Day 1 – As Above, So Below (2014, John Erick Dowdle)

Claustrophobic found-footage descent beneath Paris. After seeing the trailer for this film, it immediately shot to the top of my viewing list. It was worth every minute, despite the tight spaces.

5 Fascinating Facts About As Above, So Below

• Catacombs First – The first film granted permission to shoot extensively in the real Paris Catacombs.

• Headlamps for Lights – Many scenes were lit only by the actors’ flashlights and headlamps.

• Cramped and Wet – Cast and crew crawled through tight tunnels, waded through waist-deep water, and filmed in cold, damp conditions.

• Reality Blurred – The movie mixes actual Catacombs features with built sets, making it difficult to tell real from staged.

• Cult Following – Despite mixed reviews, it built a strong audience among found-footage and urban exploration fans.

Composer: Keefus Ciancia

Day 6 – Halloween (1978, John Carpenter)

Seasonal cornerstone, legendary theme.

5 Interesting Facts About the Halloween Score

• John Carpenter had only three days to record the score.

• The main theme is built on a 5/4 rhythm, adapted from a bongo exercise his father taught him when he was a teenager.

• The soundtrack was first commercially released in Japan in 1979 by Columbia Records, with the U.S. release following in 1983 on Varèse Sarabande.

• It was recorded in Los Angeles at Sound Arts Studio, performed by Carpenter with synthesizer programming by Dan Wyman.

• Early screenings without the music were judged “not scary,” but the score transformed the film’s reception.

Composer: John Carpenter

Day 7 – The Babadook (2014, Jennifer Kent)

Grief, motherhood, and a storybook monster. Psychological nightmare is an understatement for this film. It’s a shame I can’t get my hands on a copy of the pop-up book. There were only around 6k made. When they pop up for sale online, they are not cheap.

5 Interesting Facts About The Babadook

• The Babadook marked Jennifer Kent’s transition from short films to full feature, using her earlier short Monster as inspiration.

• Made with a budget of about $2 million, it pulled off worldwide box office of about $10 million.

• Kent wrote a story about motherhood that isn’t perfect, but real – grappling with grief, mental health, and the fear of emotional breakdown.

• The film’s pop-up book (Mister Babadook) became real merchandise; fans got replicas, tied into deluxe soundtrack releases.

• Jed Kurzel composed the haunting score. A deluxe vinyl edition with special coloring and the pop-up book visuals dropped in 2017.

Composer: Jed Kurzel

Day 8 – Prince of Darkness (1987, John Carpenter)

Cosmic unease meets scientific inquiry. Expands Carpenter’s palette beyond slashers. Some films have a hermetic or constricted diegesis that makes the world of the film feel isolated and/or small, and this film gives me that feeling. While not a pure chamber piece, it does give you that feeling, which I absolutely adore in stories.

5 Facts About Prince of Darkness

• Budget was approximately $3 million, modest for Carpenter’s scale.

• Score composed by John Carpenter & Alan Howarth, released October 1987 via Varèse Sarabande.

• In 2008, a complete edition of the score was issued restoring tracks omitted from the original album.

• Main instrumentation included Emulator and Kurzweil keyboards to achieve dense, electronic, ambient effects.

• The film is credited under the pseudonym “Martin Quatermass” for the writer, which links to British writer Nigel Kneale’s Quatermass mythos.

Composers: John Carpenter & Alan Howarth

Day 9 – Dead and Buried (1981, Gary Sherman)

Coastal dread and small-town secrets. A sleeper gem with a chilling atmosphere, some interesting twists, and a dream/nightmare like vibe. You may recognize Melody Anderson from the film Flash Gordon and Lisa Blount from Prince of Darkness.

5 Fascinating Facts About Dead & Buried

• Gary Sherman directed a script officially credited to Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, though O’Bannon later revealed he minimally contributed.

• Joe Renzetti composed the haunting original score.

• Stan Winston was the key special effects artist, early in his career.

• Producers added gore via reshoots after principal photography initially had minimal violence.

• The UK banned it as a “video nasty,” later overturning that designation.

5 Interesting Facts About the Dead & Buried Score

• Joe Renzetti’s score emphasizes atmosphere over shocks.

• It received a commercial release only decades later, on translucent blue vinyl in 2021.

• The soundtrack evokes dread and sadness, not just horror.

• The main theme “Welcome to Potter’s Bluff” sets up the film’s deceptive calm before terror.

• The album enjoys cult status among horror soundtrack collectors today.

Composer: Joe Renzetti

Day 10 – Midsommar (2019, Ari Aster)

Folk horror in daylight: a bright, unsettling counterpoint to seaside shadows. The first twelve minutes of Midsommar confront us with traumatic realism, anchored by Florence Pugh’s astonishing performance. Her grief feels immediate, collapsing any distance and stirring a visceral, almost physical sorrow.

Ari Aster’s framing traps us in intimate spaces, and a sudden diegetic rupture in the garage turns psychological dread into brutal fact. The sequence is not exposition; it is a wound the film makes us carry into everything that follows. If you can make it through those twelve minutes, you can handle the rest.

Yes, I did purchase the Midsommar patch, and so can you. Here: Midsommar Hälsingland patch (A24)

5 Fascinating Facts About Midsommar

• Budget was around $9 million, and it earned roughly $48.5 million worldwide.

• Filmed mostly in Budapest, Hungary, even though the story is set in Sweden.

• Ari Aster described it as a breakup movie in folk horror clothing, born from a personal breakup.

• The screenplay was backed by a 100-page “world-building bible” describing the rituals, costumes, and symbols of the Hårga commune.

• On-set conditions were harsh – summer heat and swarms of wasps made filming extremely demanding.

5 Interesting Facts About the Midsommar Score

• The composer is Bobby Krlic, aka The Haxan Cloak, credited under his real name.

• Ari Aster wrote the script while listening to Krlic’s album Excavation and brought him on early due to the tonal match.

• The score blends electronic soundscapes with a 16-piece orchestra recorded at Air Studios, London.

• It includes folk-inspired, wordless vocal chants created from ancient language materials and performed by members of the fictional Hårga and Jessika Kenney.

• The soundtrack was released by Milan Records on July 5, 2019, with a vinyl edition following in September.

Composer: Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak)

Day 11 – Friday the 13th (1980, Sean S. Cunningham)

Camp-set slasher that codified a formula and gave birth to one of the most legendary icons in horror films.

Who is Jason Voorhees?

• Slasher villain / stalker-killer

• Silent antagonist

• Iconic monster figure (hockey mask, machete)

• Undead revenant (from Part VI onward)

• Immortal, indestructible killer

• Folk monster / boogeyman

• Personification of repressed trauma

• Punitive figure targeting irresponsible teens

• American mythological horror icon

Franchise

• Friday the 13th (1980)

• Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

• Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

• Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

• Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

• Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

• Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

• Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

• Jason X (2001)

• Freddy vs. Jason (2003) – crossover with A Nightmare on Elm Street

• Friday the 13th (2009) – reboot

Composer: Harry Manfredini

Day 12 – Under the Skin (2013, Jonathan Glazer)

Alien perspective and urban unease. Abstract, haunting, and hypnotic. Out of the thousands of videotapes I used to have, quite a few of them were filled with movie trailers. Now I avoid spoilers at all costs. In the case of Under the Skin, this was no exception, so I had no idea what to expect. It gave me a similar feeling to watching Liquid Sky decades ago.

Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin (2013) and Slava Tsukerman’s Liquid Sky (1982) feel unexpectedly linked. Both films use surreal imagery and alienating sound design to create an atmosphere that is less about narrative and more about sensation.

Under the Skin draws its power from Mica Levi’s score, full of sliding microtones and pulsing textures that make the ordinary feel alien. Stark Scottish landscapes, strange encounters with non-actors, and an unnerving point of view immerse the viewer in estrangement.

Liquid Sky uses the synthetic sharpness of the Fairlight CMI to generate jagged, metallic sounds. Paired with its vision of New York’s underground art scene, the film becomes a portrait of urban isolation that feels otherworldly.

One thing that unites the two works is the way they use music and surreal visual framing to trap the viewer in an alien register. Rather than delivering conventional scares, both films create a heady and disorienting atmosphere, making us feel as unmoored as the beings at their center.

Composer: Mica Levi

Day 13 – Return of the Living Dead (1985, Dan O’Bannon)

Punk energy and gallows humor. Dan O’Bannon is the man behind quite a few films I enjoy. Most notably, Dark Star, Alien, Dead & Buried, Heavy Metal, Lifeforce and the aforementioned Return of the Living Dead. Dark Star is a film I have watched to the point of having memorized quite a bit of the dialogue. Alien is legendary. When I first heard about Return of the Living Dead, I had incorrectly assumed it was part of the Romero zombie works. After seeing it in the theater all those years ago, I immediately went out and purchased the soundtrack.

• The Cramps – Surfin’ Dead

• 45 Grave – Partytime

• T.S.O.L. – Nothing for You

• The Flesh Eaters – Eyes Without a Face

• Roky Erickson – Burn the Flames

• The Damned – Dead Beat Dance

• Tall Boys – Take a Walk

• The Jet Black Berries – Love Under Will

• SSQ – Tonight (We’ll Make Love Until We Die)

• SSQ – Trash’s Theme

Not long after this was released, I purchased the “Revenge” album by T.S.O.L. The Cramps, 45 Grave, and The Damned resonated with me, but an unexpected high point was “Burn the Flames” by the late psychedelic/garage/acid rock artist Roky Erickson. Conversely, the SSQ tracks couldn’t be turned off quick enough.

Composers: Matt Clifford & Francis Haines

Day 14 – Ghost Story (1981, John Irvin)

Old-world chills and campfire confessions. Slows the pace for creeping dread. What can you say about Alice Krige? Her voice alone is incredibly captivating. Seeing Fred Astaire on the bill gave me pause prior to purchasing a ticket to see this film. Not because he isn’t incredibly talented, I just didn’t see him as a good fit in a horror film. There were quite a few excellent jump scares that kept me on the edge of my seat.

5 Behind-the-Scenes Facts About Ghost Story (1981)

• Visual effects artist Peter Kuran enhanced Dick Smith’s makeup using techniques like three-dimensional rotoscoping and emulsion dissolves, though much of his work was later cut.

• The haunted house set was gradually aged to appear more decayed after the death sequences.

• Fred Astaire reportedly told director John Irvin he sometimes felt so uneasy on set that he believed he might die or be murdered.

• One abandoned house interior was rebuilt inside Albany’s Union Station for full control of weather and lighting effects.

• Dick Smith created multiple life-size puppets of Eva/Alma in different stages of decay, including a “faceless” dummy that went unused.

Composer: Philippe Sarde

Day 15 – Suspiria (1977, Dario Argento)

Color, sound, and witchcraft. Between Suspiria and Dawn of the Dead, I became a bit obsessed with Goblin. Every track on this score is worthy of turning up to 11 in the dark. Seeing Goblin perform live remains a highlight of my life as a musician and composer.

Details about Suspiria’s Visual Style

• Suspiria used the Technicolor dye-transfer (imbibition) printing method, one of the last major films to employ it, to achieve vivid, saturated colors.

• Argento and Luciano Tovoli removed some standard color diffusing in the printing process to increase contrast and produce “vibrating” colors that feel uncanny and dreamlike.

• The film emphasizes primary colors, especially red, through set design, costumes, and lighting to create a heightened, unreal atmosphere.

• Lighting frequently uses colored gels, fabrics, and practical lights very close to the actors, which enhances intensity and makes spaces feel unnatural or theatrical.

• The cinematography employs anamorphic lenses, unusual camera movements, and strongly stylized framing to make the ballet academy feel more like a living nightmare than a conventional physical space.

Composer: Goblin

Day 16 – The Girl with All the Gifts (2016, Colm McCarthy)

Fresh take on infection and innocence. A modern counterpoint to 70s stylization. Another score that is truly inspired and inspiring.

5 Facts About The Girl with All the Gifts

• The film centers on Melanie, a girl who is infected yet retains her intelligence, making her experience more than a simple “monster” narrative.

• The “hungries” are not just mindless hordes; second-generation infected children show complex behavior, survival instincts, and moral tension.

• The story asks hard questions about empathy, humanity, and what kind of future might emerge from catastrophe.

• Cristobal Tapia de Veer, known for experimental work, composed the score using treated human voices, unsettling ambient textures, and electronics.

• The soundscape underscores Melanie’s liminal state-neither fully human nor fully monster-and avoids bombastic triggers in favor of atmosphere and dread.

Composer: Cristobal Tapia de Veer

Day 17 – Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984, Charles E. Sellier Jr.)

Seasonal slasher mischief. Do you like Santa? Who doesn’t? How about a Santa willing to punish the naughty? How about a Santa willing to punish the naughty with an AXE? I thought that might get your attention! Silent Night, Deadly Night is the best killer Santa franchise out there! Perry Botkin cooked up some truly fiendish Christmas music for this hilarious slasher film. For fans looking for more killer Santa entertainment, check out “The Bones of Saint Nicholas” from the Campfire Radio Theater podcast.

8 Twisted & Strange Facts About Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

• The film was originally titled Slayride before Tri-Star changed it to Silent Night, Deadly Night shortly before release.

• Produced on a budget of about $750,000, it grossed roughly $2.5 million during its short theatrical run, even though it was pulled from many theaters.

• The killer Santa advertising campaign, with TV spots aired during family programming, triggered widespread protest from parents and community groups. 🖤

• Instead of traditional carols, the film features original Christmas-style songs such as “Santa’s Watching” and “The Warm Side of the Door,” written specifically to sound festive but twisted.

• Some of the most violent murder scenes were not directed by Charles E. Sellier Jr., who was uncomfortable with graphic violence. Editor Michael Spence stepped in uncredited to film them.

• The theatrical poster, showing Santa with an axe climbing into a chimney, and taglines like “You’ve made it through Halloween, now try to survive Christmas,” added to the controversy. 🖤

• The toy store “Ira’s Toys,” where Billy works, was filmed in a real vacant building in Heber City, Utah. The building still stands today, though it has been repurposed.

• Much of the cast came from local Utah talent. Robert Brian Wilson, who played Billy, was making his screen debut.

Composer: Perry Botkin

Day 18 – Inferno (1980, Dario Argento)

Darker sister to Suspiria. Baroque nightmares and alchemical mysteries, galore!

Insights on Inferno

• Inferno is the second installment in Dario Argento’s Three Mothers trilogy, following Suspiria and preceding The Mother of Tears.

• The underwater ballroom sequence is often regarded as its most unforgettable set piece-a surreal, baroque nightmare where Rose retrieves her keys from a flooded cellar and encounters a submerged corpse.

• Filmmakers and critics praise Inferno for emphasising mood, sensation, and visual terror over strict plot logic.

• The film uses colour, architecture, sound design, and lighting to disorient and unsettle, much as Suspiria does.

• Despite its lavish visuals and striking sequences, Argento himself has expressed mixed feelings about Inferno (due in part to his illness during production), but many fans consider that imperfection part of its haunted appeal.

Keith Emerson on Inferno

• Argento approached Emerson in Italy, and the score was composed while watching the film in rehearsals and studio, pulling cues live to action, with conductor Godfrey Salmon’s guidance.

• Abraham’s “Va, pensiero…” from Verdi’s Nabucco was incorporated into the soundtrack. Emerson re-orchestrated it in 5/4 time to mimic a rough taxi ride in Rome, and Argento initially did not recognise it as the original.

• Emerson remembers at the Rome premiere, viewers reacting strongly-some hid under seats, others ran out in terror-underlining how visceral the film was for its original audience.

Composer: Keith Emerson

Day 19 – Shock Waves (1977, Ken Wiederhorn)

Isolated island terror with sun-bleached dread. Quite possibly the greatest underwater Nazi zombie film ever made.

5 Fascinating Facts About Shock Waves

• Peter Cushing and John Carradine each worked five days on the film.

• The undead “Death Corps” zombies do not speak; they are more atmospheric than explicitly gory.

• The film was made on a modest budget (about $150,000-$200,000), part of its tension comes from minimalistic production.

• The house used was an abandoned Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida; at the time derelict and contributing to the eerie setting.

• Promotional poster art emphasized gore and horror more than the film delivers; its power comes more from mood, silence, underwater menace, and creeping dread.

Composer: Richard Einhorn

Day 20 – Jacob’s Ladder (1990, Adrian Lyne)

Trauma, memory, and reality’s seams. To this day, the subway scene in the trailer remains permanently etched in my mind. What a great time to be working in a movie theater. There were a lot of excellent horror films in the early 90s. Kudos to Maurice Jarre for a truly haunting score.

Interesting Facts About Jacob’s Ladder

• All special effects were done on-camera during production, with no digital post-effects.

• Much of the film’s disturbing visual style was inspired by Joel-Peter Witkin’s photography.

• Bruce Joel Rubin’s script was written in 1981 and was considered one of the top unproduced scripts before getting made in 1990.

• About 20 minutes of distressing scenes (especially from the final third) were cut following test screenings to tone down the film’s intensity.

Composer: Maurice Jarre

Day 21 – Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1972, Bob Clark)

Graveyard hijinks with a midnight-movie spirit. It was one of those nights where you get home really late, turn on the TV, and watch something to calm down before going to bed. On this particular night, “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things” came on KPLR-TV. This legendary station started back in 1959. As a kid, this station was a great resource for Godzilla movies, The Three Stooges, Roller Derby, Wrestling at the Chase, Bizarre, Benny Hill, Abbott & Costello, Francis the Talking Mule, Kung Fu Theatre, Bowery Boys, and so much more. Before this train goes completely off the rails, let’s circle back to Bob Clark (yes, the same director of Black Christmas, Porky’s and A Christmas Story) and his unexpected “masterpiece” of midnight movie madness. I’ll just go ahead and say it. Orville scared the hell out of me! Let’s take another detour.

Scoring Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things

• Composer Carl Zittrer created the eerie sound world of Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972) through unorthodox experimentation rather than traditional orchestration. Working closely with director Bob Clark, he drew on avant-garde influences such as John Cage and early electronic pioneers Milton Babbitt and Wendy Carlos.

• Prepared piano experiments: Zittrer modified an upright piano by hanging forks, knives, and spoons from the tuning pegs with rubber bands. As the strings vibrated, the cutlery rattled, creating unsettling metallic tones. He also recorded passages at double speed and played them back at half speed, producing monstrous, otherworldly sounds.

• ARP synthesizer: Around the time of production, an affordable ARP synthesizer became available for roughly $1,000. Zittrer taught himself to use it by reading the manual while patching cables. The instrument was temperamental, affected by Florida’s humidity and physical knocks, so Zittrer recorded constantly to capture its unpredictable noises.

• Accidental creativity: Clark once brushed against the synth, triggering bizarre sounds. Instead of discarding them, they recorded and used the material in the score, embracing the unpredictability as part of the film’s texture.

• Atmospheric design: The soundtrack blurred music and noise, combining prepared piano, slowed tape manipulations, and unstable synth textures. Zittrer described the synthesizer as behaving like “a difficult person” or “a band that drank too much,” capable of brilliance but impossible to control.

• Theatre influence: Zittrer credited his background in theatre, where he used live music to adjust pacing and tension, as preparation for shaping mood and performance in film. The result is a score that shifts from playful to macabre, perfectly mirroring the film’s mix of camp and horror.

Notable Facts About Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things

• Filmed in just fourteen days with a budget of about $50,000.

• Lead actor Alan Ormsby also co-wrote the script and did the special makeup effects.

• Most of the cast were non-professionals or local friends of Clark and Ormsby.

• The film became a cult favorite thanks to its creepy atmosphere and novel zombie story.

• It is known by several other names in different markets, such as Revenge of the Living Dead, Things From the Dead, and Zreaks.

Composer: Carl Zittrer

Day 22 – The Evil Dead (1981, Sam Raimi)

Frenetic camera work and cabin carnage.

Lesser-Known Facts About The Evil Dead

• Title change: Sam Raimi originally wanted to call the movie Book of the Dead, but producer Irvin Shapiro argued the title sounded dull and would turn away younger audiences. Raimi chose The Evil Dead, calling it “the least worst” option.

• A very young director: Raimi was only 19 when filming began and turned 20 during production. The shoot was grueling. The cast and crew worked long hours in freezing conditions inside a real, abandoned Tennessee cabin with no running water, heat, or toilets. At times, the artificial blood even froze on the actors.

• Blood donor promotion: At one premiere, the filmmakers set up blood-donor stations where people could give blood in exchange for tickets. Donors received pins that read “I bled for The Evil Dead.” Producer Robert Tapert joked this gave blood back to the community after using so much fake blood on screen.

• Innovative camerawork: The famous demon point-of-view shots were achieved by strapping the camera to a 2×4 board. Two crew members carried it while Bruce Campbell pushed them forward, creating the eerie gliding motion.

• Improvised gore: Special effects included using creamed corn dyed green to represent zombie guts. The sticky fake blood was made from Karo syrup, and actors often stayed covered in it for long stretches of time.

• Fake Shemps: When some actors left before filming was complete, Raimi and Campbell filled in gaps using stand-ins. They called these doubles “Fake Shemps,” a term borrowed from the Three Stooges after Shemp Howard’s death.

• Guarding the gear: Because the cabin was so isolated, Raimi sometimes stayed overnight to protect their equipment after some lights and tools were stolen.

• Campbell’s perspective: Bruce Campbell later described the production as “a mirthless exercise in agony,” reflecting the physical strain of the low-budget shoot.

The Score of The Evil Dead

• Composer debut: Joseph LoDuca was a college friend of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. He had no prior film credits when asked to compose the music for The Evil Dead in 1981.

• Budget limitations: With almost no budget for a traditional orchestra, LoDuca relied on a mix of small ensembles, percussion, and electronic effects to create atmosphere.

• Sound design approach: Much of the score blends traditional music with manipulated sounds. Strings, percussion, and experimental techniques were layered with distorted effects to heighten the film’s nightmarish tone.

• Musical influences: LoDuca drew on avant-garde classical music and horror scoring traditions, particularly Krzysztof Penderecki’s dissonant style, which Raimi admired.

• Enduring collaboration: The film marked the start of LoDuca’s long working relationship with Raimi. He went on to score Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, and other Raimi-related projects.

Composer: Joseph LoDuca

Day 23 – Exorcist III (1990, William Peter Blatty)

Elegant, unsettling, and home to a legendary corridor scare.

The Score of The Exorcist III

• Composer Barry De Vorzon: Known for The Warriors (1979) and The Running Man (1987), Barry De Vorzon was hired to score The Exorcist III. His work blended synthesizers with orchestral elements to create an unsettling, modern horror atmosphere.

• Director’s dissatisfaction: William Peter Blatty, who wrote and directed the film, reportedly disliked De Vorzon’s score and wanted something more traditional. As a result, much of his original material was replaced or heavily reduced in the final cut.

• Alternative music sources: The finished film relies extensively on pre-existing avant-garde and classical music, including pieces by Krzysztof Penderecki and others, to achieve its unnerving tone.

• Resurfaced materials: De Vorzon’s complete score has never had an official soundtrack release. However, bootlegs and isolated recordings circulate among fans and reveal a fuller picture of what he originally composed.

• Legacy of sound design: Despite the compromised use of De Vorzon’s music, the film’s audio landscape has been praised for its chilling effectiveness. The combination of sparse original scoring, unsettling silence, and borrowed avant-garde cues contributes to the film’s reputation as one of the scariest of its era.

You can’t talk about Exorcist III without mentioning the incredible “Hallway Scene.” Spoilers below!

The Hallway Scare in The Exorcist III

• Careful buildup: The scene takes place in a quiet hospital corridor. Blatty deliberately uses long, static takes with minimal movement to lull the audience into a false sense of security.

• Extended patience: The shot is drawn out far longer than most horror films would allow, heightening tension through silence and repetition as a nurse goes about routine tasks.

• Sudden eruption: Just when viewers have relaxed, a white-robed figure with massive shears rushes from a room behind the nurse. The timing is precise, shocking the audience with its abrupt violence.

• Camera technique: Blatty used a locked-off wide shot for the entire sequence, refusing to cut or zoom. The stillness makes the sudden movement at the end feel explosive and overwhelming.

• Enduring legacy: The scene is often cited as one of the greatest jump scares in film history, frequently topping lists of the most effective horror moments. It continues to be studied as a masterclass in timing, restraint, and payoff.

Composer: Barry De Vorzon (with additional cues)

Day 24 – Braindead / Dead Alive (1992, Peter Jackson)

Maximalist splatter comedy. No, I’m not talking about Meet the Feebles, although that was a strong candidate for this list – wrong kind of horror! In my former VHS collecting days, the bootlegs of both films were prized possessions. You love lawnmowers? You love zombies? You’re in for a treat!

Funny Anecdotes about Braindead (Dead Alive)

• Record-setting gore: The lawnmower finale used hundreds of liters of fake blood. Reports put the total at around 300 liters (about 80 gallons) pumped out during shooting, giving the film a reputation as one of the goriest ever made.

• Custard with pus: In the infamous dinner scene, the “pus” that squirts into dessert was actually made from custard and food coloring. Crew members joked that they never looked at pudding the same way again.

• Cheap but effective props: Many body parts were created from everyday materials like foam latex and rubber tubing. Some “guts” were made from sausages and tripe, leading to a very strong smell under hot lights.

• Budget stretching: The film had a modest budget of about $3 million New Zealand dollars, but Jackson and his team reused props and sets wherever possible, often painting or redressing them to look new.

• Crew camaraderie: The shoot was so messy that cast and crew often ended the day drenched in fake blood. Jackson recalled that everyone just accepted being sticky as part of the job, and extras laughed about ruining their clothes during splatter-heavy takes.

Composer: Peter Dasent

Day 25 – The Fog (1980, John Carpenter)

Seaside spectres and radio-lit atmosphere. The score to this film remains near the top of my list after decades of listening.

Fascinating Facts About The Fog

• The film was made on a modest budget of about $1.1 million, but its promotional campaign cost over three times that amount.

• John Carpenter co-wrote the script with Debra Hill. Adrienne Barbeau, Carpenter’s then-wife, made her feature film debut in the leading role.

• Carpenter was unhappy with his first cut and reshot nearly one-third of the film to add scares, suspense, and the ghost story prologue told by John Houseman’s character, Mr. Machen.

• The movie was filmed on location along the dramatic Northern California coast, including Point Reyes Station, Bodega Bay, and Inverness, as well as on soundstages in Los Angeles.

• Carpenter insisted on shooting in anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen, giving the low-budget horror film a grand, cinematic scope.

• The opening title card features Edgar Allan Poe’s line: “Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?”

• The film was a commercial success, earning about $21.3 million domestically against its small budget.

Composer: John Carpenter

Day 26 – Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero)

Consumerist satire and siege survival. You like dying malls? How about malls filled with the dying? How about machete-wielding bikers chopping up zombies in malls? What if you throw in some classic library film music and a legendary score by “The Goblins” (aka Goblin)? You’re damn right. You get a cinematic masterpiece that has inspired countless zombie films, podcasts, television shows, commercials, bands/musicians/songs, and much more.

Fascinating Facts About Dawn of the Dead (1978)

• Romero’s second zombie feature: George A. Romero wrote and directed Dawn of the Dead as a follow-up to Night of the Living Dead (1968), expanding the scale and satirical bite by setting much of the film inside a shopping mall.

• Filmed in a real mall: Shooting took place at the Monroeville Mall in Pennsylvania, mostly at night after stores had closed. The cast and crew had to stop shooting during the Christmas season because decorations were put up.

• Italian connection: Dario Argento was a major supporter of the film. He invited Romero to Rome to write the script, helped secure financing through Italian producers, and obtained European distribution rights. In exchange, Argento was allowed to re-edit the film for non-English markets.

• Goblin’s score: Argento brought in the Italian progressive rock band Goblin (with whom he had worked on Suspiria) to compose music for his European cut. Their driving, eerie score became a signature element. Romero’s US version used a mix of Goblin tracks and stock library music.

• Multiple cuts: The film exists in several versions: Romero’s original US theatrical cut, Argento’s European cut (faster-paced and heavier use of Goblin music), and Romero’s extended “Cannes” cut. Fans still debate which version is definitive.

• Satire of consumer culture: Romero has explained that setting the survivors inside a shopping mall was not just practical but also thematic, highlighting how consumerism was “the true opiate of the masses.”

• Make-up and effects: Special effects legend Tom Savini handled make-up and gore effects. His work, though sometimes stylized (the zombie skin tone is famously bluish-grey), set new standards for graphic violence in horror. It is worth looking up his background and how he arrived at this job. You can see him in the film as well.

• Box office success: Despite controversy and an X rating in the US (for violence, not sex), the film earned more than $55 million worldwide on a budget of about $640,000, making it Romero’s most successful movie.

Goblin and the Music of Dawn of the Dead

• Argento’s choice: Dario Argento personally brought in Goblin, the Italian progressive rock band he had worked with on Deep Red (1975) and Suspiria (1977), to score the European cut of Dawn of the Dead.

• Composition in Rome: George A. Romero traveled to Rome during the writing stage, and Goblin composed much of the score there while Argento oversaw the European production aspects.

• Distinct versions: In Romero’s US theatrical cut, the soundtrack is a hybrid of Goblin’s music and library cues from the De Wolfe Music catalog. Argento’s European cut, however, relied heavily on Goblin’s original score, giving it a faster, more intense feel.

• Signature sound: Goblin’s music combined rock instrumentation with eerie synthesizers and odd time signatures. This progressive rock approach gave the film an energetic yet unsettling atmosphere that distinguished it from traditional orchestral horror scores.

• Lasting impact: The Goblin score became a cult favorite, with various reissues on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. It is often cited as one of the band’s most iconic works, reinforcing the film’s reputation as both a horror milestone and a unique cinematic collaboration between Romero and Argento.

Music: Goblin + library stock cues

Day 27 – Hell House LLC (2015, Stephen Cognetti)

Found-footage haunt attraction gone wrong. Decades ago, I worked at a haunted house setting up sound systems and assembling music for scenes. At one point, I even found myself acting in a scene I had helped design. Those were fascinating times with some truly strange memories.

A friend who played Leatherface was once assaulted by a patron, which might not have been a one-off occurrence. The owners liked to parade two enormous snakes around on their shoulders outside the venue, which added to the spectacle. One scene featured a tunnel with a plexiglass floor where actors lay beneath, covered in fake snakes. It became infamous among the crew thanks to patrons who insisted on entering without underwear while wearing skirts or dresses.

Because the location was not permanent, everything had to be dismantled, packed, stored, and then rebuilt, often with changes to add or remove features. One of the most confusing attractions was called “8-Doors.” Visitors entered a roughly circular room lined with doors and had to guess their way out. Sometimes a killer clown was waiting inside. The idea proved so popular that it was later expanded into two connected “8-Doors” rooms, making escape even harder. Backstage, it could be just as confusing for the staff to navigate.

Those years gave me the chance to feature music I loved and even compose an original piece for a commercial promoting the attraction.

Intriguing Facts About Hell House LLC

• Inspired by Lake Mungo: The director, Stephen Cognetti, cited the 2008 Australian found footage film Lake Mungo as a key inspiration. He admired its documentary style and how it made scares feel real.

• Conceived as one story split across multiple films: Cognetti envisioned the Hell House trilogy (and later entries) as one large narrative, divided into acts. This allowed him to develop the mythology organically across installments.

• Real haunted house attraction as set: The film was shot at a now closed haunted house attraction called “The Haunting at the Waldorf Hotel” in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. This site stood in for both the famed Abaddon Hotel and its eerie basement spaces.

• Unscripted terror: One of the most intense scare scenes, where a character suddenly runs from a strobe lit room and vomits, was completely genuine. The actor was not prepared for the effect; his reaction was unplanned.

• Director in the frame: Stephen Cognetti, who wrote and directed the film, also played the role of the cameraman in the Hell House crew. This role was uncredited in the final cut.

• Tagline fit for fear: The movie’s marketing used the phrase “New York’s scariest haunted house tour,” even though the fictional Abaddon Hotel is located just outside New York City in a town named Abaddon.

• Documentary framing: The film’s narrative splits between a modern day documentary investigation and flashback footage of the original disaster at the haunted house, blending “real” and archival footage to heighten tension.

Score: none formally credited (atmospheric sound design)

Day 28 – Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman)

Paranoia and loss of self. I could be wrong, but I feel each one of us can identify with this feeling.

Interesting Facts

• Cameos from the original – Kevin McCarthy, who starred in the 1956 original as well as the incredible film UHF, appears as a man running through the streets shouting warnings. Don Siegel, director of the original, also has a cameo as a taxi driver.

• Distinct sound design – The eerie “pod people scream” was created by sound designer Ben Burtt (famous for his work on Star Wars). He mixed human screams with recordings of pigs to produce the unsettling effect.

• Donald Sutherland’s real fear – In the climactic final shot, Veronica Cartwright did not know exactly how Donald Sutherland would perform the famous “point-and-scream” moment. Her horrified reaction was genuine.

• Location choice – Director Philip Kaufman moved the story from a small California town (in the 1956 original) to San Francisco, using the city’s fog, hills, and architecture to heighten the atmosphere of paranoia.

• Critical and commercial success – Made on a budget of about $3.5 million, the film grossed over $24 million domestically and became one of the most respected remakes in horror history.

The Score of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

• Unlikely composer – Director Philip Kaufman hired jazz pianist and psychiatrist Denny Zeitlin to compose the score, despite him having no previous film scoring experience.

• Experimental approach – Zeitlin built much of the music around electronic textures and avant-garde techniques, blending synthesizers with orchestra to create an alien, dissonant soundscape.

• No Hollywood polish – Zeitlin himself has said he treated the assignment like an experimental project, recording unconventional sounds and manipulating them electronically to blur the line between music and noise.

• Unique collaboration – Zeitlin worked under a very tight schedule and later said he nearly had a breakdown from the pressure of scoring a studio film while balancing his psychiatric practice.

• One-time only – The stress of the project led Zeitlin to step away from Hollywood. The Invasion score remains his only film soundtrack, making it a singular entry in both film and music history.

Composer: Denny Zeitlin

Day 29 – The Void (2016, Jeremy Gillespie & Steven Kostanski)

Modern cult-cosmic grotesque. A love letter to practical effects.

Fascinating Facts About The Void (2016)

• The Void is a Canadian horror film co-written and co-directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie, released in 2016. Its storyline traps a small group in a hospital besieged by hooded cultists and grotesque creatures.

• The creature effects were partly funded via crowdfunding, raising over $80,000 on Indiegogo. The rest of the production was financed traditionally.

• The practical effects received widespread praise. Critics highlighted the visceral weight of creature designs, which were given time and space on screen rather than hidden by flashing lights or shaky camera work.

• Cinematography and lighting strategies earned acclaim. The film’s low-light environments and creative framing made the budget feel much larger while preserving an unsettling mood.

• Costume design contributed to the film’s aesthetic. The cultists wear simple yet effective hooded robes that are visually striking, and the monsters’ transformations are as memorable for texture as they are for design.

• The soundtrack was released by Death Waltz Recordings in 2017, drawing interest in its evocative, ominous musical atmospheres.

• The film premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2016 and later screened at Toronto After Dark Festival. It received a limited theatrical release in the U.S., U.K., and Canada in 2017, first opening in 31 theaters.

• Critics often describe The Void as an ’80s-style Lovecraftian throwback, with comparisons to Carpenter, Barker, and classic cosmic horror. Its design and horror tropes echoed past genre favorites while offering a fresh, analog-feeling take.

• The film’s setting in an isolated hospital in late-night hours-often with empty or decaying corridors-enhanced the sense of claustrophobic dread and isolation.

Composer: Blitz//Berlin

Day 30 – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, Wes Craven)

Dream logic weaponized.

The Evolution of Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger

• The Original Freddy (1984)
  In Wes Craven’s first A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy was conceived as a silent, shadowy stalker. Robert Englund emphasized physical presence, menace, and unsettling gestures. He spoke less than in later films, and his humor was minimal.

• Emerging Personality (1985-1987)
  In Freddy’s Revenge (1985), Freddy was darker and more sadistic, with increased screen time. By Dream Warriors (1987), Englund began adding sardonic wit, testing one-liners that contrasted with the brutality of the kills. This blend helped catapult Freddy into pop culture.

• The Quip-Heavy Era (1988-1991)
  The Dream Master (1988) and The Dream Child (1989) pushed Freddy toward dark comedy, with elaborate kill set pieces and increasingly playful dialogue. By Freddy’s Dead (1991), the humor often overshadowed the menace, a shift Englund himself has acknowledged made the character verge on parody.

• Reinvention in New Nightmare (1994)
  Wes Craven returned to strip away the camp. Englund portrayed a reimagined Freddy as a demonic, ancient force of evil, more monstrous and mythic than before. The gloves, makeup, and performance all reflected this darker tone.

• Crossover Finale in Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
  Englund’s last appearance as Freddy blended menace with some of his trademark wit. While less terrifying than Craven’s versions, it highlighted Englund’s mastery of Freddy’s dual identity: the jokester and the nightmare figure.

• Englund’s Own Reflection
  Englund has often said the audience’s positive reaction to Freddy’s wit encouraged the filmmakers to lean into humor. While he enjoyed performing the one-liners, he has consistently argued that Freddy is most effective when the humor is balanced by genuine menace.

The Score of A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

• Minimal Budget, Maximum Impact
  Charles Bernstein composed the score on a very small budget. Without resources for a traditional orchestra, he relied on synthesizers, creating an eerie, stripped-down electronic palette that became one of horror’s most recognizable sounds.

• The Freddy Theme
  The famous “1, 2, Freddy’s coming for you” children’s rhyme, adapted from a traditional jump-rope chant, was combined with Bernstein’s electronic motifs. This pairing tied Freddy’s supernatural menace to childhood innocence in a chilling way.

• Synth-Driven Sound
  Bernstein used simple repeating motifs, oscillating patterns, and dissonant textures to mirror Freddy’s relentless pursuit. The repetition created a dreamlike, inescapable quality that fit the film’s theme of nightmares intruding on reality.

• Influence and Legacy
  Though minimal compared to later franchise entries, Bernstein’s score helped establish the 1980s horror synth aesthetic alongside John Carpenter’s work. Many modern horror films and retro-inspired scores cite Elm Street as an influence.

• Release History
  The score was originally released in 1984 on vinyl by Varèse Sarabande. It has since been reissued multiple times on CD, digital, and expanded editions, reflecting its enduring popularity among horror soundtrack collectors.

Composer: Charles Bernstein

Day 31 – The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick)

All-time favorite. A towering study in isolation, architecture, and dread. Perfect for Halloween night.

The Sound of The Shining (1980)

• A Personal Impact
  For many viewers, the score of The Shining is as frightening as its imagery. Seeing the film in a theater for the first time left a lasting impression. The bathroom scene delivered immediate terror, but the deepest impact came from the music itself. The soundscape felt like a character in its own right.

• A Patchwork of Sources
  Stanley Kubrick avoided commissioning a full original score, instead curating a collage of existing modernist works by composers such as György Ligeti, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Béla Bartók. These selections added dissonance, dread, and an almost supernatural weight to the Overlook Hotel.

• Carlos and Elkind’s Contribution
  Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind, already known for their work on A Clockwork Orange, composed electronic cues for the film. Not all were used, but their “Dies Irae”-inspired opening sequence set the tone, creating one of the most chilling introductions in cinema. If you listen to the hundreds of pieces of music I have composed, you will find that very motif incorporated into a handful of tracks. Some overt, while others are more obscured.

• Music as Architecture
  The orchestral and choral pieces interact with the Overlook’s cavernous spaces, making the building feel alive. The low drones, echoes, and unnerving voices seem to watch the Torrance family as much as the camera does.

• Kubrick’s Precision
  Kubrick placed music with meticulous intent, editing scenes around rhythms and tonal shifts rather than relying on conventional scoring. This approach gave the impression that the music originated from the hotel itself, not from outside it. He approached everything within the frame with the same level of detail (or obsession possibly). This had an impact on my own love of photography and how I approach what is in the frame, and why.

• Enduring Legacy
  The combination of orchestral and choral masterpieces with the contributions from Carlos and Elkind created a sound world that remains unmatched. The score is widely regarded as one of the most terrifying in cinema history, shaping how later filmmakers approached music in horror.

Music: Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind (original cues); plus Penderecki, Ligeti, Bartók

Bonus – Horror on Television

Having grown up in what feels like the stone age, I watched plenty of “vintage” television. Now and then, something worthwhile would flicker across one of the few channels we managed to catch on a battered black-and-white set. Since then, the genre has flourished, and there are far more quality horror offerings to choose from. Here are five short recommendations to complement the film list, plus one longer modern series.

Black Summer (2019)

Stripped-down zombie terror with relentless pacing. This series truly impressed me in various ways, but the non-stop action truly made this a relentless and entertaining show.

Composer: Alec Puro

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)

Monster-of-the-week journalism that shaped later genre TV. Sure, there is an overwhelming amount of cheese, but when the scares hit, they are worth it! My father and I would watch this show. Favorite episodes are Horror in the Heights and The Zombie.

Fascinating Facts About Kolchak: The Night Stalker

• Kolchak: The Night Stalker grew out of two TV movies, The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973), before becoming a weekly series in 1974.

• The character comes from an unpublished novel by Jeff Rice called The Kolchak Papers. When ABC made The Night Stalker movie, the novel had not yet been published.

• The original TV movie The Night Stalker broke records at the time for television viewership. It was the highest-rated made-for-TV film in U.S. history up to that date.

• Gil Mellé composed the theme used for the series. He was reportedly asked to generate the theme with only about 20 minutes to spare before the opening credits were to be shot.

• Mellé left the series after four episodes because he felt the show was becoming too lighthearted; later episodes were scored by others including Jerry Fielding.

• The series has been cited by the creator of The X-Files, Chris Carter, as a strong influence, especially for its blending of investigative journalism with supernatural horror.

• The “monster of the week” format is central: each episode is mostly a standalone story about a supernatural or science fiction threat rather than an ongoing conspiracy. This structure made it easy for new viewers to jump in at almost any episode.

Theme: Gil Mellé

Salem’s Lot (1979)

A chilling Stephen King adaptation for television. Many older viewers will remember this two-night mini-series, which first aired on November 17 and 24, 1979. It was worth watching for the unforgettable image of Danny floating outside the window. Composer Harry Sukman also delivered an evocative score that heightened the horror.

Chilling Details from Salem’s Lot (1979)

• The teen actor who played Ralphie Glick wore pale contact lenses that hurt. One lens shifted behind his eye during filming and needed repositioning.

• He also used fake teeth for the appearance of the undead boy. Neither blood nor dialogue are used in the window-scene, yet it remains among the most memorable.

• The levitation effect was achieved by mounting the actor in a body suit attached to a crane. In other sequences they shot actions backward in time (reverse motion) to make movements seem eerie.

• The famous window sequence has no visible wires. The boom crane and camera angles are arranged to suggest floating, which adds to the horror because you see something unnatural happening.

• Composer Harry Sukman’s score for Salem’s Lot leans heavily into atmosphere. His approach gives the window scene room to breathe; the music adds texture rather than flashy instrumentation, letting silence, shadows, and ambient sound take the lead.

Composer: Harry Sukman

Gargoyles (1972)

Cult made-for-TV creature feature with memorable design. This classic is far better than the cheesy art/promotion would have you believe.

Fascinating Facts About Gargoyles (1972)

• Gargoyles was directed by Bill L. Norton, written by Stephen and Elinor Karpf, and aired on CBS as part of its Tuesday Night Movies lineup. It premiered in November 1972.

• The film marked the first TV movie work by make-up artist Stan Winston, who shared the 1973 Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for his work on this film.

• It was filmed on location in New Mexico, including Carlsbad Caverns, and in Texas.

• The motel in the movie was an old, out-of-business hotel near Carlsbad, New Mexico. That building was burned down for scenes in the film.

• The makeup and creature effects were designed by Del Armstrong, Ellis “Sonny” Burman Jr., and Stan Winston. Their work included designing masks, prosthetics, and costumes under tight timelines.

• Bernie Casey plays the lead gargoyle. The voice of the gargoyle leader was dubbed by another actor, who went uncredited.

Stan Winston & Gargoyles (1972)

• Gargoyles was the first TV or film makeup credit for Stan Winston.

• He collaborated with Del Armstrong and Ellis “Sonny” Burman Jr. to design and apply gargoyle creature makeup under tight budget and schedule conditions.

• Winston insisted that he, Armstrong, and Burman receive proper on-screen credit. That was unusual for the time, as makeup artists were often uncredited.

• Thanks to their screen credit, all three were eligible and went on to win the 1973 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for this work.

• This project launched Winston’s career and helped establish him as one of cinema’s most revered creature effects artists.

Robert Prince’s Score for Gargoyles (1972)

• The music for Gargoyles was composed by Robert Prince, an established composer for TV and film.

• Prince blended gothic, atmospheric tones with the more fantastical creature-movie style typical of the early 1970s.

• His work for the score is remembered among fans for its memorable main theme and moody accompaniment that heightened the film’s mythic horror elements.

• Prince was a Juilliard-trained composer active in both television and film, also known for his work on shows like Mission: Impossible and Columbo, and for TV movies such as Snowbeast and The Dead Don’t Die.

• The score has grown in cult status over time, praised for establishing a chilling and adventurous musical identity for the film.

Composer: Robert Prince

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Prestige ghost story executed with emotional precision. Rarely do I get scared out of my chair, but this series is actually that good. Fortunately, I wasn’t holding any popcorn at the time or the dog would have had a feast all over the floor!

Fascinating Facts About The Haunting of Hill House

• The series is created and directed by Mike Flanagan. It adapts Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel loosely, expanding on family trauma and psychological horror through nonlinear storytelling.

• Filming took place in and around Atlanta, Georgia. Bisham Manor served as the exterior of Hill House. Interior sets were built at studios in Atlanta.

• The Newton Brothers composed the score. A double LP vinyl edition was later released by Waxwork with haunted green and blue swirls.

• The show has a large ensemble cast. The Crain family includes five children: Steven, Shirley, Theo, Luke, and Nell. Adult and child versions of many characters are portrayed by different actors, with special attention to their psychological scars.

• One episode (“Two Storms”) is famous for using long takes and locking off the camera over extended periods, layering visual and emotional tension rather than relying on jump scares.

• The Red Room plays a metaphorical and literal role throughout. It appears in different guises to each character (toy room, treehouse, dance studio, etc.), and is revealed in the finale to be the same underlying space.

• The series ends on a bittersweet note. Mike Flanagan considered a darker alternative ending involving the Red Room window, but ultimately chose to lean toward renewed hope for the Crains.

Composers: The Newton Brothers

If you enjoyed this 31 Days of Horror guide, share your favorites on social media and follow for next year’s picks. I wish you a very Happy Halloween! I’ll just smile and wave goodbye. 🖤