Cinema is something that has entertained billions of people since it's first invention over a hundred years ago. Along with my obsession with music I happen to be a complete movie nerd and took a whole course on The History of Cinema last year. One thing I brought up to the class during one of our discussions was how much films advanced once they stopped being silent and music was added. Of course, the invention of talking films was also a huge advancement but until that happened the only mood setter for film was the music set to the picture.
Now a days the film industry has become very sophisticated but one genre that still desperately needs music is the horror genre. I'm not the first person to say that the horror genre has gotten less scary over the years due to the lack of twists in story lines, and the fact that some casting directors think that you don't need quality actors in those films anymore. Anyone see Audrina Patridge from The Hills in the movie Sorority Row? Just don't.
For this post I wanted to use a movie that has made its mark on the horror genre, and also uses music as a key factor in scaring people. The 1980's film The Shining is an adaptation of a novel by Stephen King that redefines cabin fever as the patriarch of a family of three goes crazy while watching over a hotel for the winter. I learned this past week that King wasn't satisfied with the film but if there is any part that the writer should have liked it without a doubt should be the use of sound to send chills down viewers spines.
After searching through the always handy YouTube I have found three clips and trailers of the film, all which set a different mood and to someone who has never heard of The Shining, they might be confused as to which trailer is the real thing.
The first is a fan made trailer that uses the music from the also classic horror film Halloween. The video is more on the low quality side and watching the whole video isn't necessary.
The second is my personal favorite. It turns The Shining into a feel good family movie. I have probably watched the video 20 times and show it to anyone I know. The song used is Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel.
The third is what is said to be the original trailer and uses the most menacing music to go along with the image it shows in the minute and a half long trailer. With this trailer it would be best to watch it one time through, then mute and watch again to see if it's more menacing or if it was only the music that was scaring you.
With horror films it can sometimes depend on the viewer will be scared or not by what they see. This is why the music is added, to make the viewer feel as though they are right there. As the music gets faster they are anticipating the shock of the next murder or person popping up on screen. By provoking these nerves the viewer will always be more frightened than they would have been if the music used was something like Solsbury Hill.
This post is so right-on. Being a musical person, I always notice the ambient music in movies- and I’m always surprised at how little other people will bother to pay attention to it. Few horror movies can be scary without the added atmosphere (the few that can are really good- Blair Witch, Cloverfield etc.)
The background music can also evoke so much more feeling than the actors can. The movie Memoirs of a Geisha was not really that good… it was kind of catty and lacked direction. But the soundtrack- one of the best ever written for a movie- turned it into a work of art.