Blumhouse Productions has become a titan of the Horror genre in the past 15 years. Their list of hits includes the Sinister, Insidious, and Paranormal Activity franchises, as well as many more commercially and critically successful films. One of the coolest aspects of Blumhouse Pictures is how they implement music into their films, adding to the horror and suspense.
Insidious
Patrick Wilson
Rose Byrne
Lin Shaye
Ty Simpkins
Barbara Hershey
Angus Sampson
Andrew Astor
Corbett Tuck
Heather Tocquigny
Ruben Pla
John Henry Binder
Insidious, directed by the hugely influential James Wan, was one of Blumhouses earliest and biggest successes. It is a very strong and effective horror film that makes great use of jump scares as well as eerie, unsettling feelings throughout its runtime. Something that helps make the film so frightening is its use of music. The score is screeching and scary and the soundtrack sports a few strong tracks. The standout song associated with this film is “TipToe Through the Tulips” by Tiny Tim. It’s an unsettling song that matches perfectly with Insidious’s vibe and would go on to act as a sort of theme for the whole franchise.
Check out the full Insidious soundtrack here.
The Purge
Ethan Hawke
Lena Headey
Max Burkholder
Adelaide Kane
Edwin Hodge
Rhys Wakefield
Tony Oller
Arija Bareikis
Tom Yi
Chris Mulkey
Tisha French
Dana Bunch
The Purge is a cultural phenomenon of a film. Even non-horror fans have heard of this film series and are familiar with its concept of America’s 24 hours of lawlessness. Directed by James DeMonaco, this first film follows a rich family as they are attacked by their neighbors on the one night where all crime, including murder, is legal. It’s a solid film that explores the interesting concept pretty well and spawned a series that includes 5 movies and a TV show. The film's use of music is quite notable and includes one of the most recognized classical tunes of all time, “Claire de Lune,” composed by the influential Claude Debussy.
Check out the full The Purge soundtrack here.
Get Out
98%
85
7.8
Daniel Kaluuya
Allison Williams
Bradley Whitford
Caleb Landry Jones
Stephen Root
Catherine Keener
Marcus Henderson
Betty Gabriel
LaKeith Stanfield
Lil Rel Howery
Ashley LeConte Campbell
John Wilmot
One of the best horror films of the 2010s. Get Out, directed by Jordan Peele, is an amazing film that blends a unique concept, skilled direction, and amazing performances from the whole cast. It also includes much social commentary on race and the state of things in America, all of which is delivered well and doesn’t dilute any of the horror, which is still very effective. The movie is a great time, and this greatness includes its soundtrack, which includes the absolutely beautiful Childish Gambino track “Redbone.”
Check out the full Get Out soundtrack here.
Split
James McAvoy
Anya Taylor-Joy
Betty Buckley
Haley Lu Richardson
Jessica Sula
Izzie Coffey
Brad William Henke
Sebastian Arcelus
Neal Huff
Ukee Washington
Ann Wood
Robert Michael Kelly
Another top-tier film from the 2010’s decade. Split is a fascinating and entertaining film from the mind of the always-interesting M. Night Shyamalan. The film sees James McAvoy play Kevin, who has 23 different personalities, as he kidnaps a young girl (Anya Taylor-Joy). McAvoy’s performance is incredible and helps make what could be an outlandish concept of a double-digit personality psychopath work incredibly well. Another thing that helps the film work well is its use of music. This includes the catchy track “Wildewoman” by the artist Lucius.
Check out the full Split soundtrack here.
Happy Death Day
Jessica Rothe
Israel Broussard
Ruby Modine
Rachel Matthews
Billy Slaughter
Charles Aitken
Jimmy Gonzales
Jason Bayle
Rob Mello
Phi Vu
Laura Clifton
A fun film that borrows its concept from a 90’s classic. Happy Death Day, directed by Christopher Landon, sees its main character, Tree (played by Jessica Rothe), live through the same day over and over again. Each time she sees it end with her death, she tries to figure out who her killer is. An homage to Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day, it’s a strong and enjoyable movie. The film also contains many strong songs in its soundtrack, and arguably the best of the bunch is “Ophelia” by the folk band The Lumineers.
Check out the full Happy Death Day soundtrack here.
BlacKkKlansman
John David Washington
Adam Driver
Topher Grace
Laura Harrier
Alec Baldwin
Jasper Pääkkönen
Corey Hawkins
Paul Walter Hauser
Ryan Eggold
Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Robert John Burke
Brian Tarantina
While Blumhouse is primarily a horror studio, they do occasionally break away from that mold and take the opportunity to explore different genres. One such example is the critically acclaimed BlacKKKlansman, directed by the legendary Spike Lee. It’s a fantastic film that follows the first black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), and his collaboration with colleague Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to take down the KKK. It’s an awesome movie that also has awesome songs in its soundtrack. One great tune in its run is “Too Late to Turn Back Now” by The Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose.
Check out the full BlacKkKlansman soundtrack here.
Freaky
Vince Vaughn
Kathryn Newton
Celeste O'Connor
Misha Osherovich
Uriah Shelton
Dana Drori
Katie Finneran
Melissa Collazo
Alan Ruck
Brooke Jaye Taylor
Zack Shires
Magnus Diehl
An underrated entry in Blumhouse’s catalog. Freaky is a fun film starring new-gen scream queen Kathryn Newton and the always iconic Vince Vaughn. It’s an entertaining take on the classic Freaky Friday concept and puts it into the setting of an enjoyable teen slasher film that absolutely delivers on a good time and fresh vibe. A part of that great vibe is the movie's soundtrack, which includes the catchy tune “Omm!” by artist Morgxn.
Check out the full Freaky soundtrack here.
The Black Phone
Mason Thames
Ethan Hawke
Madeleine McGraw
Jeremy Davies
E. Roger Mitchell
Troy Rudeseal
James Ransone
Miguel Mora
Rebecca Clarke
J. Gaven Wilde
Spencer Fitzgerald
Jordan Isaiah White
One of the more viral horror films of the past couple of years, The Black Phone is a unique and effective horror film that is elevated in big part by the performance of Ethan Hawke as the film's main antagonist, the serial killer known as The Grabber. The concept of a phone filled with the voices of The Grabber’s former victims helping a young boy named Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) avoid the same fate is delivered very well, thanks to the aforementioned performance of Hawke as well as the skilled direction of Scott Derrickson. It’s an unsettling watch and one that sticks with viewers. Another memorable part of the film is the musical moments throughout. One of them includes the track “Free Ride” by The Edgar Winter Group, which is awesome and fitting.
Check the full The Black Phone soundtrack here.
M3GAN
93%726.4Allison Williams
Violet McGraw
Ronny Chieng
Amie Donald
Jenna Davis
Brian Jordan Alvarez
Jen Van Epps
Stephane Garneau-Monten
Lori Dungey
Amy Usherwood
Speaking of viral films, this movie caught the eyes of audiences with its trailer alone. M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone, takes the classic concept of a killer doll and elevates it to new heights with M3GAN, which is an artificial intelligence in the form of a life-like Doll. She is given to the 8-year-old niece of her creator as her best friend. But it turns out to be a gift with dire consequences. It’s a memorable movie and one that also includes a lot of great music. One of its best songs is the track “Deadly Valentine” by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Soulwax.
Check out the full M3GAN soundtrack here.
Five Nights at Freddy's
Josh Hutcherson
Piper Rubio
Elizabeth Lail
Matthew Lillard
Mary Stuart Masterson
Kat Conner Sterling
David Lind
Christian Stokes
Joseph Poliquin
Grant Feely
Asher Colton Spence
David Huston Doty
Ending the list with yet another incredibly popular film. Five Nights at Freddy’s has become one of the most preeminent horror franchises of the past decade, and this film attempts to convey the story of the series that was popularized in its numerous video games. The movie's quality is debatable, but its commercial success is not. Neither were its strong points, which included the practical effects and the performances of horror legend Matthew Lillard, who was the film's antagonist. A hit movie like this comes with a hit soundtrack that includes the song “Talking in Your Sleep” by the band The Romantics.
Check out the full Five Nights at Freddy's soundtrack here.