In horror movies music is often used Ironically to contradict visual stimuli of the movie, this technique has been used in many different ways over the years. The most famous and recognised examples of juxtaposition is the use of children’s nursery rhymes in horror films which I will dive deeper into on this page. Juxtaposing threatening images with innocent and happy themes is very popular in horror films to cause disturbance in the audience, this is because can lead the audience to debate on what is good and what is evil in the context of the film. This technique is what I will be talking about and exploring on this page of my website.
Nursery Rhymes
Children’s nursery rhymes are very commonly seen as an example of juxtaposition in horror films, this compares the them of innocence and happiness with the films often visual horror and disturbing scenes. Nursery rhymes are made to bring happy atmospheres for children, in horror movies these rhymes ae often slowed down and played in the rhythm of a Victorian music box. This can very often emit eerie and unsettling atmospheres which many perceive as scary, as few examples of nursery rhymes used to create spooky themes in movies are: Ring Around The Roses, London Bridge is Falling Down and Round and Round the Garden. A very recognisable and iconic nursery rhyme is one, two buckle my shoe. This nursery rhyme was used in the horror hit Nightmare on Elm Street with adjusted lyrics to fit the theme of the horror movie, the lyrics are sung in a slow and creepy rhythm creating an unsettling theme within the music. These nursery rhymes are often sung by many different children off key and in a dark and unenthusiastic tone, these two factors contribute significantly to the creepiness of these nursery rhymes. We also find nursery rhymes scary in the context of a horror movie because it plays on our nostalgia, this is because as children we all knew nursery rhymes as happy music. Seeing our happy child hood songs being used in horror movies can be seen as creepy and unnerving. Horror movies sometimes do this with song other than nursery rhymes, for example in the trailer for Jordan Peels ‘Us’ the song five on it is playing. This is a song most people can instantly recognise and sing along too, however when the trailer shows the horror aspect of the movie the music slows down and becomes more horrifying.
Over enthusiastic songs – Tip Toe Through The Tulips (Tiny Tim)
Over enthusiastic songs in horror films can be used to create eerie and disturbing atmospheres, this is due to a similar reason for the fear of clowns. The facial features on a clown are exaggerating a forced and insincere smile which may seem sinister to some. The Uncanny Valley effect is when a figure is lifelike enough to be disturbing but not lifelike enough to be realistic, this is another reason why people may find clowns disturbing. This effect links to this song as the singer of the song (Tiny Tim) who sings the lyrics in a unconventional and over enthused manor, many of use see this singing style as sinister. This is because the happy emotion from the vocals seems too happy, making it seem forced, unnatural and creepy. The lyrics of the song have positive messages of love and happiness, however the tone of the singer over powers the message with an insincere and sinister tone of voice. This song is often used in horror films to create a unnatural atmosphere of happiness such as it’s use in Insidious. In one specific a Mother in the house is cleaning the Garden and spots a child dancing to this song. The song choice of this music creates a sinister and unnatural presence in the movie which presents the dancing child as creepy and evil. In this film case the innocent action of the boy dancing is juxtaposed by sinister and creepy music which alerts us to the unsettling atmosphere.
Reading List
Higgypop. 2018. The Creepiest Nursery Rhymes From Horror Movies & Television. [online] Available at: <https://www.higgypop.com/news/creepiest-nursery-rhymes/> [Accessed 14 June 2021].
Higgypop. 2017. ‘Tiptoe Through The Tulips’ The Scariest Song EVER. [online] Available at: <https://www.higgypop.com/news/tiptoe-through-the-tulips/> [Accessed 14 June 2021].