Freddy vs. Jason - Original Score

"Vs." stories always reek of desperation. Be they from a comic book (DC vs. Marvel), movie (King Kong vs. Godzilla) or TV series (Flintstones meet the Jetsons).  But the Nightmare on Elm Street  and Friday the 13th movies exist on a different criteria that normal movies, because people love them for what they are (I really like Nightmares 1, 3,4 and some of 7), so I have to rate the quality of this movie on the level of the original films. Let's separate this out: Does it suck as a Jason movie? Not really. The Friday the 13th series were always trashy in the first place. Does it suck as a Nightmare movie? Well, yes. The nightmares aren't particularly good and there are not enough of them. I remember when the nightmares in the earlier films were up-and-coming filmmaker's chance to really wow people with whatever crazy or clever idea they had in their head. Here the dreams are very literal and use imagery that ran out of steam after the third film. 

I have to say this straight out. I'm not a big Graeme Revell fan. There is only one score of his I have really liked (The Crow) and maybe several others that I can listen to (Pitch Black, Red Planet, Hard Target). I can tolerate pretty much all of his scores in context to the film, but outside of the film they tend to be polished but mediocre action affairs. He has several loyal collaborators that keep him scoring though. Having worked with Ronny Yu already on 80's horror movie revival Bride of Chucky, it made sense that Revell would reunite with him on this highly anticipated horror smackdown.

Neither series have had particularly great music. I have an affinity for the themes of the two series and the cheesy disco remix to Friday the 13th 3: 3-D  but little else. This score has a full sound that neither horror franchises have had before. But this is by no means a original score. It reminded me quite a bit of the Michael Kamen/Orbital Event Horizon score with some quotes of Hans Zimmer ("In The Library").

And all together, the score works consistently enough on high energy and many loving homage to both series. There isn't really any themes or melodic progression; it is more of a buffet table of horror movie clichés. Revell mixes in all of the old standbys; shock musical stings, thumping "heartbeat" rhythms, xylophone playing a haunted nursery rhyme and many others old standards. Both series get musical quotes. "Girl with No Eyes" uses the "1,2 Freddy's coming for you" lullaby. "Jason's Surprise Attack" uses the original "Kill, Kill, Kill" only now with a more electronic feel (very much sounding like Orbital). Revell fills the rest of the score out using his usual flourishes: mournful horns, tribal drums and electronic percussion.  There are several brief but quirky cues. "Stoner Creature" has a Stevie Ray Vaughn Texas Rock rhythm, and "Freddy In The Real World" uses a Stone Temple Pilot's beat, including a really silly "DIE! DIE! DIE!" vocal.

This is one of Revell's more solid albums in a while, mostly because of the campy energy he seems to give it. This is for Revell fans and devotes to Horror primarily.