 Here’s something no author should admit: I’m a bigger fan of music than literature. There’s just something about telling a multi-dimensional story in the span of five minutes that include instrumental breaks. As a writer of horror fiction, I’ve learned much from these ten songs. Oh, and none of them are goth or psychobilly (sorry, no necrophilia or fantasy monster songs). No Misfits. No Rob Zombie. And definitely no ICP. 10. “Excitable Boy” by Warren Zevon Or, the early years of the “quiet man.” The one the bodies in the crawlspace who neighbors say kept to himself, loved his mother, and would never harm a fly. Warren Zevon’s jaunty title track from his 1978 album is a coming of age story… of Edmund Kemper. It’s all the creepier because of the light-hearted feel of the vocals and music while his family excuses his budding sociopathy. He’s just an excitable boy, they all said. 9. “Edge of the World” by Faith No More What could be described as the Albert Fish/Jerry from Subway courtship anthem is another juxtaposition of perverse storytelling and unassuming instrumentation. But, it fits. To endear himself to children, our predatory narrator needs to seem as harmless as a song your grandmother would play. 8. “Missed Me” by The Dresden Dolls It’s Fatal Attraction for the child molester. This song may as well be the sequel to “Edge of the World” told from the perspective of Faith No More’s little girl who just wanted some candy. The pedophile gets his comeuppance here, but it’s not a happy ending for the lovestruck little victim. Maybe an Electric Six or De Staat will complete an accidental trilogy and let us all know what happens when he’s out of jail and she’s all grown up. 7. “Skinned” by Blind Melon The song that makes us think Ed Gein must have whistled while he worked… making utilitarian household items out of human remains. It comes off as mundane as a Jeffrey Dahmer “What I Eat in a Day” YouTube video. The kazoo is a nice touch, and underused in popular music. As a horror-comedy writer, this is the mood I often strive to capture in my novels. 6. “Bad Guy” by Eminem In a rare case of the sequel upstaging the original, Eminem’s 2013 epic first-person revenge saga manages to be substantially creepier than an obsessive fan’s deteriorating sanity of 2000’s “Stan.” It takes about 4 minutes of stalking Eminem to reveal the vengeful killer. But it’s the last two minutes that put this song on the list, the single greatest rap performance this non-hip-hop fan believes has ever been recorded, that provides a meta twist. 5. “Former Lee Warmer” by Alice Cooper Buried on 1983’s forgotten (by everyone, including Alice) Dada is the narrator’s (who may or may not be the alcoholic, the mall Santa, and the serial killer in other songs) account of his enigmatic brother who never leaves his room. Why? Is he disfigured with his “wrinkled head”? He stares out at his “father out in the family grave”? Did he kill him? Is he hiding from the law? Maybe he’s just some poor invalid, but the context of the album, the instrumentation, and Alice’s singing make you assume the worst. 4. “Satan, Luella, and I” by HMLTD This song may be the 21st century’s answer to Leonard Cohen’s “The Future.” It is murder. Our narrator recounts all the evils of the world to the lovely Luella. British electro glam rockers say “The West Is Dead” on their debut album “West of Eden.” Unlike some of the earlier entries on this list, this song is creepy, eerie, atmospheric. Get me out of this dystopia! My pre-ordered CD arrived January, 2020, just as I started what would be my final rewrite of the dystopian horror-noir OUTRAGE: LEVEL 10. 3. “Charisma” by W.A.S.P. Let’s enter the mind of a… svengali? A cult leader? A televangelist? A politician? In 2001’s Unholy Terror, Blackie Lawless sang a self-aware sociopath’s internal monologue while he stands at his pulpit double-talking to his poor, exploited followers. I often find myself exploring themes of men in power who are not what they seem, that evil lurks within every person who seeks dominion over others. “Charisma” has been a favorite song for the better part of 20 years, predating even my earliest forays into horror fiction. To some extent, this internal diatribe lurks within all my arch-villains. 2. “The Snake” by Al Wilson Take me in, tender woman, sighed the snake. Please, young lady, will you help me? Can’t you see my arm is in a sling? What are you thinking? Don’t help that man! You know he’s a snake. Who doesn’t love a murder song they can dance to?
 Lucy Leitner is the author of horror-satire novels Working Stiffs (2012) and OUTRAGE: LEVEL 10 (2021) from Necro Publications. Connect with her on Instagram and Slasher @lucy.leitner.author, and on Twitter @thelucyleitner.  Alex Malone is brain damaged from a career as a legendary goon in the outlawed sport of hockey. Now he's a cop because that’s the only job that’ll take him. His presence is enough to raise a citizen’s outrage level, putting him at constant risk of being banished — or worse, sent to the mysterious Maze.His headaches bring the type of pain that makes plunging off one of Pittsburgh’s bridges a viable option. The bouts of unfettered rage interfere with his ability to complete even the simplest task of rounding up the centenarians with the dying brains and bionic bodies who terrorize other citizens. Since The People assumed control of the Republic of America, death before 130 has become a thing of the pre-Revolutionary past. Cancer, heart disease, spinal cord injury — all eradicated thanks to tax dollars funding medical research instead of wars and unjust justice. If only they could figure out the brain… So an experimental treatment sounds good to Malone. It feels good, too. The blackouts that would end with bleeding knuckles and a citizen unconscious on a sidewalk are replaced by vivid memories. The only problem is that the memories aren’t his. They're filled with torture and more violence than even the undefeated champion of ice boxing could imagine. With a sense of purpose not felt since his days as hockey’s premier fighter, Malone is determined to find out what’s going on in his head, even if it makes him a target of the outraged mob and the powerful sadists that manipulate it, and leads him to horrifying truths that should have remained lies.Outrage: Level 10 is an antihero’s journey through the inner workings of a violent, near-future dystopia.   Comments are closed.
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