The Exorcist (The  Exorcist)

Historically considered one of the most frightening and controversial films of it's decade, The Exorcist burst onto the big screens to the shrieks of audiences everywhere. It ended off causing people to faint and puke in the theater. Like every good horror film, The Exorcist decided to boast a terrifying soundtrack. Lalo Schifrin stepped in to write some music for the film (including the trailer) but the director, William Friedkin, took the master tapes and threw them into the parking lot. Friedkin's approach was fairly subtle as opposed to the music Schifrin had written.

Interestingly enough, Mike Oldfield's iconic Tubular Bells is not featured on the soundtrack. Instead, the score is comprised mostly of classical arrangements that really are subtly creepy. Creepy wind effects and fast paced strings supplement most of the score. Jack Nitzche's only arrangement found here is the opening 'Iraq' piece that has ethnic vocals playing along with creepy atmosphere. As for Lalo Schifrin's music, it is a shame it went unused. Much like Joseph Bishara's tortured violins in Insidious, Schifrin's music is terrifying and disturbing all at once.

The Exorcist is an example of a near-perfect horror album. Beautiful-yet-creepy classical pieces are combined with a fair amount of actual film score and it all flows great. The music, be it Nitzche, Schifrin, Penderecki, or any of the other composers featured, fits perfectly with the film.