Music Research

Don’t Fear the Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
(Don’t Fear) the Reaper was written was released in 1979 by rock band Blue Oyster Cult as part of their 4th album, ‘Agents of Fortune’. The song was written and composed by, lead guitarist, Donald Roeser. The song is built up around a simple guitar riff that use minor chord shapes to build tension and create a spooky sound that is recognisable to this day.

The songs sound mirrors the lyrics. “The reaper” is a reference to the grim reaper, a traditional symbol to death in European folklore. Also, lyrics such as "Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity" have led many listeners to interpret the song to be about a murder-suicide pact. However, the composer denies these claims. This symbol of death mirrors one of the characters in my movie who is a similar character to the grim reaper.
Since the release in 1979, the song has been used in numerous horror movies, such as. Halloween, Halloween 2, Zombieland, Scream and The Stand. This has prompted me to believe that it is a suitable song to use in the opening of a horror movie. Also, the song actually is very catchy, gets the audience attention and makes them remember the picture.


Metallica – Enter Sandman
‘Enter Sandman’ featured as the opening track on Metallica’s famous album ‘The Black Album’. Metallica are known worldwide for their grunge sounding, heavy guitar licks and hard rock attitude and style. The song was produced by Bob Rock, and the music was written by Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and James Hetfield. Vocalist and guitarist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the simplest concept of a child's nightmares.


The song is supposed to tell a story of a child’s nightmare with the stereotypical Sandman. During the music video a child is seen reciting a prayer whilst being overlooked by ‘The Sandman’. The music video as a whole conjoins with the lyrics perfectly and really paints an image of the story.
The music itself also contribute to the feeling of suspense with a repeating riff throughout which gradually grows in texture up to the height of the song; the chorus. This is just the type of music that could be used in my film to create suspense and tension.