Let’s celebrate TerrorToberhis composers Dead in daylightMichel April and Frederic Poirier, shared some of their secrets to creating a creepy atmosphere in a game full of murder, mayhem and monsters.

Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer horror game where one player controls a Slayer who hunts down a group of Survivors and picks them off one by one. The game allows players to feel the thrill of being chased and slaughtered by dozens of monsters and Horror franchise killers in games, TV and film such as ChuckyThe Xenomorph and Jason Voorhees.

Since its release in 2016, the game has become extremely popular with over 100,000 players on PC alone, and like the thousands who play Dead By Daylight every year, I fell under the game’s powerful spell. So when we had the opportunity to speak with the game’s composers, we jumped at the chance.

Interactive behavior

Each Dead by Daylight Killer has a different atmosphere and theme.

Dexerto: How do you begin the process of creating music for a game like Dead by Daylight and what kind of challenges do you face?

Michelle: Frederic asked me if I could do horror and I said of course. He said the only thing is that the game has a heartbeat. So we had to bypass the heartbeat and the terror ray when the music would go from semi-calm to crazy.”

Fred sent me a picture of the first character I had to make a piece for Trapper. That was the track I worked on. All the characters are different, but the theme is always there. Every time Fred tells me we’re going to work on a new character, I always ask them what it’s about, what their abilities are, even if we don’t have an image of them yet.

Frederick: We were like, what kind of style are we doing? What kind of tools do we use for the different parts? DBD wasn’t just a character; there are a lot of different characters, each with their own style and background knowledge.

So there was a lot of experimentation. I would talk to Michel and discuss this style and that style. Then it would be like having an idea. I’ll call you back tomorrow. Before we worked on guitar and bass, it was piano. And I had it; in two days we had the Dead by Daylight main theme.

“We talk together and figure out what instruments and what beat we’re going to use, and that’s where the creative process comes from. Sometimes the character’s lore and background play a role in emotions. It helps that these aren’t boring characters.

Behavior Interactive / Dexerto

The origin of the dreaded Dead by Daylight heartbeat.

Dexerto: How do you both approach creating songs for each Killer and what are your influences when creating a new Dead by Daylight character theme?

Frederick: Sometimes the country of origin can be a source of inspiration when making music for that character. But sometimes it’s hard to bring horror to that particular vibe or background. Like the Brazilian killer, what does Brazilian horror sound like? It’s easier to get that vibe when something is just traditionally horror.

Michelle: I used a lot of percussion for that Brazilian, so I had to do the percussion in a way that was really strong. But it can be challenging to find that cultural texture and be careful not to fall into stereotypes. Once I find the right flavor for a character and it’s been approved by Fred, then I go into full production. Then I will work more on that character with the same kind of atmosphere.

They are all fun and my favorite is always the last one I made. Every time we have a new character, we have themes for Slayers, Survivors, and Ray of Terror. So everything has to be coherent. It’s really fun for me to make a package of all these things that work together.

Behavior Interactive / Dexerto

This is how Dead by Daylight songs are born.

Dexerto: As artists, how does your own appreciation of cinema and horror games influence your work on Dead by Daylight?

Frederick: I watch a lot of horror movies, and Dead By Daylight was originally inspired by slasher movies from the 70s and 80s. I remember when I was working on the Halloween DLC, I thought those movies weren’t classics for no reason. Scream, The Grudge, The Shining, they are classics because they succeeded in horror.

Or games like Resident Evil. They have succeeded, so it’s about finding out why. But you don’t want to copy something, so it was interesting to work on our own identity when we find inspiration. Have you ever seen a horror movie as a child and been traumatized by it? Those references forge your perception of horror.

“Michael’s are different, mine are different and the players are different, so it’s about finding what’s for the players. Working together, we were able to find our process and turn it into Dead by Daylight.”

Looking for more scary content? We also have a list of 102 Best Horror Movies ever made, as well as a guide to the creepiest horror anime you must watch halloween.