10. Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1982) - Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith wrote many prolific horror scores in his time including The Omen, Gremlins, Alien and - of course - the original Poltergeist. However, where he really had fun was with the sequels. In sequel land, all bets were off. The music can be exponentially expanded upon into new dark or humorous territories; the established themes can be toyed with, even torn apart into something brand new. Evidence of this can be seen in not only Damien: Omen II and Psycho II, but also in other composers works, such as Danny Elfmans Batman Returns. When looking at the music objectively - and having admitted that Poltergeist II isnt the greatest film this side of the grave - it can still safely be asserted that it has one heck of a score. Theres a return of the sweet Carol Anne theme from the original film, but its starkly contrasted with the new theme for the diabolical Reverend Kane. As the lead spectral antagonist hell-bent on stealing the young girls soul, Kane is often introduced into scenes singing a simple old-time-religion tune in order to coax Carol Anne into a state of ease. Goldsmith takes what he did with the Gregorian chants in The Omen one step further and incorporates Kanes song into the score itself, only this rendition is populated by a full choir, giving the tune a powerful, driving sense of dread. Dancing around this melody are invasive electronic and synth sounds to punctuate the horror. The resulting music cues convey a sense of insurmountable evil, appropriate for a film about religious insanity.