Daily Debate: What is the Scariest Music in the Zelda Series?
Posted on October 17 2023 by Chakell Herbert
It’s my favorite spooktacular time of year! Around Halloween time, I usually have my share of spooky Nintendo music playlists going full blast in my home, which made me think of the many eerie themes that lurk in the dark corners of the Zelda series. For being such wholesome adventures, Zelda doesn’t hold back with horror elements at times, and sometimes they are my favorite segments of the games because of the courage it takes to topple them! As for scary musical themes, a few top contenders come to mind for me.
For one, the music that plays when the Guardians of the Silent Realm in Skyward Sword chase you down is purely horror-inducing. The theme that plays in Ikana Canyon in Majora’s Mask is bone-chilling and emanates the sense of wrongness in the area. The Shadow Temple and Forest Temple themes in Ocarina of Time stopped me in my tracks as a child and truly made me manifest courage to keep going. “Guardian Battle” in Breath of the Wild made me realize that the piano can evoke anxiety. The music in Arbiter’s Grounds, and any of the unnerving Twilight Realm music in Twilight Princess still gives me the willies (and let’s not forget that unsettling Hyrule Castle theme). Even Tears of the Kingdom‘s distorted chanting themes that play when fighting Gloom Hands and during that final build-up to the final boss fight in the Gloom’s Lair are absolute nightmare fuel.
My number one spookiest theme however, has got to be “Majora’s Theme” from Majora’s Mask. It still gets under my skin even years later. I love it all though!
What do you think the scariest music is in the Zelda series? Let me know in the comments!
Chakell (pronounced shuh-kell) is an associate editor for Zelda Dungeon! She has loved The Legend of Zelda series since she was a little girl because of its equal mix of princesses, besting bad guys, and heartfelt stories. Chakell lives in the overall tame state of Utah, but holds onto her childhood hopes to find an adventure in her backyard one day. She has a degree in English and is a full-time editor for a magazine. You can usually find her gaming (obviously), laughing with her husband, taking a long time to tell stories because she keeps getting distracted; getting sucked into books and podcasts; or snuggling her cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
