Scary TV theme songs

Dispatcher · 11-23-2008, 09:57 PM

When I was a little kid (a long, long, time ago), there were always some TV theme songs that would have me shaking in my boots or running for my bed.
The worst was the theme from "The Twilight Zone", but not far behind was the theme from "Perry Mason". For some reason the beginning of that one scared the crap out of me. I can still hear it in my mind.
After being put to bed, and having my mother believe I was actually going to stay there, I would wait 15 minutes and sneak downstairs to the now dark dining room, which was right next to the den. From underneath the dining room table, I could clearly see the TV set in the den.
There I would stay until I got sleepy, or got so scared, that I couldn't stand it anymore and then I would go back to bed.

thatguyoverthere · 11-23-2008, 10:40 PM

When I was a kid, I had heard of a little girl that went into some sort of seizure when she heard the Alfred Hitchcock theme.

Anyway, I don't remember any scary songs offhand, but when I was little, I was scared to death of the movie trailers for "Carrie" and "The Amityville Horror." I would run to the TV and change the channel as fast as I could whenever they came on. Carrie standing there all covered in blood, and the priest with the flies all over his face scared the living dickens out of me as a wee lad.

Dispatcher · 11-23-2008, 11:06 PM

The theme from The Exorcist still creeps me out to this day.

Photon1001 · 11-24-2008, 12:04 AM

The X Files theme always creeped me out. There's a goofy remix of it on youtube with a little kid on a big wheel that kinda creeps me out too.

Ardentfrost · 11-24-2008, 07:24 AM

omg, the Perry Mason theme? One of the best themes ever written!

YouTube Video

Recognized as great by Paul Shaffer and the other musical directors of the Blues Brothers movie that came out in the late 90's. Fantastic Baritone Sax solo by the great Tom Malone

YouTube Video

Photon1001 · 11-24-2008, 12:58 PM

^not very spooky though, imo. btw, I told myself I would post this, but, I guess I lost that bet:

YouTube - DJ Dado - X-Files

that little kid is so freakishly creepy, and I don't even know why...

jimeigh · 11-30-2008, 10:58 PM

my roomate says this:

YouTube - All In The Family TV Show Opening Theme...

jimeigh · 11-30-2008, 11:05 PM

best ever

jimeigh · 11-30-2008, 11:13 PM

2nd best

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk_vvQ4uq_o

jimeigh · 11-30-2008, 11:15 PM

my god, older theme songs were so much better. im trying to remember which ones creeped me out, but i keep finding these gems!

Ardentfrost · 12-01-2008, 06:45 AM

I think you missed the point of the thread, jimeigh...

This one scared me as a kid

YouTube Video

And my parents loved that show. Plus Robert Stack's voice was just spooky in general.

And the show kinda pisses me off (looking back). I mean, wtf bullshit is it that you can setup a story where no one knows what happens, suggest it was "ghosts" or "a government conspiracy," and then just leave it at that? I'm surprised that show didn't leave more paranoid schizophrenics in its wake.

avsp · 12-01-2008, 07:52 AM

Not sure if this counts as I loved the theme song & its promised thrills of possible hiding- behind-the-sofa moments

YouTube Video

jimeigh · 12-01-2008, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

I think you missed the point of the thread, jimeigh...

oh i didnt miss the point... entirely. my roomate genuinely thinks the intro to all in the family is creepy, he says that old people singing like that creeps him out.

then, i was tryng to remember things that scared me and was paroozin the internets for old theme songs and just couldnt resist. im sorry for that, but on the otherhand,

jimeigh · 12-01-2008, 02:09 PM

ah here we go

YouTube - Are you afraid of the dark? intro

Ardentfrost · 12-01-2008, 03:05 PM

God, what a stupid show Are You Afraid of the Dark was... it was the antithesis of scary.

Photon1001 · 12-01-2008, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

God, what a stupid show Are You Afraid of the Dark was... it was the antithesis of scary.

This girl I used to date watched that show. She used to have the whole Nickelodeon TGIF thing or wtf it was called on DVD, right next to her complete Disney collection...

Ardentfrost · 12-01-2008, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by Photon1001

This girl I used to date watched that show. She used to have the whole Nickelodeon TGIF thing or wtf it was called on DVD, right next to her complete Disney collection...

Well, it came out in 90, so I was 9 and wasn't scared. It's pretty sad if you can't scare a 9 year old with a show that's supposed to be scary.

Photon1001 · 12-01-2008, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Well, it came out in 90, so I was 9 and wasn't scared. It's pretty sad if you can't scare a 9 year old with a show that's supposed to be scary.

Yeah, except she was 23 when I knew her, which was about 3 years ago, so shw eould have been 8 when it came out. IDK if it scared her when she first seen it, but the point was that she watched stuff like that when I knew her. That and Cops, a lot of Cops, which probably explained her irrational fear of black ppl.

I really shouldn't speak so ill of her now though, last I heard she passed about a year ago. She had some pretty bad asthmatic problems.

HughRuss · 12-01-2008, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

God, what a stupid show Are You Afraid of the Dark was... it was the antithesis of scary.

It's not so much scary as it is creepy and lame.

jimeigh · 12-01-2008, 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by HughRuss

It's not so much scary as it is creepy and lame.