horror soundtracks

Yay I'm so glad you started this thread LL. I was already working on a post about my top 50 scores from the horror movie poll. It will take me another day or so though.

Have there been any really great new ones? (Not reissues, but those are cool too)

Yes, there have. From the last few years:

--Conrad Pope, The Presence, 2011. Elegant, sinuous, eerie, with amazing solo writing for bassoon. Tied with Tree Of Life for the best score of 2011 IMO. Pope is John Williams' orchestrator but he has his own voice and color pallete.

--Christopher Gordon, Daybreakers, 2009 (?). Huge, imposing, dark as hell, very original. Gordon has full, natural command of the post-WWII compositional toolbox. He manages here to use the BIG TAIKO DRUMS trope in a non-hackneyed way.

--Marco Beltrami, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, 2011. This is basically a deliberate and totally successful throwback to the great 70s horror scores of Goldsmith and the Italians.

--Christian Henson, Black Death, 2010. Period instruments, monastic vocalizing and dark-ambient techniques wickedly deployed to create thee doom score of the past decade. Henson seems really promising to me.

--Danny Elfman, The Wolf Man, 2010. Elfman takes the basic vibe of what Kilar did for Coppola's Dracula and boils it radically down to sheer, teeth-gritted, undiluted mid-tempo gypsy death tread.

--Christopher Young, Exorcism Of Emily Rose and Drag Me To Hell. Young is without doubt the horror score king of the post-Goldsmith/Morricone generation. He must have done at least 20 essential horror scores by now. These two sum up his strengths pretty comprehensively. Emily Rose veers between avant shriek-clouds and pellucid dread and passages of Bartokian head-banging and is incessantly inventive. Drag Me is the ultimate descendant of Young's Hellraiser massive slightly camp satanic liturgy style with really cool use of guttural vocalizations and solo violin.

--Michael Giacchino, Let Me In, 2010. Nothing else in Giacchino's generally upbeat, dynamic discography hints at this sound. Its closest kin is Shore's Silence of the Lambs music. He somehow manages to make over an hour of processional-tempo, relentlessly stygian music be engaging and arresting all the way through.

I also really liked the over-the-top assault of the music for Insidious, though I don't have the album. I'm sure I'm forgetting several things above.

xpost Carter Burwell's Blair Witch music is amazing.

Was just listening to bits of the original Texas Chainsaw score on youtube the other day. That and the followup, Eaten Alive, are some really disturbing clanking and banging; great work from Hooper and Wayne Bell. Eraserhead is very effective sound design as well.

i remember liking the Cabin Fever soundtrack quite a bit but never owned it so i cant vouch in full

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eLMCYRjo0Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

--Michael Giacchino, Let Me In, 2010. Nothing else in Giacchino's generally upbeat, dynamic discography hints at this sound. Its closest kin is Shore's Silence of the Lambs music. He somehow manages to make over an hour of processional-tempo, relentlessly stygian music be engaging and arresting all the way through.

this
sounds
so
good

Didn't much like the Insidious score.

Oh, duh. Not NEW new, but the score for Ravenous is all-time.

The movie Insidious scared me so badly that I don't think I could handle the score. Something about that woman and the house, yikes almighty.

Yeah, I thought it was pretty zzzzzzzzz throughout.

So I'm biased that way.

Yeah I dunno how it would serve as a stand alone listen. Maybe too in-face.

^^ that

I was in a super tense mood anyway when I saw it, so I think it was just my personal state. I'm sure the movie isn't really all that scary.

Also if Herzog ever does horror again I can't wait to hear how Ernst Reijseger scores it. He's amazing.

AGREED. I loved his music for Cave of Forgotten Dreams!

All the Argento ones mentioned upthread. I also have a lot of time for Keith Emerson's prog-jazz freakout score to Inferno.

It'd probably be easier to list the gialli whose soundtracks i don't love rather than the ones i do.

Cannibal Holocaust's theme is really quite beautiful - probably the best thing about the film. Fabio Frizzi's Zombi 2 is another classic.

Plus Vampyros Lesbos / She Killed In Ecstasy, of course.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M2cisqO1L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Ok I just remembered this movie on another thread and was thinking that the soundtrack was really good and this confirms that thought - Dark Night of the Scarecrow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PXDUOGwFus&feature=youtube_gdata_player

John Justen that sdtrack has been released! I think you can DL sample mp3s from here:

http://www.2m1records.com/darknight

YES

maybe a little bit knowing, but it's new and it's from a horror flick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF6oxtDt-fQ&feature=related

Paul McCollough - passage to normal (end credits) (Night Of The Living Dead, 1990)

John Massari - Killer Klowns March (Killer Klowns From Outer Space, 1988)

yes x1000 to killer klowns

some faves with a more traditional approach, Bernard Herrmann style

Richard Band - Main Title: Bride Of Re-Animator (Bride Of Re-Animator, 1990)
Christopher Young - hellbound heart

..and YES the cacophonic Insidious score is unbelievable effective, love it.

thought about Chu Ishikawa - megatron (Tetsuo), but nah

ofc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcT5u7y2_yA

not sure if it's a horror movie (never seen) but Tangerine Dream's sdtk for Sorcerer is wicked: alternately creepy & beautiful synthscapes

not a horror movie - it's a remake of the wages of fear

Coil's Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unreleased_Themes_for_Hellraiser

(lots on youtube if you search)

xpost I've tried with Richard Band, he just doesn't seem to do it for me. His treatment of Herrmann's music for Reanimator does nothing useful IMO and his other stuff usually sounds like Goldsmith with less spark. I dunno I'll give him more chances I'm sure. I do like Troll but there again it's such a Goldsmith rip.

My eMusic credits refreshed yesterday so last night I got Dark Night Of The Scarecrow for 5.99. Listening to it now. This is pretty awesome, accomplished stuff! Love the piano flourishes and the the 2-note hook. I can't tell though if what I'm hearing on a lot of the cues is electronic pitch manipulation or serious tape wow.

Oh, it's on emusic? I'll have to add it. Thx!

Oh, well, if Godzilla counts as 'horror':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRct_nTop30

"Mothra, oh Mothra.. Please bless the wish of us, your lowly people, with all your might. Please wake up and show us your might."
beautiful.

The best version of that is much older, but I couldn't find a youtube. There seem to have been a good few re-workings over the years.

Song from "War of the Gargantuas" covered by DEVO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6EN4xg6qY

^^^Ha! I remember that scene and song. Pulled heavily for the green gargantua. Forget who ultimately won.

All the Argento ones mentioned upthread. I also have a lot of time for Keith Emerson's prog-jazz freakout score to Inferno.

It'd probably be easier to list the gialli whose soundtracks i don't love rather than the ones i do.

Cannibal Holocaust's theme is really quite beautiful - probably the best thing about the film. Fabio Frizzi's Zombi 2 is another classic.

Plus Vampyros Lesbos / She Killed In Ecstasy, of course.

― Just like you, except hot (ShariVari), Thursday, May 10, 2012 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Zombi 2 has just been reissued on http://www.deathwaltzrecordingcompany.com/

The label looks set to be great.

"Founded by Spencer Hickman manager of Rough Trade East in London Death Waltz Recording Company will concentrate on delivering high end collectors vinyl that will include extensive liner notes from composers and directors as well as brand new and exclusive artwork from a variety of fine artists all releases will be on ltd coloured vinyl and contain bonus screen prints and posters. Death Waltz Recording Company are set to become the premier vinyl soundtrack label for cult film enthusiasts!"

I bought the reissue of Rosemary's Baby for myself as a lol mother's day present and
(1) I made the mistake of listening to it late at night when I was the only one awake. The dream sequence song with the chanting? I swear I haven't been that scared in a LONG TIME. I was paralyzed in the kitchen, heart racing. THAT is a horror soundtrack.

(2) This morning I looked up Komeda and found this rather interesting documentary about him -- seems pretty good if you are interested in composing, jazz, Polish people, and Hollywood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZALOroRkcY&feature=related

I also bought Night of the Creeps (which is by the composer responsible for Xanadu and The Warriors, Barry DeVorzon) and it's pretty good, but I've only listened to it once.

Being my own favourite movie soundtrack in general, I would like to add Pino Donaggios soundtrack for Don't look now to the list and strongly advocate for it. For reasons I don't really comprehend this one's relatively unknown in contrast to his other works and equally hard to get. Eventually got hold of a vinyl copy from Australia some years ago.

When I visited Venice in a very foggy February in 2007 with friends, the score was with us all the time. Tremendous experience.

man I should buy that Rosemary's CD. So hard to allocate funds for so many cool things.

Re: Don't Look Now, it is readily available as a download from eMusic. I've thought about getting it numerous times. I don't really know much Donaggio, and the last time I saw the film was well before I started paying attention to scores.

I love Donaggio! Carrie is my favorite. In fact, that's what Night of the Creeps reminds me of now that I think about it.
I totally need to get Don't Look Now. Man, that movie is SO GOOD.

Oh man. I need to spend some time on this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HvJfeSk1RU

Cat People rules, good call.

couldn't bring myself to vote for it in the horror movie poll, but it is such a fascinating train wreck

Speaking of trainwrecks, I recently scored vinyl of Exorcist 2: Heretic. It does have its moments!

Exorcist 2 is one of my all time favorite horror scores and probably in my top 5 Morricones. That main title, ye gods!

Super excited because I found a bootleg on a msg board for Gil Melle's amazing score to The Sentinel (batshit 70s gates-of-hell movie)

Pretty boss:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY9q1IXlkbU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzGmc1xkVmo

...This is one of my all time favorite film music pieces. I heard it in The Church, and I was pretty astonished but it is only played briefly and I couldnt find out who it was by. It is Martin Goldray performing Phillip Glass' "Floe". I like it far more than the original Glass version, but sadly it is only included on some versions of the soundtrack and unless it has been reissued recently, it is really hard to find the complete version. An Emerson track follows it on this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InWxopfyPs0

...I'm cheating with videogame soundtracks because this is as good as any film score. The first two Yamaoka Silent Hill soundtracks and Yamane- Castlevania Symphony Of The Night are essential even if you dont care about games (I barely play games anymore but still love the soundtracks).

There is one problem with the first Silent Hill soundtrack cd, since there were so many long tracks, Yamaoka had to mix and edit them together to fit on one cd, so this track is not heard in its full glory. But dont let that put you off.
This track used to scare the living shite out of me.

Tempting…

https://waxworkrecords.com/collections/all/products/hausu

!!

picked this one up a few years ago.
listening to it is an intense experience.
probably more so than watching the actual film.

https://www.discogs.com/release/5070915-Roque-Ba%C3%B1os-Evil-Dead-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack

A horror soundtrack comp technically

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO-fzmlECAI

Oops. Meant to post the whole playlist.

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nF9L0bIv4Tu6CsNLNmh_WhyEU_nga_P6Y

Ichi The Killer OST

by Karera Musication (aka classic-era The Boredoms w/o EYE)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ncfYt5F2dM

I just saw Carrie at the cinema and the main theme music is so beautiful, hadn't noticed when I saw it years ago.

Ganja and Hess has a great soundtrack, written and performed by NINA SIMONE(s brother)