It’s the end of October, we’re officially deep into spooky season and the Halloween weekend is here. Although I’m not a big fan of the festivities, probably because I didn’t grow up with Halloween, I do partake in the spookiness in my own way. When the temperature goes down and the morning fogs lingers a little longer than usual, I like to listen to some of the scarier, spookier tracks from the Zelda series. Today, I thought it would be the perfect time to share some of those tracks with you readers.
Ikana Canyon
Starting off strong, Majora’s Mask‘s Ikana Canyon is one of the most disturbing environments in not only Termina, but dare I say the entire Zelda series? The music for the region definitely matches the Gibdos wandering about and the mysterious, ghost-like Garo. If you listen closely to the game version, there’s an eerie sound in the background that starts and keeps looping throughout the track which I can only explain at best as hypnotizing. Rebecca E Tripp‘s remix of the track is equally as hypnotizing as the original, and perhaps even more haunting.
Eagle’s Tower
The background music for Link’s Awakening‘s Eagle Tower is suprisingly empty and that’s what makes it the perfect addition to this list of spooky tunes. It’s simply just a piano playing, rattling and echoing every now and then, with crystal-clear bells soon joining in. These instruments would be perfect for any bright, icy winter’s day but not when played like this.
Dark Palace
Speaking of spooky piano, A Link Between World‘s Dark Palace makes another great contender. The quick tapping on the piano keys keeps me on my toes and the slow strings sound as if they were taken straight out of a horror film. Hearing this play in a completely dark dungeon brings the uneasiness to another level.
Forest Temple
Continuing with this classic tune, the music to Ocarina of Time‘s Forest Temple was so spooky to me as a child that I decided to ignore the dungeon completely and spend the rest of the game in Hyrule Field together with Epona. This track goes perfectly hand in hand with the abandoned mansion that the Forest Temple is, and the Poe Sisters who make it their home. This interpretation by Fingelion Meriath mixes the eerie feeling from Koji Kondo’s version with nature sounds, making the listener feel as if they’ve simply stumbled across this long forgotten building in real life. For all of you ASMR fans, close your eyes and let the increasingly unsettling noises take you back to a haunted Forest Temple.
Final Battle with Ganondorf
Lastly, and I admit this one leans more towards scary than spooky, one of my absolute favorite tracks can be heard in the 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD that came with Skyward Sword for the Wii. Twilight Princess is one of the darker and scarier games in the Zelda series, and there’s one segment in the “Twilight Princess Symphonic Movement” that I love a little more than the rest. Nothing makes me feel fear as this epic orchestral version of “Final Battle with Ganondorf”, and the choir leading up to the moment sure sounds eerie. Listening to the segment as I’m typing this gives me chills. If you, too, would like to start this spooky season with some goosebumps, turn the volume up and press start around 5 minutes and 27 seconds.
With almost four decades of games, the Zelda series sure has its gems and spooky melodies, not to mention frightening monsters and locations. If you have any favorite tracks that would fit perfectly into the one mentioned above, please leave a comment on our social media pages or the Zelda Universe forums, as I’d love to read it.
