Drag Me To Hell | ||
 | Composer: Christopher Young Label: Lakeshore Records Release Date: 2009-08-18 Producer: Christopher Young & Flavio Motallo Buy this soundtrack:   | 8 Ratings |
 Track Listing | |||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Drag Me To Hell (2:33) 02 Mexican Devil Disaster (4:33) 03 Tale of a Haunted Banker (1:52) 04 Lamia (4:06) 05 Black Rainbows (3:24) 06 Ode to Ganush (2:23) 07 Familiar Familiars (2:11) 08 Loose Teeth (6:31) 09 Ordeal by Corpse (4:35) 10 Bealing Bells with Trumpet (5:12) 11 Brick Dogs a la Carte (1:46) 12 Muttled Buttled Brain Stew (2:51) 13 Auto-Da-Fe (4:31) 14 Concerto to Hell (5:59) Total Length: 52:34 | |||||||||||||||||||
More Soundtracks by Christopher Young
Reviewed by Scott - Grade: A Triumphant accomplishment by Young hearkens back to his roots. Deserves Oscar for best score of 2009! Nothing else comes close... No doubt many of you know that Christopher Young is my favorite composer of all time. He is by far the most talented and ingenious artist that has put music to film. Time and again he has consistently pushed himself to create new sounds that no other composers will even dare try. Whether it be the children's toys in The Vagrant or the lonesome fiddle of The Gift he has never doubted his abilities to create truly unique music that rarely imitates itself. Drag Me To Hell represents the fourth pairing of Young to a Raimi film and he does not disappoint. In fact, he has managed to create something that really takes him back to his roots of the powerful scores of the Hellraiser series. One can argue that Drag Me To Hell is much different than the Pinhead flicks of the 80's, but Young has created a masterpiece that encompasses the same forecful power and darkness that is in your face, grips you tight, and does not let go. I remember seeing the title for the film appear and hearing Young's dramatic opening. It was loud, coherent, and sucked you into the story which you were about to be told. The sweeping choir, tubas, and pounding cymbals thrust you into this world. We are introduced to the single violin that carries the theme of both the devil and the character of Ms. Ganush. This single violin casts the shadow of an eastern European darkness that is echoed throughout the score. The opening is powerful. It is brilliant. It is moving. The violin ends with a wobbly sustain that fades away and sets the tone for the film. 'Mexican Devil Disaster' is the prologue to the film. We are treated once again to the single violin coming and going, almost as if the devil himself was behind you playing with 10 fingers. This is impossible by a human naturally and Young creatively overdubs the violin to create the unique sound. We hear what appears to be a soft children's choir hit their notes in an eerie but almost heavenly solemn to the events that are about to unfold. We are transitioned to an adult choir that gives a sense of hope, but immediately we are thrust into a devilish chorus of dark chanting with rhytmic percussion, and screeching strings. The strings carry suspense until we know what is about to happen. Percussion kicks in and trumpets begin a journey upward from the bowels of hell to take their victim. Tubas blast us into the aftermath of the disaster and we are left wondering with shakers and a soft almost wind like bamboo flute. A rhythmic section of cellos leads us back to the comfort of the single haunting violin as we fade into the darkness. Fans of Young will note that some of his recent scores have included some very light hearted melodies that try to pace a story or create a sense of family bond. Let's use Glass Act from The Uninvited or The Water Waltz from Sleepwalking as examples. We are introduced to the character Christine and this is the tone that is set in 'Tale of a Haunted Banker'. It begins with a simple harp (or piano -- hard to tell) montage and he sets the light hearted tone with a xylophone very nicely. For the first half of this song it is simply those two instruments. At almost the exact mid point, a string section kicks in and adds another layer of complexity and power to the song. It becomes ever so moving. But as with the film this light heartedness does not last long and Christine's world is thrust into the bowels of hell as we are introduced to the Lamia. 'Lamia' is sheer terror. A soft whooshing choir tricks you into becoming comfortable especially with the single bamboo flute BUT suddenly the Lamia stabs at you with a strike of horns, a bell, schizophrenic strings and the choir goes insane. We are moved into yet more unique sounds that I cannot quite make out, sounds almost like a muted organ or steel drums that are echoing...very unique. The low frequencies kick in and the strings whine silently. You cannot truly appreciate how eerie this music is until you are walking along in the woods listening to this track by yourself at night. I have done this, I dare you to try it. If you are not looking over your shoulder, then there is something wrong with you. The Lamia attacks again and the strings, the sweeping choir and a section of trumpets blast in with devilish carnival style fun. It has the trademark Raimi stamp...fun devils. A single horn blasts through the chaos and climbs and climbs and climbs until at 3:20 we are released into a powerful moving sweep of the choir, strings, and horns. This is probably the most moving piece of the entire score sending chills down my spine every time I listen to it, almost as if you've burst out of darkness and into the light of souls streaming towards heaven. The true darkness continues in 'Black Rainbows' and this takes us to his signature Grudge style. Low frequencies that rumble while poetic strings are picked by fingers and keys are run down the strings of instruments scratching at your terror. The strings are layered so well that even though they sound like noise if you take the time to appreciate what is happening you will realize how truly remarkable the sound is. It is Penderecki style and no doubt he has had a tremendous influence on Young over the years. The strings continue to climb and we hear the moaning of the choir, almost chanting with a wind like intonation that builds and climbs again into sections of percussion and screams. This is true Hellraiser style at its best. 'Ode to Ganush' mixes it up even further and keeps the soft strings with the pluck of a bass guitar and strikes at us again with a section of frenetic strings. 'Familiar Familiars' ironically brings us back to the familiarness and safety of Christine's main theme. Yet, it is sadder. The piano and strings are solemn and show how dire her situation has become. There may still be hope for her, but it seems almost pointless to try and work out of the situation she is in. Perhaps her lover can help? 'Loose Teeth' reminds us that...ummm...no, Christine is screwed. The strings and low choir moaning really eat at us. The strings move us again into a sense of wonderment but we are brisked this time backwards and seemingly downward. This is the fight between Christine and Ganush. How the hell you ask a composer to score a scene like that is beyond me. What Young has created works so well with the film and also stands well on its own. Interestingly at 4:19 we here percussion kick in and the screaming and moaning of something that does not sound human. Young admits in the liner notes that he does some screaming in this track, so if that is him, kudos...it is simply terrifying. The strings layered with this pounding, almost torturous moaning are so unique sounding that never would any other composer do this. We are taken out of this hell with the single violin once again. It trails away and leaves us with low rumbling frequencies. 'Auto-Da-Fe' treats us to a culmination of the entire score and from the moment it begins it is huge. Large horns, flutes, trumpets, a church organ and tubas blast their way in a carinval or calliope style tour de force that represents the apex of the film. It continues to build and the clank of a bell sets us into each next section. The choir decides to make an entrance and blows us away with a large neverending section of tubas. This is probably the most complex piece that has been used in a film in a very long time. It almost tells a story within a story. There is nobody doing anything like this in major motion pictures. Why NOT??? Take a lesson from Christopher Young. The score ends nicely with 'Concerto to Hell' which drives back the main theme and where the devil returns playing his solo violin. The choir dances and crescendos with the familiar cymbals and percussion in huge booming strikes. No doubt the end titles to the film, we are taken to the solo violin. The work by the perfomer is fantastic and all emphasis is placed on this single instrument. With a pluck of the strings at the end we are whisked back into the strings for a final romp through the dark powerful world of Drag Me To Hell. The choir builds in layers and the strings kick in to give us a final taste of the violin. It is only the choir and the single violin. It is amazing the depth that is created by just these two instruments. Another strings section climbs and we drive home with final percussion strikes with the cymbals and choir. And just as we are taken into the movie with a sweeping epic explosion, we are sent away with the same booming force. But the devil wants to remind us that he is there...he will always be there waiting to drag us to hell with a single sustained violin to end this experience. Christopher Young deserves the Oscar for Best Score in 2009. No other composer has even come close to creating something this complex. Most pundits will argue that horror film scores never make it into the running, but The Omen won. This kicks The Omen's ass! The Oscars would do justice to one of the strongest, most talented, and original composers out there. Sure Elfman deserves one too, but Young has blown them ALL away in 2009. I could almost imagine two violin players performing live on stage with the powerful orchestra in the background creating that humanly impossible violin sound. It is truly something unique and something I hope that Oscar does not ignore. Update: Golden Globes snubbed Drag Me to Hell, I am betting Oscar does the same. More Movie Soundtracks
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