Thursday Movie Picks (Halloween Edition): TV Horror Themes/Scores

For the 42nd week of 2022 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks as it’s Halloween season. We go into the subject of television in TV horror scores/themes as it’s something that helps play into the mood for a TV show. Even if it is funny or creepy. Here are my three picks:

1. The Twilight Zone



This famous theme created by Bernard Herrmann is instantly recognizable as it just has this air of terror in that opening note that is followed by elements of orchestral textures with electric guitars and percussions that add to the discomfort. It is a genius theme that remains untouchable in its presentation as it help set the tone for audiences to be in for some serious scares.

2. Tales from the Crypt



A show from HBO that ran from 1989 to 1996 had a theme by Danny Elfman that is iconic. Its orchestral presentation has this element of horror that isn’t just terrifying but also with an air of humor. Notably as the introduction itself is this amazing tracking shot where someone goes to a haunted house as the final shot is just great in the way it introduces to our host in the Cryptkeeper.

3. Twin Peaks



From David Lynch and Mark Frost as well as composer Angelo Badalamenti comes one of the greatest shows to emerge in the 1990s that really defies genres. While it is presented as a suspense-drama show, there was so much more that Lynch did up until early on in the second season as he was pressured by ABC to make the show more accessible that eventually lead to its cancellation and a prequel film of sorts in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in 1992. The theme is this dreamy and somber piece by Badalamenti that doesn’t just play into the air of melancholia but its score also has elements of quirks and drama that made the show iconic leading to its 2017 revival in a third season that gave the show the finale it deserved.

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