10 Classic Rock Songs That Could Be the Soundtrack to The Exorcist, Ranked

Published Oct 18, 2026, 5:35 PM EDT

Val Barone is a journalist working remotely and specializing in music features. A passionate music lover, she keeps up to date on the latest developments in the entertainment world, and in the past five years, she's written for several sites, including ScreenRant, MovieWeb, TheThings, and Far Out Magazine. She covers breaking news in the music world and loves sharing stories about the classic rock musicians she grew up listening to. As a Gen Z writer, she offers a fresh perspective on the events that change music history.

The Exorcist is one of the best, most iconic horror movies ever made. It was the first horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and it was a game changer for the genre. It was so well-made that people would have physical reactions to some scenes.

But a big part of what makes a movie great is its soundtrack. The Exorcist had "Tubular Bells" as its theme, a track that became permanently associated with the movie and that was perfect for it. But what would it sound like with a rock 'n roll soundtrack? Plenty of classic rock bands, like Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, and even Fleetwood Mac, have songs that would sound incredible in this horror movie.

10 "N.I.B." by Black Sabbath (1970)

Who better than the Prince of Darkness to sing the soundtrack of The Exorcist? Honestly, Black Sabbath could have scored the entire movie. But "N.I.B." is undoubtedly the perfect song of theirs for this. A track from their 1970 self-titled debut album, "N.I.B.," popularly interpreted as "Nativity in Black," explores the idea of the devil falling in love with a mortal. This idea of a disturbing connection between humans and the supernatural would have been perfect for the movie.

"Now I have you with me under my thoughts / Our love grows stronger now with every hour / Look into my eyes, you'll see who I am / My name is Lucifer, please take my hand," the devil begs in the song, and then promises, "Follow me now and you will not regret / Leaving the life you led before we met / You are the first to have this love of mine / Forever with me 'til the end of time."

9 "The Ripper" by Judas Priest (1976)

This horror track is based on a true story, which only makes it more terrifying. "The Ripper" appears on Judas Priest's second album, Sad Wings of Destiny. To write this song, the band drew inspiration from a British serial killer that terrorized the streets of London during the Victorian era and never got caught. The story is told from the perspective of the legendary Jack the Ripper, and the use of an unreliable narrator makes you shiver.

"I smile when I'm sneaking / Through shadows by the wall / I laugh when I'm creeping / But you won't hear me at all / All hear my warning / Never turn your back / On the ripper," the song warns. This is precisely the type of track that would fit great in a horror movie.

8 "Child of Babylon" by Whitesnake (1981)

There is an ambiguous feel to this Whitesnake track. It is undeniably dark, and the religious themes it includes make it a great fit for The Exorcist. The hard rock song begins with a child looking helplessly at his parents, and while the cause of the family's distress is not revealed, it's clear they are looking for salvation.

"Well, I heard the sound of thunder / On the day that I was born / I was blinded by the lighting / And baptised in the storm / My father started crying / When he saw what he had done / But my mother started praying / Have mercy on my son," David Coverdale sings. In the chorus, he seems to beg for forgiveness for whatever wrong he's done. "I am a child of Babylon / Lord, have mercy on a wayward son / Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run."

7 "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones (1966)

The Rolling Stones always loved to play with the idea of the devil and the macabre, but in this instance, they leaned into the theme from a more introspective side. This song shakes you to the core not just due to the lyrics (though they are disturbing in their own way) but due to the somber melody and Mick Jagger's affected, trembling voice.

"I look inside myself / And see my heart is black / I see my red door / I must have it painted black / Maybe then, I'll fade away / And not have to face the facts / It's not easy facing up / When your whole world is black," the song laments. The sense of despair and impending doom in this song is eerily similar to the feelings a good horror movie provokes.

6 "Gold Dust Woman" by Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Everyone knows that Stevie Nicks is secretly a witch, so of course Fleetwood Mac has to be included in this list. "Gold Dust Woman" from Rumours is a breathy, ominous anthem. It leaves the listener with the chilling feeling that this mythical Gold Dust Woman is coming for you and you can't escape her.

"Well, did she make you cry? / Make you break down? / Shatter your illusions of love? / And is it over now? / Do you know how? / Pick up the pieces and go home," the chorus of the song questions. This Gold Dust Woman is actually not a person, but a substance. Stevie Nicks was making cocaine into a character which people always think can handle, but ultimately always ends up overwhelming them. Nicks admitted that, at the time, she felt it was just another rock 'n roll accessory, alongside "the incense and candles and that stuff" that she thought was equipped to handle. "I really imagined that it could overtake everything, never thinking a million years that it would overtake me."

5 "Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin (1969)

This track is from Led Zeppelin's 1969 self-titled debut album, and it's a guitar-heavy track that would be perfect for a horror movie. It was originally conceived by guitarist Jimmy Page, and unlike most other Led Zeppelin tracks, is short and fast, creating a sense of urgency and intensity. It's a song about the obsession and frustration that comes with losing a relationship.

"I don't know what it is I like about you, but I like it a lot / Won't you let me hold you, now, let me feel your lovin' touch / Communication breakdown, it's always the same / Havin' a nervous breakdown, a-drive me insane," the song screams.

4 "Welcome to My Nightmare" by Alice Cooper (1975)

"Welcome to My Nightmare," from the 1975 album by the same name, is literally a horror movie song. Alice Cooper wrote it from the perspective of a man experiencing a nightmare, and feeling a perverse sort of pleasure about it. "Welcome to my nightmare / I think you're gonna like it / I think you're gonna feel you belong / We sweat and laugh and scream here / 'Cause life is just a dream here / You know inside you feel right at home here," he sings, almost threateningly.

For Alice Cooper, making "Welcome to My Nightmare" was about mixing his passions. “I loved horror movies. Still do. And I also love theatre and musicals," he explained. "And I always had the grand idea that we could take the basic album and create a stage show from it, which is what we ultimately did. I saw it as like a cross between a nasty fairy tale and something like West Side Story."

3 "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult (1976)

Another song on this list that leans into the supernatural. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult is not exactly about horror, but it is about love and death, the complicated relationship people have with both, and how that can lead to obsessions or insanity. "(Don't fear the Reaper) Baby, take my hand / (Don't fear the Reaper) We'll be able to fly," the chorus encourages.

A lot of people at the time interpreted this song to be a suicide pact because of a line that sings "Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity." Guitarist Buck Dharma, who wrote it, explained that it wasn't about that, but it was about the idea of love after death. What inspired it was a personal health scare. "I thought I was going to maybe not live that long," he revealed a few years ago. "I had been diagnosed with a heart condition, and your mind starts running away with you."

2 "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones (1968)

What better for the soundtrack of The Exorcist than a song where the narrator is literally Satan? "Sympathy for the Devil", from The Rolling Stones' legendary album Beggars Banquet, is a practically perfect song. It toes the line between disturbing and charming, with Mick Jagger singing in a mildly threatening but suggestive tone that immediately draws the listener in. In this track, the singer impersonates the Devil, and shares how he was behind many historical events and tragedies.

"Please allow me to introduce myself / I'm a man of wealth and taste," the song opens. "I've been around for a long, long year / Stole many a man's soul and faith." The song mentions the Kennedy assassinations, the murder of the Russian Imperial Family during the Russian Revolution, and the German blitzkriegs during World War II. "So if you meet me, have some courtesy / Have some sympathy, and some taste / Use all your well-learned politeness / Or I'll lay your soul to waste," the song warns at the end.

1 "The End" — The Doors (1967)

No one does dark, somber rock like The Doors. "The End," from 1967, is an almost 12-minute long track that originated and evolved through the band's many performances at the Whiskey a Go Go. Its sad, desolated feel, with Jim Morrison's voice almost echoing, earn this track the first spot on this list.

"It just started out as a simple goodbye song. Probably just to a girl, but I could see how it could be goodbye to a kind of childhood. I really don’t know. I think it's sufficiently complex and universal in its imagery that it could be almost anything you want it to be," Morrison explained. While it might not be about death, there are certainly implications in the lyrics that make it feel like a mourning song. There is talk of a murder, and many "goodbyes" in which Morrison claims "This is the end / My only friend, the end."