Halloween: 17 songs inspired by horror films - Rolling Stone

The Ramones, the Talking Heads, Kate Bush and others know how to make scary music. Discover our special Halloween toplist

The cinematographic imagination and its scenarios have long inspired musicians, who have offered musical versions of films ranging from Citizen Kane to High Fidelity and Inspector Harry. But if songwriters can take inspiration from movies that make us cry, laugh, or twist Clint Eastwood's lines, why can't they also offer us songs about horror movies, monsters, and other oddities? To celebrate Halloween, here are our favorite songs inspired by disturbing, scary, even downright terrifying movies. Something to hum nervously when you're alone at home...

Michael Semblello, 'Maniac'

A New York Times reviewer did not like William Lustig's film Maniac, described as "a film that shows how an aging, paunchy maniac cuts up not very smart young women” with a narrative that “seems to have been borrowed from an old pornographic film“. Still, the film's scalper inspired Dennis Matkosky, who made it a number one hit. Co-written with Semblello, the song was originally about a cat-killing psychopath, but producer Phil Ramone convinced the writers to alter the lyrics to depict a crazed dancer with murderous moves. The song is also known for the Flashdance scene where the heroine dances, shakes her buttocks and sweats solo.

Ramones, 'Pinhead'

At the end of Ramones concerts, Joey Ramone would often hoist a homemade banner with the words “Gabba Gabba Hey“, which served as a rallying cry during the live version of “Pinhead“, while referencing an ominous scene from a 1932 film, The Monstrous Parade. The group had seen this film in an art house cinema in 1976. There is something in it to feed many nightmares: the work features fairground freaks (including the unfortunately deformed "pinheads") who chant at one point “Gooble-gobble, gooble-gobble, one of us, one of us!”, which suggests, uh….

You'll have to watch it. But don't complain afterwards.

Devo, 'Jocko Homo'

Like “Pinhead“, the B-side of Devo's first single refers to La Parade Monstreuse, but is mainly inspired by a 1932 film, the Island of Doctor Moreau, with his famous line “Are we not men? (Are we not men?). Devo, who trained at Kent State University after the infamous National Guard shootings on May 4, 1970, wanted to showcase his theory of de-evolution (hence the band's name) with this song. The Island of Doctor Moreau (the story of a twisted scientist whose bizarre experiments alter evolution in nefarious ways) seemed like the perfect inspiration for humanity's regressions.

Talking Heads, 'Psycho Killer'

When Talking Heads debuted, the thin, wiry David Byrne was often compared to Norman Bates, the killer in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. This description was made all the easier for critics when Byrne, appealing to his Alice Cooper side, penned this deranged funk ballad inspired by knife-wielding Norman.

Is it possible to sprain a muscle in the arch of your foot? I think i did it, and have no idea how to make it heal faster. :/

— Indoor Cat Thu Jul 06 12:49:06 +0000 2017

Vampire Weekend, ‘Walcott’

A fan of the vampire film Lost Generation, Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig decided to direct his own version of the film the summer after his freshman year of college. His film - Vampire Weekend - told the story of a certain Walcott whose father is killed by bloodsuckers, which leads him to go to Cape Cod to warn the mayor that vampires are coming, which does not is not good news. Koenig then forgot about the movie, before digging it up in his senior year, about a month before Vampire Weekend became a band.

Eminem, 'Buffalo Bill'

Without wishing to question Eminem's vision of life, it seems that he has a certain fascination with Buffalo Bill, the woman-flayer serial killer from the film The Silence of the Lambs. If in the lyrics of this song, the killer is in search of a flesh-colored outfit, “3 a.m.“, a song of the same year, quoted a line from Buffalo Bill (“lotion in the bucket“). Around this time, Eminem (who also starred in 50 Cent's "Norman Bates Motel") told the Guardian: "I found myself watching a lot of documentaries about serial killers. I've always had a soft spot for them. »

Good to know.

Deep Purple, 'Why Didn't Rosemary?'

After watching Roman Polanski's movie Rosemary's Baby, the members of Deep Purple wrote this song, along with the line: "Why Rosemary didn't didn't she take the pill?“. Not a bad question, considering that in the movie, Rosemary gives birth to a baby devil. But really…how could she have known?

Billy Idol, 'Eyes Without a Face'

Just before Billy Idol sings the "eyes without a face" verse, Perri Lister, his ex-girlfriend, sings "eyes without a face" , in French. It is also the name of a film by French director Georges Franju. In this 1960 film, a doctor is responsible for a car accident that horribly disfigures his daughter, who wears a mask to hide her facelessness. The doctor then begins to remove pretty young women in an attempt to give his daughter a new face.

The Clash, 'The City of the Dead'

Even though this Clash song isn't about witches or virgins, it borrows its title from a 1960 British horror film, The City of the dead. In this film, a college student travels to Massachusetts to research witchcraft, but she is chosen as a virgin to be sacrificed this year.

Kate Bush, 'Hounds of Love'

This 1980s track begins with a line from British actor Maurice Denham, who shouts, "He's in the trees...he's coming!" ". This phrase is taken from a 1957 British horror film, Rendezvous with Fear (one of Kate Bush's favorite films), in which a demon emerges from the woods, determined to spread evil.

Blue Oyster Cult, 'Nosferatu'

The Nosferatu from the 1922 German Expressionist horror film Nosferatu the Vampire is pale, with bat ears and in dire need of a pedicure. But you know, even an undead needs company. The song follows the romance between Count Orlock/Nosferatu and the woman of his dreams.

Meat Loaf, 'Bat Out of Hell'

Most people don't remember the opening sequence of Psycho, only the infamous shower scene. But Jim Steinman, who wrote “Bat Out of Hell,” tells Classic Rock magazine that this homage to 1950s teenage songs begins the same way: “Psychosis begins with a general shot of Phoenix, Arizona, then it cuts to a medium shot of the motel room from outside, then to a closer shot just outside the motel, and finally to a close up of the two lovers in bed in the room. The song 'Bat Out of Hell' actually starts with this general outline. then approaches the bedroom, where he and the girl are together. »

The Cramps, 'Human Fly'

Napa Hospital might seem like a strange place for a band like The Cramps to come and play a gig. Especially when you consider that a large percentage of Napa's patients are mentally ill criminals, and many of the Cramps' songs could generate potentially disturbing images for dangerous minds. But in 1978, the group performed well at the establishment, and their psychotropic setlist included this song, inspired by the horror film The Fly. "Someone told me you were crazy," singer Lux Interior told the crowd that day. But I'm not so sure. You seem fine to me. »

Van Halen, 'House of Pain'

The 'House of Pain' released on Van Halen's 1984 album was different from the original, inspired by the film The Island of Doctor Moreau (just like the titles "No Spill Blood" by Oingo Boingo and "Island of Lost Souls" by the Meteors). In the film, a mad scientist, seemingly unfamiliar with anesthesia, operates on animals in a room called the House of Pain, hoping to move them up the evolutionary ladder. In the 1970s, singer David Lee Roth reportedly provided a synopsis of the film before performing the song.

Kate Bush, 'Get Out of My House'

Here's a little goosebumps experiment: grab the official Shining trailer, turn down the volume, and use that song as a soundtrack- sound while you watch the highlights of this horror movie. Of course, with its ghost stories and guttural screams, this song could make a scene from Mary Poppins spooky. But Bush said "Get Out of My House" was his own Shining, minus the "redrums."

Alice Cooper, 'Ballad of Dwight Fry'

To help Alice Cooper fully embody horror movie actor Dwight Frye (who lost his 'e' in the song title ), producer Bob Ezrin made him wear a straitjacket during recording. Cooper describes it to the Boston Globe as "probably my most psychologically disturbed song". She talks about Frye's character, Renfield, in the 1931 film Dracula. "He was the guy no one ever recognized, but he was the scariest guy," Cooper explained. The song ends with a frantic cry: “I have to get out of here!”. After seven hours in a straitjacket, he had no trouble being convincing.

Ramones, 'Chainsaw'

When the Ramones were playing at CBGB in New York in 1974, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre played in theaters on 49th and Broadway. The punk pioneers weren't subtle in evoking their inspiration here: the song begins with the sound of a chainsaw, followed by the lyrics "She'll never get out of here/The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".

Pat Pemberton

Translated by the editorial staff