Horror music from the soundtrack

L

Lord Jubjub

Registered User
Hello, all.

I was a member of the old boards years back when the movies were being released. I've decided to come back to the boards to discuss all things Tolkien.

But I thought it would be interesting, this being the day before the day before All Saint's Day, to discuss the horror in LOTR--specifically, the horror in the soundtrack.

Having the soundtrack in iTunes, I marked certain pieces as horror; ones that raise the hackles on your neck. In favorite order:

Minas Morgul :Return of the King
Foundations of Stone :The Two Towers
The Treason of Isengard :Fellowship of the Ring
Cirith Ungol :Return of the King
Shelob's Lair :Return of the King
Ash and Smoke :Return of the King
A Knife in the Dark :Fellowship of the Ring

What are your picks?
 
Good topic there, Lord Jubjub! I have to admit, I often skip some of this music in favor of "the next track", but it really is worth a serious look (or listen).

I think the TTT soundtrack has more to offer though. The Dead Marshes comes first to mind, not to mention various instances involving the Nazgûl, and, to a lesser extent, the Uruk-hai.

But for outright "horror music", my top picks would be Weathertop, The Dead Marshes, and Shelob's Lair. They feature instances that have a "nails-on-a-chalkboard" quality and lend an unnerving touch to the frightening experiences the hobbits encounter.
 
Last edited:
I really admire how Howard Shore evokes the sense of fear in these soundtracks. I know most of LOTR Soundtrack lovers always listen to the hobbit music but for me it's the reverse. I always skip them. I always go for the dark music. (I still listen to the lighter music when I feel lonely or need to go to sleep.)

My love for the evil characters (e.g. Nazgul, Balrog, WitchKing, Gollum) in the movie made me attracted to the darker side of Shore's music. They kick a$$!

These are the kind of music that is loud and made me pay close attention at every little detail that I can hear. It always make my everyday life to have a sense of great adventure ahead as if danger approaches that I need to overcome it. I know it sounds a bit silly. But it's me. [:)]

My all-time favorites:
The Bridge of Kazhadum
The Battle of Pelennor Fields
The End of All Things
Shelob's Lair
and everything that has the Nazgul and Isengard theme in it...
 
..especially if you watch it in black-and-white. Frodo's really caught between two monsters -- Shelob and Gollum, and Jackson plays it to the hilt.

The music contributes much to the horror story feel of it, so I'd pick that one first.

The Nazgul theme, by comparision is more "creepy" than suspenseful to me, but still horror-music in nature...

In the books, the Paths of the Dead sequence, as told by Gimli to the Hobbits, is a sort of ghost story in itself. It was kind of surprising to me that it's less scary in the films -- though that may just be because the power of the story comes from what you "don't" see, rather than having to visualize the dead...

Oh, and I just "welcomed" you in a reply to you below -- but I guess I should say Welcome Back! Good to have you here again!
 
I think you are new? If so, welcome!

If you haven't already found magpie's music site (you can access it from her footer), that's a great labor of love that she shares with us about the film scores.
 
Doug Adams just did a podcast on the use of the Dies Irae in movie (and other) music. I thought two tenuous threads made it worth posting here. One: the Dies Irae is spooky and you're talking about 'horror' music. Two: some people hear a resemblance between one of the danger motifs heard in the LOTR movies and the Dies Irae. It is not (I am told) the Dies Irae... it's a descending third motif. But it's a similarity I cover in my website.

I listened to the podcast last night and it was pretty interesting.

Dies Irae Podcast
 
There's a lot on TTT that doesn't leap out at you right away, but there is some really evocative stuff there.
 
...before I came here and saw this thread. lol. Mainly because, when i started my iTunes (which i have set to play all my songs randomly), "Shelob's Lair" started playing, and i was thinking "hmmm, this is a good song for today." lol so when I saw this thread, I thought that was pretty cool. [cool] obviously, Shelob's Lair is on that list. hehe.
 
[;)] i also like the dark music. although, I also love the Hobbit music in the soundtrack as well. But I've always love the music to, say, "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum." for some reason, i always loved that track. [cool]

namarie,
Riel
 
...and I have to say that it blew me away that someone has actually dedicated a whole website about LOTR soundtrack analysis! I've already sent Magpie an email about my appreciation on her site. [:)]
 
when the old-style board was still being used. Life intervened and I no longer followed the boards, though I have checked in on the main page every day.

But I probably will be in and out.
 
I've been posting here on TORn now for about...oh, 1 or 2 months. lol. I'm rather busy with school, so I don't get much time as I'd like here, but oh well. thanks, for the welcome. [:)]

Riel
 
I'm never sure who's new and who's returning but I always try to say hello when I see a new nick. Glad you're back!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top