10 Great (But Unexpected) Uses Of Music In Movies

Music is, of course, an essential part of any cinematic experience. A good score or soundtrack can make a movie ten times better than it would otherwise be. It is a perfect way to encapsulate a moment or set a tone or atmosphere and it's something that has become commonplace in Hollywood, therefore we expect it. However, some musical numbers appear quite unexpectedly in certain movies and this can be for a variety of reasons. Whether it's because the actors/characters break out into song in a film that otherwise is not a musical, or whether it's because the music in question simply juxtaposes the atmosphere completely (which can be quite unsettling), there have been a number of instances in which music has surprised us. However, this often works just as well as a more 'fitting' musical piece might have worked. In this article, I take a look at 10 great - but highly unexpected - uses of music in movies...

10. Tiptoe Through The Tulips (Insidious)

This hideously creepy scene occurs when Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) is clearing out some rubbish from her house, peacefully listening to some Ludovico Einaudi on the vinyl record player. Whilst she is outside putting the trash out, the record mysteriously changes to the cheerful 1968 Tiny Tim record Tiptoe Through the Tulips. When Renai looks back in to the house through the open window, she sees a smartly dressed little ghost boy cheerfully dancing away to it in her living room. The contrast between the cheerful music and the creepy little boy creates a terrifying atmosphere and I, for one, can no longer hear that song without being well and truly creeped out.