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Set The Mood: Spooky Classical Music

Writer: Kayla Collingwood
Kayla Collingwood
Oct 29, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Oct 23



Looking for spooky classical music? Whether you're planning a Halloween party, creating the perfect atmosphere for a dark and stormy evening, or simply enjoy music with a little mystery, you're in the right place!


Classical music has been creating eerie, unsettling, and downright terrifying soundscapes for centuries. With the arrival of the 20th century, which featured world wars, challenging political and social contexts, and the evolution of film, games, and other media technologies, composers began experimenting more widely to create many different musical worlds to make us jump! From ghostly voices and sinister dances to dramatic orchestral climaxes, there is a whole world of spooky sounds to explore.


You don't need to know anything about classical music to enjoy it. Just press play, settle in, and let the music do its work.



What makes classical music sound spooky?



Composers have been writing music to create a spooky atmosphere for centuries, and they rely on tools such as:

  • Dissonance and the tritone. The tritone is an interval of three whole tones, long nicknamed diabolus in musica, “the devil in music”, because it sounds restless and unresolved.

  • Minor keys. Major keys typically sound bright and cheerful; minor keys tend to feel more melancholic.

  • Chromaticism. The use of semitones outside the main scale, especially when close to together (think the "Jaws" theme tune), can give an ominous feel.

  • Special string effects. Tremolo (a rapid, shivering bow) and col legno (tapping the strings with the wood of the bow) can sound like things like wind, whispers, or rattling bones.

  • Low brass, organ, and bells. Deep, heavy, resonant sounds suggest something large and slow approaching.

  • Silence and space. A sudden pause creates a sense of uncertainty and anticipation.

  • Borrowed tunes. Some composers quote the Dies irae, a medieval chant about the Day of Judgement, as shorthand for death. More on that below.

  • Speed and repetition. A short theme repeated faster and louder is a way to build dread.


The Dies irae: the tune composers keep borrowing



The Dies irae (“Day of Wrath”) is a medieval Gregorian chant from the Latin Requiem Mass, describing the Day of Judgement. Composers have quoted its descending shape for centuries to signal death.


You can hear it in Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, Liszt’s Totentanz, Saint-Saëns’s Danse macabre, and Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead. You can also hear it set in full in the Requiems of Mozart and Verdi. Once you learn to recognise it, you will spot it everywhere.


Spooky classical music in film and television



Classical music has been scaring audiences on screen for decades. Disney’s Fantasia (1940) paired "Night on Bald Mountain" with a towering demon. Bach’s "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" has appeared in horror films since the early days of cinema. Stanley Kubrick used Penderecki’s "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" (1960), a piece for 52 strings with no melody at all, in The Shining (1980). And Guðnadóttir’s "Chernobyl" soundtrack shows how contemporary composers are still finding new ways to unsettle us.


Spooky classical music for children and families



Spooky music can be a lovely way to introduce children to the orchestra. Try:

  • "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" by Dukas, for its story and humour

  • "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Grieg, for the build-up

  • "Funeral March of a Marionette" by Gounod, which you may know as the theme from Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • "Danse macabre" by Saint-Saëns, told as a story about dancing skeletons


Some children are sensitive to anything spooky or scary, and music can be a very powerful trigger, so keep this in mind.


How to listen



Spooky music works on the body as well as the mind, so notice what happens as you listen. Do you feel goosebumps or tightness? Does your heart beat a little faster? What makes you pay close attention, or want to turn it down? Try dimming the lights or lighting a candle!


Frequently asked questions


What is the scariest classical music piece?

It depends on the listener! For sheer unease, Penderecki’s Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima is hard to beat: a wall of string clusters with no melody to grasp on to.


What is the most famous spooky classical piece?

Bach’s "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" and Saint-Saëns’ "Danse macabre" are probably the two most widely recognised. Grieg’s "In the Hall of the Mountain King" is also very familiar to many listeners.


Why does some classical music sound scary?

Composers use dissonance, minor keys, low brass, tolling bells, special string effects, and sudden silences to create tension. Intervals like the tritone, nicknamed “the devil in music”, have sounded unsettling to listeners for centuries.


What is the Dies irae?

The Dies irae is a medieval chant from the Latin Requiem Mass about the Day of Judgement. Composers including Verdi, Berlioz, Liszt, Saint-Saëns, and Rachmaninoff have quoted its descending shape as shorthand for death.


About me



I’m Kayla Collingwood, a New Zealand-born classical contralto, educator, and creator based in Paris. I teach voice, stagecraft, and classical music immersion online and in Paris. I am passionate about sharing classical music with new and returning audiences!


Explore more


If you’d like to go further with classical music, here is some of what I offer:

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