Source of Inspiration - Childlike music

The Ring 

In this piece of music a child's voice is used in order to evoke fear within the listener as it makes the listener feel very uncomfortable as children are supposed to be seen as innocent whereas this piece of music makes them feel like a threat. The use of making the voice sound like a whisper is also extremely effective and is seen in many horror movies as it sounds like it may be coming from behind you or whispering in your ear. Also playing in the background is the sound of a music box playing which is also linked to children and again another element that is strongly used in order to evoke fear. It is repeated twice as if to imply that there is no escape from it and also gets it stuck in the viewers head and emphasises on the idea of the echo by replaying the entire lyrical part of the song again when the director could've played it once. I feel this is very effective as the lyrics to it are quite simple and although they sound nice by ending on 'and then we all die' it gives it a completely different meaning to what we may have thought was being conveyed. 

One Missed Call (Japanese Version)

This is the other version to the one I used before which is much less complex and more straight to the point that it actually sounds like a ring tone for a phone (a cheap one). It again goes on the childlike melody that would play from a music box as it extremely effective by linking it to the idea of being a phones alert tone. Therefore this shows that before making a piece of music there needs to be a link between it and the actions which are going to happen on the screen. This shows that childlike music is really effective and quietly broadly used within the horror genre as the audience find it uncomfortable as it sounds quite haunting and like a charm. It isn't as manufactured as the American version and therefore is more useful as elements can be taken and modelled into something that we could use as a group. This definitely shows that music boxes is a worthwhile idea.

Nightmare on Elmstreet

This song although quite similar to The Ring song plays on a nursery rhyme and makes it something extremely sinister towards the audience, again playing on the idea of children being a threat. By replacing lyrics into something that is supposed to be seen as fun and innocent can be more effective that creating original lyrics. '9 10 NEVER SLEEP AGAIN' is the one I find personally quite effective as it plays on something that everybody needs and therefore again changing something which is supposed to be quite calm and comforting into something that is going to evoke nightmares. Again the song would play on peoples minds and therefore if your heard the nursery rhyme anywhere it may trigger remembering the song from the film; which is quite a clever tactic as that sense of horror will be conveyed whenever the nursery rhyme is played. 

Ring around the Rosie 

This again like Nightmare on Elmstreet plays with changing the style of a nursery but this time it is made more sinister by the effects which they have used on the voice in order to make it scary. The have slowed down how the words are said and therefore elongates them and makes the song last for longer in order to prolong how long the audience have to listen to it for. Another tactic is that is doesn't sound necessarily like a child's voice as a use of echo and a slight change in pitch make it sound more around teens but this still has a prominent effect of the viewer. By having the slight echo on the voice it makes the notes continue through the viewers head and therefore there is no pause in the music as it is ever echoing also this is an example of a child's voice without the music box playing in the background and it seems to have a quite nice effect as there is nothing else taking away the attention from hearing that voice. Like the Ring it may make you think that there is someone behind you and also that it changes in volume so it gradually gets louder and then quieter therefore distorting the way the viewer hears it. 

Pans Labyrinth 

The music box in this piece of music is paired with a Xylophone which plays at intervals in the background adding to the childlike effect which the lullaby is trying to convey. The fact that it is called a lullaby subverts the idea that it is supposed to be scary and that lullabies are put across to be comforting when you go to sleep. However with this piece of music I feel that there is still something sinister about it underneath the idea that it is trying to convey sleep. I think that without the Xylophone it would've been more childlike but with adding in that instrument it immediately becomes something so much more than without. A Xylophone is something which mainly children play and therefore there are two elements of childhood within one score and that is what makes it scarier. Also they have the turning sound of the handle which winds up the box which makes a grating sound when generally they are quite quiet. This therefore suggests that something isn't right and also there is the slight sound of a ticking noise as though it is being conveyed that some sort of time is running out. 

Pirates of the Caribbean 

This is a locket melody when opened and I feel that out of all of the music boxes this is the most comforting however it has a sense of loss and need for connection as it plays repeatedly on the same tune as if to convey the idea that the rest of the melody has either been lost or forgotten. Again there is the childlike element as it is of a more high pitch which compares more with a music box as though something is spinning whilst it is playing. There is the change in pitch as if to imply that there is hope but then the pitch sinks as though it is lost and there is a difficult chance of getting it back. I really like this melody as there is a lot which you can do with it in a sense of adding lyrics or changing the structure in order to make it into something quite scary and sinister when its main use is show a loss of a love. It can repeat over and over and still be as effective as it was before which is extremely positive if you needed it to be used in order to adds emphasis onto a scene or create a build in tension. It is also quite trance like as if to hypnotise somebody.