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The 10 Scariest Video Game Music Tracks

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Written by Brittany Vincent

It’s easy to escape disturbing imagery. You just close your eyes. In an instant, the offending blight on your vision disappears. Traces may well remain in the shelter of your eyelids, but for the moment you’re in the clear. A haunting melody, however, lingers with you long after you scramble to turn down the volume. Like a bright, cheery pop song on the radio that worms its way into your psyche, so too do the unsettling notes wafting from your speakers. Dissonant chords that seep into your very being and hallucinatory auditory effects play important roles in horror, as you’re no doubt already aware. After all, aren’t the things you hear much scarier than the things you’re seeing in the dark?

It’s easier to explain away bizarre visuals, but much harder to explain away what you’ve heard. That’s why music is such a powerful tool when it comes to setting an appropriate mood, in horror and otherwise. Even when you think you’re safe from the chills that run down your spine after being forced to listen to some painfully atmospheric soundtrack cuts, a few key notes arise in the back of your mind to plague you once again. But some are definitely a little worse than others. Here are ten genuinely disturbing cuts from various games, horror and otherwise, that you might want to listen to with the lights on, or chase with some Carly Rae Jepsen.

1. Saya no Uta – “Schizophrenia”

Saya no Uta, a uniquely Lovecraftian visual novel is bizarre in many ways, and grotesque to the point of revulsion. That’s why it’s fantastic. And from the first few grinding notes of “Schizophrenia,” it quickly becomes obvious as to what kind of protagonist you’re dealing with – a young man, permanently mentally disfigured after experimental surgery, now feels a certain disconnect from the human world as all of his surroundings now resemble that of disgusting, tentacled monsters and veiny, meaty environments. Beautiful women now spout foul syllables vaguely resembling the English language through appendages they call their mouths. Language is garbled, sweet smells are now rancid, and all that was once human is now something decidedly more sinister. “Schizophrenia” perfectly embodies the creeping frustration and self-loathing the protagonist must now be experiencing, as he is now a prisoner in his own mind. You can practically feel the gradual descent into madness. It’s a comfortable, familiar madness, and one that grips you tightly without letting go.

2. Pokémon Red and Blue – “Lavender Town”

Pokémon is a whirlwind franchise and appeals to players of all ages, but it’s never been particularly “normal.” Something about the muted greys of the original games, the murky translations, and eerie phenomena within has a way of creeping under your skin, especially once you hit Lavender Town and uncover the secrets inside. The deceptively calm town’s tune ranks highly on most gamers’ lists of terrifying childhood memories, and for good reason: it’s plinking chiptune introduction conjuring a spirit nearing your back, and then a cavalcade of jarring chords crop up, perhaps mirroring the bad juju that seems to have settled over the town like some kind of uneasy fog. And while orchestral arrangements of the familiar tune only seek to amplify the creep factor, the original’s uneasy melody is enough nightmare fuel to power an especially malevolent terror machine. Try not to picture the spirits of all the deceased Pokémon of the past when passing through this town.

3. Super Paper Mario – “River Twygz Bed”

Demonic chanting, distorted words, and uneasy chord changes? Surely we’re not in a Mario game! Actually, we are. Super Paper Mario, to be precise. Of course, it makes sense – the River Twygz (like a certain River Styx you may already have heard of) is found in the Underwhere in game, where the dead congregate. The River Twygz is filled to the brim with tears of the enemies who fell in battle (that’s why it’s purple) and near the bottom of the river bed madness comes to claim those who fall in. Luigi fell victim once before, and Mario as usual has to do all the saving. There’s something about this particular track that feels devilishly out of place, though, and even more foreboding than “Looping Stairs” as heard in Super Mario 64. If ever playing through Super Paper Mario, it might be a good idea to throw on some headphones and blot all of this out.

4. Pokémon Platinum – “Distortion World”

We return to Pokémon for another dosage of mind-altering, pitch-bending goodness, with the theme “Distortion World” (known in Japan as “Torn World”) from a particular dungeon where the player must traverse inky black darkness and shift dimensions in order to face the legendary Giratina – part of the “creation trio” of Sinnoh. This temporal Pokémon with its obviously mythical origins is a challenge in battle, and “Distortion World” does a perfect job of capturing how bewildering and unsettling journeying to the monster’s lair must be, with melodies invoking that of vertigo, confusion, and sickness, as though one is stuck on a malfunctioning carnival ride. If you thought “Lavender Town” was a challenging listen, you know where your volume switch is on the DS.

5. Final Fantasy VII – “Who Are You”

Accompanying a major turning point in-game, “Who Are You” is a light yet menacing fever dream, with alternating melodies – two chances to invoke painful memories, force you to face your inner demons, or run screaming in the other direction. If you’re familiar with the Final Fantasy VII mythos and the imagery associated with this particular moment (specifically, a headless entity I won’t mention here for the five of you who haven’t played the game yet) you should know this particular track quite well. While specific instances of the song are close to melting away into some sort of inviting, warm place, the rest is absolute cold like medical equipment – a stethoscope on your back. Nobuo Uematsu’s steely “Who Are You” doubles as the perfect soundtrack for wandering down a dark alleyway…should you ever choose to do so.

6. Silent Hill 3 – “Prayer”

Nothing about these gravelly, other-worldly voices chanting in an unknown language will comfort you. Who are they? What are they saying? Who are they praying to? Perhaps these are all questions you don’t really want the answers to. A psychotic chant rife with darkness, made to a series of demonic gods? Or are we really the demons here? A final question to leave you with as you ponder this particularly disturbing track: what will the results of this haunting psalm be? Death? Dismemberment? You decide.

7. Silent Hill 4 – “Silent Circus”

This track expertly captures the feeling of wandering around aimlessly in a surrealistic circus setting, and its trip-hop feel what with the backing drum beat and casual air disarm and catch you off guard. As if Silent Hill 4 weren’t trippy enough, “Silent Circus” enhances the feeling of normalcy that can permeate your being while playing through, but steps aside just long enough for you to realize there’s absolutely nothing familiar or safe about your environment. Don’t believe me? Ask Cynthia.

8. EarthBound (Mother 2) – “Giygas”

The various stages of the showdown against Giygas come with their own respective tracks, but the final battle’s theme takes the cake as far as being downright horrifying goes. If you subscribe to the theory regarding Giygas as a fetus (look it up, we’re serious) then the “lullaby” portion and what sounds like a hundred computers crashing to a screeching halt with error messages abound should make plenty more sense. But you can’t grasp the true form of Giygas’ attack, so settle for having a go at the battle theme and having a pleasant sleep.

9. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – “Song of Healing”

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time showcased some of the most memorable snippets of music we’ll remember throughout our lives – especially “Bolero of Fire,” if you’re a fan. The great vibes from Ocarina of Time were turned on their head in Majora’s Mask, starting with the visuals and then the darker themes, but the “Song of Healing” is decidedly more sinister than the previous themes Link may learn for his ocarina. Especially if you listen to it reversed.

10. Super Mario 64 – “Looping Stairs”

Laugh if you must, but Super Mario 64 is its own brand of scary. And as you ascend these particular stairs the Shepard tone-infused “Looping Stairs” theme that follows you on the way up is simultaneously disconcerting and hopeful – if you’re on this particular staircase without enough stars, you’re not going anywhere. The constant rising, never reaching a climax is particularly unsettling, especially when listened to for prolonged periods, not to mention frustrating.

And there you have it – ten disturbing pieces of music in video games. But there’s a wide world of content out there and it’s a certainty you’ve heard something even creepier. Let us know what we missed, and keep an ear out for more. You never know where you’re going to find another viable gem.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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