Happy Halloween! If you don't have time to watch any scary movies today, try listening to these 10 songs instead, which all take their names from horror movies.
1. Black Sabbath - "Black Sabbath" (1970)
Heavy metal originators Black Sabbath took their name from a 1963 Italian horror film, which also inspired them to write a doomy song with the same title. However, the lyrics for "Black Sabbath" have nothing to do with the film, but rather describe a terrifying vision that bassist Geezer Butler once had of a black, silhouetted figure standing at the foot of his bed.
2. Rush - "The Twilight Zone" (1976)
Technically, The Twilight Zone is a TV show and not a movie (at least there wasn't a movie in 1976), but it's still caused plenty of nightmares. For their 1976 album 2112, prog-rock band Rush wrote a song named after the TV series, with lyrics inspired by two episodes: "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?" and "Stopover in a Quiet Town."
3. The Cramps - "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" (1980)
Psychobilly band the Cramps based most of their songs off of horror and sci-fi culture, and one of their best is "I Was A Teenage Werewolf" from their debut album Songs the Lord Taught Us, which was inspired by a 1957 horror film of the same name.
4. Misfits - "Night of the Living Dead" (1982)
Like the Cramps, the Misfits wrote most of their songs about monsters and aliens, though in a more aggressive, hardcore punk style. One of their most anthemic tracks is "Night of the Living Dead," inspired by the classic George Romero zombie movie of the same name, though the lyrics to the song could be about pretty much any zombie movie ever made.
5. Bad Brains - "Fearless Vampire Killers" (1982)
Though hardcore legends Bad Brains rarely ever delved into supernatural or horror-themed topics, they indulged themselves just once for the song "Fearless Vampire Killers," inspired by the 1967 Roman Polanski horror-comedy.
6. Michael Sembello - "Maniac" (1983)
Though Michael Sembello's "Maniac" was made famous by its use in the 1983 film Flashdance, which is most definitely not a horror film, Sembello was inspired to write the song after seeing the 1980 slasher film Maniac.
7. Death - "Evil Dead" (1987)
Though the name "Evil Dead" is generic enough that Death could have written this song without ever having heard of the movie The Evil Dead, the song's lyrics about being "trapped inside a life which is not yours" and "covered in blood" definitely sound like a description of the movie.
8. Ramones - "Pet Sematary" (1989)
Unlike the other songs on this list, the Ramones' "Pet Sematary" was actually written specifically for the movie it's based on, as the Ramones are one of author Stephen King's favorite bands.
9. Municipal Waste - "The Thing" (2005)
Municipal Waste's 2005 album Hazardous Mutation is a concept album about zombies and monsters, and one of the album's best songs "The Thing" recounts the plot of John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi/horror classic The Thing. We know the song is specifically about Carpenter's version and not the 1951 original because it opens with the line, "Antarctica, Winter 1982."
10. Speedy Ortiz - "Casper (1995)" (2013)
Perhaps to differentiate it from Daniel Johnston's song "Casper, The Friendly Ghost," indie rock band Speedy Ortiz gave their Casper-themed song the very specific title of "Casper (1995)," making it plainly obvious that they're referring to the 1995 film Casper, and not the sequels or original cartoons.
What are some other songs named after horror movies? Let us know down in the comments section!
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
