Five of the Best: Soundtracks

Film: Suspiria

Artist: Goblin
Year: 1977

Cult horror director Dario Argento had collaborated with progressive rockers ‘Goblin’ before on ‘Profondo Rosso’ and turned to them again for perhaps their most memorable score. In an unusual move, Argento decided to record the music BEFORE filming began and worked in collaboration with Goblin with the intention of producing a fear inducing, experimental soundtrack. What emerged was a truly terrifying wall of noise that complements precisely what happens on screen.

The wonderful opening theme that plays out as Suzy walks out of the airport wouldn’t sound out of place in a children’s fantasy, there is a certain ‘Harry Potter’ playfulness about it until it begins to build up with unnerving, low oscillation and sudden screams of ‘witch’ as she becomes more disorientated with her unfamiliar surroundings during a torrential thunderstorm. We then have the loud bangs and crashes of ‘Sighs’ during the first demented murder, repeated in the middle of the film when the blind man is attacked by his own guide dog. This piece is much more experimental and represents the manipulative evil at work, capable of altering the mood, atmosphere and emotions of the beings and buildings around us.

By using a range of percussive, string and electronic sounds combined with sudden bursts of almost tuneless shouting, screams and monosyllabic words in isolation, the cumulative effect is a wall of frenzied noise which rarely lets up. When added to Argento’s stylised direction and expressionist, distorted photography, the overall effect is mesmerising, disorientating and completely overwhelming.

Film: The Omen

Artist: Jerry Goldsmith
Year: 1976

Alongside the shark theme from ‘Jaws’, this is possibly the most iconic piece of horror-themed music that has been borrowed, parodied and copied in everything from ‘Only Fools and Horses’ to ice skating routines and adverts for aftershave. Taking its cue from satanic chants, the orchestral arrangement gives the film an epic feel that raises it above most horror films that had gone before and gave future films something to live up to. The fact that it comes from a well-renowned composer gave the film more credibility than it possibly would have had otherwise.

Just like the aforementioned ‘Jaws’, the music acts as a stand in for the unseen ‘Satan’ or at least the satanic influence of Damian which is embodied most famously in ‘Ave Satani’ with its eerie and foreboding latin choral arrangement which, translated, comes across as the equally chilling “We drink the blood, we eat the flesh, raise the body of Satan…Hail, Antichrist…”. It’s so powerful that it’s easy to forget that there’s a much more subtle score at play during the scenes of happy family life which provides the contrast.

Hugely influential, almost every single ‘satanic’ horror film with a few quid behind it uses a mixture of choral and classical music in the same way that ‘Psycho’ influenced the strong use of violins in slasher films…it’s just the way it has to be!

Film: Assault on Precinct 13

Artist: John Carpenter
Year: 1976

Increasingly recognised as one of the great American directors, his work has been reappraised recently but let’s not forget what an incredible musician he is, after all, he created that iconic ‘Halloween’ theme. However, for me his most striking contribution to cinematic scores is the one he laid out for ‘Assault on Precinct 13’. A lean, stark, bold and simple film, he takes the same economic principles applied to his writing and directing into his electronic score.

The memorable opening theme has an imposing rhythm about it and he adds layers with each second repetition. This works perfectly with the relentless attacks of the gang who lay siege to the precinct, more and more of them joining each wave of the attack. The screeching, single tone of the keyboard in the background during the blood ritual is terrifying in its intent and, taken alongside the slow build of the main theme gives the film a brutal, single minded driving force that few films of its type have managed to replicate.

There are calmer moments to the film as well, such as the more melodic relief when the siege is over which, whilst utilising the same synthesised qualities, uses a higher frequency and softer tone that perfectly complements the mood of those final scenes. As a composer, he’s perfectly placed to be able to score the films that he writes and directs, using it as another character and creating that perfect balance of sound and vision. Truly, one of the great American directors is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves as a composer.

Film: Shogun Assassin

Artist: Mark Lindsay and W. Michael Lewis
Year: 1980

A true one off, ‘Shogun Assassin’ re-edited two Japanese films (‘Baby Cart on the River Styx’ and ‘Sword of Vengeance’) from the ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’ series into a single film with English dialogue. So…how do you appropriately compliment a film set in feudal Japan where honour, vengeance and a strong moral code rule? With a pounding electronic score of course!!! It really shouldn’t work but it is a wonderful piece of music and the editors very wisely keep some of the original soundtrack intact.

We get a wide range of musical styles from the Carpenter-esque, ominous opening theme that accompanies Daigaro’s “It was a bad time…” opening monologue, the beat-driven piece used underneath an encounter with a group of ninja in the woods (replicated as the end theme) to the epic sound of swooshing synthesisers ahead of the final desert battle that recalls Tangerine Dream. It is a very 80s sounding soundtrack that really shouldn’t fit with its subject matter but, and I really can’t put my finger on why, it is an unmitigated success.

It has become something of a hip-hop classic as well with sections of the score and snippets from the film appearing in RZA’s classic ‘Liquid Swordz’ album and parts of Genaside 2’s ‘New Life 4 The Hunted’. It’s a soundtrack that can easily be enjoyed as a single piece of music separate from the film.

Film: The Lost Boys

Artist: Various
Year: 1987

The only film from this list to feature a rock soundtrack, all tracks were written and arranged specifically for the film, one is performed on the boardwalk by the original artist (Tim Capello) within the film. For a movie that just oozes cool and epitomises the 80s, the soundtrack album became almost as popular as the film itself with ‘Cry Little Sister’ by Gerard McMann becoming the unofficial theme song of the feature and was used for some of the movie’s cues.

It could lay claim to be the very first ‘popular’ soundtrack album to a horror film (‘Fright Night’ came a year earlier with the same idea but not quite the same level of sex appeal) and there can be very few horror fans who don’t have it in their collection. Thomas Newman composed the minimalist ‘original score’ as a blend of gothic and orchestral music that strongly resembles elements of ‘Cry Little Sister’ and one of his compositions that features in the boardwalk scenes (‘To the Shock of Miss Louise’) makes a seamless appearance on the soundtrack album.

Other offerings from the soundtrack include INXS, Echo and the Bunnymen and Roger Daltry…’Walk This Way’ by Run DMC and Aerosmith was featured in the film during the attack on the surf Nazis but doesn’t appear in the film, presumably because of licensing issues.



Do you agree with my selection? Leave a comment below and let me know!!!