One of the most popular bands that use horror themes throughout their music is Black Sabbath, putting rock horror in the eyes and ears of everyone in America. With the lead singer, Ozzy Ozborne, self-proclaiming himself as the ‘Prince of Darkness,’ it is clear to see how Black Sabbath stood out and influenced other rock bands later to come. Even the riffs of the guitar in their debut song was said to invoke Satan in the Middle Ages, and Ozzy wailing in terrifying tone with the guitar made the performance that much more intense. With this being said, Black Sabbath only continued to increase their scare tactics and horrified their fans, in a good way as they progressed through their musical exploration.

However, were themes of death and the devil always in rock and roll? Let’s start with the person who many music historians claim to be the father of rock and roll, Screaming Jay Hawkins. He was known for his devilish wailing and rough pounding of his piano keys during his performances, leaving audiences filled with adrenaline and wanting more. During one of his performances, he literally rose from a coffin, Dracula-style, with a large bone stabbed through his nose. For his time, this was extremely unpopular in music. But, he used this to his advantage and flourished his music with spooky tones. His most popular song “I Put A Spell On You” is still played around the Halloween season and can be seen in various Halloween films such as Hocus Pocus (1993). There is no question that horror has influenced rock music, but it is important to understand how horror has been influenced by rock music as well.

There is no question the genre of horror in literature and cinema has been around much longer than the horror rock music genre has… however, with this being said, rock music has made a large impact on the horror genre, strengthening the films’ messages. Some films even surround their stories around the rock music in them, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), which is arguably one of the best aspects of the film. Rocky Horror features the star Meatloaf, singing an epic song about how he got screwed over by the character Frank-N-Furter.

Many horror films utilize the aspect of music throughout the movie to emphasize specific tones and emotions they want the audience to experience when viewing. When using rock music, filmmakers are able to portray a much more amplified version of the emotions. This can be seen in various films such as Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (1989), which used songs from the Ramones that include lyrics of death with a rock beat, making the film more intense and horrifying.  

Rock music and horror cinema make the viewing experience terrifyingly epic and intense, with loud guitar riffs, strange unsettling lyrics surrounding death, and of course the literal havoc and violence occurring on screen. If you are looking for the ultimate horror movie experience, keep your eyes and ears open for those films that include rock music.