PRS for Music, the organisation that collects royalties on behalf of composers and songwriters, today reveals that the score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho tops the list of film theme tunes that have the UK Population hiding in horror, during the Halloween season.

Composed by Bernard Hermann, Psycho along with North by Northwest, Vertigo and The Man Who Knew Too Much presents a collaboration between Hermann and legendary film producer Alfred Hitchcock, inspired by a thrill to scare, squirm and shock. Runner up was Jerry Goldsmith’s Ave Satani, composed with samples from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, as used in Richard Donner’s, 1976 film, The Omen.

Top five scariest film theme songs:

Song Film Composer
1. Psycho Theme Psycho Bernard Hermann
2. Ave Satani The Omen Jerry Goldsmith
3. Samara’s Song The Ring Hans Zimmer
4. Phantom of The Opera Phantom of The Opera Andrew Lloyd Webber
5. Tubular Bells The Exorcist Mike Oldfield

Source: PRS for Music

The results are based on data compiled by PRS for Music, using survey results sent to PRS for Music members.

As the third most lucrative trading period after Christmas and Easter, Halloween sales are expected to top £235 million*. Britain has picked up the American desire to celebrate 'All Hallows Eve’, with millions of pumpkins sold, horror films watched and thousands of parties being held.

Commenting on the results, Ellis Rich, chairman of PRS for Music said: 'During this period many of us turn to horror films on a quest for the thrill of goosebumps. What makes the difference between an average horror and a classic is clearly the film score, without which the movie would just not have the same effect.'

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