40 Days of Night(mares) Day 31: Favorite Horror Movie Theme Song

This is another category that took absolutely no thought whatsoever. There are songs you hear that take you back instantly and provide total sense memory. They dig into your subconscious and burrow there to be awoken later. The easiest example is hearing Christmas carols. You automatically form sight and sound associations. Or, you can't hear the opening bass notes of the Jaws theme and not instantly know it.
For me, there's one horror theme that automatically makes me think of trolling the neighborhood in my cheap Sears-bought vinyl costume with matching plastic mask that dug into my skin and would leave a mark for days to come. Dragging behind me a pillowcase stuffed with loot acquired from my neighbors. It's an immediate reaction and is so tied to the season that it permeates the decorative lights that make sounds. Of course, I'm referring to the theme from John Carpenter's classic, Halloween.



I still feel a thrill each year as I plop down to watch it in my annual ritual and the lilting piano starts up. It's a masterpiece of minimalist cue music that builds the tension each time it strikes up and "the Shape" appears. 30 odd years later, it's still the first thing I think of when someone talks about halloween. The second thought is below:

Warning: It will get stuck in your head!