Tuesday 28 May 2013

Music in Horror - Scores & Original Soundtracks Part 4

We come to the end of my Music in Horror - Scores & Original Soundtracks. And I've saved the best for last!

If you've not caught Parts 1, 2, and 3, you can find them here in order:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

It was a few months back now that I took to Facebook to ask the opinion of the Maven's Movie Vault of Horror's fans, and cast their vote as to what's the best Horror movie theme tune. So without any further delay, here's the TOP TEN HORROR MOVIE THEME TUNES...

NUMBER 10 -
The Amityville Horror (1979)

Originally based on a true story, although proved otherwise now, The Amityville Horror is about a large house on the coast of Long Island where newly weds George and Kathy Lutz and their three children move into the house that they hope will be their dream house but it ends up in terror. Despite full disclosure by the real estate agent of the home's history, George and Kathy buy the house. George says, "Houses don't have memories," but they turn to their family priest Father Delaney who believes the house is haunted and performs an exorcism on the house. But the evil spirit in the house causes him to become blind and makes him very ill. George and Kathy with the help of another priest Father Bolen and a police detective they face the fears of the house, but not knowing the spirit is planning to possess George and then the children.




 Here's the theme music...

NUMBER 9 -
Jaws (1975)

It's a hot summer on Amity Island, a small community whose main business is its beaches. When new Sheriff Martin Brody discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers. This doesn't sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator. The dead boy's mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward. A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they're going to need a bigger boat.

I still think that this is the best ever shark attack film!

Here's that infamous theme...

NUMBER 8 -
The Thing (1982)

An American scientific expedition to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic is interrupted by a group of seemingly mad Norwegians pursuing and shooting a dog. The helicopter pursuing the dog explodes, eventually leaving no explanation for the chase. During the night, the dog mutates and attacks other dogs in the cage and members of the team that investigate. The team soon realises that an alien life-form with the ability to take over other bodies is on the loose and they don't know who may already have been taken over.










Check it out...

NUMBER 7 -
Sleepy Hollow (1999)

The Tim Burton classic follows the curse of the headless horseman is the legacy of the small town of Sleepy Hollow. Spearheaded by the eager Constable Ichabod Crane and his new world ways into the quagmire of secrets and murder, secrets once laid to rest, best forgotten and now reawakened, and he too, holding a dark secret of a past once gone.













Here it is...

NUMBER 6 -
Suspiria (1977)

A young American dancer travels to Europe to join a famous ballet school. As she arrives, the camera turns to another young woman, who appears to be fleeing from the school. She returns to her apartment where she is gruesomely murdered by a hideous creature. Meanwhile, the young American is trying to settle in at the ballet school, but hears strange noises and is troubled by bizarre occurrences. She eventually discovers that the school is merely a front for a much more sinister organisation.










Check out the music...

NUMBER 5 -
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

On Elm Street, Nancy Thompson and a group of her friends including Tina Gray, Rod Lane and Glen Lantz are being tormented by a clawed killer in their dreams named Freddy Krueger. Nancy must think quickly, as Freddy tries to pick off his victims one by one. When he has you in your sleep, who is there to save you?














Here's the theme...

NUMBER 4 -
The Exorcist (1973)

A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behaviour and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's terminal sickness. And, book-ending the story, a frail, elderly priest recognises the necessity for a show-down with an old demonic enemy.












Here's some tubular bells...

NUMBER 3 -
The Omen (1976)

Robert and Katherine Thorn seem to have it all. They are happily married and he is the US Ambassador to Great Britain, but they want more than to have children. When Katharine has a stillborn child, Robert is approached by a priest at the hospital who suggests that they take a healthy newborn whose mother has just died in childbirth. Without telling his wife he agrees. After relocating to London, strange events - and the ominous warnings of a priest - lead him to believe that the child he took from that Italian hospital is evil incarnate.










Check it out...

NUMBER 2 -
Halloween (1978)

The year is 1963, the night: Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15 year old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalised for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st 1978 besides Myers' psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realises it, it'll be too late for many people.










You all know this one...

Number 1 -
Psycho (1960)

Phoenix office worker Marion Crane is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam in lunch breaks and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony. One Friday Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer. Seeing the opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town and heads towards Sam's California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into The Bates Motel. The motel is managed by a quiet young man called Norman who seems to be dominated by his mother.










Here's the voter's No.1 pick...


I want to say a big thank you to all the fans of Maven's Movie Vault of Horror that voted. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! Were there any surprises in there? Let me know.

Sources - YouTube, IMDB

Thursday 23 May 2013

Behind the Cross (Short Film Review)


Religious psychological horror short, Behind the Cross, is produced, written, directed by, and stars the multi-talented Tomi Kerminen

A priest with a disturbing past and a dark side delves into a world a depravity, torture and murder. Has his god forsaken him? Or is he in the hands of the Devil? Piggy (Petri Niemi) and the victims are all at the father's mercy. Will he be forgiving, or will they pay the price for the mind of a mad man?!

The main thing that stood out for me during the film was the soundtrack and creepy score. Both were used to great effect. The VFX are kept to a minimum, but while being subtle they were still effective for a low budget project. The acting, again, is very subtle. The short concentrates on the visual side of things, giving the viewer disturbing and confusing images.

If you're like me and like your horror strange, disturbing and leaving you feeling like you've had your mind raped, then this is worth checking out!

Check out Behind the Cross on Facebook and follow Macabre Media on Twitter and like the Facebook page.

Behind the Cross gets 4 stars

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Getting Personal with American Mary and the Twisted Twins

As most of you know, those that follow me here and on my facebook page, I've been a big advocate of Jen and Sylvia Soska's (The Twisted Twins) American Mary. I got my chance to see it last November at the Mayhen Horror Film Festival in Nottingham (UK), which is only a 20 minute drive from my house. The very next day I wrote my review, which was exclusively for Horror-Movies.ca. You can read it HERE. Needless to say, I was blown away by what I saw. I bought the BluRay, in fact I pre-ordered it, and watched it for a second time as soon as it arrived in the post and a third time last week.




But before I jump into the twisted world of Mary, for those of you unfamiliar with the twin's work, their first feature was the grindhouse inspired Dead Hooker in a Trunk. You can read my review HERE.

So, let's begin, here's my interview Jen & Sylvia...

The both of you have been very busy recently, travelling up and down the UK, attending American Mary screenings, so how has this effected you physically and mentally? It must be draining?

Sylvia: "It's been really wild, the last few years have been a blur. I'm one of the luckiest people I know in the regard that this is my job and not only do I get to do what I love, but I get to travel and meet the people who are supporting the work and allow me to continue to do this. When I'm at a screening or a convention, we don't feel tired or worn out, it's too exciting. Like when we were shooting MARY, I couldn't sleep because I was too excited for the next day. It's the moments in between, when we are on the plane or when we get home that we crash pretty hard. Last trip, we got home and slept fourteen hours straight. I get to do this with my best friend, Jen, and she's always been such a great support in any situation we're in, so at least I never have to be alone."

Jen: "It's surreal. It's a dream come true. We weren't popular in high school so this more than makes up for it, ha ha. I feel so blessed to be doing what we're doing. First and foremost we're fans ourselves and I think that comes through in our work. We're just as excited to meet people when we travel as they are when they come out. It's just blown us away to have so much support all across the world. It can be draining, but we are very work orientated and have A type personalities, which is probably pretty obvious, so we are so tunnel visioned when we're working. We always throw ourselves into our work and try to take photos and take a few moments as much as we can to just sit back and appreciate all the opportunities we have these days. It's literally a dream come true and we are so eternally grateful to the people who support us and our work."

How did you come up with the idea of American Mary, what and/or who inspired you?

Sylvia: "I learnt about body modification years ago, it started as fear because of an April Fool's prank about limb exchanging twin brothers that scared the shit out of me. My mom taught us from an early age that if something frightens you, it's due to a lack of education about the subject. So, Jen and I studied body modification online and that fear turned to fascination to admiration. We didn't set out to make a film on it, but wanted to see the community represented not as monsters but as real people in a film. We put a gun to our heads and gave us two weeks to write the script - we gave out a list of ideas we knew we could write fast and one was one 'about a medical student'. That got picked and we wrote our hearts out. It's hugely inspired by Asian and European cinema which we just love the artful, beautiful approach to storytelling in."

Jen: "The film is very much an analogy for our own ventures in the film industry. Doctors and surgeons took the place of some of the monsters we've encountered in positions of power who absolutely prey on the inexperienced, many of which see young women as party favours rather than peers. The body mod community was in place of the horror and indie communities that have truly embraced us. The tagline is "appearances are everything" and that rings true on many levels. Often the people that seem to be trustworthy and sincere and respectable are anything but and people who may come off as a little different or even scary are just being honest and forthcoming with who they are. People keep up appearances so you don't know their true intentions. It seems like something we all learn early on, but you cannot judge someone by their appearances. Often "normal" means anything but."

Mary Mason with her loyal customers

I've read in another interview that you wrote the role of Mary for Katharine Isabelle, even though it's obvious now, as Katharine was so amazing, but why did Katharine come to mind for that part?

Sylvia: "When Jen and I were in school, we were relentlessly teased and picked on. One of the things they called us were the Fitzgerald sisters, we didn't know what that meant, so we rented GINGER SNAPS and we thought it was cool. That film had a big impact on teen girls because it was speaking for our generation but in a smart horror way. I kept watching Katie's work, but was frustrated not seeing the new Ginger because she is so talented that it just makes sense to have her carry a film with one of her masterful performances. I met her on set and she was nice to me and that was it, I decided that I would work with her one day."

Katharine Isabelle & Sylvia on the set of American Mary
Jen: "We never write for one particular actor. It's a smart rule to have because you never really know what they're like or if you can work together or if they'd even be available or interested until you sit down with them. But Katie broke that rule for us. She just has this enormous capacity for emotional depth and a presence that blows you away. The role of Mary was so vital to the success of the film and being able to convey the story we wanted to tell that we needed someone with so much natural ability and charisma and intensity. We'd long watched and admired Katie and her work. She's so talented that she makes it look easy. You meet her and she just floors you. You can't see her without knowing that there's something special about her. We never had any other choices for Mary. When we got to sit down together it was very clear that not only was she more than perfect for the role, as we already knew, but she is just about the coolest human being you could ever hope to work with."

In the special feature documentary, "An American Mary in London," after the film had finished, we see your reaction to how the viewers responded, and I have to admit, seeing Jen (I think it was, correct me if I'm wrong) shedding a few tears of joy made me fill up a bit! I felt very proud of you both at that point. How has the positive response from the fans and the critics effected you both and did you expect such a positive reaction?

Sylvia: "The reason why we were even able to move onto another film was because of the out pour of support we received from DEAD HOOKER. We wanted to make MARY a thank you to everyone who believed in us and got the word out about us. I was hoping that people would like it, I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of support and positive reactions we received. Jen and I are deeply touched by the kindness from people. It means the world to me when someone sees the film and it hits home and they share that experience with me. I feel a great sense of pride that these wonderful people would stand behind two crazed Canadian filmmakers like this."

Jen: "We do it all for the fans. Even calling them "fans" is a bit weird as we, ourselves, are fans also. We love horror, we love films, we're fans of so many things and artists. We spend hours online daily, connecting with people through social media. We run our own facebook pages and twitter account and tumblr and youtube, so when you're on there and think you're talking to us, you are. These people are the reason we're able to do what we do. People have been supporting us since DHIAT and even more people have come to know us through AMERICAN MARY. It blows me away to have such amazing people out there who are affected by our work. The love and support we've received is just so humbling. It means everything to us."

Beatress (Tristan Risk) & Ruby (Paula Lindberg)
After watching the special features on the Blu-Ray, i saw a genuine excitement from you both, something that I rarely see from directors. The only person I could think of off the top of my head was Quentin Tarantino (my favourite director outside the genre)! Has he had any influence on your work at all or even just on your outlook to making movies?

Sylvia: "I love Tarantino and Rodriguez - I grew up watching them and loved that they not only made cool films but they loved what they did. I've been on sets where people don't give a shit about the project they are working on, where it's just a payday, but it's also a venomous, unpleasant, and horrible place to have to work. I heard that Sam Raimi always wears a suit to work because you create the set attitude and life of the production more than just what goes on the screen. It's a privilege to get to do this. I love films and I'm a big fan girl, I think that comes off with what we do."

Jen: "Tarantino just drips with love for what he's doing. People blame him for glorifying violence, but it's his love and passion for what he's doing that just emanates from every frame. It's a big part of what makes his films so damn cool. With horror and a lot of film, too many people are doing it for the wrong reasons. It's important to be a fan of what you're doing because it shows. If you don't give a shit or are in it just for the money and fame, that shows, too. Tarantino is the perfect example of a film fan director. He truly loves what he does and watches everything. Rodriguez would be the reason we ever picked up a camera. I love Joss Whedon. You always hear how kind and giving he is as a director. And he's an outstanding writer as well. Plus, he is so good to his fans and is so connected with them. You don't see that often. I just love the way he does what he does. He's a real hero of mine in a lot of ways."

I loved the fact that Mary's Nana was Hungarian, being as both my parents are Hungarian also. Do you guys speak any Hungarian?

Sylvia: "You're Hungarian? We're Hungarian! Our family is Hungarian. Our Production Designer, Tony Devenyi, is Hungarian. Hungarian was our first language, but it's gone to shit a bunch because I don't get to use it enough. Do you speak? I'm still pretty good. I understand better than I speak, and I speak much better than I write - I can't write it worth shit."

Me: I can say please, thank you and the real basics. I can also order a beer if I need to!

Jen: "We understand WAY more than we speak. You're Hungarian!! Oh, how wonderful! We truly mean that. We love our country men and women. You must know the delights of nokedli and paprika chicken?? That greatest meal ever.

Me: I'm the same. I can understand the main gist of conversations. I love my Mum's Hungarian cooking, it's way better than her English cooking! Who doesn't like nokedli? My son's loves it more than do. And you can't beat Erős Pista!

Billy (Antonio Cupo) shares a drink with Mary (Katharine Isabelle)

With Dead Hooker in a Trunk being such a long process from start to release, how did the short period of time shooting American Mary compare?

Sylvia: "With DEAD HOOKER, it was completely volunteer, which sometimes meant that people would become unavailable or not show up at all. Which is fine because it teaches you high stress problem solving on the spot which is an invaluable lesson as things go to hell on every set and you need to creatively solve issues as soon as they arise. Originally we set out for 24 days and then we had to make concessions in order to make it work. I never worked with a full crew before, there was a lot that I didn't know, so when I was told 'I wouldn't wish fifteen days on my worst enemy' I didn't know what that meant. Now I do. That said, the cast and crew that came together on MARY were the most talented, hard working, and brilliant artists that I have ever had the pleasure of collaborating with. Our first AD, Brad Jubenvil, and our DP, Brian Pearson, and us went through the days and the shots constantly to make the film work within our tight schedule and modest budget. With a team like that, there was nothing we couldn't pull off, but I'll never put them on fifteen days again."

Jen: "It is a huge difference to having a full crew rather than just running around with a camera with your friends. I wouldn't say I prefer one over the other. I love my crew. My crew is the best and most wonderful crew in the whole world. 15 days, without any allowance to go over 12 hours, is truly challenging. You never shoot without a game plan, but under such tight restraints every second counts. Every shot has to be going into the film. You don't just try something to see if it'll work out. You have to be sure of everything. We ran out of time for somethings and our experience on DHIAT really taught us how to roll with the punches and that came in as imperative to overcome our obstacles. And then there was Brad Jubenvil, our astounding 1st AD. The man is a wizard. He is so cool and collected and he knows his shit. He's had years and years of experience and he's seen it all and nothing can shake up Brad. I love that man. Our entire crew was phenomenal, but Brad and Brian, our DP, really made this happen with so little time."

Sylvia, Jen & Katie at Film4 Frightfest 2012

If you had to pick one of each (1 horror and 1 non horror each), what's your favourite horror film and your favourite film outside of the genre?

Sylvia: "AMERICAN PSYCHO for favourite horror and EDWARD SCISSORHANDS for non-horror. I'm pretty obsesses with DREDD right now, too. I watch that film constantly like a little treat at the end of the day."

Jen: "Oh NO!! Do I have to pick another one now? Well, my favourite horror film, that isn't AMERICAN PSYCHO, is John Carpenter's THE THING. It's everything I love about horror and Rob Bottin's FX?? Just WOW. Can we take a moment to appreciate just what a genius that man is? And my favourite non horror film? It's been the same since 1988. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? It's an outstanding work of art, cutting edge, unforgettable, and something for every age. I still sleep with a Roger Rabbit stuffie. He's the constant man in my life."

What got you both into horror and why?

Sylvia: "I don't remember a time that we didn't like horror. I don't know if it was because it was 18+ or because it was taboo for little girls to watch horror, but we were always attracted to it. We would haunt the decorated horror section of our local video store, reading the boxes and looking at the monsters and gore. Eventually, at ten, our mom decided to watch POLTERGEIST with us and that changed everything. We made it through the film, but were terrified. She sat us down and explained what we had actually seen - the director, the writer, the actors, the sets, the costumes, the monster makers, all collaborating together with the intention of scaring the audience. Knowing that the monsters were made and it was all pretend made us even more attracted to the genre."

Jen: "It's a part of us. There was never this moment where we got into it. We were always into it and we were very fortunate to have parents that didn't shelter us from our interests. We were taught the difference between make believe and reality a long time ago. Horror just is something so exciting that allows you to come right up close to your greatest fears and face them and walk away fine after. It's fun and it's cool and it really attracts the best of people. There's a reason there are tons of horror conventions, but you don't see any romantic comedy or drama conventions, ha ha."

What's your process in writing a screenplay?

Sylvia: "Ok, so we're Hungarian twin sisters, so we throw ideas back and forth and viciously rip them apart. Whatever idea survives the process is a keeper. We come up with scenarios, characters, locations and make a three act timeline to decide what goes where. We fill out the timeline roughly, then pick what we want to write. One of us plays video games while the other writes, then we swap out. If one of us gets stuck, we swap out. When we take over, we read and tweak what's been written - the fun thing is to throw in things the other isn't expecting. We write a lot to amuse each other."

Jen: "We totally tag team it. We write largely to amuse one another. There are layers to everything we do. There's the surface level where anyone and everyone can enjoy films, but we don't think anything should exist without a reason. We like to put deeper meanings in our work and force people to think for themselves. I'm so lucky to have been born with a business partner and collaborator. She's [Sylvia] so brilliant. It's so easy to write together. There's no writers block. We just see this world open up and try to capture it in a way that our audiences can feel like it's real, too."

Do you both have an even input to the whole film making process, (directing, writing, ideas)?

Sylvia: "Yes. We are identical twins, but we're very different. We joke that she's the Joss Whedon and I'm the Lars Von Trier. She puts the heart in and I rip it out. You need the other to make it work. I don't think my films would be watchable or even good without Jen's part in it. She's also the person who you can always count on for anything on set, I'm bit of an overly focused artist at times."

Jen: "Absolutely. We constantly challenge one another to be better and to grow as artists. We're very different, but we want the same things out of our work. We divide and conquer. If we have to break apart, we can do so seamlessly. If we're in a meeting and one of us is called out, the other can carry one effortlessly."

Do you think you have an advantage when it comes to film making as there is two of you?

Sylvia: "Jen and I are born collaborators, I don't know what it would be like to have only one of me. We would divide and conquer, there was always someone on set while the other, Jen, would 'put out fires' and troubleshoot anything that threatened the day. We are very close so we can communicate with looks and have the same mind set on everything or we go to a corner and come up with a unified answer. Nothing worse than having two directors that look the same that are telling you two different things. We work hard to make sure it doesn't happen."

Jen: "I think so. I don't know how people do it on their own. Between the work itself and interviews and social media and trip planning and writing, it's a lot of work. We work everyday and we really have to to keep on top of things. We can get twice as much work done and because we know each other so well we hardly have to talk much. We get each other and we know what has to be done."

On the set of Dead Hooker in a Trunk with 'Badass' & 'Geek'
What directors and films have inspired and influenced you, on a personal and a film making level?

Sylvia: "Robert Rodriguez and Carlos Gallardo are who inspired us to pick up a camera and make our own film. The 'Ten Minute Film Schools' and behind the scenes sharing of film making tips taught me more than I learnt in any film school. Same with Dick Smith who not only revolutionised prosthetics with his art, but shared his tricks for everyone to learn. Eli Roth has been a mentor and a friend, I have so much respect for what he does and I'm very grateful for how he supports other artists in the genre. DESPERADO, AUDITION, BREAKING THE WAVES, SUSPIRIA, BLUES BROTHERS, POLTERGEIST, JAWS, AMERICAN PSYCHO, HELLRAISER, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, IRREVERSIBLE, GRINDHOUSE - have all heavily influenced my tastes in film."

Jen: "Everything and everyone Sylvia just said."

Obviously there's still a lot of promoting of American Mary happening over the year as it has it's home video release in various places over globe, but, when can we expect your next project to happen?

Sylvia: "We've done a fair bit of travelling in April to different conventions which I love because I can nerd out pretty hard and meet cool people. Then we have the VOD and theatrical North American releases for MARY this month. We have a couple cool things coming up, but dying to get back to set with the new film which we're focusing on to be BOB, but we also have two other films that I would be just as happy to have as the next project. Hopefully later on in the year we'll be getting the band back together and making something new."

Jen: "We're already working on several new projects. You can never stop. You can't take a break. Any time you take time off, someone else is just going to pass you. As artists, we're most happy when we're working and creating. It's very much a part of who we are."

Last question, on a personal note, I've become a massive fan of your work and I can't wait to see your next project. Well done on doing such an amazing job with American Mary, to you both and all the cast and crew. From what I've seen of you guys, in interviews etc. you both seem cool as fuck! So my question is - When you're back in the UK, will you nip in and see the wife and I and join us for a cup of tea?!

Sylvia: "YES! I would fucking love that. We're secretly plotting to return to the UK asap. We just love it there."

Jen: "OMG, absolutely!! Can we sweet talk you into cookies and biscuits, too?"

Me: I'm sure that can be arranged Jen.

Well, I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did! I want to say a big thank you to Jen and Sylvia for giving me the privilege of getting to know them both a little better. Can't wait to see the twins when they're next in the UK and I'm looking forward to seeing BOB!

American Mary is available NOW on VOD through Comcast, Cox, Cable Vision, Verison and iTunes. It also hits Xbox market place May 31st along with a limited theatrical release in the US. It's already available on DVD and Blu-Ray here in the UK and will make its way to US shores June 18th. For you guys in the States, you can pre-order the DVD here and the Blu-Ray here.

Check out the trailer for American Mary...


Tuesday 21 May 2013

Music in Horror - Scores & Original Soundtracks Part 3

In Part 3 I'm going to look at musical scores and theme tunes that are some personal favourites.

To kick us off, I'll start with what's probably one of the best scores in modern horror. It's also one of my top picks of 2012, winning Best Score in last year's Fright Meter Awards.

The movie I'm referring to is Sinister (read my review here).


Here's a full 33 minutes of eerie perfection...


In 2006 came Silent Hill, a film we should all know. A movie based on the video game, a woman goes in search for her daughter within the confines of a strange, desolate town called Silent Hill. It stars Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean and Jodelle Ferland.

This track is called The Path To The Lost Ones. The movie version of bitter season from silent hill 1 is mixed with promise (reprise) from Silent Hill 2. There are also three other versions of this. Check it out...



Next up is a personal favourite. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).

The legend of Dracula is brought to life by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now).

A side from the dodgy English accents from Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins gave great performances and this is still one of my favourite movies of all time.

From the OST came Annie Lennox's Love Song For A Vampire which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.

But it's the main theme that was composed by Wojciech Kilar that I'm sharing with you next.



Check it out...


Another favourite from last year is The Soska Sister's American Mary (read my review here).


The opening scene sees Mary practising her stitching on a turkey. Accompanying the scene is Franz Schubert's Ave Maria. The two go perfectly together. Here's the piece of music...



Up next is French horror/thriller Haute Tension aka High Tension aka Switchblade Romance.

Released in 2003, this movie made my Top Ten Best Foreign Horror Movie list.

Check it out...


Keeping with the foreign theme, my next pick is from the 2008 Swedish vampire film Let The Right One In.


It's entitled "Eli's Theme"...

One of the more creepy films I've seen in recent years is Dead Silence (2007). I'm not even scared of dolls, but this movie still freaked me out! The score is equally creepy!


Here's the theme tune...


CANDYMAN, CANDYMAN, CANDYMAN, CANDYMAN, CANDYMAN...
It's OK, I'm not looking into a mirror!

In 1992, my favourite "say a name into the mirror" killer Candyman, had us all daring ourselves to say his name five times into a mirror. But did we do it???

Another horror movie soundtrack making fantastic use of the piano in it's theme.



Check it out...


While routing through YouTube, I came across a gem of a video soundtrack for the 1981 cult classic, The Evil Dead.

The 2013 version caused a lot of debate between hardcore fans of the original. I like the original and I also enjoyed the hell out of the remake. You can read my review here. I've also including the a video of the music from the 2013 Evil Dead trailer which is also superb.




Here's 36 minutes of pure Evil for your enjoyment...

Here's the music trailer for the new version...



On to one of my favourite Spanish films. The excellent Guillermo del Toro produced psychological horror, Julia's Eyes.

The story follows Julia, who is slowly losing her sight whilst trying to investigate the mysterious death of her twin sister.

You can read review of Julia's Eyes here.








Here's Fernando Velázquez's unreleased score...

Here's a few more worth a mention before we hit the Top 10 in Part 4...

Hellraiser (1987)...

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)...

Shutter (2004)...

The Shining (1980)...

Friday the 13th (1980)...

Interview with the Vampire (1994)...

And to finish off, The Fog (1980)...

Well, once again, I hope you enjoy the music as much as I do. I guess you're thinking that I may have missed some important themes, but fear not! Look out for Part 4 which will be a TOP 10 of Horror Movie Themes, as voted for the fans over at the Maven's Movie Vault of Horror Facebook page.

Source: YouTube

Tuesday 14 May 2013

15-05-08 (Short Film Review)


I don't normally watch short films, let alone review them. But since the two guys that are responsible for the horror short, Nikki Chatwin and Jason Chatwin, asked me to watch and review it and the fact that they are local film makers (just a mere 20 minute drive from where I live), I thought "why not" as I like to support local talent as well as the Indie horror scene.

This short is a found footage flick entitled, 15-05-08. The story is simple, the footage was recovered by the police, but the events are never answered. A group of four, two girls and two boys, are sat in the dark watching the activity in a house across the road. The strange thing, the house should be empty as the owners are away for the weekend. But with the twitching of curtains and lights going on and off, something is very wrong!

This could be any ones house, any ones bedroom and the cast made that very believable with subtle acting. It very much felt like the actors where given a script guideline, then had the go ahead to carry it on their own. This added to the realness of the whole thing. The tension builds slowly and before you know it, you feel like you're in the house with them thinking "just turn the fucking lights on!"

Most found footage pieces are shaky, but this was fairly smooth and well edited. At one point, it's that well shot it even puts you in the first person perspective, it didn't just feel like someone holding a camera. Even though I knew where the final result was heading, it kept me interested right to the end. Part found footage, part home invasion flick, this short was well thought out and executed.

I look forward to seeing how far Nikki Chatwin and Jason Chatwin can go in the horror film industry. They certainly seem to have a good foundation to build on.

15-05-08 gets 4 Stars

You can now watch it right here on YouTube and show your support by checking out Sick Bunny Pictures on Facebook and give the page a "like"...