Top 20 Film & TV Soundtracks (1970-1980) – Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy Picks
On rare occasions, when I am not making music, I have time to listen. When I listen, it is generally to radio plays. I also enjoy listening to soundtracks. There were a lot of great films made in the 70s and 80s and, as you would expect, some great music was created to go along with them. Of course, there is no guarantee that a great film will have a great score. Sometimes you can find great music in a bad film. Whatever the case, there are many excellent films out there to enjoy and just as many fascinating soundtracks and scores to listen to.
I have enjoyed horror films and the music contained therein since I was a kid. Speaking of my childhood, the first film I remember seeing (not at home) was “Escape To Witch Mountain” at a drive-in theater in 1975. They also played Pink Panther cartoons that night. While none of the music from “Escape To Witch Mountain” stuck with me, the theme from the Pink Panther cartoons certainly did. It wasn’t the beginning of my life-long love affair with film and television music though. That happened when I heard the theme from “The Twilight Zone.” There was a lot of great music in “The Twilight Zone” created by incredibly talented artists like Nathan Van Cleave, Jerry Goldsmith, Fred Steiner, and Bernard Herrmann, just to name a few.
In my youth, I also enjoyed watching classic Universal and Hammer horror films, Godzilla movies, Three Stooges shorts, Marx Brothers films, and plenty of cartoons. Speaking of cartoons, Carl Stalling, anyone? Since I’m digressing a bit, I should mention that there are some great pieces of music hidden away in thousands of radio plays. Not just CBS EZ Cue drops, either. Once the 70s came around, synthesizers became more commonly used in film music. This is where my interest comes in.
The first time I heard synthesizers, I knew it was the future pouring into my ears. Hearing them used in film music was inspiring to me. No matter how cheesy or how low the film budget may have been, I couldn’t get enough of those futuristic sounds. Quite a few of my favorite tracks from film and TV have synths in them and most are from horror, science fiction, or fantasy with a few exceptions. I will also confess I may have some sort of Mellotron fetish, but that can be addressed in another post.
On to the list!
20. Monty Python’s Life Of Brian — “Brian Song” by Michael Palin, André Jacquemin, David Howman, John Du Prez, and Sonia Jones (1979)
Lyrics by Michael Palin… and fine lyrics they are!
19. Exorcist II — “Magic and Ecstasy” by Ennio Morricone (1977)
Sure, the movie is… uh… not the best, but this track is rockin’. Snakefinger even did a great cover on “Chewing Hides The Sound.”
18. The Andromeda Strain — “Wildfire” by Gil Mellé (1971)
Found sounds and atonal noise to put you on edge. The soundtrack’s hexagonal LP can set you back $30-400.
17. Eraserhead — “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” by David Lynch and Peter Ivers (1977)
A haunting little earworm. The rest of the soundtrack is worth hearing in the dark.
16. Maniac — “Maniac’s Theme (Main Titles)” by Jay Chattaway (1980)
Beautiful and fiendish, with tasty fretless bass.
14. Zombi 2 — “Sequence 8” by Fabio Frizzi (1979)
Creepy Fulci goodness with glorious old synths.
13. Kolchak: The Night Stalker — Theme by Gil Mellé (1974)
I watched this with my dad. The theme still rules.
12. Fantastic Planet — “Deshominisation (I)” by Alain Goraguer (1973)
A groovy animated gem with a soundtrack to match.
11. Phantasm — “Intro and Main Title” by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave (1979)
Silver spheres and a very 70s vibe. Perfect late-night listening.
10. The Fog — “Matthew Ghost Story” by John Carpenter (1980)
Carpenter the filmmaker and Carpenter the musician both deliver.
09. A Clockwork Orange — Title Music by Wendy Carlos (1971)
Purcell reimagined for a new era. Proof electronic music has soul.
08. Profondo Rosso — “Profondo Rosso” by Goblin (1975)
Claudio Simonetti blends classical touches, prog, and pure vibe.
07. Nosferatu the Vampyre — “On the Way” by Popol Vuh (1979)
Minimal, moving, and perfectly matched to Herzog’s mood.
06. Star Wars — Main Title by John Williams (1977)
The opening blast still gives me chills.
05. Halloween — “Halloween Theme” by John Carpenter (1978)
Born from a 5/4 exercise, now lodged in history.
04. Aguirre, the Wrath of God — “Lacrime Di Re” by Popol Vuh (1972)
One of the most beautiful cues I know. Stands on its own.
03. Doctor Who — Main Theme updated by Peter Howell (1980)
Tom Baker, that scarf, and a theme that rewired my brain. The original Derbyshire version is still my favorite, but this one fits our 70-80 window.
02. Dawn Of The Dead — “L’alba Dei Morti Viventi” by Goblin (1978)
Great movie, great soundtrack, great library cues. I never tire of this one.
01. The Shining — Main Title by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind (1980)
The mountain drive, the Dies Irae nod, those wild tubas. Unforgettable.
This concludes my list of twenty soundtracks that defined an unforgettable decade. Whether revisiting them or hearing them for the first time, I hope they bring the same sense of wonder they gave me.
Quick FAQ
Why no table of contents?
Numbers alone felt like spoilers. The list reads better straight through.
Where are the 80s classics after 1980?
This list stops at 1980 on purpose. I may tackle 1981-1989 in a future post.
