how does choir music and strings create tension in a movie? and how is it used for the horror genre? Cheers!?

Answer 1

They use something called clash. Clash happens when you have two or more notes that don't belong together. They are generally very close to each other on the scale. Such as a B# and a B.

Answer 2

Strings and properly written choir music are the most effective for horror movies because they can express so many different subtle changes in mood and atmosphere. Less expressive instruments like the brasses aren't as subtle.

For a perfect example of this, watch "Psycho" from 1962. (NOT the crappy color remake with Vince Vaughn.) Listen carefully to the music, and you'll see that it's all in strings, no other instruments. Hitchcock wanted a stripped-down, intense score for his stripped-down hotrod of a horror movie. The composer called it "a black and white score for a black and white movie".

Answer 3

I think the musical also has its ups and downs, its own climaxes that parallel the movie.