on-the-nose sense of humor.
04:31The use of Bad Moon Rising has irony written all over it.
04:42But it's the film's iconic transformation scene
04:45where the genre clash takes its true form.
04:48David Kessler's metamorphosis is painful,
04:50yet strangely palatable thanks to Sam Cooke's soulful rendition of Blue Moon.
04:54Although the doo-wop rendition by the Marcelles made it a worldwide hit.
05:08Cooke's swoon-worthy vocals gives the sequence an odd sense of romanticism without diluting its impact.
05:13It's shock comedy in its most subtle form,
05:16providing American Werewolf with a key ingredient
05:18and carving out its unique place in horror history.
05:20Number 6. Tiptoe Through the Tulips by Tiny Tim
05:38Insidious
05:39Just as a young boy's innocence is exploited by supernatural forces in this 2010 horror film,
05:44so too is the exuberance of a song like Tiptoe Through the Tulips.
05:48Indeed, its insidious use is a far cry from the love song it was originally conceived as.
06:06And yet, the movie convinces us of just how creepy it truly is,
06:10as Tiny Tim's jaunty vocals suggest a certain level of malevolence hiding below.
06:14The same can be said of the lipstick-faced demon,
06:29who becomes one with the song when it's played in his lair.
06:32Biding his time to corrupt a good family,
06:34its accompaniment like Tiptoe Through the Tulips
06:36that unveils not only how evil the spirit is,
06:39but how much pleasure he takes in possession.
06:55Number 5.
06:56Dayo the Banana Boat Song by Harry Belafonte
06:59Beetlejuice
07:00Tim Burton's approach to horror finds the fun in even the darkest of scenarios,
07:14and that includes ghostly possession.
07:16In a movie chock-full of wacky sequences,
07:19Beetlejuice saves the biggest surprise for an upscale dinner party.
07:22Come Mr. Tallyman, tally me banana
07:25Daylight come and me one go home
07:29Come Mr. Tallyman, tally me banana
07:33Daylight come and me one go home
07:37Unable to scare them traditionally,
07:39the recently deceased Maitlands compel the residents of their house to dance,
07:43and the result is a hilarious sequence that has us more amused than frightened.
07:47Harry Belafonte's Dayo remained popular in the 30 years before Beetlejuice,
07:50but it's such an undeniable earworm
07:52that it's hard not to dance around your dinner table whenever you hear it.
07:55Daylight come and me one go home
07:59The movie's creative minds clearly feel the same,
08:08as the song would eventually be incorporated into both the 2019 musical adaptation
08:11and the 2024 sequel.
08:13Come Mr. Tallyman, tally me banana
08:17Daylight come and me one go home
08:22Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot, punch
08:26Number 4. Goodbye Horses by Q. Lazarus
08:30The Silence of the Lambs
08:31Director Jonathan Demme tested out a few different songs to characterize serial killer Buffalo Bill,
08:43but he actually found the right choice years prior.
08:46Having met musician Q Lazarus during a taxi ride,
08:48Demme was so enamored by her demo of Goodbye Horses
08:51that he incorporated it into The Silence of the Lambs.
08:54All things pass into the night
08:59And I said,
09:01Oh no sir,
09:03I must stay wrong
09:05Played as Buffalo Bill dons makeup for a dance routine,
09:09the carefree vibe and soft vocals
09:10are an unsettling contrast from the pleas of his latest victim.
09:14Through Goodbye Horses,
09:15the movie tells us everything we need to know about the antagonist,
09:18shedding light on someone completely unconcerned
09:21with the depravity of their actions.
09:35It's all but to find the song's legacy,
09:37and it sends shivers down our spines whenever we hear it.
09:40Number 3. Mad World by Michael Andrews
09:43featuring Gary Jules
09:44Donnie Darko
09:46Almost 20 years after its initial release,
09:48Tears for Fears' hit single Mad World
09:50gain an extra life after being featured
09:52in the emotional climax of Donnie Darko.
09:55All around me are familiar faces
09:59Worn out places
10:01Worn out faces
10:04The stripped-down cover by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews
10:08uses a piano and melotron
10:10to marry the movie's 1980s setting
10:12with its title character's troubled state of mind.
10:15What follows is a haunting piece of music
10:17that eloquently reflects the movie's themes of disillusionment
10:20and the struggle to find meaning
10:21when nothing seems to make sense.
10:23And I find it kinda funny
10:26I find it kinda sad
10:29The dreams in which I'm dying
10:31are the best I've ever had
10:34Topping multiple charts in the UK and US,
10:37Andrews and Jules' rendition of Mad World
10:39has arguably surpassed the original and cultural ubiquity
10:42and it's all thanks to the cult following of Donnie Darko.
10:44When people run in circles
10:47It's a very, very
10:49Mad world
10:52Mad world
10:57Number 2
10:59Midnight, The Stars and You
11:01by Al Bully
11:02The Shining
11:03With numerous theories surrounding it
11:17The Shining isn't meant to be clearly understood
11:19so much as simply embraced
11:21At least that's what Jack Torrance would have us believe
11:23when he opens up to the ghostly resonance of the Overlook Hotel
11:26The traditional pop standard
11:28Midnight, The Stars and You
11:29amplifies the haunting sense of comfort
11:31he begins to feel in such a terrifying place
11:34Hi, Lloyd
11:40Been away, but now I'm back
11:43Good evening, Mr. Torrance
11:44It's good to see you
11:46It's good to be back, Lloyd
11:48In a movie that thrives on its ambiguity
11:50the song's romantic lyrics and tone
11:53are off-putting, yet seductive
11:55leaving us questioning Jack's true connection to the hotel
11:58and whether or not any of his visions are real
12:00its mystifying implications speak for themselves
12:03as most parodies of The Shining
12:04from The Simpsons to SNL
12:06are bound to incorporate this song
12:08Good evening, Ms. Rudolph
12:10The usual?
12:12The usual's perfect
12:13One beer-garita
12:16Before we unveil our top pick
12:18here are a few honorable mentions
12:20People Are Strange by Echo and the Bunnymen
12:22The Lost Boys
12:23This Doors cover clues us into the campy vibes
12:26of the classic vampire thriller
12:28Herdy-Gurdy Man by Donovan
12:42Zodiac
12:43A period-accurate psychedelic track
12:45kicks things off with a bang
12:46Here comes a roly-poly man
12:49And he's singing songs of love
12:52Roly-poly, roly-poly, roly-poly
12:55Roly-poly, roly-poly
12:57Open up your heart and let the sun shine in
13:00by The Hamblins
13:01The Autopsy of Jane Doe
13:03An innocent-sounding song
13:04makes this movie's undead threat inescapable
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13:35In this satire of greed and capitalism
13:48Patrick Bateman's narcissism and desire for perfection
13:52fuels a violent series of murders
13:54One of his most notable acts
13:56provides extra dimensions to his detached world views
13:58with help from Huey Lewis and the News
14:00Donning a raincoat
14:02and blaring Huey's hit to be square over a stereo
14:04Patrick waxes poetic about the band
14:06before offing his co-worker Paul Allen
14:09Those people probably don't listen to the lyrics
14:11but they should
14:12because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity
14:14and the importance of trends
14:16it's also a personal statement about the band itself
14:19The grisliness of the moment speaks for itself
14:21but the movie's pointed commentary is made complete
14:24by Patrick's superficial misreading of the song's equally satirical content
14:28the scene brilliantly toes a line between horror and ironic comedy
14:31and became so synonymous with Huey Lewis
14:33that it would eventually inspire an internet parody
14:36starring Weird Al Yankovic and Huey himself
14:38I think it's an undisputed masterpiece
14:41a movie so entertaining
14:42most people probably don't listen to the message
14:44most people probably don't listen to the lyrics
14:46but they should
14:47because it's not just a great character study
14:49but a sardonic metaphor
14:50for 1980s greed and materialism
14:52Hey Al!
14:53Is there a song that instantly makes you think of your favorite horror movie?
14:58Be sure to let us know down in the comments