Suspense Music: Tense Tracks for Horror, Mystery and True Crime
Dark, tense background music for horror shorts, mysteries, true crime and big reveals. Free to use, commercial projects included.
Suspense and horror music
There are pulsing investigation tracks and horror ambience with almost no melody, plus two short mystery intros and two RPG dungeon and boss tracks borrowed from other pages.
12 tracksMP3 192 kbps
Rust in the Hallway
Low drone, metallic textures and detuned piano, slowly rising dread with no jump scares.
Attic Lullaby
A slightly detuned music box over a low cello drone, quiet and unsettling.
Shadows Gather Slowly
Dissonant tremolo strings, low drone and distant hits, dark and tense.
Evidence Board
Ticking percussion, a pulsing low synth and dissonant strings for investigation scenes.
Ticking Deadline
Pulsing low synth, staccato strings and a ticking hi-hat, tense and focused.
Night Pursuit
A driving low string ostinato and deep synth bass, urgent but controlled.
Detective's Hunch
Plucked strings and a soft electronic pulse, curious and tense like a detective scene.
Heavy Fog Ahead
Low brass swells, a deep drone and distant piano, heavy and ominous.
Case File Opens
A low piano ostinato, ticking percussion and a dark string swell for true crime openers.
Unopened Letter
Plucked cello, dark piano and a soft pulse for a suspenseful, mysterious intro.
Last Tower Showdown
Staccato strings, heavy brass and distorted guitar for an all-out boss fight.
Lantern in the Dungeon
Low strings, harp arpeggios and an eerie flute-like synth for dungeon exploration.
You're free to use this music, commercial projects included. Downloading means you agree to the terms. Read the license
Credit appreciated, not required.
More categories
Podcast
Intro & Outro
Gaming
Business
Vlog & YouTube
Funny
Suspense
Chill
Focus Music
Sleep Music
Lofi
Brown Noise
White Noise
Pink NoiseBuilding tension with music
- Start low
- Bring the music in quietly and push it up bit by bit toward the reveal. Your audience tightens up with it.
- Cut it before the scare
- Pull the music out for a second or two right before a scare or a reveal. Silence is more unnerving than any sound.
- Keep the narration clear
- For storytelling and true crime, keep the music far below the narration, or only play it between sections.
- Use pulses for investigations
- Tracks with ticking or a pulsing bass suit investigations, evidence reveals and races against the clock. Tracks without a beat suit dark hallways and empty rooms.
- Leave it hanging
- Suspense tracks often end unresolved. Let the music stop exactly as you cut to black, and the feeling lingers longer.
- Halloween and ghost stories
- They work for Halloween specials, ghost stories and escape room promos. Leave some room for sound effects.
For mystery and true crime podcasts
This page includes two short mystery intros of about a minute that work as a show opener. Between segments, a few seconds of a suspense track tells listeners the story is about to turn.
When you get to the details of a case, consider dropping the music or keeping it very low. Music that's too present distracts listeners and can make serious material sound melodramatic.
Suspense music questions
Can I use it in a horror game or short film?
Yes, commercial projects are included, from indie games to festival shorts. The few things that aren't allowed are on the license page.
Which track should I use for a jump scare?
The jump itself usually comes from a sound effect, not the music. Hold the tension with an ambient track, pull the music out just before the scare, then hit it with a sound effect.
What if I need it shorter or longer?
Fade it out in your editor to shorten it; suspense tracks fade out naturally. To make it longer, place it twice and crossfade the copies for a few seconds.