Horror Soundtracks and the Unseen Demonic the Exorcist (1973)
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RENDER | THE CARLETON GRADUATE JOURNAL OF ART AND CULTURE VOLUME ONE Horror Soundtracks and the Unseen Demonic The Exorcist (1973) By: Pamela Morrow, MA Music and Culture One of the key roles music plays in pitches directly affect the human body; the accompanying film is to enhance the emotional higher pitches resonate within the upper body of reactions of the audience. Each film genre uses the audio-viewer, whereas the lower pitches music in different ways depending on the mood result in the vibration of the stomach and lower that is presented by the dialogue and abdomen. Donnelly suggests that these musical corresponding images. Horror music rarely sounds are “tied to the intrinsic sounds of the follows the traditional symphonic leitmotif human body (such as) the high buzz of the structure of classical film scores.1 Essentially, the nervous system and the deep throb of the music that is used throughout horror films does 4 bloodstream and heart.” not generally consist of memorable melodies or Classic horror films of the 1960-80’s era, leitmotifs that are associated with specific such as Psycho (1968), The Exorcist (1973), A characters. The role of this music is primarily to Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Shining create psychological experiences for the viewers. (1980) and Halloween (1978) predominantly As a replacement for the leitmotifs and melodies, relied upon exaggerated pitches and stingers to a manipulation of the timbres and range ensure their audiences experienced unsettling associated with the instruments and sounds perceptual, emotional and physiological often creates unsettling sounds that cause responses during the films. The Exorcist and The heightened anticipation or terror in the Shining not only employed the use of extreme audiences. By manipulating these musical and exaggerated pitches and timbres, but also qualities, the music is able to stimulate incorporated exaggerated techniques such as physiological responses in the audience. Donnelly tremolo and sul ponticello (to bow or pluck near discusses how “sounds, particularly music, the bridge). 5 These techniques showcase the stimulate the arousal of the autonomic nervous connection between horror film music and avant- system (ANS), which is measurable via heart rate, garde music of the twentieth century. Donnelly electroencephalogram (EEG) readings of brain suggests that such techniques also have roots in 2 waves, and respiration.” The ANS is frequently nineteenth century Romantic music. 6 In this engaged through the incorporation of respect Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique is a exaggerated pitches and tones. Examples would particularly important model. The final section include the drones and “stingers” that are entitled “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath” has been 3 regularly used in horror films. Very high or low considered a programmatic experience of an encounter with evil and the supernatural. 7 In 1 RENDER | THE CARLETON GRADUATE JOURNAL OF ART AND CULTURE VOLUME ONE particular, evil is represented through Berlioz’s have a strong religious connection. This religious repetition of the diminished seventh chord, theme is evident throughout horror films such as which is constructed of two interlocking tritones. The Exorcist, further explaining the rationale for Since the Middle Ages the tritone has commonly the use of avant-garde and dissonant twentieth- been associated with notions of the Satanic in century modernist music.13 music.8 Exaggerated techniques such as tremolo From the beginning, William Friedkin had and pizzicato that are employed throughout the a clear idea of how he wanted The Exorcist to beginning of “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath,” sound and be presented to audiences. His along with the diminished seventh chord, evoke a preferred composer, Bernard Herrmann (who feeling of “strange noises, groans, bursts of famously scored Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho), laughter and distant cries.” 9 They are most rejected his offer to compose a score for the film, prevalent during the “round dance” that the leaving him to work with Lalo Schifrin.14 Friedkin Witches perform, accompanied by the Dies irae instructed Schifrin to compose a score consisting chant from the Requiem Mass. The strings create of dissonant strings, as Friedkin described his shrill sounds and employ col legno (strings struck ideal score as: with the wood of the bow), the flutes perform [N]othing scary, no so-called frightening music … intense and excessive trills, while half of the only music in the montage sequences. The music orchestra performs syncopated off-beat major- should be like a cold hand on the back of your minor seventh chords for four bars until the neck, a chill presence that would never assert other half answers with simultaneous diminished itself except on the final musical statement over 15 seventh chords on the beat creating a the credits. disorienting bi-tonal pitch space. The Dies irae The notion of not allowing the music to chant has also been consistently associated with instruct the audiences how to feel or perceive the evil, as it “has a low tessitura (comfortable pitch scenes was very important for Friedkin. He was range) and a restricted range (all the notes of the adamant about making the audience feel alone first two lines are contained within the interval of and to be unaware of what lay ahead. Schifrin’s a perfect fourth) [which] combine to suggest a score was deemed “too scary” because it guided mood of dark foreboding.”10 Translated, the Dies the audiences and focused primarily on dissonant irae refers to the “Day of Wrath.”11 This section strings accompanied by percussion. A child’s of the plainchant has been incorporated by voice was heard singing the traditional “Tantum composers into their works creating a reference Ergo Sacrementum” (“Hence, So Great a to the setting of the Requiem Mass. It has also Sacrament”) while another recording included been used to create an unsettling atmosphere the Requiem Mass excerpt “Libera me Domine de that deals with themes of the supernatural, Morte” (“Lord, Liberate me from Death.”) When witches, madness, darkness and general evil.12 the soundtrack and images were combined, Examples of the use of the Dies irae in nineteenth audiences, including Friedkin were terrified of the and twentieth-century music include Franz Liszt’s result, suggesting that the music greatly “Totentanz,” George Crumb’s “Black Angels” and influenced the way audiences perceived the Gustav Holst’s The Planets, especially in “Saturn, visual images on the screen. 16 Due to the the Bringer of Old Age” (movement 5). overwhelmingly negative response, Friedkin Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique also chose to abandon Lalo Schifrin’s original score in evokes countless religious images, suggesting favour of a compilation of previously composed that horror music and exaggerated techniques 2 RENDER | THE CARLETON GRADUATE JOURNAL OF ART AND CULTURE VOLUME ONE music from prominent twentieth-century excerpt include a piano and synthesizer. The composers. synthesizer provides an alternative sense of The 1973 title-track from the concept exaggeration to the extended techniques on album “Tubular Bells,” written and performed by violin used by Penderecki, Crumb and Webern Mike Oldfield, has become synonymous with The heard elsewhere in the film. Polish composer Exorcist. Oldfield, an English progressive rock Krzysztof Penderecki (1933 - ) and horror film composer and guitarist released the instrumental music have become synonymous with each “Tubular Bells” at age 19. The album consists of other, even though Penderecki’s music was music that has been described as “quasi- commonly used for horror scores before it was minimalist piece(s) at the melodic end of his intention to write film music. Krzysztof progressive rock.”17 Penderecki is an influential twentieth-century The first time this theme is heard in the Polish composer and his music can be divided film is at 15:37, in a sequence that follows Chris into three different style periods. The first period MacNeil on her walk home from the movie set. focuses on timbral exploration; the second Like the other music heard throughout the film it involves his exploration of density and texture is associated with a transitional scene. The music, through expanding older vocal material (such as which begins just after Chris tells her driver that Gregorian Chant), and the third period has been she will be walking home, serves as a background described as having “introduced melody and element, underscoring other sounds such as the harmony as serious compositional elements.”19 wind blowing the nuns’ habits, a motorcycle This final phase introduced “a series of pieces revving its engine and the sounds of the children based upon “post-Wagnerian chromaticism” and playing. As Chris passes the church she hears the traditional form (see for example Symphony voice of Father Karras and stops to listen to what #2).”20 Penderecki’s influential use of “sonorism” he is saying. “Tubular Bells” continues playing (focusing on characteristics and qualities of until an airplane dominates the soundscape, sounds) in his pieces provided a new dimension quieting both Father Karras and the music as the to twentieth-century music that had not been scene transitions to the inside of Chris’s previously explored to this extent. Sonorism apartment. The theme returns during the final could be considered the most important credits for approximately four minutes. approach to musical composition for horror film Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” was also music, especially The Exorcist.21 The way in which featured in the theatrical trailers, allowing it is favoured in Penderecki’s pieces could explain audiences to create associations between the why it has commonly been associated with music and the action in the trailer. The film horror film scores, and the declaration that incorporates a small section of the Oldfield “Krzysztof Penderecki… [is] at last where he original, choosing the section that has the least belongs.”22 The sonoristic elements employed by complicated instrumentation and rhythmic Penderecki are easily integrated into the musical attributes.