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If the sound of creaking pews and candlelight already gives you chills, wait until the first few notes of “Tubular Bells” echo through the nave. On October 24, the Church of the Heavenly Rest, an Upper East Side Gothic gem across from The Met, will transform into a house of musical horrors for Candlelight: Horror Classics featuring The Conjuring Universe & More.
Presented by Warner Bros. and Candlelight Concerts, the program is a live, candlelit tribute to the soundtracks that have haunted moviegoers for decades. The Highline String Quartet will perform eerie reinterpretations of some of cinema’s most recognizable scores, from The Exorcist’s unnerving theme to the creeping dread of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Shining.
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Expect the sinister “Run Nancy” from Nightmare on Elm Street, the haunting “Cry Little Sister” from The Lost Boys and the twisted elegance of “Midnight, the Stars and You” from The Shining. Music from The Conjuring, Annabelle and The Nun rounds out the night—a full playlist of the sounds that make the hair on your neck stand up.
“It’s going to be one HELL of an evening!” tease the organizers. And really, how often do you get to hear Freddy Krueger’s theme played beneath stained glass?
The church’s vaulted ceilings and rows of flickering candles will set the mood for an hour of musical possession. Between the acoustics, the atmosphere and the unmistakable sound of those Exorcist bells, it’s the kind of concert that could raise the dead—or at least make you clutch your seatmate’s hand a little tighter.
No jump scares, no fake blood, just live strings and pure cinematic terror in one of New York’s most atmospheric spaces. Whether you’re a horror buff, a classical music lover or just in it for a frightfully good night out, this candlelit concert promises goosebumps in surround sound.