Creepy videogame music

So, every once in a while when you play a horror game (or not necessarily a horror game) you hear it. A disturbing music piece that really makes you feel scared or depressed. So I decided to make a thread dedicated to the creepiest videogame music tracks.

1) So, I'm going to start with this track from Portal:

When I first heard this track in one of the test chambers, it made me feel so sad and isolated, that I actually wanted to stop playing the game and just go talk to someone. It made me feel so alone. And what makes it even worse: you're actually the only human in the complex. Not counting GLaDOS, you're completely alone for the entire game.. This game doesn't need scary monsters to make you feel disturbed. The feeling of emptiness alone is more than enough..

2) This second track is from Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl:


For me this track is one of the best examples of dark ambient. It plays in the game in laboratory X-16, a creepy place filled with zombies and mutants. In this lab enemies are everywhere: they can ambush you, pop-up from behind or appear suddenly when you're collecting loot. You can never be safe there.. And this track plays constantly.. It made me feel so tense, that I proceeded through the laboratory like 10 steps a minute, checking every single corner, constantly checking my back and expecting an attack every second.. And the very dim lighting in the lab makes it even worse..

3) Ok, last one for now. This comes from Half-Life 2, but in the game it is heard very briefly:


It plays once in the game when you're going through an abandoned apartment. And you suddenly hear it, you proceed further, turn around the corner and see a TV showing an image of G-Man, and then it cuts off, image and music disappear. You come closer to the TV and you notice that it is unplugged.. This track is just undescribably terrifying, made me feel very creeped out and also geve a very depressing nostalgic feel.. It scared me so much that for a long time I didn't want to replay Half-Life 2..

I actually now feel quite frightened after I wrote this, especially considering that it's already late evening where I live..

American McGee's Alice - Time to Die

My top 5 favourite game themes would probably fluctuate quite a lot depending on my mood, but this one would be there 9 times out of 10. Knowing the context only makes it better, sadder and creepier, that's why I linked the narrated version. Chris Vrenna sure is a talented guy.


X-Com Apocalypse: Dawn Over Barrier Walls


All the soundtracks for X-Com games peddle in the "creepy" business, but this track in particular is the most memorable and haunting for me, because it really evokes the depressive mood of a city under siege, preparing for the next assault that could come at any time. It also reminds me of the future flashback Kyle Reese has in the first Terminator.


Fallout: Vats of Goo


This one's from the ambient shelf. All Fallout music is ambient, but this one - usually playing inside of military bases and such - makes you feel unwelcome in the sleeping remnants of the old world full of sentry drones and puddles of radioactive goo.


Silent Hill theme


It just works.

dew said:

American McGee's Alice - Time to Die

That's pretty psychodelic. I've never played Alice, but as far as I know the game is really crazy, with all those mushrooms and stuff in it, so I guess it fits.

dew said:

X-Com Apocalypse: Dawn Over Barrier Walls

Spooky. I like music like this - minimalistic, but emotional. Well, I've never played X-Com, so I don't know the exact setting and context, but when I listened to this track, I imagined a ghost city.

dew said:

Fallout: Vats of Goo

Oh, I know that one. Probably one of the best apocalyptic music tracks I've ever heard. What's better is that this track plays in the intro cutscene and it really makes the naration sound more impressive. Actually, for me the intro sequence is probably the most memorable part of Fallout 1.

dew said:

Silent Hill theme

Well, it's not exactly scary, but it's actually beautiful, enjoyable to listen. However, that moment at 2:24 really made me jump.
Silent Hill series are full of some of the scariest ambient tracks, btw.

I guess maybe these count.

Without pointing out the obvious choices like Resident Evil, Alone in the Dark ect. The Timesplitters series always had some great horror tracks, especially for a goofy set of games. Timesplitters: Future Perfect had some great ones:

I've always found these particular Deus Ex tracks creepy.

So, I was away for like 20 minutes and now there are so many tracks, that I think I won't even bother commenting on them.

Anyway, more depressing music from Portal:

DMGUYDZ64 said:

Half-Life Soundtrack - Cavern Ambiance

^Also, this one.

I'm surprised no one brought up the Quake 1 soundtrack yet:

Oh, how could I forget about Quake soundtrack!

This one always creeped me out because of that crying in the background.

Btw, the Hall of Souls track is actually kinda cool, the guitar riffs I mean.

The Dead Hand..... *shudders*

nxGangrel said:

I'm surprised no one brought up the Quake 1 soundtrack yet:

Which is even worse, nobody has mentioned this creepy, sinister soundtrack from Classic Doom yet.

antares031 said:

Which is even worse, nobody has mentioned this creepy, sinister soundtrack from Classic Doom yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbh3ZYuTBDY

I can never take that song seriously.... why? Look at the comments! They all say it sounds like a fat cat meowing loudly for food. =3

Best HL1 singleplayer mod ever!

E: Oh, and the entire Manhunt OST https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5AFE9BCDA79C65B2

It would be way to easy to post some PSX Doom or Doom 64 music here.

Darklordrobert said:

Playrooms

This

ChekaAgent said:

depressed.

These ones come to mind, METRO 2033 has always depressed me a little, I mean just imagine that world becoming a reality:

Postal 1 had some pretty haunting tunes in the intermissions

From an amazing SNES game that was released in Europe, but not the USA.

Brilliant use of Trent Reznor's Quake soundtrack mixed with music from 1920s. Sets that H.P. Lovecraft mood that I love so much. Sends a chill down my spine when I hear it.

I know it has Sonic.Exe which is now a Trollpasta but, that was before I knew it was and before I agreed it was. This music was made by MrDragonBoy96. I was about to use this for The NIGHTMARE! Palace, but I've found better music which is Threed, Zombie Central by OC remix.

When I did first heard this, I've felt chills:

For a recap, I removed Sonic.Exe paintings, the final boss as him etc. on there and replaced it with Adult Lauren so no need to worry. Better off like that.

EDIT: I've decided to put back The Rise Of The Devil Coins, but it plays on the second half in the mansion. It still gives me chills from this day.

If not working well anyway, here's one from Megaman x7. I understand:

This one, with the music box-like sound, always creeped me out. I'm sure part of it was context, though.

Also a good game.


You'll have to skip to 6:55 for this one, because I can't find it by itself. This also happens to be one of my favorite games ever.


This game is pretty creepy in a gothic sort of way.


Pretty much this entire soundtrack.


And finally, this. THIS. The whole OST creeps me out enough that I can't listen to it for long.

Good thread, I'm really enjoying listening to music you post here, even though some of it is not really creepy.

More eerie ambient from Half-Life:

Also, how could we forget infamous Giygas music:


Gotta find and post some scary Silent Hill ambient soon..

From Silent Hill 3, As The Sun Drowns.

Zork Nemesis, Gray Mountains Asylum.

At around 5:07 the doom beta song turns into some ambient creepiness

This song from a Call of Duty zombies map has a shite ton of atmosphere