'The Final Girls' and 'The Strangers: Prey at Night' feat. Their Iconic Needle Drops

Horror isn't the only genre that has stellar needle drops, but there's something about songs that you wouldn't associate with scares being incorporated into a horror film. Whether that's “Call Me” by Blondie in Bride of Chucky, “Midnight Rider” by The Allman Brothers in The Devil's Rejects, “I Got Five on It” by Luniz in Us (2019) etc. Music connects us to moments, and there are many songs that make us think of various horror films. Though instead of writing about just one singular film's needle drop, I chose specific needle drops in The Final Girls and The Strangers: Prey at Night. 

Both films in which I'm a fan of for different reasons, mind you. And there's much to discuss them both. They are entirely different in tone, but they're also both slashers. Therefore, they have at least one thing in common with one another. Spoilers ahead for both films, so proceed with caution if you might not want to be spoiled. 

The Final Girls (2015)

The first one up to discuss is The Final Girls, and it's absolutely a blast to watch. Not to mention gateway horror for folks who are also looking for heart and comedy in their horror. The film follows a grieving teen named Max (Taissa Farmiga) and her friends, who find themselves trapped in the world of her late mother's B-horror hit. And it becomes a battle for survival against the film's slasher villain.

It's absolutely silly in its initial premise, and there's plenty of humor that'll either work or it won't. Though, The Final Girls has a beating heart and part of that is the relationship between Max and her mother, Amanda. 

During the opening scene of the film, Max and Amanda (Malin Akerman) are driving around, discussing bills and other personal topic. Though as soon as “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes comes on the radio, the mood in the car changes, and it's vocalized that it's their song. Of course, the silliness between mother and daughter is thwarted when Max spills her drink on her mother's headshots. And very suddenly they get into a car accident. 

The needle drop in the car isn't typically regarded as the iconic needle drop, though. Instead, that particular needle drop comes much later in the film and is quite heartbreaking. After everyone is killed by Billy Murphy, and it's only Max and her mother when she was younger, who sacrifices herself to allow Max to be the film's final girl. “Bette Davis Eyes” begins playing while her mother does a striptease to lure Billy to kill her. And the scene serves as the moment that Max is finally allowing herself to accept that her mother is gone. 

  “Bette Davis Eyes” isn't exactly a song that one might associate with horror, but if you've seen this film, then whenever you hear the song, you might be thinking of it. There's a certain feeling that bubbles to the serious and the scene starts playing like you're watching the movie again for the first time. If that's not the mark of a fantastic needle drop, then I'm not sure what is. 

Would everyone consider this to be the best needle drop in horror history? Most likely not, but it certainly earned a spot as one of the best. For not only making the song have a special meaning for its applicable characters, but for making the scene even more impactful as a result. If you find yourself a fan of the film, then the song might very well be forever associated with it for you. 
 

The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

Horror sequels do occasionally flop or are extremely disliked by fans of the original. In the case of The Strangers: Prey at Night, this is a sequel that heavily divided fans and still does. Whether that's due to people disliking the characters (when in reality, many slashers have characters who make silly decisions), or because it's not quite as scary as the original was. But people can't actually argue with anyone about the icon status of the pool scene.

The film follows a family whose stay at their relatives' trailer park turns into a nightmare when the strangers start terrorizing them. It's certainly unlike the original, which takes place in a vacation home, and is very inspired by '80s slashers. The inspiration is clear in the visuals, the score, the needle drops, the aesthetics throughout. And that includes the pool scene involving the eldest son, Luke (Lewis Pullman). 

Both of the kids in the film suffer great losses and a lot of trauma because of the strangers. They lose their mom and dad in very gruesome ways, only Kinsey (Bailee Madison) has to see what happens to their mom, though. Thus leaving them to fight on their own and try to survive the night, asked masked maniacs. 

When Luke is left to call for help at the general store, he's once again attacked.  “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Raitt starts playing over the speakers, adding to the icon status of the scene. Instead of failing to fight back through, he ends up killing one of the strangers. Of course, as they are very loyal to one another, Luke is confronted by an ax-wielding Man in the Mask (Damian Maffei). What transpires is a scene that people still cite to this day as one of the best in horror history. 

Rather than having Luke run around the pool, narrowly escaping an angry Man in the Mask, he fights back against him, and they end up in the pool. The music becomes muffled during the scenes where they are underwater, the struggle to gain control over a knife is stressful to watch, and it's a perfect homage to ‘80s slashers. If the scene had any other song or there was a dramatic score playing, it wouldn’t hit the same at all. 

The neon scenery, the pool being utilized perfectly, and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” lining up with the scenes is incredible. Say what you will about the film itself, but saying the needle drop in the pool scene isn't good would be inaccurate. If the entire film had captured that energy, then it probably wouldn't be disliked as much as it is. But whoever chose this song for the needle drop, deserves a big thumbs up for that. 

Both of the needle drops have their own tones to them, one of them is more heartbreaking and the other is intense. Regardless, they are both notable needle drops in horror that many fans know about. They help make the films what they are, and I often think about the scenes whenever I hear the songs. And that's the mark of impactful needle drops that are worth talking about.