These 7 movies had soundtracks scary enough to give you nightmares

Most horror movies try to scare you with what you see, but some of the most disturbing ones rely on the sound you hear. A few notes in the right place can leave a stronger impression than any monster.

Sound can build tension before anything happens. It can make your skin crawl without warning. The score is not just in the background. It becomes the reason you feel nervous in a scene that looks calm.

Some movies use music that creeps in so quietly you barely notice it. Others hit you with noise that feels sharp and sudden. Both types work in their own way. They leave you stuck in that feeling of unease. They follow you into silence when the film ends.

These aren't tracks you hum or add to a playlist. These are the ones that stay in your head when you're trying to sleep. The seven movies listed here have soundtracks that take horror further.

They use background music as the main weapon. They remind you that what you hear can be just as terrifying as what you see. These soundtracks do not just add fear. They create it from the very first scene.

These 7 movies had soundtracks scary enough to give you nightmares

1. Hereditary (2018)

The film follows Annie and her family after the death of her secretive mother. Strange events begin to happen inside their home and each member starts to unravel. Charlie’s sudden death brings everything to a boil and Annie soon uncovers a disturbing history tied to cult activity. The story shifts from grief to pure horror without warning.

Colin Stetson’s score adds constant pressure. The music uses low-end rumbling and twisted woodwinds to make even silent scenes feel unbearable. There are no moments of calm. It builds dread long before anything appears on screen. Charlie’s throat click becomes a recurring background sound that takes on a horrifying meaning after her death.

The score traps you in a mood that never lifts. It wraps every frame in anxiety and keeps your nerves tight. You cannot ignore the background music because it makes you feel like something terrible is always about to happen.

2. The Exorcist (1973)

Regan is a young girl who becomes violently ill and begins behaving in ways no doctor can explain. Her mother turns to the church for help and two priests are brought in to perform an exorcism. The film focuses on the spiritual and physical effects of possession.

The soundtrack plays a huge role in making this story unforgettable. “Tubular Bells” starts softly but feels cold and empty. The real terror comes from the background sounds. There are growls that seem to come from inside Regan and whispers that make the room feel alive. Every element of the background sound is designed to unsettle you.

Scenes in Regan’s bedroom feel violent even when nothing moves. The noise feels like another character in the room. It doesn’t just accompany the possession—it is part of it. This background music stays with you because it breaks the silence in your own mind long after the movie ends.

3. The Shining (1980)

Jack Torrance takes his family to the Overlook Hotel to serve as winter caretakers. The isolation and the hotel's disturbing history begin to affect Jack. His son Danny has psychic visions and the family soon faces a full breakdown.

The music is the first sign that something is wrong. Even before Jack changes the score makes everything feel dangerous. Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind use sharp strings and heavy tones that never let you relax. Danny’s visions are filled with harsh noises that hit like alarms.

The Overlook becomes a character through sound. Empty hallways feel haunted because of the background score. The score intensifies Jack’s descent into madness. It doesn’t tell you how to feel. It forces you to feel trapped. The score makes sure you are stuck inside the hotel too and that feeling does not go away after the film ends.

4. Suspiria (1977)

Suspiria (Image via Produzioni Atlas Consorziate)

Suzy travels to a ballet school in Germany and quickly senses something wrong. Students disappear. The teachers hide secrets. She learns the academy is run by a coven of witches. The story moves between reality and nightmare as Suzy tries to survive.

The soundtrack by Goblin is more than just music. It sounds like a curse that repeats itself. At first it begins soft with a lullaby rhythm. Then it crashes into chimes and whispers and harsh percussion. The sound loops through scenes until it becomes unbearable.

Even normal moments feel wrong because of the score. The music infects the entire building. Goblin makes the witches feel present in every frame. The noise cuts into your focus and refuses to leave your head. It is not background music. It is a constant scream that the film uses to trap you in its spell.

5. The Witch (2015)

A Puritan family is exiled from their community and builds a farm near the woods. Strange events follow. Crops die. The baby disappears. The family turns against each other. The daughter Thomasin becomes the center of suspicion.

Mark Korven’s score evokes fear without relying on melody. It uses voices that rise and fall like chants and strings that groan without direction. The sound feels like something holy that has gone wrong. There is no comfort and no rhythm.

You don’t hear a witch. You hear the sound of losing faith. The music gives weight to silence and makes the woods feel alive. Scenes build slowly but the sound keeps you on edge the entire time. The score reveals that the true horror isn't the witch. It is the way belief can break a family from within.

6. It Follows (2014)

It Follows (Image via The Weinstein Company)

A teenage girl named Jay becomes cursed after a sexual encounter. The curse makes a figure follow her slowly at all times. It can look like anyone and it never stops moving. If it reaches her she will die.

The music was composed by Disasterpeace who uses retro synth sounds that never settle. The score starts soft and then shifts into jagged tones that feel like panic. Each chase scene builds dread with noise that rises and cuts off suddenly.

The sound mirrors the curse. It follows you. The score repeats in patterns that never offer relief. Even quiet scenes feel unsafe. Disasterpeace turns calm locations like schools and parks into places where danger waits. The music does not let you look away or catch your breath. It stays with you long after the final shot.

7. Midsommar (2019)

Dani loses her family in a terrible tragedy and travels with her boyfriend to Sweden. They visit a village that celebrates a midsummer festival. What begins as peaceful turns into a ritual of death and sacrifice.

The score by Bobby Krlic begins with soft textures that match the sunlight and the flowers. Slowly the music breaks apart. Strings stretch. Drones bend. The sound becomes heavy and hard to sit through. Each ritual is scored with noise that makes your stomach tighten.

Even though the film is bright and open the music makes it feel like a trap. The shift in background music follows Dani’s emotional collapse. By the end the music stops sounding human. It weighs down the final scenes and makes celebration feel like punishment. The sound leaves a mark that the visuals never could on their own.