Music

6 Horror Movie Scenes Made More Memorable By The Songs That Accompany Them

Published

4 years ago

May 4, 2022

Music is key in making many movies work. This is especially true in horror, which John Carpenter made abundantly clear with Halloween. Take away the score, and it’s just not nearly as fun. While there are many reasons to love The Shining, it’s the insanely eerie score that makes it truly chilling.

But it’s not always an original score that makes a scene memorable. Sometimes it’s just a regular song that you may or may not have heard before. A good scene can even change how you think and feel about a song you’ve heard many times for the rest of your life. I thought it would be fun to revisit some examples of scenes made more interesting by songs that accompany them.

The Silence of the Lambs

(Goodbye Horses)

This one goes without saying. Q Lazzarus provides the absolute only song that can exist with this scene. Without Goodbye Horses, the whole movie just wouldn’t be the same.

(Due to YouTube policies, you have to login to actually watch that scene)

https://youtu.be/ydXNfifKQU0

Yeah, Ted Levine is pretty crucial too. I don’t know what all the fuss over Hannibal is about. Buffalo Bill is what sells this one. Now, that would have been a hell of a TV show.

The Devil’s Rejects

(Pretty Much The Whole Movie)

Music is undeniably a large part of Rob Zombie’s movies. This is no shock given his other profession. Sometimes it works better than others. I can do without Tom Sawyer in my Halloween movies (though there’s still something about that God of Thunder intro that works for me). House of 1,000 Corpses relied a little too heavily on Zombie’s own songs in my opinion, but it’s also understandable considering how the man poured his heart and soul into that movie.

The Devil’s Rejects, however, absolutely nailed it from beginning to end. The Midnight Rider title sequence is astonishingly effective, and before that film, I had very little interest in the song I’d heard so many times on classic rock radio. This movie changed that to the point where I now welcome it.

The obvious example, though, is the Free Bird finale. That’s the one that got people talking, and with good reason. It’s an amazing use of an otherwise overplayed rock song that breathed new life into it and made it so that fans of the film think about the scene every time they hear it (which will inevitably be many, many more times over the course of their lives).

This film also gets major props for introducing me and probably many others to some fantastic songs from Terry Reid, which provides the backdrop for other great moments in the movie (and I include the long shots of mountainsides behind the credits in that).

Lords of Salem

(All Tomorrow’s Parties)

With Lords of Salem, Zombie did it again with another amazing finale featuring The Velvet Underground’s All Tomorrow’s Parties. Another great soundtrack all around, but this is the big standout musical scene:

Pet Sematary

(Sheena Is A Punk Rocker)

This scene probably didn’t really need a song to be memorable. It’s a pretty powerful one anyway, especially for parents. But damn if a rockin’ upbeat party tune from the Ramones doesn’t make it even better. When Sheena is a Punk Rocker starts playing and we see this random truck driver driving down the road, we know something unpleasant is in store. When that shoe drops to the pavement, partying with the Ramones seems like a distant memory.

Haute Tension

(New Born)

This movie is already so chilling that New Born’s (by Muse) haunting melody is made all the more effective. There are some other interesting tunes in Haute Tension earlier in the movie that do a wonderful job of setting up the tone, but this car chase scene wouldn’t be nearly as memorable without New Born behind it.

Night of the Demons

(Stigmata Martyr)

I don’t know if you’d call Night of the Demons a particularly great film (though after watching its remake, you might reconsider), but it definitely has its moments (try to have a conversation about this movie without the lipstick nipple scene coming up) and remains a fun romp years later. This scene sets us up for the titular evening of demons and does so with the incredibly evil and weird sounds of Bauhaus‘ Stigmata Martyr. The music makes the scene perhaps more memorable than it otherwise should have been.

By the way, the razor blade apple scene is pretty great too.

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Related Topics:Haute Tension Lords of Salem music Night of the demons Pet Sematary The Devils Rejects The Silence of the Lambs

Music

The Vampire Lestat Releases New Single “Butterscotch Bitch” Ahead of Series Premiere

Published

3 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Kirsten Saylor

The Vampire Lestat has released his newest single,“Butterscotch Bitch,” the fourth official song unveiled ahead of the premiere of AMC’s highly anticipated series The Vampire Lestat (Interview with the Vampire Season 3), debuting Sunday, June 7 on AMC and AMC+.

Released by AMC Global Media and Lakeshore Records, “Butterscotch Bitch” is now available on major digital music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The release is accompanied by a brand-new promotional video featuring the track.

“Butterscotch Bitch” follows previously released singles “All Fall Down” and “Long Face,” as well as the recently released cover of Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself,” which debuted alongside the official trailer for the series. All original songs feature music and lyrics by series composer Daniel Hart and vocals performed by the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt.

The upcoming rock-and-roll-driven season follows the Vampire Lestat as he embarks on an electrifying multi-city tour while confronting “muses” from his chaotic and rebellious past. As his fame and influence continue to grow, both humans and vampires alike are forced to reckon with Lestat’s increasing power amid the rise of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.

The Vampire Lestat stars Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles, and Jennifer Ehle. The series is executive produced by Mark Johnson, creator, writer, and showrunner Rolin Jones, Hannah Moscovitch, Christopher Rice, and the late Anne Rice.

Said Daniel Hart: “’Butterscotch Bitch’ is, I hope, the song that feels the most like Lestat, as it’s the song I wrote with the most knowledge of Lestat under my belt to date. And why not end the songwriting with a song that Lestat wrote about himself? He is, after all, The Lestat-iest Lestat that’s ever Lestat-ed.”

Said The Vampire Lestat: “Butterscotch Bitch’ is, I hope, the song that feels the most like Daniel Hart, as it’s the song he wrote on a toilet in between vegan burritos and sessions for his Mother Mary score. May it find a home on Anne Hathaway’s rescue dog grooming playlist.”

We here at iHorror are not entirely sure we have the mental fortitude necessary to fully analyze and break down these lyrics, but we will, no doubt, do our best to remain professional while discussing lines like, “Gimme your hips and I’ll open you wide / A moan and a groan and a sigh / Again and again and again.”

Keep up with us here for all updates on The Vampire Lestat ahead of the once-in-a-lifetime concert at the Beacon Theater in New York City on June 2, as well as its premiere on June 7 on AMC and AMC+.

Music

The Vampire Lestat Releases Cover of Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself”

Published

3 weeks ago

April 24, 2026

Kirsten Saylor

Dance on, the Beautiful Unwell, because The Vampire Lestat’s newest single has officially arrived on all streaming platforms!

The Vampire Lestat — the newest rock band taking over the world — has released a cover of Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself” as the third single ahead of their full album release coming this summer.

Originally recorded in 1980 by Generation X, the punk rock band fronted by Billy Idol, the song didn’t gain major traction until Idol rereleased it as a solo artist in 1981. That version climbed to number. 27 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, cementing its place as an ‘80s staple.

Now, 46 years later, the track has been resurrected once again — and honestly, it couldn’t be more fitting for a band led by someone who claims to be an immortal vampire.

Yes, for those just tuning in: the frontman of The Vampire Lestat, Lestat de Lioncourt, insists he’s the real deal.

The supposed vampire frontman himself; from AMC.

Whether you believe him or not, this cover marks a strong and deliberate direction for the band. Lestat’s voice slides effortlessly into Idol’s range, capturing that same sneering, electric energy while still making the song feel like his own. The new wave influence meshes perfectly with the aesthetic the band has been cultivating, something nostalgic, stylish, and entirely original all at once.

More importantly, the lyrics land differently in the context of the band’s previous singles, “Long Face” and “All Fall Down.” There’s a throughline of loneliness here that feels intentional.

Lines like “Well, I wait so long for my love vibration / And I’m dancing with myself,” and “If I looked all over the world… but your empty eyes seem to pass me by,” feel rather personal. There’s a lingering sense of longing that suggests Lestat isn’t just performing just for a crowd, but rather for someone in particular.

And that someone? Possibly not as absent as he’d like us to think.

Between the emotional undercurrent of “Long Face” and the beautiful man that’s been spotted at multiple concerts — someone who seems to command both Lestat’s attention and the audience’s in a lot of ways — it’s hard not to suspect there’s some very messy, very compelling relationship drama unfolding behind the scenes of The Vampire Lestat.

This is all speculative, of course, but it’s starting to feel like a pattern given everything we’ve seen from the band thus far.

So let's sink another drink.

Stream #TheVampireLestat's version of Dancing With Myself NOW wherever you listen to music. pic.twitter.com/iGmfThuSk7
— The Vampire Lestat (@AMCsAnneRice) April 24, 2026

But if you’re curious what an “immortal vampire” sounds like covering one of the most iconic songs of the ‘80s, you can stream The Vampire Lestat’s “Dancing With Myself” now wherever you listen to music.

Tidal

We here at iHorror will be covering the full album release once it’s out this summer. And we’ll also be keeping you updated on who that love with the “empty eyes that seem to pass [him] by” could be 👀

Music

Ice Nine Kills’ “Twisting the Knife” On ‘Scream 7’ Soundtrack

Published

3 months ago

February 20, 2026

Timothy Rawles

Ice Nine Kills officially enters the canon of one of the most iconic horror franchises with ‘Twisting the Knife,’ featured in the forthcoming film Scream 7 (Feb.27). Cast member McKenna Grace joins the band on the new single, a rare, high-impact crossover between one of modern metal’s most ambitious bands and one of horror cinema’s most enduring properties.

Take a look at the video for Twisting the Knife Below, then read what lead singer Spencer Charnas has to say about his contribution.

Ice Nine Kills: “Twisting the Knife.

Charnas says of his musical involvement in the film:

“Twisting the Knife is our tribute to Wes Craven and the Scream franchise, which means so much to us. Scream is baked into the DNA of who I am and of Ice Nine Kills—my love of horror, comedy, and the collision between the two. I was already obsessed with Halloween and Friday the 13th, but Scream was the first I saw in theaters. Hearing the killer talk about horror movies, in that distinctively pop-culture savvy Kevin Williamson way, blew my mind.

In recent years, we’ve gotten to know and work with Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Neve Campbell, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, Lee Waddell, and others in different capacities. We announced the collaboration with Scream 7 at Wembley Arena, with Ghostface and Rose McGowan, which was surreal in itself.

When we learned that Mckenna Grace is a fan of our band, it made perfect sense to invite her to sing. She recorded her part in my home studio, in the same room where I keep my screen-used Scream knife prop, one of the four rubber knives made for the first movie.

Marco Beltrami’s Scream scores are just as influential to me as any other component of the films. In our song, there are echoes of the moody atmospheres he’s created, with our own INK twist.”

Scream 7 opens in theatres on Friday, February 27th.

Per the press release:

“Twenty years on from the release of their debut album, Ice Nine Kills are one of the most intentional and commercially successful bands in modern heavy music, driven by immersive cinematic world-building and a deep fusion of melody and bombast. Their two breakthrough albums, The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, generated over 1.5 billion streams alone and positioned the band as a rare crossover force.”