The most recognizable symphony of horror

“Real Scary TV” (NST) held an unusual quiz among its viewers to find out which horror movie soundtrack is the most recognizable.

The channel compiled its own “list of contenders” based on the most frequently mentioned soundtracks in foreign publications. The poll was conducted in the style of “guess the tune”: the respondents were asked to listen to a 15-second clip with a melody from the film, after which they had to say what kind of film it was.

The result was predictable, but not entirely expected. The first place went to John Williams’ soundtrack from the original “Jaws”, second place to the title theme of the Halloween film series, composed by John Carpenter. Those two were identified by 59 and 31% respondents, respectively.

But the third place, instead of the expected soundtrack from “Saw”, written by Charlie Clouser, was taken by a composition by Bernard Herrmann from the film “Psycho” (1960). However, “Saw” still entered the top ten most recognizable. And along with it, “Friday the 13th”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Scream” and several other horror films that are considered classics of the genre.