This index lists tropes about music that indicates evil. It includes music genres that are typically portrayed as evil, instruments that are usually used for creepy effect, and musical numbers about creepy things.
Compare Simple Score of Sadness. Contrast Heroic Music Index.
Tropes:
- Boss Remix
- "Bringer of War" Music
- Conducting the Carnage
- Corrupted Leitmotif
- Creepy Children Singing
- Creepy Circus Music
- Creepy Jazz Music
- Dark Reprise (in cases where the reprise is scarier rather than sadder)
- Deathly Dies Irae
- Descent into Darkness Song: Song starts off optimistic, becomes gloomy and depressing near the end.
- Drone of Dread
- Evil Diva
- For Doom the Bell Tolls
- Freaky Electronic Music
- Ghost Song
- Halloween Songs
- Haunting Harpsichord
- "The Hero Sucks" Song: The villain expresses their hatred of the hero through song.
- Hero vs. Villain Duet: The hero and the villain sing a song together, signifying their conflict.
- Ironic Nursery Tune
- Last Note Nightmare: Song is for the most part, rather upbeat, or at least consistent in style, only for the final section to suddenly take a turn straight into the sinister.
- No Song for the Wicked: Sometimes no music is used to distinguish the villain.
- Ominous Latin Chanting
- Ominous Music Box Tune
- Ominous Pipe Organ
- Pirate Song
- "Psycho" Strings
- Rotten Rock & Roll
- Scare Chord
- Sinister Tango Music: Sophisticated and elegant, Tango works surprisingly well as the theme of an antagonist.
- Theremin, when used in horror movies or for similar effect.
- Tuneless Song of Madness
- Villain Song: Villains sing a song that describes their despicable nature, the evil deeds they've done in the past and/or the evil deeds they plan to do now.
- Villain Love Song: Villains sing about being in love with someone.
- Villainous Advice Song
- Villainous Lament: Villains sing about their sadness.
- Villain Recruitment Song
- "The Villain Sucks" Song: Someone else insults villains through song.
- Warning Song
- Xylophones for Walking Bones