Soundtrack To The Best Horror Movie You’ve Never Seen

My Mixtape’s A Masterpiece is a weekly feature in which a guest compiles a 12-song playlist around some theme. This week, Shafi Malik assembles the soundtrack for an imaginary horror film that will lull you into its world only to then haunt your days. Read Shafi’s thoughts on each track and listen along to the Spotify and YouTube playlists below.

The sound of a horror film is integral to how effectively the movie stays with an audience. When we remember the most iconic scenes of horror, we usually recall the music that accompanies it (if any does). We can’t visualise David Naughton contorting in agony without remembering Sam Cooke’s rendition of “Blue Moon”. We can’t think of Ellen Burstyn’s agonised facial expressions without hearing Tubular Bells in our heads. We can’t recall how slowly that camera closes in on that photo of Jack Nicholson in that party in 1921 without hearing the faint vocals of Al Bowlly.

Here I’ve put together, not just a mixtape or playlist, but a selection of spooky, creepy and—dare I say—scary tunes for what would be the soundtrack to THE BEST HORROR MOVIE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN!

1. “Night” by Benga & Coki

A club classic! There is a creepy element that seeps throughout this track. It feels somewhat muted by its bottom-end but has that banging drive at the same time. I can imagine this playing in a pre-credits scene where the innocent virgin is being shoved and dragged through a rave full of hungry vampires. Start those sprinklers!

2. “Say The Name” by clipping.

Opening credits! There are quite a lot of tracks to pick from clipping.’s discography as they’ve released two back-to-back amazing Horrorcore albums in 2019 and 2020. This song samples the classic Geto Boyz “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” and is peppered throughout the track like a deadly chant that drones on in between Daveed Diggs’ heavy verses

3. “Transformation” by Nona Hendryx

I always found this slow jam to have a spooky ambiance. I can imagine it playing over a montage of an alienated teenager going about their daily routine, avoiding any socialising in and out of school and trying to stay invisible under overcast skies of a small-town neighbourhood.

4. “Uranium” by Radioactive Man

A perfect way to continue the sense of dread throughout this movie is to have this instrumental which has brooding synths, and the sound of something that sounds like a chainsaw being strapped to an 808.

5. “What’s He Building?” by Tom Waits

One of my favourite spoken word tracks. The subtle details you can hear in the background is such ingenious sound design. Who sounds creepier on this track: the titular character whose strange behaviour we’re hearing about? Or the narrator and his obsession with his mysterious neighbour? “We have a right to know…”

6. “Bad Thing” by David Holmes

David Holmes and Jon Spencer channelling their inner Dr. John to create a sleazy, heart-breaking psychedelic Swamp Rock epic. Apparently, Spencer recorded these vocals straight after going through a tough break-up with his girlfriend. You can hear the agony in his wailing as the organs come to a crescendo “I wear the clothes of dead people...!” Freaky!

7. “Terrified” by Childish Gambino

That isolated bassline and the keys underneath Glover’s vocals gives this track an eerie but soulful feel. Glover has always kept his cards close to his chest about the meanings behind his songs. Is it about committing to a relationship? Is it about the music industry? I don’t know, but it makes for a really atmospheric song and would suit a scene in a spooky movie.

8. “Hive” by Earl Sweatshirt

C’mon, this beat was made to terrify! That deep rolling bassline, slow creeping cymbal, and the choir-like vocals creep you out and make you want to constantly look over your shoulder. I always thought Earl’s monotone cadence fits with this beat so well. There is such dread in his lyrical content and Vince Staples brings the heat!

9. “Graveyard Chamber” by Gravediggaz

A Horrorcore classic! RZA’s beat is so off-kilter, it doesn’t make for easy listening. Especially with how shit-scary that lyrical content is from all of the featured MCs on this track. I can imagine it in a scene where someone is blasting it out of their car before being decapitated and the monster of the movie “…drags (their) brain through the gravel.”

10. “Nightstalkin’” by The Usual Suspects

A truly underrated dancefloor banger. This was an early pseudonym for Tech-House, Breakbeat DJs Layo and Bushwacka. The low gritty bassline over the electronic drums envisions a scene where someone is driving along an empty dark lane and we don’t know where the road will take them.

11. “I’ve Got Five On It (Aphrodite Mix)” by Luniz

I know, I know! You’re probably thinking I’m cheating here because its already used as an iconic song choice for a very popular Horror movie, but this is a remix that is so dear to my heart. There was a long period where it could be found on every Jungle mixtape. So, I thought why not add it to this mixtape too!

(Editor’s Note: this version wasn’t available in Spotify, so went with the one from US. But you can hear Aphrodite’s remix in the YouTube playlist below)

12. “Night Time Story” by Lo Fidelity AllStars

Closing credits – a seriously unhappy ending with an image that lingers in the audience head as they leave the cinema. This track from an underrated album by an underrated band could echo in your head hours after you leave as you try and erase the disturbing images you just saw. Those organs will play on and on in your mind for the rest of the night.