Music Inspiration

Non-Diegetic

Music used in Psychological Horror:

Donnie Darko

This track used in Donnie Darko is called Carpathian Ridge by Michael Andrews which was used in the opening scene of the film. In the beginning of the film there is use of off-screen thunder as well as this there are sounds of nature such as birds and insects which build up the atmospheric texture to the scene. Soon after we have met the main character a soft piano piece is played. The piece appears to be a prelude. The use of this soft delicate prelude is parallel to the sequence of the mountainous view which is juxtaposed by the sounds of thunder implying there is something underlying which could be quite sinister.

This piece of music here, also used in Donnie Darko has a more ambient approach using what it sounds like synthesisers as the main instrument. The music is good at providing a tense, unsettling and eerie atmosphere which would be of great inspiration to our film opening where we hope to show the past victims of our main character.

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In terms of our own film opening, I feel we could either go down a route in which we source or make an eerie and untuneful piece of non-diegetic music or have a delicate piece in which it develops to become more eerie. If we were to use a delicate and more beautiful piece, when the music was to progress we could layer sounds and tracks onto of the soft music to create an more eerie version of the piece. As for the eerie and untuneful, I feel the theme song to 'American Horror Story' would be of great inspiration due to the use of atmospheric and unsettling sounds featured throughout

I have tried to source some song(s) which we could possibly use:

'Les Silhouettes' is an instrumental which primarily uses the guitar and piano. The instrumental itself has a beautiful and delicate quality which could layers with eerie and atmospheric sounds. The song is quite versatile and can be used for many different types of scenes.

'A Blessed Unrest' is an instrumental which is based around the use of piano and violins. The piece has an underlying eerie tone with the use of violins, which tremble throughout the piece. This instrumental could be an option for our film opening due to the unsettling ambience it gives off.