2 Steps describes the album as following:

On September 16th, 2006 Two Steps From Hell released SHADOWS AND NIGHTMARES, unique in its artistic melding of live orchestra effects and custom sound design. This library is a high impact, 2 CD box set featuring 108 cues delivered with fierce sonic power, acoustic depth and the highest production values. The category is horror and this release features horror beds and suspenseful themes, ethereal dreamscapes, huge hits and rises, horrific nightmares, and demonic chants in grotesque languages. '1408', 'Hannibal Rising', 'First Snow', 'The Mist', 'I Am Legend', 'Untraceable', 'Sweeney Todd' and many horror films, and scores of other films with heightened suspense, feature tracks from this release. less