writing for horror

When I’m not hiding behind a sofa, or watching tons of cartoons to distratct myself my the horrors of horror films, I get completely aborbed in writing for horror and scary movies. Horror.

At college, I had a great module that looked specifically at film music, that class introduced me to Alfred Hitchcock and then of course to Bernard Hermann. The film was Psycho.

Bernard Hermann’s music has a great influence on me. A few years later, when I had a job and a dvd player, I treated myself to a box set of Alfred Hitchock films. I’ve no idea where they are now, but that box set was my continued education into pyschological horror.

Writing music for movies that play with building tension is great fun and a great challenge, keeping the tension going and providing a clue about what terror might be around the corner.

The trailer below is from the film Saint Maude. The producers of the film opened up a competition for composers, and I threw my hat in the ring.

There’s been copyright claims on YouTube, so if the link no longer works – ach! Send me a message and I’ll share the reel.