Scary music has a long, bone-chilling history in symphonies, plays, ballets, and operas, as well as movies. Most listeners automatically recognize when music sends clues that something creepy is hiding under the bed, in the basement, or behind the mask. And the creators of spooky tunes know exactly what they are doing to send shivers down the spines of listeners.
A favorite scary music technique is sound and music that hints a character is being chased. For example, the music may speed up and grow louder to suggest the danger is closing in. “My hunch is that our brains hear that music in terms of being hunted,” suggests Lerner. “Our instincts tell us a creature is upon us and we need to run away or turn and fight.” That was the technique the Jaws theme used to such terrifying effect.