Horror Outside the Table - Music to Set the Mood
Following up on last week’s post , I bring some great ways to inject a little more horror into your everyday life. Last week’s focus was podcasts, giving you a steady dose of spooky stories to bring the creepy mood. This week I look to music, so you can create a soundtrack of suspense and fright to go along with the coming season.
Music can be just as useful outside a TTRPG game as it is in it. Whether you are trying to build immersion or just want something to play along with your day to day life to create some ambiance, adding some ominous music can help build that feeling. Personally I enjoy using this music while taking a walk in the cemetery next door, especially early in the morning.
Below are just a few of the sources I have found useful over the years.
Greenwood Cemetery Mausoleum
Video Games
Video Games often have great ambient music. It can range from ominous, creepy, slow music to powerful action packed scores. I find a mix of all of them can be very useful.
Bloodborne - (Spotify) - If you are not familiar with this game, Bloodborne takes place in a world plagued by dark and twisted monsters. This soundtrack has a mix of high action along with some ominous ambient music. I particularly enjoy Lullaby for Mergo.
The Witcher 3 (and the Wild Hunt Soundtrack) - (Spotify) This set of albums has equal mixes of dread and action, and can be excellent to build an atmosphere. The Blood and Wine Soundtrack is especially promising.
The Last of Us - (Spotify) Simple yet haunting music fills this soundtrack, painting a picture of a world broken. Excellent ambient music, especially if you enjoy the twang an acoustic guitar adds.
Darkest Dungeon - (Spotify) A fantastic game that feels deep in despair and shadows, the music combines a mixture of action and dread to it. If you are looking for some up beat action, Town in Chaos will really get your heart racing.
Movies
Often movies will try to build a foundation through the music they play, and can be useful for cultivating an ambient soundtrack of horror or dread. I find that the mixture of background music with the occasional standout piece can help create a nature flow of feelings.
Annihilation - (Spotify) - Based off The Southern Reach Trilogy , Annihilation plunges into the world slowly changing due to an unknown alien creature. The soundtrack pairs perfectly, creating an atmosphere of dread with ominous tones.
It Follows - (Spotify) - A powerful psychological horror, and the soundtrack follows along with it. It builds wonderful tension and can be especially power on late night strolls on dark lit paths.
Color Out of Space - (Spotify) - A truly bizarre movie that, in my opinion, Nicholas Cage excels at, this is based on the short Lovecraft Story of the same name. The soundtrack does an excellent job of building on horror unknown.
Arrival - (Spotify) - While not necessarily a horror movie, Arrival builds a lot of unknown and suspense throughout the story. The album is just as good, with a lot of wonderful and creepy songs in it.
Artists
Finally I have artists that I found on their own, not through a movie or soundtrack. Oftentimes these came about as part of playlists for my TTRPGs, providing a solid spooky sound.
Adrian Von Ziegler (Specifically Queen of Thorns) - (Spotify) - A wonderful Swiss Instrumental Artist, a lot of the music plays towards the fantasy. Some wonderful dark pieces.
Nox Arcana (Season of the Witch) - (Spotify) - Dark gothic tones come from this artist, with inspirations from classic horror. Some excellent ambient music that feels right at home with Halloween right around the corner.
Midnight Syndicate (Monster of Legend) - (Spotify ) - Another wonderful mix of ominous gothic music, Midnight Syndicate is almost synonymous with spooky tabletop sessions with me. Definitely builds the suspense.
Kevin MacLeod (Darkness) - (Spotify) - Most people familiar with TTRPGs have heard of Kevin MacLeod and his royalty free music. The Darkness Album is full of wonderfully dark and dreadful hits.
Brandon Boone - (Spotify) - The composer for The No Sleep Podcast (mentioned last week), Brandon’s music has become a mainstay for me. Being a huge fan of the show has shown me his skills, and his own music is just as powerful.
Final Thoughts
The selection above can really help you create some spooky ambience this Halloween Season. Whether you are using it for background while you work, filling your home while you read at night, or working to scare yourself on a moonlit walk around the graveyard, these songs should help build that mood. My favorite part of finding these artists is making playlists out of songs from all of them to drive home a singular mood through the blending of the sources. I worked to make a playlist full of dread for one of my one-shot adventures, and these really helped. You can check out the playlist here .Do you have music I did not mention? Make a playlist to inspire fear and dread? Let me know below, I love to expand my selection!
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