Music is the heartbeat of horror. You can strip out the gore, the nudity, even the scares—but if you take away the music, the film loses its soul. The right score shapes everything: it builds tension, sets the mood, and stays with you after the credits roll. Some horror soundtracks are so good, they’ve moved out of my movie nights and into my regular at-home rotation. Here are five of my favorites—the ones I play while writing, cleaning, or just trying to sink into a mood.

1. It Follows (2014)
Atmosphere all the way. The score is tense, dreamy, and somehow perfect for everyday life. I put this on as focus music because it shifts between eerie build-ups and quiet, calming stretches—it gets me in a groove without demanding too much attention. Honestly, it works anytime: background music with an edge.

2. Halloween (1978)
Iconic doesn’t even begin to cover it. I cannot hear the Halloween theme without grinning ear to ear. It’s synonymous with fall, pumpkins, and Michael Myers himself. There’s something about the way Carpenter’s theme hits that feels like October in a single sound. It’s simple, it’s perfect, and it never fails to make me happy.

3. The Shining (1980)
Hauntingly beautiful from start to finish. The score is creepy, jarring, and downright unsettling, but it’s also so much fun to listen to on its own. Those opening notes pull you right back into the Overlook every time, and the rest is a swirl of dread, grandeur, and icy mood. It’s horror music at its most majestic.

4. The Lords of Salem (2012)
This one is an experience. It doesn’t just give you score—it gives you the film itself, with moments like the witches’ monologue and radio announcements woven in. That’s what makes it so good: listening feels like stepping right back into the movie. It’s heavy, strange, and transportive in a way very few soundtracks manage.

5. Suspiria (1977)
Goblin at their absolute best. Psychedelic, enchanting, and completely hypnotic. It’s one of those albums I put on around the house all the time—it makes even cleaning dishes feel like a fever dream. The layers of sound pull you in so deeply you forget what you’re doing, which is exactly why I love it. Equal parts sinister and playful, it’s perfect.

Horror soundtracks are proof that this genre is about more than what you see. The right score can make the ordinary feel uncanny, turn a quiet room into something charged, and remind you of just how much atmosphere matters.

Stay spooky. Stay listening.