10 Songs You Probably Didn't Know Were Inspired By Horror Movies
Horror films and music go together like chainsaws and massacres.
The influences cut deep, whether it's the ominous synths of John Carpenter echoed in the music of Carpenter Brut and Kavinsky, the monster visuals that Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson have spent decades mixing into their getups, or the horror music videos that everyone from Bring Me The Horizon to Beyoncé have put out.
For better or worse, these things go hand in severed hand, sharing a circle of influence since the dawn of popular music.
But what about the not so obvious influences? Believe it or not, there are quiet helpings of horror often hiding in plain earshot: the deep cuts with a backstory shrouded in mystery, the heavy-handed hits you assumed were spouting nonsense, and even the unsuspecting love ballads that couldn't possibly be about anything more than a pair of star crossed lovers...
Not all the songs in this article are driven by the blood of Satan, but each of them has been touched by that special movie magic that makes us jump with every gust of wind against the windows. Rock; metal; indie; whatever Kate Bush is - it's all here - proving that none can resist the evil of the chiller.
10. My Chemical Romance – Early Sunsets Over Monroeville
My Chemical Romance's first album, 2002's I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love takes a full-on post-hardcore approach from the outset with screaming, raw vocals and even rawer guitar riffs. This should come as no shock to anyone who has listened to the record, or who knows that its conception - and the band's formation itself - was partially inspired by the events of 9/11.
One of the few quieter moments on this album comes in the form of its eighth track, Early Sunsets Over Monroeville; a gentle, acoustic-led, five-minute track about the struggle of living without a loved one. Or is it?
Not really, no. In fact, Early Sunsets is about that sweetest and most lovelorn subject of all, George A Romero's 1978 zombie staple, Dawn Of The Dead. Yep, singer-songwriter Gerard Way himself has said that this one is an ode to the undead.
The clues actually begin in the title, as it is the Monroeville Mall where the film's action takes place. From thereon out, tender lyrics like 'And the whole time while always giving/Counting your face among the living' take on an entirely new meaning.
'But your body remains/And there's no room in this hell', anyone?