The things that go bump in the night have long sparked our imaginations and captured our attention, so it’s no surprise there are a plethora of music videos inspired by horror movies. When we entered the age of cinema, it wasn’t long until the tales passed down from generation to generation and unsettling true stories made their way onto the silver screen — birthing the horror film genre as we know it.
As time went on and visionary directors and writers helped shape the genre, these films began to inspire young musicians wanting to pay tribute to their favorite horror flicks. Thanks to their inspiration, creative twists and willing directors, these artists have given us some brilliant horror-inspired music videos that range from comical parodies to dedicated homages. Below is our list of some of the most memorable music videos inspired by horror films — just in time to kick off your Halloween countdown. You’ll see videos from Slipknot, Metallica, Foo Fighters and more.
READ MORE: The 31 Scariest Metal Album Covers of All Time
“The Kill (Bury Me)”
by 30 Seconds to Mars
An homage to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, 30 Seconds To Mars recreated multiple iconic scenes from the film to fit into their world. In their video, Room 237 became Room 6277 (which spells out MARS on a telephone keypad), but not much else was changed in the unsettling scenes they chose to recreate, including the infamous “Bear Scene.” — RLB
“Everlong”
by Foo Fighters
Despite its low budget and the unintentionally hilarious performances found within the franchise, 1981’s The Evil Dead has become a cult classic. Therefore, it came as no surprise that Foo Fighters (a band known for their willingness to turn a music video into a comical event) would want to recreate some of the movie for “Everlong”’s music video. It’s essentially a punk rock fever dream, but it earned the band a nomination for Best Rock Video at the 1998 MTV Music Video Awards. — RLB
“Living Dead Girl”
by Rob Zombie
One of the first names that comes to mind when thinking about the crossroads of horror and music, Rob Zombie has made his fair share of contributions to the horror genre. However, before he went on to create feature films, the video for “Living Dead Girl” served as an expression of his love for the history of filmmaking and horror. Starring Zombie as The Doctor and Sheri Moon as the titular Living Dead Girl, the video’s aesthetic and narrative inspiration was derived from 1920 classic silent film The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari. —RLB
“Pet Sematary”
by The Ramones
The name says it all. Written for the 1989 film of the same name after Stephen King himself invited The Ramones to Maine to read the novel, the video for the track features the band acting out the séance scene from the film in New York’s Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Keep your eyes peeled when watching the video for cameos by Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and members of The Dead Boys. — RLB
“Engel”
by Rammstein
All it took was one scene from Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn to inspire the music video for “Engel,” and we have Salma Hayek to thank for that. The vampire queen’s snake dance in the movie wowed the band, and as a result, Rammstein set out to create their own interpretation of the scene for their video—complete with a slithering friend of their own. — RLB
“Psycho”
by Puddle of Mudd
The campy music video for Puddle of Mudd’s “Psycho” is a horror movie lover’s dream. Featuring key elements and characters from Halloween, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist and, of course, Psycho, the video is the ultimate homage to the genre. They even nod at other horror inspired videos—as the house featured in Blink 182’s “I Miss You” also is featured. — RLB
“Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For The Two of Us”
by My Chemical Romance
Before their grandiose theatrical videos, My Chemical Romance’s video for “Honey…” was one of the first looks into the band’s dark inspirations. Originally shown at the album release party for I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, the video features vignettes of scenes mirroring the narrative of the Japanese horror film Audition. The videos for “Honey…” and their previous single “Vampires Will Never Hurt You” were later widely released in 2005, a year after the band’s visual style firmly cemented their popularity. — RLB
“Forsaken”
by Jonathan Davis
Co-produced and largely written by Jonathan Davis of Korn, the soundtrack for 2002’s Queen of The Damned strangely features zero vocals from Davis. Due to contract limitations that prohibited him from performing his own material, Davis instead brought in friends from other bands to perform his songs. Such was the case with “Forsaken,” which was performed by David Draiman of Disturbed for the film. What makes this track even cooler is that the video is extremely meta as the track was used within the film as a song written by the in-movie band The Vampire Lestat. The song was given a music video that was shown during the movie. Lestat and co. can be found on a set closely resembling the aesthetics of the 1920’s horror movies — with an abundance of vampire references to be found throughout the video. — RLB
“Blood Red Sandman”
by Lordi
Yet another entry for The Evil Dead, Lordi’s video for “Blood Red Sandman” is an undeniable love letter to the film. Cabin in the woods? Check. Teens playing with found objects that they clearly shouldn’t? Check. Ghouls appearing to gleefully torture them? Double check. While the actual lyrics to the song seem to more closely play tribute to Freddy Krueger, we still love the band’s dedication to detail to properly honor The Evil Dead. — RLB
“Everything Went Black”
by The Black Dahlia Murder
Watching them recreate three of the five shorts shown in the original Creepshow anthology, we can’t help but smile when thinking about how much fun the guys of The Black Dahlia Murder must have had while filming the video for “Everything Went Black.” Clear fans of the series, the band even goes as far as to use graphic stylings to honor the movie’s comic book origins. — RLB
“Hell in the Hallways”
by Ice Nine Kills
Admittedly, Ice Nine Kills has an abundance of horror inspired videos — especially when you consider that 2018’s The Silver Scream was comprised entirely of horror movie inspired tracks. However, we had to pick “Hell in The Hallways” from 2015’s literature based album Every Trick in the Book for the video’s reinterpretation of Stephen King’s Carrie. Everything from the original novel and movie are present in the music video, and the band even adds a larger twist of their own. — RLB
“Beim ersten Mal tut’s immer weh”
by Oomph!
Based off of the highly controversial 2005 indie film Hard Candy, the uncensored video for “Beim ersten Mal tut’s immer weh” (which translates to “The first time always hurts”) was originally only available through an online game meant to promote Oomph!’s 2008 album Monster. Following the plot of the movie, a young girl dressed in red tortures and castrates a malicious pedophile. Now that’s what we call justice. — RLB
“Spit It Out”
by Slipknot
The Shining, considered by many to be the best horror film ever, continues to make countless appearances in various representations of pop culture. Slipknot reference the Stephen King classic in their music video for “Spit It Out,” placing their signature masks on the faces of some of the film’s most iconic characters in their most iconic scenes. Leave it to Slipknot to make The Shining even more scary. — TM
“One”
by Metallica
One of Metallica’s most popular singles of their career, “One,” follows the story of a World War I soldier who meets extreme tragedy. It is based on the dark 1971 drama Johnny Got His Gun, which focuses on a protagonist who has lost most of his senses and all of his limbs and is desperate to die. It is a commentary on the horrors of The Great War and the severe trauma (a.k.a. “Shell Shock”) that affected countless warriors. — TM
“Sandpaper”
by Fozzy
“Sandpaper” features guest vocals and a music video appearance from the one and only M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold. He helps the members of Fozzy tell a story inspired by the beloved zombie flick, Evil Dead. Evil Dead has become quite the franchise throughout the years, spawning sequels, remakes, and even a television show, Ash vs. Evil Dead. And in 2012, it locked Fozzy inside a cabin in the woods. — TM
“The Wicker Man”
by Iron Maiden
The Wicker Man is the name of a 1973 British cult classic; and we do mean cult, because that’s what this movie is all about. This critically acclaimed (and very, very strange) film follows an outsider as he makes his way into an isolated community to try to uncover the truth about the death of a young girl. Iron Maiden references the movie in their music video of the same name, which reinforces the feeling of being watched, cornered and trapped. — TM
“Square Hammer”
by Ghost
Many people immediately think of Bela Lugosi when they think of the vampire Dracula, but actually, the 1922 silent German film Nosferatu was the first of its kind. It’s one of the most influential horror movies in history, and the music video for Ghost’s “Square Hammer” pays homage to that fact by reimagining some of the film’s best scenes. — TM
“(He’s Back) The Man Behind the Mask”
by Alice Cooper
The music video for this song from the Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives original soundtrack is so over-the-top — just the way Alice Cooper likes it! One of the scariest horror figures ever to appear on screen returns in this campy, gothic music video performed by one of the most famous names in rock history. But wait, who is that jumping out of the theater screen? Is it Jason Voorhees, or is it… Alice?! — TM
“Her Portrait in Black”
by Atreyu
The Underworld franchise, a series of vampire and werewolf (a.k.a. lycans) films starring Kate Beckinsale, has garnered a large cult following over the years. It’s no surprise, given the dark, fantastical nature of the films, that the metal community would be so enraptured by it. One of Atreyu’s most popular singles, “Her Portrait in Black,” was part of the original soundtrack for Underworld: Evolution. The music video features some action-packed clips from the film. — TM
“Abigail”
by Motionless in White
Motionless In White is a band that that pays just as much attention to their music videos as they do to their songwriting. The music video for “Abigail,” which is based on the book and movie The Crucible, is a disturbing example of their dedication to their visual art. Almost all MIW music videos focus on some kind of sin, and this one is filled with lust and betrayal between a religious figure and a younger woman. If it doesn’t make you cringe, there might be something wrong with you. — TM
“Hellraiser”
by Motorhead
In the video for this classic metal anthem, Motörhead face off against one of the most iconic horror movie characters of all time: Hellraiser’s Pinhead. Lemmy gambles against the sinister creature — and loses. If you haven’t seen it already, find out what happens when one of the biggest metal bands in history falls into the hands of the damned. — TM
“Scream!”
by Misfits
If there’s any band that can be depended on for a horror-themed music video it’s The Misfits. The music video for “Scream!” was actually directed by George A. Romero, the legendary director of the critically acclaimed 1968 black and white horror classic Night of the Living Dead. The master of the zombie flick turns “Scream!” into a piece of art. — TM
“What If”
by Creed
The music video for Creed’s “What If,” a song that was featured on the Scream 3 soundtrack, is so hilariously and appropriately cheesy. Officer Dewey, a local cop character in the Scream film series, kicks off the video while villain Ghostface runs amok midway through. Meanwhile, Creed is performing their song with the wind gloriously billowing through their hair and open shirts. What more could a person ask for? — TM
