Johan Soderqvist's Let the Right One In: A Score as Transcendent as the Movie For Which It Was Written

I'm one of those movie fanatics who has also been deeply obsessed with quality film scores. Collected them all my life, from vinyl, to cassette, to CD, to download. Every now and then I have the pleasure of discovering one that really blows me away, and I have to shout to the rooftops about how great it is. The latest one to rock my world in this way is Johan Soderqvist's sublime motion picture soundtrack for Tomas Alfredson's sublime motion picture Let the Right One In. It's certainly no accident that it won the 2008 Cyber Horror Award for Best Score.

Anyone who's watched and loved the movie is bound to have already been struck by the beauty of its score, but its only when you listen to it on its own, and focus on the music itself, that you really appreciate how excellent it is. This is movie music of the highest order--not only listenable on its own merits, but matched perfectly to the specific events of the movie it was written for, the very quality that helped catapult John Williams to film score superstardom.

The score is dominated by two main themes, which are essentially linked to the movie's two central characters, Oskar and Eli. In fact, the main theme of Let the Right One In is specifically entitled "Eli's Theme", and man does this Nino Rota-esque melody pack a powerful emotional punch. Initially iterated using a full string section, it pops up later on in tracks like "The Father" in the form of solo guitar. And finally, in the title track that accompanies the closing credits, it begins in guitar form, and then the strings take it over, "sweetening it into a phrase of such delight," as Salieri described Mozart's "Gran Partita" Serenade in Amadeus.

In short, this utterly beguiling theme epitomizes the ethereal combination of sadness and otherwordly beauty embodied by Eli, the ageless vampire trapped in the body of a little girl.

The film's other major theme is more closely associated with Eli's devoted human friend, Oskar. First presented in the track "Oskar in Love", it takes the form of a simple, understated piano melody that captures not only the enigmatic character of Oskar, but also the quiet, almost stark beauty of the Swedish landscape in which the movie's action takes place.

One of the most remarkable things Soderqvist does with this particular theme occurs in the track
"Death of Hakan", which accompanies the scene in which Oskar witnesses Eli murdering the revenge-minded local who comes to her apartment. As Oskar takes in this decidedly sinister side of the girl he loves for the very first time, the already established Oskar theme goes from a hopeful major key to a much more foreboding minor one. This is thoughtful movie scoring.

And speaking of sinister, don't think the whole score is composed entirely of touchy-feely sweet stuff. This is a horror movie after all, and there's plenty of suitably atonal, ambient fare to be found, particularly in tracks such as "The Slaughter", "Hiding the Body", and "Lacke Dies". Prodigious use of rolling kettle drums and clanking metal sound effects provide the needed air of dread, and remind the listener of the duality of this picture.

In fact, it's rare that you'll find such a schizophrenic score that pulls it off so well, switching from poignant to dark and malevolent from one track to the next. And in the track "Eli Bleeds", Soderqvist even manages to transition between the two, going from horrifying, as Eli stands in Oskar's threshold oozing dark plasma from her pores, to the bright love theme once Oskar gives her permission to enter and the bleeding stops.

But for my money, the Let the Right One In score is much more about Soderqvist's touching and mesmerizing major themes than the more run-of-the-mill, slightly repetitive stuff that represents the "horror end" of things. The melodies that Soderqvist has crafted here deserve major attention, and one can only hope that this piece will lead to a more mainstream (read: American) audience soon discovering his work. This is movie music at its finest. Pick it up now.

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This Should've Been the REAL Trailer for Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

Came across this the other day and just had to share it--a highly entertaining fan-made trailer for Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, a.k.a. The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue:



The Beatles and zombies. Two great tastes that taste great together!

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I'd also like to direct your attention today to the VoH's "sister blog", Day of the Woman, where BJ-C has responded to my now-legendary Zombie All-Star Team post with her very own "all-star team" of indispensable female horror icons. Hopefully, Stacie Ponder doesn't get a big head from being included in such prestigous company--Lord knows the woman has become nigh unbearable lately (I kid, Stace, I kid!).

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Rare Jerry Goldsmith Score Finally Released on CD

For all those like me, whose movie obsession includes a great affinity for film music, there's some great news for you, courtesy of Film Score Monthly. For the first time on an American CD, Jerry Goldsmith's eclectic score for the 1983 flick The Twilight Zone: The Movie has been released.

It's a very limited edition of 3,000 copies, but this is a big deal for one of horror filmdom's most sought-after scores, which hasn't seen the light of day domestically since the original LP release 25 years ago. From then till now, a 2000 European bootleg CD was the only other way for fans to hear one of the master's best pieces of music.

So get yourself over to Screen Archives Entertainment's site for a complete track list and some sample audio clips. Oh yeah, and you can order it there, too.

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Woody Harrelson Mistakes Photographer for Zombie...

Woody from Cheers has never been accused of being the most down-to-earth, rational celebrity out there, so maybe this should come as little surprise. Still, it's great for a laugh.

Apparently. Mr. Harrelson, fresh from wrapping filming on Zombieland, an all-out zombie survival flick, was accosted by a paparazzo at New York's LaGuardia Airport last Wednesday, and had a most interesting reaction.

"With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie," read Harrelson's official statement on the matter, according to Now Magazine. Yep, seems perfectly logical to me.

Harrelson claims to have still been partially in character when he smashed the photog's video camera to the floor. The Port Authority of New York is currently looking into the alleged victim's complaint against Harrelson.

Woody, this isn't going to help your activisim for legalizing hemp and marijuana, my friend...

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While I have your ear, I just wanted to announce that the new Vault of Horror T-shirts will be available by the end of the month--so please pre-order now! The price is $24.99 w/ FREE shipping in the U.S. You can Paypal your purchase now to mysteriouswufang@yahoo.com. Or if you don't have Paypal, drop me a line at b-sol@thevaultofhorror.net for the mailing address (check or money order only). Be sure to include your shirt size and mailing info with your order! Non-US buyers please add $6.00 for shipping. I'm quite proud of the design, and if the T-shirt proves a success, there just may be more Vault of Horror items on the horizon...

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Marilyn Chambers 1952-2009

Although it may not have been her best-known work, David Cronenberg's 1977 zombie chiller Rabid was undoubtedly the most mainstream piece of work on the infamous resume of Marilyn Ann Briggs, a.k.a. Marilyn Chambers, who was found dead yesterday in her trailer home of as-yet-undetermined causes.

Her most well-known work would have to be Behind the Green Door, the 1972 film that made her the very first bona fide superstar of the exploding adult movie industry--ironically mere months after she had appeared as a model for Ivory Snow detergent.

Interestingly, it wasn't Cronenberg who wanted her for the starring role of Rose in his second motion picture. Cronenberg wanted Sissy Spacek, who had just kicked ass in the starring role of Brian DePalma's Carrie. But it was producer Ivan Reitman who instead suggested Ms. Chambers, to give the flick more sex appeal. And you thought porn was mainstream today!

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**SPOILER PIC** Michael Myers to Be Maskless for Majority of Halloween Sequel

Ryan Rotten of Shock Till You Drop landed a fascinating little interview with Halloween 2's makeup designer Wayne Toth on this Easter Sunday. The FX guru discusses a range of topics, including his surprisingly positive response to the bogus fan art that hit the web a couple of months back, the extensive use of dream sequences in the film, and most provocatively, the fact that The Shape will apparently be without his iconic mask for roughly "70%" of the sequel!

Here's Toth on the subject:

"I thought the reaction was pretty much going to be, What? No mask on Michael Myers?' But it's like anything else, as long as you're doing something cool, people get it. No one has dared to change the character, they just put him in different situations and that gets old pretty fast. Be daring with Michael Myers and change it, I think that was the appeal with this movie. It wasn't limited to a remake, like last time. We're taking it a step further."

This is bound to create some division in the fan community--which was already divided as to whether or not the remake sucked in the first place. For the rest of the interview, head on over to STYD. As for this "new design", the spoiler-wary among you might want to divert your eyes or jump to another site, 'cause I'm about to share an on-set peek of actor Tyler Mane sporting Michael Myers' maskless look. Here's the infamous shot which has been dropping jaws at STYD:


Well, no one can accuse Rob Zombie of being without balls. Although I'm tempted to say that without the Shatner mask, it kind of becomes less "Halloween" and more "Crazy Homeless Guy in a Jumpsuit Randomly Stabbing People". Stay tuned, true believers.

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A Quarter-Century of Krueger: Freddy's Life and Times

For this second installment of my year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm Street, I bring you a highly masturbatory yet fascinating look at the fictional life story of everyone's favorite supernatural slasher. Told in timeline fashion, it incorporates all "canonical" events in the life of one Fred Krueger. And by canonical, I mean accepted by New Line as officially part of their character's story. And yes, I'll admit to a little license taken on my part to help "smooth things over," if you will, and take care of any inconsistencies.

Here we go:

1937: Amanda Krueger, by then a young nun known as Sister Mary Helena, comes to work at the Westin Hills psychiatric hospital in Springwood, Ohio. She is accidentally locked in the asylum over an extended vacation (some sources indicate Christmas, but Freddy's birth date would point more toward an Easter break). Sister Mary is repeatedly tortured and raped by the 100 inmates locked in with her. She is found days later, barely alive--and pregnant.

January 14, 1938: In a breech birth, Sister Mary delivers her baby, Frederick Charles Krueger. He is immediately given up for adoption.

1938: Baby Freddy is adopted by one Mr. Underwood, an abusive alcoholic.

1940s: The child's sociopathic behavior begins at an early age, and, as with many future serial killers, includes the butchering of small animals. He is a social outcast among other kids, who are aware of his unseemly background.

Early 1950s: In his teen years, Freddy becomes a "cutter", engaging in self-mutilation. Eventually, he works up the nerve to murder his sadistic foster father.

Early 1960s: Freddy meets Loretta, and the couple eventually marry. They move to 1428 Elm Street in Springwood to start a family, which includes the birth of a daughter, Kathryn. Krueger takes a job at the local power plant. Krueger begins acting on his twisted perversions, abducting a total of 20 children from the neighborhood and taking them to the boiler room of the power plant, where he tortures and kills them. His prime instrument of torture/murder is a glove equipped with razor-blade claws. When Loretta discovers his activities, he murders her as well. The cases remain unsolved, and police dub the killer the "Springwood Slasher".

1966: Krueger is finally connected to the missing children, and arrested. His daughter is put into foster care.

1968: Due to the warrant to search Freddy's premises being incorrectly signed, all evidence becomes inadmissible. Krueger is released from prison. His birth mother, who had been following the case, hangs herself in the Westin Hills tower. On the night after his release, Springwood parents take matter into their own hands, track Krueger down to his boiler room, and burn him alive inside. Just prior to his death, Freddy is approached by a trio of "dream demons", who offer him immortality in the dream world, and the ability to continue his killing spree there. Krueger's remains are taken to the local auto salvage yard and locked in the trunk of one of the wrecked cars.

1970s: Police lieutenant Don Thompson and his wife Marge, two of the parents involved in killing Freddy, move into his old house on Elm Street. The Thompsons and other Springwood parents work to erase the memory of Krueger and his crimes, as well as their own vigilante act. The subject becomes taboo in the town.

Fall 1981: After a dozen years, Krueger's malevolent spirit finally gains enough strength to begin exacting his revenge. Returning to life as a kind of "dream demon" himself, Freddy begins haunting the children of the parents who burned him to death, murdering them in their sleep--resulting in a supernatural massacre that would terrorize Springwood teens for a decade. Among his first targets: Nancy Thompson, the daughter of the people who had moved into his former home.

• Freddy's Famous Friends

Freddy cartoon by Montygog

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What If Your Urban Legend... Were True?

Cropsey.

If you grew up in the Northeastern U.S., particularly New York, at any time during the past 25-30 years or so, it's very possible that name holds a sinister meaning for you. That's because it was one of the area's most commonly repeated summer camp urban legends.

I can remember sitting around the campfire on Staten Island during my cub scout days, listening panic-stricken as the pack leaders told us all about the one-armed axe-wielding maniac who lived in a cabin in the woods, half his body covered with burns. Eager to chop up as many campers as he could in retribution for the fire caused by careless kids, which led to the death of wife and kids, as well as his own disfigurement. I guess you could say that Cropsey was our Jason.

Little did I know that although the popular tale was greatly embellished as any urban legend will be, it was actually based on a very real case. In other words, Cropsey was a real guy.

A documentary film will be screening later this month at the Tribeca Film Festival by two Staten Island natives, Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, who investigated the legend and came up with the grisly truth behind the real-life madman who inspired the Cropsey tale.

Having grown up with this story, and still remembering those restless nights in the scout cabin, listening intently to every sound in the woods, fearing that the killer would barge through the door at any moment, I've got great interest in checking this one out. If you do as well, go to the official movie website for more information. Screening times are as follows:

• Sat, April 25th 11:30pm . . . . . . . . AMC Village VII
• Sun, April 26th 3:00pm . . . . . . . . AMC Village VII
• Tues, April 28th 11:00pm . . . . . . School of Visual Arts
• Sat, May 2nd 8:30 pm . . . . . . . . . AMC Village VII

**UPDATE** Cropsey co-director Joshua Zeman checked in this afternoon with this important bit of clarification:

Andre Rand, the man profiled in the film, isn’t the actual inspiration of the collective CROPSEY. The collective CROPSEY has been around for decades. Somehow as kids we assigned the name from the urban legend CROPSEY to the man living in the woods in Staten Island who was going around and allegedly snatching kids. The film looks at how we attached the myth to the man... And is our attempts as now as adults to discover whether the urban legend of our childhood was actually true.

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New Where the Wild Things Are Poster! Beguiling, I Tell You, Beguiling!

Whether you loved the Maurice Sendak classic as a kid or not, how could you not want to see this? Looks to be a definite solid follow-up to Coraline for those parents, like myself, looking to expose their progeny to maximum coolness.

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The Vault of Horror & Day of the Woman Present: The 20 Hottest Women of Horror

Tonight we're talking about the women of horror, so who better to bring on board than the mastermind behind Day of the Woman herself, the irrepressible and irresistible BJ-C? She and myself worked long and hard to compile the following list of the most beautiful female characters in horror history, and I now leave it to BJ-C to bring it to you in her own inimitable style...

20) Gloria Holden (Countess Marya Zaleska)
~When your daddy is the Prince of the Night, one can only assume that you’re going to be a bona fide sex kitten. With those mesmerizing eyes, rocking figure, perfect pout, baby-smooth skin, and lesbian overtones, she’s like rolling all of the women on this list into one. She truly defines what it means to be a Horror Babe.

19) Jenny Agutter (Nurse Alex)
~ If you happen to be an American feeling a sick in London and think you may have possibly been bitten by a werewolf, there's no better cure than Nurse Alex Price entering your hospital room with a short skirt and a tray of pills. Enough said.

18) Sherri Moon Zombie (Baby Firefly)
~Love his work or hate it, Rob Zombie nabbed himself a real fox. Baby Firefly brings the perfect combination of insanity, sex and innocence, all rolled into one character. I’ll give her a B, an A, a B and a Y anytime she wants…

17) Evelyn Ankers (Gwen)
~Every furry man has to have a sexy co-star, and Evelyn Ankers is that woman for the Wolf Man. With those luscious blonde tresses and 40’s pinup body, it's no wonder Lon Chaney [as well as us here at VoH & DotW] noticed her, too.

16) Fairuza Balk (The Craft)
~A woman with turquoise eyes hidden behind black makeup and black lipstick. The lead witch of the coven in The Craft, she made famous the image little Goth girls across America try to emulate. She’s probably the scariest sexy women on this list.

15) Milla Jovovich (Alice)
~She’s got super-human strength, piercing blue eyes and a figure that makes even women swoon. There’s nothing hotter than a girl in little to no clothing, who can completely annihilate zombies. Not to mention, her legs could kill… and sometimes do.

14) Kate Beckinsale (Selene)
~She’s scantily clad in vinyl and leather, and has the ability to destroy anything in her path. Not to mention… she’s hotter than hell. This breathtaking (and powerful) former vampire makes us thank heaven she’s immortal.

13) Janet Leigh (Marian Crane)
~By far the most famous woman to ever take a shower, Janet Leigh as Marian Crane is the hottest embezzler to ever step foot in the Bates Motel. She may have been killed off within the first 45 minutes of Psycho, but her naked figure being stabbed is one of the most sensual & terrifying scenes in horror history.

12) Sadie Frost (Lucy from Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
~Move over Mina, it’s your best friend Lucy we’re looking for! A vivacious starlet who is much praised for her beauty and sweet nature, the poor victim of Dracula has such a vamp look to her already, it’s impossible to overlook her sexiness… even moreso after becoming a vampire.

11) Hazel Court (Elizabeth in The Curse of Frankenstein)
~One of the premier '50s scream queens. Hazel captivated us with that thick hair and plump pout. Not to mention, her hotness got our eyes on someone other than Vincent Price when she stepped on screen. Another one of those curvaceous women, she looked fabulous in every role she played.

10) Caroline Munro (Laura Bellows, Dracula AD 1972)
~One of the sassy and sexy women of Hammer Horror, Caroline Munro grazed the screen in numerous forms. A former Vogue model, her big break was performing as one of Hammer’s girls. She however turned down many roles because they required nudity, such a shame ;)

9) Rose McGowan (Cherry Darling)
~She has those luscious red lips and smokin’ hot body. She's a go-go dancer, a full-fledged bad-ass zombie slayer, and of course, there's the stockless-M4 carbine leg. What else could someone ask for?

8) Jessica Biel (Erin)
~So the remake of TCM wasn’t as well done as it could have been… but Holy Upgrade Batman on the main girl. Jessica Biel was white hot as the uber-conservative daugher of the Priest on 7th Heaven, but seeing her half naked in a horror film... sign me up!

7) Allison Hayes (Mona)
~In Zombies of Mora Tau, we find the 50-Foot Woman herself, Allison Hayes, displaying one of the sexiest brassieres ever created. With an absolute perfect hourglass shape, she completely embodies what it meant to be a 50’s Scream Queen.

6) Nastassia Kinski (Irena)
~The lips that drove men crazy long before Angelina. The character Irena in the remake of Cat People (which is a film already swarming with sex) makes panthers look sexy, and there is something about that iconic movie poster that makes it harder to walk…

5) Isabelle Adjani (Lucy Harker)
~Looking like she was glazed with porcelain, Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker in Nosferatu the Vampyre has one of the most breathtaking sets of eyes to ever grace the silver screen. The contrast of her dark makeup on that ivory complexion of hers draws everyone in, with or without a vampire on her neck.

4) Linnea Quigley (Trash)
~ Not sure when Trash is hotter--before she turns into a zombie or after. Her legendary full-frontal graveyard dance is officially the most necessary gratuitous nude scene in movie history. Plus, she’s one of three people on the planet to make pink hair sexy.

3) Anna Falchi (She)
~Italians have given the horror world synth-rock music, realistic zombie makeup, and Anna Falchi. In the film adaptation of Dylan Dog, or Dellamorte Dellamore/Cemetery Man, we get the luxury of staring at “She” as she represents numerous women in the film. For lack of a better description, HOTTEST ZOMBIE EVER.

2) Salma Hayek (Santatica Pandemonium)
~Vampire Freaking Stripper…Never in my life have I ever wanted more to be bitten by a woman than I have after watching From Dusk Till Dawn. Who doesn’t like seeing Vampire Strippers with snakes in their hands? That’s what I thought…

1) Maila Nurmi (Vampira)
~Absolutely exemplifying what it means to have an hourglass figure, Maila Nurmi encompasses everything a sexy gothic pinup should be. From her smashing frame, to her stunning cheekbones, Maila Nurmi jumpstarted puberty for the boys of the classic horror era the world over. Dita Von Teese….eat your heart out.

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