Get ready for a supernatural soundscape! We’re talking Charmed season 3, episode 10, “We All Scream for Ice Cream”—where the Halliwell sisters face off against a magical menace straight out of music theory: the Devil’s Chord. From creepy ice cream truck melodies that mesmerize demon kids, to real-world tales of the tritone in horror flicks and heavy metal, we riff on music’s role as spell, weapon, and healer. Plus: lore about sirens, Pied Pipers, and magical instruments, with a dip into how tunes manage emotions, scare us silly, or save the day.

Learn More: 

• Fender. (n.d.). The Devil’s Chord: The eerie history of 'diabolus in musica'. Retrieved from https://www.fender.com/articles/chords/the-devils-chord-the-eerie-history-of-diabolus-in-musica

• LibraryThing. (2021, November 4). Group discussion: Music in fantasy? In FantasyFans. Retrieved from https://www.librarything.com/topic/333697

• Melanie, K. (2025). Tuning out the dark: Music as a defense and folk solution. All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present, 102. Utah State University. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1100&context=gradreports2023 

• Mental Floss. (2016, March 28). A brief history of the devil’s tritone. Retrieved from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/77321/brief-history-devils-tritone

• Music & Memory. (2012, April 13). (official) Alive Inside Film of Music and Memory Project - Henry's Story [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/5FWn4JB2YLU

• Music Mentor. (2025, April 3). The Devil’s Chord: Its haunting history and controversial uses in music. Retrieved from https://musicmentor.ai/the-devils-chord-its-haunting-history-and-controversial-uses-in-music/

• Neely, A. [Adam Neely]. (2017, June 5). The Devil in music (an untold history of the Tritone) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/eR5yzCH5CsM?si=f_fkt0qi7Ry7pbPg

• Pop Culture Madness. (2023, April 18). 100+ magical songs in popular music. Retrieved from https://popculturemadness.com/100-magical-songs-in-popular-music/

• Reddit. (2024, January 23). Music based magic systems? : r/Fantasy. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/19e75zg/music_based_magic_systems/

• Reflections of Pop Culture & Life's... (2009, July 29). Songs about magic & mystery. Retrieved from https://coolrain44.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/songs-about-magic-mystery/

• Schulter, M. (n.d.). Tritones in early music: Were they always prohibited? Medieval Music & Arts Foundation. https://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/tritone.html 

• Smith, K. (2022, February 1). Infradonic sound and horror movies. Donut tasting 101 reloaded: A community audio journal. North Carolina State University Department of Communication. https://classapps.chass.ncsu.edu/com304/?p=432 

• TV Tropes. (n.d.). Magic Music. Retrieved from https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagicMusic

• Vice. (2024, July 27). A brief timeline of magic in music. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en/article/timeline-magic-music-bowie-hole-princess-nokia-iamddb/