There are a lot of good suggestions here, and I found a surprisingly high number of the non-US ones on Amazon.
I have to tread carefully, though. I love synths and especially experimental/unusual approaches, but find some of the Italian scores with their pop drumming annoying. I'm much more about mood, and a pop/rock beat usually shatters it for me. I'm most curious about the scores for Fulci movies and will have to put a few on this week to listen for possible purchases.
Post 1950s: Herrmann's "Psycho", Searle's "The Haunting", Auric's "The Innocents", Goldsmith's "Omen III-The Final Conflict" (not the first Omen!) and certainly Benjamin Frankel's "The Curse of the Werewolf".
Pre-1950s: Steiner's "King Kong", Salter's & Skinner's "The Wolf Man", Waxman's "The Bride of Frankenstein", Webb's "The Spiral Staircase".
I don't think it's been mentioned, 'The Changeling' by Rick Wilkins. Excellent horror score and a good horror movie as well without ridiculous gore. Anything with George C. Scott has to be good.
If you check on the engine of past threads you will find a giant thread dealing with Horror scores that went on for weeks i was keeping alive, last fall, i now can understand the sentiment of THOR, one lives and learns.
For at least the 8 billionth time, Salter only wrote SOME of the music for CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. More of the score came from Mancini and Herman Stein together. The release of Salter's music was only his cues from the picture. All the other cues as well as some of Salter's are on our MMM disc.
Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield) – The Excorcist (1974) Profondo Rosso (Goblin) – Profondo Rosso (1975) The Shock (Libra) – Shock (1976) Magic And Ecstasy (Ennio Morricone) – Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) 7 Note In Nero (Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera) – Sette Note In Nero (The Psychic) (1977) Suspiria (Goblin) – Suspiria (1977) Il Gatto Dagli Occhi Di Giada (Trans Europa Express) – Il Gatto Dagli Occhi Di Giada (1977) Incubi Ricorrenti (Stelvio Cipriani & Goblin) – Solamente Nero (The Bloodstained Shadow) (1978) L'alba Dei Morti Viventi (Goblin) – Zombi/Dawn Of The Dead (1978) Halloween Theme (John Carpenter) – Halloween (1978) Zombie (Fabio Frizzi) – Zombie (1979) Phantasm (Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave) – Phantasm (1979) Cannibal Holocaust (Riz Ortolani) – Cannibal Holocaust (1979) Apoteosi Del Mistero (Fabio Frizzi) – City Of The Living Dead (The Gates Of Hell) (1980) Theme From The Fog (John Carpenter) – The Fog (1980) Inferno (Keith Emerson) – Inferno (1980) Mater Tenebrarum (Keith Emerson) – Inferno (1980) L'Attessa/Metropolis (Stelvio Cipriani) – Nightmare City (1980) The Boogey Man (Version 2) (Synthe-Sound-Trax) – The Boogey Man (1980) Cannibal Ferox (Budy-Maglione) – Cannibal Ferox (1981) Voci Dal Nulla (Fabio Frizzi) – L'Aldilà (The Beyond) (1981) Halloween II Theme (John Carpenter) – Halloween II (1981) Theme From The Burning (Rick Wakeman) – The Burning (1981) Tema Bambino (Walter Rizzati) – House By The Cemetery (1981) Tenebrae (Goblin) – Tenebrae (1982) Flashing (Goblin) – Tenebrae (1982) Friday The 13th Part 3 Theme (Harry Manfredini) – Friday The 13th Part 3 (1982) Chariots Of Pumpkins (John Carpenter & Alan Howarth) – Halloween III (1982) Phenomena (Claudio Simonetti) – Phenomena (1984) Valley (Bill Wyman) – Phenomena (1984) Demon (12" Version) (Claudio Simonetti) – Demoni (1985) Return Of The Living Dead (The Trioxin Theme) (Francis Haines) – Return Of The Living Dead (1985) Opera Theme (Bill Wyman) – Opera (1987) Demoni 2 (Videomix) (Simon Boswell) – Demoni 2 (1987) Stage Fright (Simon Boswell) – Stage Fright (Deliria) (1987) Phantasm II (Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave) – Phantasm II (1988) Zombi 3 (Seq. 1) (Stefano Mainetti) – Zombi 3 (1988) La Chiesa (Goblin) – La Chiesa (1989) Helen's Theme/It Was Always You, Helen (Philip Glass) – Candyman (1992) Dellamorte Dellamore (Manuel De Sica) – Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man) (1994)
finally someone who mentioned all the classic italian stuff ! *thumbsup* There are some true pearls on.
Thought I would bump this thread for Halloween. For all the great horror scores Goldsmith provided us with I really can't go past Carpenters original Halloween. Its become an iconic piece of film music history. Goldsmith's The Omen and Poltergeist following closely behind.
Universal's Bride of Frankenstein and Hammer's Dracula. Done. Not a bum note between 'em, by which I mean they are great in the movies and just as good away from them.
The Thing - Morricone (Despair is probably my favourite and most played track ever) Dracula - John Williams (probably my most played Williams score) The Fury - John Williams Alien - Jerry Goldsmith Army of Darkness - Joe LoDuca (though it's more an adventure score) Poltergeist - Jerry Goldsmith Alien 3 - Elliot Goldenthal Interview With the Vampire - Elliot Goldenthal Halloween 3 - John Carpenter Drag Me To Hell - Christopher Young (really good score with a great theme) Hellraiser - Christopher Young Dawn of the Dead - Goblin (not very scary as music, but i've always loved the score, especially the theme and the Trucking sequence music, i also really enjoy the excellent library music choices) The Mephisto Waltz - Jerry Goldsmith (my favourite use of the Dies Irae, great theme) The Wolfman - Danny Elfman (Love the suite from this) Psycho - Bernard Herrmann
Most frightening score to me:
Images by John Williams (though i don't think it's a horror film)