Something Wicked This Way Comes | ||
 | Composer: James Horner Label: Intrada Release Date: 2009-04-27 Producer: James Horner and Simon Rhodes Conductor: James Horner Buy this soundtrack:   | 1 Rating   |
 Track Listing | |||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Main Title (6:46) 02 Dark's Pandemonium Carnival (4:27) 03 The Carousel (4:34) 04 Miss Foley in the Mirror (4:51) 05 The Boys Buy a Lightning Rod (3:25) 06 The Library (6:51) 07 Side Show (1:58) 08 Discovered (3:45) 09 The Spiders (3:24) 10 Magic Window (2:15) 11 End Titles (2:46) Total Length: 45:07 | |||||||||||||||||||
More Soundtracks by James Horner
Reviewed by Scott - Grade: A Long awaited must-have release shines some of James Horner's finest work in stunning transfer from original source. If you are a fan of the 1982/1983 years of James Horner (Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, Krull, Brainstorm) then you will no doubt love 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' also released in 1983. The signature elements of Horner's style are contained in this score, but whereas they tend to get repetitive with later works he is able to mix in some really dramatic (and terrifying moments). The Main Title opens setting the mood for a horrific film then gently settles into a nostalgic theme to introduce the two main characters of the film Will and Jim. This theme carries throughout the score and establishes a light hearted backdrop for the antics of two young boys. Meanwhie, Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce - my favorite villain actor of all time) and his Pandemonium Carnival arrive into town. This theme reminds me of later work by Mancina to capture the whirlwind of a tornado with crescendo strings, escalating piano, flutes and a section of horns that trumpet the main Dark theme. All ending in a sound you may recognize from Brainstorm that I can only describe as cascading sections of a choir. Utilizing a boys choir for lots of ooooohhhhh and ahhhhs, Horner blends their voices seamlessly with Dark's theme and a low rumbling piano. Have I mentioned this is only the first two songs on the score? From here we go into a chaotic ride on the Carousel which again mashes everything up into noise that is actually pleasant to listen to, albeit terrifying. A familiar and almost cliche carnival organ theme is mixed in for good measure but this piece really stands out, again mixing in the theme of Will and Jim as the Carousel fires up. After a ride on the Carousel we are treated to the spine-tingling image of Miss Foley in the Mirror. I am really surprised at how scary this song is as I have never heard Horner do anything this dark before. All of his usual elements are there from his other works, but these seem to have been taken down that path into the forest at night that everyone tells you not to go down alone. We are brought back to a sense of wonderment and darkness in The Library, a very sinister scene with Mr. Dark challenging Charles Holloway (Jason Robards), again low strings, soft choir, and rumbling strikes of brass. The Spiders is a precursor to the scary sounds of Aliens and Magic Window is definitely a nice continuation of all the themes presented. End Titles brings us to an optimistic and magical close. As usual, Intrada gives us the white glove treatment for this soundtrack with a detailed booklet describing the music from the film and a nice background on the original sources and challenges of transferring an unsupported tape format. What amazes me most about this release is the quality of the music. The transfer and processing was done very well and provides a very clean sound to listeners. Whether you are a die hard Horner fan or a pundit, this score is definitely worth picking up and listening to in your darkest moments. More Movie Soundtracks
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