Herman Stein and Horror Movie Music

by Don Sumner, BHM Editor
(Atlanta, GA)

Herman Stein with the Creature - Music Helped it Work.

Herman Stein created the music behind Creature from the Black Lagoon and hundreds of other films. Stein’s passing in 2007 reminds all horror freaks of the power of music in our horror favorites.

Herman Stein passed away on March 15, 2007. To many his passing went unnoticed, and even if you were randomly perusing the NY Times obituaries and saw his name the impact he had on horror of this century may have been largely missed. To me, however, the loss of Herman Stein started thought about music in horror movies and what a crucial role it plays.

After starting his music career as a jazz composer in the 1940s Herman Stein went on to create the atmospheric melodies that defined the creature-feature era of modern horror. Although Stein composed the score for many movies prior, creating the melodic environment for Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954, brought him to the consciousness of many horror aficionados. Following Creature was Revenge of the Creature, 1955, Sci-Fi classic This Island Earth, 1955, Tarantula , 1955, The Creature Walks Among Us, 1956, Francis in the Haunted House, 1956 and The Thing that Couldn’t Die, 1958 Along with television episodes of Lost in Space and dozens of other scores running the gamut from Abbot and Costello to spaghetti westerns.

In every case Herbert Stein succeeded in creating music that draws an audience into the story and action on the screen.

Where would horror be without those that create the auditory atmosphere that pulls us all in? Who can forget the orchestral build-up as that fin breaks the ocean surface and progresses toward an unsuspecting swimmer in Jaws? How about the Sh-Sh-Sh-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha that precedes the appearance and murderous activities of Jason Voorhees (or, as appropriate, his mother) in Friday the 13th?

When we horror fans describe the horror movies that really “get” us we usually discuss the story, the setting, the surprise-factors, the gore…but what about the music? Would Michael Myers leaping from behind a couch toward poor Laurie Strode have nearly the impact without the shrill high-volume music invading our ears as he strikes with a knife?

In the early days of cinema music was no more than a piano playing in the background as the action takes place on the screen. In fact, our forefather’s movie theaters actually had a live pianist playing while the silent movie flickered above in glorious black and white. Even then the film-makers recognized the importance of music and sound as an element capable of drawing in even the most resistant of movie-goers. Scores were written with dramatic peaks during particularly dramatic moments. I believe that even a modern horror movie as tense and dramatic as The Descent would have trouble holding a horror freak’s attention in dead silence.

The passing of Herman Stein is a loss to those of us who enjoy the creature-feature era of horror and watching that fish-lipped dinosaur stealing away the lovely fiancé of our esteemed hero. It is also an opportunity for horror fans to notice the impact that music and score have on our horror movie experience.

Maybe, in the future while I am describing setting, gore, acting and believability of the horror movies I watch, I will also be sure and notice the profound impact the music has on the entire experience. Of course, maybe I won’t mention it…but we all know it is there.