Bernard Herrmann's score for Sisters remains one of the most unsettling soundtracks ever committed to vinyl, CD, or streaming. Created for Brian De Palma's early psychological thriller, the music stands as one of the legendary composer's final masterpieces, arriving more than a decade after his iconic work on Psycho and proving that he had lost none of his ability to terrify audiences through sound alone.
From its opening moments, Sisters feels wrong in the best possible way. Herrmann abandons traditional notions of melody in favour of shrieking strings, uneasy rhythms, and disorienting passages that seem to crawl under the listener's skin. The score constantly shifts between moments of eerie beauty and outright dread, creating the feeling that something terrible is lurking just out of sight.
What makes the soundtrack so effective is its unpredictability. Herrmann's compositions never allow the listener to settle into a comfortable groove. Just when a theme begins to feel familiar, it twists into something darker and more threatening. The result is a listening experience that can feel genuinely unnerving even without the images it was written to accompany.
Few people have described the score better than filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who once said:
"This is from a Brian De Palma movie. It's a pretty scary film, and the soundtrack… ok if you want to freak yourself out, turn out all the lights and sit in the middle of the room and listen to this. You won't last a minute."
It's hard to argue with the assessment. While many horror scores lose some of their impact away from the film itself, Sisters functions almost like an audio nightmare. The music paints images in the listener's mind, creating tension and paranoia without needing any visual accompaniment.
The score also highlights the creative partnership between De Palma and Herrmann. Much like the director's films, the music is stylish, provocative, and psychologically complex. Herrmann understood exactly how to amplify De Palma's themes of fractured identity, voyeurism, and madness, giving the film a sonic personality every bit as memorable as its visuals.
More than fifty years after its release, the Sisters soundtrack remains a towering achievement in horror music. It may not be as instantly recognisable as Herrmann's work on Psycho or Vertigo, but many genre fans consider it among his most frightening compositions.
For those willing to take Tarantino's challenge, the score remains a uniquely chilling experience. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself reaching for the light switch long before the album is over.