By JASON COMERFORD Never underestimate the power of simple storytelling. For a moment, Michael Dougherty’s oft-delayed 2007 horror anthology Trick ‘R Treat dares to reach for a mood of sublime, showstopping spookiness – and pulls it off. Amidst a vignette about a group of young trick-or-treaters preparing to spring a prank on a classmate, one stops to narrate a flashback about of a group of mentally disturbed schoolchildren, all costumed, masked and chained to their seats, who take an ill-fated bus ride to the bottom of a local quarry. Trick ‘R Treat was long-shelved and unjustly overlooked by Warner Brothers, who evidently were concerned that its body count included children; contrary to their worries, the deaths neatly sidestep gratuitousness and are perfectly in keeping with the film’s fancifully macabre moral: Always abide the traditions of Halloween… or else. A major contributor to the sequence’s splendid eeriness is Douglas Pipes’ perfectly nuanced scoring. A solitary piano motif floats above a bed of strings, percussive accents and a small choir; as the gentle mood sours, urgent, chopping string figures segue into hammering chords for brass, winds and pounding drums as the schoolbus plunges to its dark fate. The piano figure returns to close out the cue with a sense of ghostly, tragic elegance. Pipes’ score in individual moments such as the above is extraordinarily effective, and La-La Land’s soundtrack album is overall a marvelous listen, if perhaps lacking a strong thematic backbone that could link its disparate pieces together. With efforts such as this and Monster House already tucked under his belt, Pipes is definitely a talent to watch for in the future.  |
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All individuals submitting a Click here to submit a comment Relevant Websites: Official Douglas Pipes Website John Carpenter and Alan Howarth |
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READER COMMENTS:
| Howlin' Wolf | The contest period for this installment will run until midnight on Tuesday, October 26 when the next installment premieres. |
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| Danny G. | A score in the grand gothic tradition of Danny Elfman. The film is interesting piece of work itself which was badly and undeservedively shelved by Warner Bros. It's not a perfect horror film, but it's one that will garner cult status in years to come. The film is completely original from start to finish and with an excellent cast to boot. Doug Pipes score is a tremendous asset to the film. It's grand, gothic and definitely original. It harkens to the scores of horrors past by the likes of Baxter, Goldsmith, Morricone, Carpenter, Williams to name a few. Pipes had done Monster House prior to this and his score was a refreshing musical voice and with this score he really expanded it and went ten times further than he did for Monster House. For those who've missed out on both the film and the score, definitely don't hesitate to grab it. It's amazing that we have both today otherwise the WB would've buried them deep in a grave somewhere. Great to say they didn't! |
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| iZombie | This is a great film, that went missing for some time... then the mad dash to find it anywhere on DVD. The "buzz" was created and everyone wanted to see what was so terrible that it got shelved for so long. It had plenty of "got cha" moments, at least I felt this, and many of those films don't. I spend half the time trying to figure out who the killer is, bad person or the twist to the end, 'cause the horror formula is the same. Great cast of people bringing great acting chops, which makes it more interesting. Okay I ramble... the score has pops and twisty roads making it a treat to listen too. Douglas Pipes has been here and around for a some time and finally got his props with Monster House, and I am glad he did. we need to have more from him, he has a grand style and has the ability to be one of the greats of the last decade. |
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| Fons | I don't know this film and i hear its music for the first time now. I must say it sounds refreshing. I agree on the Danny Elfman type of sound: it adds a fairy tale kind of mood. This matches the lightness of Halloween. A contrast with the plain horror. Hopefully it works on cellulloid. |
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| ShellHawk | Pipes did a fantastic job on this soundtrack, and frankly, Trick 'R Treat would not have been the same without his deft touch. Intense where it needed to be, gentle in other places, it really helped to tell the story! |
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| Thomas | I'm glad that you at least included one of the classic horror film scores as there are so many. |
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| jfvachon | Wow, I hadn't heard this score before, but the clip is great. I'll have to get this score. I agree with everyone that it has touches of Elfman in it. I love what Pipes did on Monster House too. Here's hoping he gets to score many more films. |
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| Jon | I first heard of Douglas Pipes when Varese released Monster House and I loved that score. So I just recently ordered Trick 'R Treat, which samples are very good too. I still have to watch the movie, though. |
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| DR | The Monster House soundtrack was more impressive than I thought it would be. I am hoping to hear Trick 'R Treat soon, and am definitely interested in whatever Pipes works on next. |
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| Basil | The sound clip sounds like a winner... I hope Mr. Pipes gets more film scoring projects in the near future. He's only scored two films thus far, I think? |
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| Kev W. | I love that this movie is starting to get the recognition it deserves. It's already considered a must-watch Halloween classic in my house and it's wonderful to see the following it's developing. More of this sort of thing please! |
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| Howlin' Wolf | Congratulations ShellHawk for being the name randomly selected for this installment. Thank you for your participation and we will be contacting you to get your shipping address. Again thanks to everyone! |