We couldn’t miss this one off the list! Music for a true thriller, Herrmann captures the tension and drama within the film perfectly. This piece is totally surreal and from Berlioz’s notes, he has written how he ‘ sees himself at a witches’ sabbath, in the midst of a hideous gathering of shades, sorcerers and monsters of every kind who have come together for his funeral’. Hector Berlioz – Dream of a Witches’ Sabbathīest known for its use in The Shining, this piece is the fifth movement from Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique telling the story of an artist (Berlioz himself) who experiences visions whilst influenced by opium. Death beckons the dead from their graves to dance for him, with the sound of their rattling bones imitated by the use of the xylophone. Saint-Saëns’s 1874 tone poem begins with a harp repeating the same note twelve times signifying midnight. The dense orchestral textures and epic clusters bring about a sense of ambiguity and mystery… as well as the odd goosebump or two! Kubrick went on to use Ligeti’s compositions in several other films, including The Shining.

Ligeti’s orchestral masterpiece became best known after it had been used in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: Space Odyssey. Whether you seek out real dark music, or you are fascinated by a gothic atmosphere and horror - or just looking for some scary classical music for Halloween.

How to play spooky organ