March 15, 2026Editorials, Lists, News
The movie soundtrack taught me a lot about how to lead a fan. Music is my life, an escape from reality, just like horror movies about imaginary creatures in our closets. I have a lot of horror soundtracks.
Let’s get started. Some are obvious, others not so much. Some aren’t even horror films. Here we go!
Rob Zombie’s Halloween:It hit the moment perfectly, where out of the blue, a song comes on that you’ve known all your life if you had dads like mine. From the opening scene, the soundtrack was absolutely amazing. It caught me off guard. I didn’t expect to fall for it right away. Consisting of bands such as The MC5 and Blue Öyster Cult. It was a fantastic portrayal of the Gen X culture; it was all sunshine and rainbows.
Angus: If this were a review, it would be very high in the list. The music fit my persona, a loner and a target for not just bullies, but everyone. The first time I saw this film, the soundtrack sucked me right in. I knew a lot of the songs, from The Muffs to Weezr. This soundtrack made me feel safe; I had a place to go, and a VHS tape kept me safe after a hard day. The film also has my favorite Green Day song; it hit me to the core right away, though I knew the band, and this song came out of left field. This soundtrack is in my daily playlist, even if it’s just on random.
Empire Records: This film was on that Angus VHS I watched these two films over and over. Especially since the film included GWAR, I was sold right away. This film also caught me off guard with its soundtrack; it was so eclectic and made me feel like a college kid who is just trying to get by. This isn’t in my regular rotation, but it always fills my head with memories when I do hear it.
Maximum Overdrive: This film is sacred to me; it’s the only time my dad and I got along. Though it’s all AC/DC, it’s better than Iron Man. Though it was kind of weird listening to one band throughout the entire film, it somehow worked. I honestly think it’s more to reminisce.
Suburbia: I know a lot of punk rockers live by this film. I have only watched the film a few times in my life, but the soundtrack is better than the actual film, in my opinion. The film is a rough look at how it all began with street punks. Other than that, there were just so many red flags in this movie. I will admit the soundtrack is top-notch, though. I have been part of the scene for over 30 years, and a lot of people have the same opinion as me; it’s not about punk, it’s just a shock of things I didn’t want to see and have scarred me for life.
Freddy VS. Jason: This film is perfection in my opinion. I know there are millions of people who will disagree, and that’s fine; they can make their own list. Armchair critics hate this movie wt a passion. As an actual journalist, I give an honest opinion. This soundtrack was the best of Nu Metal. I loved every song on it. Hatebreed, Chimara, Murderdolls. There were so many great bands involved. I still rock this movie sometimes, and I have no regrets.
The Crow: I know, I know, this is really common. However, it was sacred to us in the nineties. People lived for this movie, and it created a big following. It gave us one big, perfectly timed film. This soundtrack was a bible for me. It made me realize I wasn’t alone in my fadom, which kind of evolved into my adulthood, and I will jam this soundtrack at least twice a week. The film’s soundtrack also has two of my favorite songs, Such as Burn and Dead Souls, a beautiful tribute to Joy Division.
Forrest Gump: This film had so much going on in the life of an imaginary hero. The film’s soundtrack evolved with time, and it became better and better. I mean, I don’t care who you are, this soundtrack is gonna pull your heartstrings in a wave of nostalgia for Boomers (I don’t mean in a bad way).
SLC Punk: It’s another basic soundtrack, but it is that way for a reason; it speaks out to a damaged generation, before phones and blah blah blah. I love it because I love punk rock; it pulled me in right from the start. One day, while searching through the local music store, I found this movie and immediately bought it because, well, because it had punks on the cover. Both the movie and soundtrack run a muck in my head, some depressing songs, some rabid British bands who didn’t expect how die-hard Americans were. From Minor Threat to The Exploited. It was almost a rite of passage to listen to this soundtrack.
Return of the Living DeadSoundtrack: This film was my life. I mean, when I was about 6 or 7, my cousin and I, our parents didn’t really care too much as long as we were quiet. I knew what punk rock was before I even knew it existed. All I know is when we got into my uncle’s car, we listened to this soundtrack. It is in my daily rotation, sometimes even twice. I will never love a soundtrack more than this one. The memories flow, the good ones, the ones that make me feel like a kid again.
There’s my list; there is plenty more, but I made it simple and short. What are your favorite film soundtracks?
