Ever since those iconic orchestral stings accompanied the knife inHitchcock’sPsycho, music has been an indispensable tool in the horror maker’s toolkit. Countless directors would turn to that same orchestral style for their own films, but legendary Italian directorDario Argentowould throw out the playbook and go for something completely different.Starting with his landmark GialloDeep Red, Argento employed none other than progressive rockers Goblin to score the breadth of his classic catalog.Goblin was not just a novel choice, but a defining feature of Italian horror during the 1970s, being imitated by many, and utilized by greats likeGeorge A. Romeroin his essential zombie classic,Dawn of the Dead.The unlikely film composers in Goblin combined brilliant musicianship with relentless creativity and revolutionized horror movie music, opening the door for future iconoclasts likeJohn Carpenter.
How did a Prog Rock Band Start Making Film Music?
Goblin formed as a band in 1972, recording and performing live under the names “Oliver” and “Cherry Five” respectively, with the latter being the title of their first LP. The album was produced by Cinevox thanks to a connection from keyboardistClaudio Simonetti’s father. The album itself is a fun listen for prog fans, with the music showing influence from the likes of Yes, Camel, and King Crimson. As fate would have it, Cinevox was a major publisher of Italian film scores. Right after the release ofCherry Five,Dario Argento was looking for a rock band to record the soundtrack for his upcoming filmDeep Red. Argento had wanted amajor act like Deep Purple or Pink Floyd,but Cinevox directorCarlo Bixiosuggested it might be easier to go local. Argento gaveCherry Fivea spin and decided to give them a shot at the score, which the band would accept, but not under their published name.The band was given a mere two days to write and record the entire score,as the film was set to release a little over a month later. Despite the members of the band having never written anything for films before, Argento loved it.Deep Red was releasedon March 7th 1975, and the accompanying soundtrack was credited to the newly renamed, Goblin.
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Defying all expectations, the album sold more than a million copies, garnering praise from the film community and music critics alike. The sound is a seamless blend of jazz, progressive, and hard rock that givesDeep Redan unmistakable character. The horror sound is there too, with menacing baroque organs à la Bach’sToccata and Fugue in D Minor, along with a few callbacks to orchestral strings here and there. But what set Goblin’s work apart were tracks like “Mad Puppet”, a pulsing, frantic bit of jazz rock that playswhenGlauco Mauri’sProfessor Giordani is killed.The scene begins with the professor calmly filling a cup with tea before being startled by a whispering voice. He draws a knife from his desk, and the music cues. A repetitive piano riff over a jazzy drum beat; certainly not what most would expect from a scary scene. But the music gives the grisly murder a frantic sense of unease, a totally different sort of suspense. And that’s just one scene,with the whole movie being filled with suspenseful, chilling, creepy, and even groovy songs utilizing everything from electric guitars to harpsichords. The movie and soundtrack were smash hits, and the road was clear for Goblin to take over the Italian horror music scene.
Why Does Goblin’s Music Work So Well in Horror Movies?
Goblin would go on to score as many as twenty films and TV shows, but their most iconic relationship would remain with director Dario Argento. The band would provide music for some of Argento’s most celebrated works, beginning with the above-mentionedDeep Red,and including greats likePhenomenaandTenebrae.But the band is perhaps most celebrated for their magnum opus, the soundtrack to 1977’sSuspiria.The film is a horror staple for good reason, and its lasting appeal is most certainly helped by the masterful compositions provided by Goblin. Argento told the band hewanted the music to make the audience feel like the witches are always there,like the world ofSuspiriais perpetually haunted. And they did not disappoint, with the opening title track accompanying protagonist Suzy Bannion’s (Jessica Harper)very entrance into the dark world ofSuspiria.The automatic door exiting the airport is like a play button, allowing the haunting celesta melody in when it is open, and shutting it out when it closes.The music in this scene is just as much a character as the macabre villains the audience will experience as the story unfolds.The soundtrack toSuspiriautilizes atmosphere, creepy whispers, and a range of exotic sounding instruments and synth sounds that make the film feel alien and terrifying. And all the while, Goblin is as aware of groove and movement as they ever are, with the music having a life and pulse all its own.
With Goblin’s success in Italy came a unique opportunity to work with a true legend of horror, George A. Romero, though perhaps not as directly as the band would have liked. Dario Argento had taken on the task of re-editing Romero’sMartinin 1977, contracting Goblin to write and perform the score for the European cut. This Argento-Romero connection would end up giving the band an opportunity to write forthe landmark zombie flickDawn of the Dead,with Goblin providing the huge, iconic synth-driven title song, “L’alba Dei Morti Viventi” (“The Dawn of the Living Dead”). The band wrote an entire score for the movie, but unfortunately, only three of their pieces would end up on the original soundtrack, with Romero opting to select stock music to fill in the missing pieces. Nonetheless, the title track and the similarly iconic “Zombi” are major stand-outs in the film.The title track plays over the frantic opening scenes at the news station, with its droning, suspenseful chords providing an unnerving contrast to the chaos on screen.The tune conveys a sense of gravity and scale, as if the events portrayed are unstoppable and grave. “Zombi”, in stark contrast, is a fast, groovy tune that plays when the swat team raids the infested high-rise. It has a kind of militaristic feel at first, before breaking down into a percussive funk groove. This unlikely choice fits like a glove with the madness and movement of that scene.
European movie-goers would get the full experience, with Argento opting to use the entire Goblin score for his cut ofDawn of the Dead. This European cut benefits greatlyfrom Goblin’s eclectic soundtrack that dances gracefully from rock band, to bossanova, to big synthesizer booms.In addition to the powerful works mentioned above, Goblin even takes a dip into the comedic with tracks like “Torte In Faccia” (“Pie in the Face”), which plays during a bizarrely hilarious scene in which bikers (led by talented effects artistTom Saviniin an acting role) throw pies at zombies' faces. This odd example sheds light on one of the reasons Goblin fit so well into the horror scene in the 70s:They were excitingly different, just like the movies they scored.The 70s is known for being a sort of wild west in film making history,with directors of all genres throwing away the instruction manual and giving in to ferocious creativity.Deep Red, Suspiria,andDawn of the Deadare utterly unmarried to the genre norms of their day, and a composer that only wrote in the old style just would not have fit. Goblin’s progressive rock background, musical prowess, and unspoiled artistry were exactly what these movies needed.
Goblin would continue to produce film music afterDawn of the Dead,and they would continue performing their classic catalog in different iterations even to this day. Even today, their soundtrack albums are enjoyed by film lovers and progressive music fans all over the world.The band’s influence cannot be overstated in the horror genre, with greats like John Carpenter directly citing Goblin’s music as an influence in his soundtrack writing.Music is a character in all films,and just like any script, that character can be written well, or it can be written poorly. Goblin seems to have understood this concept, having provided a character of immense dynamism and unique intensity for movies that could not have worked with anything else.
