IDK what is it, it can be the prettiest, most mundane melody, but something about how music boxes play their songs just creeps me out. Anyone else feels that way?

Also, swan lake particularly sounds so creepy for me for no reason and hearing it in music box melody form just... UGH.

Yes!!! I think it's because they've become associated with the horror genre...? I know the idea is to make something innocent seem scary, and media creators do that in many ways - with monster children and creepy porcelain dolls. I think ANY music can be made creepy if done right and/or have it be associated enough with horror.

One of my favorite examples of this is the what the movie "Us" did with the 90's hip-hop song by Luniz called "I Got 5 On It". I knew the song from childhood, and it never unsettled me before, but the use of it in "Us", as well as the spooky "remix" they made for said movie, has me getting shivers now even listening to the original. It's wild!

I think it’s pretty much the same thing that SassyRaptor said, plus since music boxes are so small and dainty, being associated with horror makes it even unnerving lol.

I wonder if people finding it creepy has to do with what context they've heard it the most in. I had a music box as a child, and my relatives had some antique ones, so I associate it with being absorbed in watching a little figurine spin around with a cute melody, not being scared or creeped out. If someone has heard music boxes more often while watching horror movies than throughout normal moments in their IRL life, it makes sense to me they would be creeped out rather than comforted like I am!

Music boxes have always creeped me out too! I don't watch horror so they're not associated with that, there's just something about them that's unnerving.

I also tend to find antiques creepy though. 99% of old items just have a bad vibe to me that I can't explain. People keep trying to get me to like antiques and I can't explain why I don't like them without sounding really weird lol

Dinic: I kind of wonder if it's for similar reasons why old tv shows or movies can seem unnerving to some people, the way we listen to music has advanced so much that something like a music box which is more limited sounds unintentionally creepy so if you're not used to it then it sounds weird

we grew up with a music box and sort of listening to music box covers on YouTube, so they don't creep us out at all, but I can understand why some people get creeped out by them